I own a set of the Takomo 101 Irons. I bought them after seeing Ian hitting them on the channel. I had been looking for a few years for replacements to my Ci9's and one of my main issues with a lot of Game Improvement irons I had tested were the inconsistency off the face. All of them seemed to have these "flyers" that would suddenly take off and go 15yards longer than they should. This is not the case with the 101 irons. They were consistent in spin and carry when Ian hit them and they have also been consistent when I hit them. It would seem from the numbers on these 201's that they are, again, happily consistent in both spin, carry and launch, so Takomo is doing something right with their process that is making them a reliable club. I think I can speak for most golfers that I would rather have a 7i that consistently carries 150-155 yards on a good strike than a 7i that will sometimes send it 165 yards on a that same good strike. If I did have one thing I would like to see it would be that, considering the lofts, I would have loved to have a 5i - GW option over the 4i - PW option. With a 44 degree PW, I would rather have a 48 degree matched Gap Wedge over the 21 degree 4i. Other than that, I am 100% happy with my 101 irons and will be gaming them the next 10 years most likely if they wear well. Cheers! :)
I had the exact same experience moving from a set of 2016 m2 irons which flew just too far. Pitching wedge was 165y, 5 iron was 240-250y and there was absolutely no saying whether they’d then fly an additional 15y and ruin a hole. Switched to a set of Titelist 710 MBs for $300 aud (~$225 usd) and took 6 strokes off my handicap almost overnight just because of the confidence gained in the distance control.
James Robinson has actually kept these in the bag he seems to like them that much. Good on Takomo for offering such value - really incredible actually.
@@jalalalap-akalala I actually emailed Takomo to ask if they were available anywhere for fitting, and they replied saying that they are not currently, but that if I knew of any local shops who'd like to offer them for fitting, they'd be open to it. I don't, sadly, but it makes me want to try them out - my only hesitancy is that as soon as you customize there is no return available.
They also do a "head only" option for those happy to build their own. The only downside of this was that the lie couldn't be pre-adjusted as the heads come from a warehouse opposed to the full sets coming from a factory. Still an incredible bargain!!
I have some PXG xcor2's, but the 101, 101t and 201 are INCREDIBLE values. I have a friend that I just went to pinehurst with and he played 101's and absolutely loves them. Thanks for giving more exposure to these great value DTC brands!
And with that review my set just got ordered. I'm currently playing Bridgestone J40DPC, I'm a good striker but bigger gap on the lower irons to my 3W and I think these will blend this gap alot better. Thank you for your honest review and comments. FYI its 850ish to Canada with shipping and duties
So excited to see you guys review these. James Robinson has been raving about them, glad to see your professional opinion is positive as well. I always appreciate the way you guys review products, keep up the great work!
I got a set with the c taper lite shaft about 3 weeks ago. Best feeling irons I’ve ever had. Perfect flight. Really good around the greens. Going in the bag! Thanks for all you do at TXG
I'm not affiliated with Golfworks in any way, but check out my post. I bought a set of the Maltby TE forged irons, and am thrilled. Love the feel and they are very inexpensive. I still am interested in all the other DTC brands....for some reason I want to stick with the smaller guys, but the clubs are worth looking at.
I play sub70 and think the term “budget” and “affordable” needs to be dropped on most of these offerings. I’ve had mine for over a year and haven’t even thought of changing. They’re that good, price be damned.
@@takl23 Considering how expensive mainbrand clubs are, they are absolutely budget brand. I have the 649MB and they 849 Pro driver. Absolutely love them.
Thanks for the review … winters coming and the off season for a lot of us, nice to know TXG content is going to be there! 👍 TXG Podcasts with Mikey/Ryan perfect listening for raking leaves and shoveling snow. 👍 Keep up the great work!
My 4i is collecting dust in the shed. Ian's 4i is collecting snow as it drops from 109 foot apex at 47 degree land angle from 220 out. Sigh. Matty the bomber gets a lot of well deserved recognition on the channel but Ian's long iron game is an underrated thing of beauty. These DTC tests are really interesting - I haven't even heard of most of the brands and have no understanding of what shafts, lie angles etc suit my swing so would have no clue what to order (I've used the same stock, off the shelf x16s since ~2005).
