Cleveland Launcher CBX irons Review
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What we say...
Cleveland’s Launcher CBX irons offer a more stripped back design, with focus poured into areas of the design which make a significant difference in a golfers performance.
According to Cleveland, the Launcher CBX irons not only go as far as any other set of irons on the market, but are also a lot more forgiving.
They have combined two wedge technologies in the V-Shaped Sole and Tour Zip grooves which allow golfers to have a more forgiving set of irons.
The truth about strong lofted irons
Brian Schielke, Marketing Director for Srixon Cleveland, said: “The Cleveland Launcher CBX irons are built for performance through 4-iron to wedge. “
“You’ve probably never told yourself ‘man these long irons are just too forgiving, too easy to hit and I drop them too softly on the greens.’ We made the long irons more forgiving and easier to hit. They are lower profile, have a little bit larger blade length are just a little bit more forgiving for better performance.”
“You’ve also probably never said ‘oh man these short irons just look too nice and too easy to control’. We blended those easy to hit long irons in to more compact, nicer looking short irons so that you have a complete set from 4-iron to wedge that gives you the right look and performance on every shot.”
TESTED: Forged irons ranked by forgiveness
How do the CBX compare to Ping’s G400 irons? Click here
VIDEO REVIEW: Watch our review of the Cleveland Launcher CBX Irons
Cleveland Launcher CBX Irons Review: You Should know
Bringing together everything Cleveland have learnt about wedges over the last few years into a progressive iron design, with fast face tech. Tour zip grooves and laser milling enhance spin for wedge like control. Thicker, lower profile long irons give maximum distance, more compact thinner short irons play and look more like your wedges.
Everything you need to know about iron shaft weight. And why it’s now more important than flex.
REVIEWED: Longest 2018 irons Click here
Cleveland Launcher CBX Irons Review: We say
The CBX has a different look to most of the others irons in the game improvement category, as it’s heads quite deep (to maximise face flex), but it still manages to appear quite compact, which two of our testers really enjoyed.
A lot of thought has gone into the CBX and we love how Cleveland have created a super high spec product. The satin finish looks the business whilst cutting glare, and the face and groove tech alone costs more to create than any other iron we tested. Competing against irons with stronger lofts is always a big ask but the CBX impressed by posting numbers spot on our test average for ball speed, launch and carry distance.
To see all 2018 Top Gear irons ranked by forgiveness Click here
Cleveland Launcher CBX Irons Review: Verdict
It sounds ridiculous but for less than £600 in the current market the CBX represent excellent value for money (especially considering the premium Dynamic Gold shafts). We reckon they’re well suited to golfers who put a premium on looks, and don’t like overly wide top edges or soles yet still need a decent degree of forgiveness.
How much difference is there between blade and cavity-back irons? Click here
In the video below Brian Schielke, Srixon Cleveland’s Marketing Director, explains everything you need to know about the new Launcher CBX Irons from Cleveland.
Cleveland Launcher CBX Irons: Key Features
Five key features were at the forefront of the Cleveland Launcher CBX irons design, including a V-Shaped sole, new cup=-face, feel balancing and tour zip wedge grooves.
➤ V-Shaped sole
Cleveland have been big fans of V-Soles in their wedges for years so it makes perfect sense to use them in the new CBX irons. They reckon a shallower angle in the long irons and steeper in the short means you get every iron in the set through the turf smoother and faster than you would a traditional model.
Brian Schielke, Marketing Director for Srixon Cleveland, says; “While the Cleveland Launcher CBX irons go as far as any on the market, we’ve also brought in two wedge technologies for added control.”
“The first is the V-Sole design: The V-Sole gets through the turf quicker and if you hit a little bit behind the ball you maintain that speed and distance control for more precise shots.”
➤ Tour Zip Wedge Grooves
Ever since reverting to being a short-game brand a few years ago Cleveland have always said their wedge faces are the most efficient for delivering maximum spin and consistent distance control. Well each CBX iron now has the same tour zip grooves and laser milling so you can expect improved performance on approaches and especially playing from the rough.
Shielke says: “We’ve also added the tour zip grooves and laser milled face – the same grooves as on our wedges for more consistent spin whether you are in the fairway or rough you’ll have a consistent trajectory control and distance to the greens.”
In the video below, Shielke explains why Cleveland decided to incorporate a V Sole and Zip grooves in to their latest Launcher CBX Irons
➤ New Launcher Cup-Face
A new Cup-face technology has spread from the driver market to other parts of equipment in recent years. Thanks to new materials and processes the Cleveland Launcher CBX irons is thinner ad hotter not just in the centre but across the entire face which Cleveland say delivers great consistency and results no matter where you impact shots on the clubface.
➤ Feel balancing
Feel balancing in irons is brilliant tech, and Cleveland are bringing it over from what they know about wedge design in their CBX irons. By removing weight from the hosel its possible to nudge the centre of gravity closer to the centre of the face which means you not only get better feel and feedback from every shot but also more ball speed.
➤ Progressive heads
Game improvement irons of the past haven’t always been the most pleasant to play with as they’re often pretty ugly, but Cleveland say that’s all changed with the CBX. The long irons are designed to be low-profile and easy to launch while the shorter irons are more compact to offer decent control.
