Mizuno MP-15 forged irons Review

Technology
The grain flow forged MP-15 will replace the MP-59s, and are designed for the better ball striker seeking the feel of a muscleback iron, with the forgiveness and playability of a cavity.

Mizuno has increased the size of the sweetspot while keeping the blade length relatively short. They’ve done this by forging a newly-shaped 10g piece of titanium – a Ti insert – into the back of the head, replacing 38g of steel. As the head cools during the manufacturing process, it locks this titanium in place. This is said to increase forgiveness by 10 per cent on off-centre hits and maintain the thickness behind the face for a more solid feel. It also allows weight to be shifted to the perimeter to provide “full cavity” forgiveness.

“In MP-15, we’ve combined the very best of both models,” said Mizuno’s Chris Voshall, “in the profile, trajectory control and feel of the MP-64, with the peripheral weighting only possible with a Ti insert. There’s no more sensory a player than Luke Donald – if the feel gets his approval, it’s a pretty good sign.”

Tested
TG Equipment Editor Joel Tadman was among the first people in Europe to try the irons, and said: “The MP-15 retains that classic Mizuno shape and finish, the shiny chrome sections on the face bordering the lighter groove area really nicely. Reverb up the shaft is nigh on zero as the feel off the face is superb – solid, but soft enough to gauge the strike.”

Looks
Classic Mizuno shape and finish with the shiny areas on the heel and toe surrounding a more matt silver grooved area. They’re compact, though still big enough to attract the more talented and traditional game improvers, and the offset is pretty minimal, another redeeming feature.

Feel/sound
You get the sensation of a very solid hit from quite a large area on the face. The sound is muted and doesn’t last for long, more of a thud but still with plenty of feedback on the strike – a really strong combination.

Forgiveness
It’s nice to know that when you don’t quite catch one, it won’t make too much difference to the distance. All this from a grain flow forged iron too.

Performance
MP stands for ‘Mizuno Pro’ so they’re clearly built for the more competent ball striker. That said, there’s no reason game improvers can’t benefit from the extra 20 per cent forgiveness the MP-15 offers over the MP-59s they are replacing. With a 7-iron loft of 34°, ample distance is achieved through clubhead technology and a mid ball flight rather than cranked lofts. Even with the added forgiveness, they’re easy to shape and you can alter the trajectory, too.

Watch our first hit video of the Mizuno MP-15 irons above. 

£115 per iron.