I have ordered a set of 101's, trying to find a set of 2nd hand clubs for a decent price here in Australia has been very difficult, iron sets 10+ years old selling for $500 AUD, the 101's with +1" shafts and mid size grip and shipping to Australia was $710 AUD ($530 USD), it was a very easy decision to make. I will add regarding your lie angle comment, i was also concerned about lie angle, i havent played in 10 years so all i knew was i need +1" shafts and larger than standard grips. I sent Takomo an email asking whether lie angle could only be set by them, they replied and this is not an exaggeration in 4 minutes advising the heads are soft steel and can be adjusted by a club fitter / repairer etc after purchase.
What would you say is the biggest difference between the 101’s and the 202’s? Can you show them side by side for a size comparison? How much of a forgiveness factor difference between the two?
I game these irons now and I've never played better. Forgiving but with control. It's nicely balanced with more traditional lofts as well. I changed the shaft and put Matrix Program shafts. Got some better distance and control.
Fantastic... Fedex are due to deliver mine today and looking forward to giving them a shot - although my handicap is around the 20's so not quite where you guys think it would fit. Will let you guys know how they go but I'm quite confident they are going to be better than my current package set (that are too short and don't lie right)!
I'm in the same boat as you. My handicap is higher but I'm a good iron striker and love the feel of forged and just need a bit more distance. I'm sure these clubs will definitely help us lower that HC
Ross - super curious to see what your experience is with these, as this describes my game as well. I'd love to have something super consistent (my Sim Max I get a lot of shooters that go 10/15 yards further than my "normal", and completely out of nowhere). Let us know what your takeaway is when you hit them? Thanks!
Been great and cannot complain. I'm launching it quite high but that's probably me, and my HCP is slowly coming down. When I hit it right they feel and sound amazing!! I'm still probably a bit high in handicap for them but my ball striking is getting beter!
I just got my set yesterday with KBS C-Taper 120, 3 degree up, +0.5 length, Lampkin midsize (my index is 6.2). They feel great, perform great. I'm coming from PXG Gen 1 (lofts are basically the same, and the other specs are identical) and I like these better - so far :) - they certainly feel better when I flush them and I don't seem to have lost any forgiveness when I don't. That said, I've only hit them on the range twice (with launch monitor) so no course data yet :)
@@Josh-McKeown when I ordered there was a "custom" option. you can't return them if you do that but I wasn't planning on it :) I just looked, there is a "customize your order" link right below the add to cart button
@@Josh-McKeown Yes, I got the 201s. Delivered last October as I recall. Been gaming them ever since and couldn't be more pleased. The low cost just makes it that much sweeter as thus far I can't tell a difference in quality compared to any of the big boys. My index has dropped with them from 6.2 to 4.2. So they aren't hurting my game either :) one correction I would make from my original comments above is they are slightly, and I mean slightly, less forgiving then my PXGs with stikes off the toe, but that is to be expected for a CB compared to a hollow body. and again, I can't even tell you how much better they feel when I flush them.
Very nice Irons, with excellent performance, at a Great Price...............so what's not to like👍 PS just wondering if Matty will ever take off his Pinehurst Cap?
If I was in the market for new irons, these would be on my very short list. In the meantime I’ll stick with my Honma TW-X irons purchased based on your review fellas. Keep up the great work!
The only issue I have is Takomo is that they won't let you drop the 4 iron (and say, add a gap wedge in place), it is 4-PW and nothing else. OTOH, Sub 70 allows you to do that. With loft jacking, my first iron is a 6 iron and I hit a 5 hybrid much better than a 5 iron. As a 9 HC, I probably would lean toward the 101s since iron play is not my strength.
Same problem, my longest iron is 5 and it's loft equals their 6 iron in 101 series, so little unsure if I could benefit from those longer 4 and 5 clubs... would rather see 5-gw or even 6-sw
Even with the thicker top line, I kind of like the look of these. I would still prefer a thinner top line, but I am still gaming MIzuno MP-18's so it's probably more due to that shape. Getting older though, so looking at going with some more forgiveness in the bag soon. They seem to perform well.
