Are Srixon offering the softest iron in the industry? We review the Srixon ZXi7 Irons

When you see the success of a product like the Srixon ZXi7 Irons, there is always a worry that you might ruin what made them great to begin with. Thankfully, Srixon knows better than that

You might not know it, but at the 2024 PGA Tour Championship, the Srixon Golf Company was the number one represented iron model in a field of some of, if not the best golfers on the planet. The brand has quite rightly built a reputation as making some of the best irons in golf, and with the launch of the Srixon ZXi7 irons, they’re looking to truly wear the crown.

They aren’t giving themselves an easy act to follow though. The ZX and ZX Mkii irons have quickly become some of the most beloved irons ever made, thanks to an element that has been a stalwart of Srixon’s irons for the better part of a decade now.

With professionals like Brooks Koepka, Shane Lowry, and Sepp Straka choosing to game the new models after seeing all their success with the previous heads, there must be something going on here that justifies the upgrade.

Looks/Feel – 4.5/5

I’ve been standing holding my own irons next to the Srixon ZXi7 irons for the past ten minutes now, trying desperately to see if I can find a difference. I’ve been using the ZX7 Mkii irons for about a year now, so I’m pretty comfortable with the look already but I really thought I’d be able to find some small change or tweak that Srixon had made.

True to the brand’s word, though, they’ve done nothing to fiddle with the look from address between last-gen’s model and the ZXi7 irons. It’s not that I was desperate for a change, it’s a near-perfect iron, but I didn’t believe that technological improvements wouldn’t have resulted in some kind of small variation compared to before.

Srixon has clearly taken the feedback of their Tour staff seriously when they told them not to mess with the looks.

The top line has a slightly boxy, squared look to the front with a softer rear. It helps define the face without also making you think about the back of the head. This matches in with the straight leading edges throughout the iron set, but the whole thing avoids feeling it’s too sharp by the more rounded toe.

They aren’t long or short from the heel to toe length, but sit in a nice middle-ground that helps them encourage golfers who only want these in short irons while also being comfortable for the better player using a full set (I’m using ‘better player’ loosely here – Shane Lowry uses a split set of ZXi7 and the new sister model, ZXi5).

Like I said though, it’s nearly perfect to me but there is still a small nitpick from me that I would’ve wanted to see. I’m not saying I know better than Shane or Brooks, but when you’ve spent your whole life looking down at blades – rightly or wrongly – the ZXi7 are just a hair’s breadth too thick for me too completely love, but it’s a ‘me issue’ that I came to peace with a long time ago.

Technology – 5/5

For an iron of this size and category, Srixon has squeezed some serious tech into the heads here. For starters, they’ve managed to include their PureFrame design which has seen even deeper refinement for 2025.

PureFrame is built to help concentrate mass behind a particular spot in the center of the iron to give better ball speeds and improve feedback. With the Srixon ZXi7 Irons, PureFrame has changed shape to move higher up in the head to sit more directly behind where the typical player that uses this iron will strike it. This additional mass helps reduce vibration and provides an additional, more solid feel to impact.

Srixon has been able to further improve feedback and feel by leveraging a new proprietary design, called ‘i-Forged.’ It’s a simple idea but extremely effective. i-Forged allows them to condense the steel in key areas, like the hosel, to create a tighter atomical structure that produces more strength.

More strength means you can use different metals – steels that have lower carbon content/higher iron content – to create lower vibration frequencies, quieter sounds, and a softer feel. This material, referred to as S15C or 1015 Carbon Steel, is the softest iron currently in industry use.

For reference, Mizuno and Miura use 1025 or 1020 Carbon Steel. If you aren’t sure what difference the numbers mean, the crash course is that the first two digits, ’10,’ refer to the type of metal used, in this case, Carbon Steel. The ’25’ reflects the carbon content in the steel at 0.25%. We all know how soft golf balls hit with Mizuno irons feel off the face so imagine hitting something that’s then got two-fifths less of the firmer material in it.

The final design choices are also returning from the ZX7 Mkii irons, with the VT Sole and the Progressive Grooves technology, but I think we’re better discussing how they (literally) impact performance by talking about how the Srixon ZXi7 irons play.

