Mizuno JPX-EZ

Brand: Mizuno
Game improvement iron: JPX-EZ Forged
RRP: £560 Best price: £480
Loft: 28-degree Lie: 61-degree
Length: 37.25” Swing Weight:  D1-D3
Shaft: True Temper XP 105 Grip: M31 Mizuno

Summary: Mizuno JPX EZ Forged delivers explosive distance, and the same effortless flight and tight dispersion of the JPX-EZ, but with the soft, solid feel of Mizuno's exclusive Grain Flow Forging process from 1025E carbon steel. The style of the Mizuno JPX-EZ Forged has become very popular over the last few years, because it offers what many golfer are looking for: feel, looks, performance and forgiveness. It is because of these features that the JPX-EZ Forged can be appealing to a variety of handicaps. But with the multi-thickness CORTECH face, the ball speed across the face has been increased from previous models, which allows for maximum distance.

Appearance: Mizuno’s JPX-EZ Forged iron is a departure from the company’s traditional chrome and satin-finished iron. We're big fans of the black-nickel plating that gives the irons a dark finish and bursts of bright orange in the cavity that begs a closer look. Dark gun-metal finish is a nice touch. It's different and not something we'd necessarily expect from Mizuno. The cavity is not as big as the standard JPX-EZ, which won our under £400 iron test, but it's certainly not as classic in its design as the MP irons designed for better players. The subtle differences between both new JPX ranges are that the Forged offering has a varaible thickness on the face which is thinner in the middle and thicker on the outside. 4 (out of 5)

Feel: Soft feeling iron, despite the aggressive looking cavity back on offer, but nothing like an MP iron. Sound at impact through Mizuno's innovative Harmonic Impact Technology provides a soft, yet crushing blow at impact. It's more of a 'pop' sound at impact like the MP-54. Mizuno has installed a new, lighter shaft that felt very responsive across the board. The standard True Temper XP 105 is a shaft we feel works best for the entry level player with slower swing speeds. 8.5 (out of 10)

Performance: The fiery orange colour choice becomes particularly apt given the hotness off the face. Terrific launch angles, to be expected by the 28-degree on offer, and above-average distance. Some 2-degree up on the long Callaway X2 Hot iron. Not as forgiving as the maximum game improvement JPX-EZ but forgiving enough and a little longer. Decent workability on offer, too. Easy to keep the ball low under the wind, and easy to work a draw. The slight offset favours a right-to-left shape and should help players that tend to lose the ball to the right in the air. That's not quite as easy on the standard JPX-EZ. 8.5 (out of 10)

Verdict: The difference in performance between both JPX-EZ and JPX-EZ Forged varied little, but personal preference would be for the Forged range given it provides a little more workability and solid ball striking across the board. Higher handicappers should get involved with the standard JPX-EZ version, as there's value to be had. Players looking to become better players should get involved with the Forged offering. There's a little more workability to be had here. 21 (out of 25)

Next up, Nike VRS Covert 2.0

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