Tommy. I also play the mp18 sc. While im still long with driver 290 and 3w 260. I for sure have lost distance as i get older in my short irons. Im lookimg for something with a bit more help and oomph in the irons.
It's great that there's no upcharge for custom lie angle, but it does eliminate the option of returns/refunds. In order to be eligible for a refund, you have to return the product within 30 calendar days of your purchase. The product must be in the same condition that you receive it and undamaged in any way. Return policy for iron sets The full set of irons must be returned. You are allowed to use the 7 iron as a test club, but it can not be damaged. In order to receive a refund, the rest of the irons must be returned unused and in brand new condition. *Any custom-built sets of irons or custom iron heads are not eligible for cancellation or refund.*
Definately interested in these guys even though I'm a higher handy cap (20hcp). My swing speeds match the given examples. Good work brothers. Keep up the excellent content !!
I wonder if TXG is interested in testing club sets, like the Callaway Edge, Cobra Fly XL, or the TaylorMade RBZ SpeedLite set. All cheap package deals aiming towards beginners or returners of golf
It probably wouldn't be that interesting. All they would end up saying is they are fine for what they are and a good option for the market it's intended for, just like every other channel that reviews them.
Would be interesting to see the results if you used the same ProV1x ball with this iron as you did with the 101. Compare apples and apples. Or with that ball and this one if the ProV1x resulted in too much spin.
Thank you guys for testing these. I'm in the market for new irons. I'm very curious how these compare to the Sub 70 639cbs? Thanks, keep up the great work
To me the obvious set to create is a players set for slightly slower swing speeds. More help on the long irons and generally less offset. I'd be curious at what club the cavity back becomes almost irrelevant. In my testing it seemed like an 8 iron blade vs. cavity back wasn't much different in performance. Might be a good test if it hasn't been done. Might vary with swing speeds.
I'm curious if you guys will consider doing a review of the Maltby TE forged irons. I promise that I'm not affiliated with them in any way, but I bought a set....6-gw and had them assembled for me since I'm taller, and need them customized. 2 deg. upright and +1.5 length. I bought with the UST Recoil stiff shaft. They have the fairly thin top line, but perimeter weighting, and are very easy to hit. They are an older design, and have no new technology, but after hitting them, I had trouble understanding how the club could be better. They are the cheapest forged clubs I have found anywhere....and I'm pretty sure are a true forging. For 6 clubs....assembled to spec with tried and true graphite Recoil shafts, only about $350. I'm a bit of a club junkie, so nothing is going to stop me from trying other clubs, but these really surprised me, and I wonder what your thoughts on them would be....good or bad.
Someone could buy these and change there shafts into them. Then sell new pulled shafts from the new irons. They look great and I've seen a couple of guys on here review them. The 201 look a bit like the Honma 01 cavity range that I had. 👍🏼
I am returning to golf after several years out of the game. My Taylormade set was stolen and I have purchased a used setup. What would be the recommended set, the 101 or 201?
Both look fantastic value for money, just not sure I could buy a set of irons without at least hitting them. Not sure how you square that circle when the DTC part must be a big part of the cost saving.
The top line a bit thick and the offset a bit much for my liking. And I agree with Ian re the wedge's heel height. But after this review I'm keen to see the next version.
Great review, not sure which model to buy though... Decent ball-striker (20hcp) one year into golf, maybe I can get the 201´s and put in some work during winter. Feels like the 101 could be to much a beginners iron but not sure where to draw the line here?
You sound like me. I'm a good striker and have no problem getting the ball in the air. I ordered the 201's because I dont need crazy distance that the 101s would give.
Hey guys love the channel, you 2 provide a lot of in depth data driven results. Thusly why inhave to ask about these. How would you compare looks of this club. What does it remind you of. I play Mizuno MP 18s and I'm looking for new irons. I am a 6.7 handicap and would love a players iron similar to my mizzys but with some forgiveness without sacrificing appearance. You and other have mentioned how good these perform and they look decent. I don't want s club with a thick top line and huge offset either like yourself. Just trying to get more info, thanks.
as a 10 HCP player these irons look perfect to me, but i can't see that offset, messes with my eyes too much and i just can't set-up. whats wrong with me?