Performance – 4.5/5

Forget playing irons that you can spread butter with, just play golf with the butter itself.

As Srixon has promised, the ZXi7 irons are oh-so-soft off the face, with a feel that I’ve struggled to even give an opinion on when I’ve found the dead center. It’s like the ball has decided to simply fly away from the club instead of making contact, intimidated by the oncoming steel head.

I wasn’t expecting to notice a difference when doing the direct comparison between the ZXi7 and my ZX7 iron, because who can really feel a 0.1% carbon content change?

Well, me apparently. It may well just be the placebo effect of being told these irons should feel softer that has made my mind play a trick on me but from switching between the two, I do feel like there’s a difference to be found. To test the theory, I put on some noise-canceling earbuds and played music to stop me from getting any of the audio. It did seem to stop me from noticing any softer of a feel, but even if that just means the softer S15C steel is just affecting audio feedback, it’s still significant.

Sound aside, the VT Sole, Srixon’s staple design, returns to thunderous applause from virtually everyone who’s owned a set since the 45 series.

VT Sole is the sharp V-shaped camber on the base of all irons in the ZXi7 (and the ZXi5) set. It’s built to improve turf interaction for the modern golfer by getting the irons in and out of the ground in a smoother, more consistent way. It’s certainly something you become aware of when you switch into another brand, and something that has been a significant reason in Srixon’s rise to prominence.

Buyer beware though, if you ever play in firm conditions and have a shallower swing (if you aren’t taking divots with mid-irons, that’s you) the VT Sole can become like having too much bounce on a wedge and you may well find a thinned mishit becoming an unwanted reoccurrence.

Stepping back to face impact instead of ground impact, the Progressive Grooves do a brilliant job of stabilizing ball flight in the mid and longer irons without causing any rising peaks of spin, while the more aggressive groove pattern in the 8-GW allows for a lower but still spinny shot into greens where you want to control.

Overall – 4.5/5

If it weren’t for my own, subjective nitpicking, these irons would have a perfect score. They’re entirely representative of the current generation of talent, both at a recreational level and professional grade.

Built from the ground up for more aggression, Srixon’s 2025 improvements have sent an iron that was already teetering on the edge of greatness into the realms of iconic. If you aren’t already on the Srixon train in 2025, the ZXi7 irons are leaving you very, very few reasons not to hop on board.

From the easier-to-pair combo sets to the incredibly competitive price structure, I’d encourage any golfer who thinks they might be good enough to at least try these irons out. The Srixon ZXi7 Irons might just be the last set of irons you ever need to buy.

• Best Players’ Irons 2025 – Our top picks for skilled golfers

• Srixon ZXi Drivers – Everything you need to know

About the author

Lewis Daff

Lewis joined the Today’s Golfer digital team in 2024, having spent more than a decade in both big-box golf retail and independent stores working as a club fitter and builder.

Experienced with every level of golfer, from beginner to professional, he has achieved Master Fitter and Builder status with most major manufacturers, including Mizuno, Taylormade, and Callaway, helping him to cement both a wide and deep knowledge base, ideal for helping guide golfers towards the correct equipment for them. Lewis specializes in Clubs, Shafts, Training Aids, Launch Monitors and Grips.

In Lewis’ bag is Titleist GT3 Driver (9º) with Fujikura Ventus Black, TaylorMade SIM Max Fairway Woods (15º and 18º), Wilson Staff D9 Forged 3-iron, Srixon ZX7 MKii Irons (4-PW), Titleist SM9 Wedges (52º, 60º), Toulon San Diego Putter, and the Titleist ProV1X Left Dash.

Talk to Lewis about why steel shafts are now dead and graphite is the only way forward, or any other equipment you’d like to debate, via his email, Instagram, or Bluesky.

RRP: £999.00/$1114.99 (6-piece set), £165/$185 per iron

Availability: 4 – PW (RH / LH), 3i / GW / SW (RH Only)

Stock shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Mid 115g

Stock grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360

7-iron loft: 32°

Category: Players Iron

Construction: 1015 (S15C) Pure Carbon Steel