Honma TR21 X Iron £175
Per club
The Honma TR21 X is a hollow-headed distance iron that looks like a blade but is in fact aimed at the mid-handicapper. Much like the impressive XP-1 iron, it provides firepower in a relatively sleek, compact package.
At address, this more traditional profile and size certainly suited our eye, and while that wasn’t as much the case with the significant offset, we know this feature is there to help the target audience of slicers produce straighter iron shots more often.
The heads of the longer irons (4-7) are filled with a foam material and as a result have a very different feel to most other game-improvement irons. The sound off the face is very quiet
Good swings produced stable ball flights and understated and it was actually difficult to tell the difference between centred hits and slight mishits. You could class this as a good thing – the performance certainly seemed to be very uniform – although some golfers may want more feedback.
The 7-iron has a loft of 30°, so not overly strong, and the average carry we achieved of 177 yards is the least we would expect from an iron designed in this way.
A pleasing combination of very high launch and low spin provided the carry distance, but not to the detriment of stopping power. A descent angle of 47.5° would suggest this is a very playable iron and will hold greens for a variety of swing speeds.
Forgiveness is undoubtedly one of this iron’s strengths – the head generally felt very stable. You’d have to put an especially bad swing on the ball to miss the green short.
If you’re seeking a distance iron with a traditional, elegant look and a soft feel, the Honma TR21 X iron is certainly one to try.
The TR21 X iron combines moderate offset and a long blade length in a traditional shape that looks slim yet inviting to hit behind the ball at address. The finish oozes class, too – this iron is a stunner from every single angle.
mainstream premium offerings in terms of ball speed and carry distance. This was the same with iron shots, which produced a strong and consistent mid-to-low flight, with the Staff Model R ball spinning a little less on average.
The Staff Model balls really don’t skimp on any area of performance and are definitely worth a try.
Advanced V-COR technology magnifies energy around the core to generate maximum distance.
The four layers of both balls work together to produce unmatched shot-shaping, predictable stability on approach shots and a high level of control around the greens.
The urethane cover features a seamless 362-dimple pattern that smooths airflow around the ball for a lower flight trajectory.