Srixon ZX7 & ZX5 MK II Irons Review: "They've done it again!"
GolfMagic Equipment Editor Alex Lodge and Reviews Editor Matt Chivers take a look at the all-new Srixon ZX7 and ZX5 MK II irons.
- The improved V.T. Sole makes for the best turf interaction we have seen in an iron.
- They have a smooth, buttery feel similar to the likes of Mizuno.
- For a player's iron, it still has a generous amount of offset.
- It has a sleek, modern look.
ZX5:
- They are slightly larger than the ZX7 irons which provide a bit more forgiveness whilst not sacrificing feel.
- They offer extremely impressive distances.
- The forgiveness has decreased from the MK I model.
- The larger topline may not suit every golfer.
ZX5:
- The lofts are very strong, so a custom fitting is recommended.
The Srixon ZX MK II irons were released in 2023 to give golfers a best-in-class performance and great feel with an extra degree of speed and purity.
We were really impressed by both the ZX5 and ZX7 irons which have been released this year alongside the ZX4, Z Forged II and ZX MK II utility models.
These irons were an easy selection into our best golf irons for 2023.
With the Srixon ZX4, ZX5, ZX7 and Z Forged II irons, they will be officially launched on March 1. They will cost £184 per club with graphite shafts and £167 per club with steel shafts.
In terms of feel and performance, we place the ZX5 and ZX7 irons near the top of the pile while the distances and ball speeds also weren't slacking. Srixon certainly hasn't disappointed with this latest release, as they didn't with their previous iterations of last year.
Take a look below at our YouTube review of the Srixon ZX5 and ZX7 MK II irons and leave your comments and questions in the comments section below the video.
WATCH OUR SRIXON ZX MK II IRON VIDEO REVIEW BELOW
What are the Srixon ZX7 and ZX5 MK II irons all about?
The ZX7 irons are built for the best ball-strikers in the world and the new PureFrame enhances the feel by reducing unwanted vibrations.
PureFrame is forged into the body of the iron as an 80% thicker portion of 1020 carbon steel. This causes a solid and soft feeling at impact.
The rest of the new Srixon range, including the ZX5 irons, features the second generation of the MainFrame technology. MainFrame is a variable thickness pattern of grooves, channels and cavities milled to the backside.
This helps boost ball speeds and repositions mass away from the face and into the toe. The mainstay of the Srixon iron design is the Tour V.T. Sole and popular sole notches.
The V-Shaped design of the Tour V.T. Sole maintains club head speed through impact and the sole lessens the drag by reducing the amount of surface area that contacts the ground.
Which golfers do these irons suit?
As we have stated above, the Srixon ZX7 MK II irons are suited to good amateurs and professionals. These irons have an enhanced feel which has made them very popular at the top of the game.
The ZX5 range is certainly suited to a wider range of players. They are a player's distance iron with medium to strong lofts and they help golfers who want a little bit more length.
Looks and feel
The new ZX range has no red in it anymore. It has a minimalistic colour scheme with some black and grey in the club head. The Tour V.T. Sole is something that Srixon pride itself on and it is very visible in these irons.
With the ZX5, there is a little more head behind the ball than the ZX7. The look at address is similar to the Callaway Paradym irons as they aren't exactly thick heads. The ZX7 heads look similar to the previous iteration at address.
We would rank these irons at the very top of the feel leaderboard alongside other releases from the likes of Mizuno.
Performance and forgiveness
The new ZX5 irons act like a player's distance iron. The 6-iron is 27 degrees which is fairly regular. They are a more compact model than last year and this is down to the variable thickness pattern.
We really enjoyed the feel at impact of the ZX5 irons. It was very smooth off the club face and we found this across the face and with off-centre hits. It is definitely an iron that looks good and feels good.
We enjoyed the turf interaction of these irons and this is a feature that Srixon wanted to focus on. It is like you can't feel the ball on the club face because it is so soft.
We averaged 221 yards and 137.6 mph in ball speed with the 6-iron, so we were happy with these numbers too and this showed they can serve players who want to hit the ball a little bit further.
The ZX7 irons have stronger lofts and they are suited to better players. The 6-iron is 28 degrees and they are still quite compact irons. Once again, we really enjoyed the feel of these irons.
Our confidence increased during the session at Gray's Golf and we also enjoyed the performance of these irons with off-centre hits. Although you still receive a good amount of feedback across the club face, we still didn't mind the ball-striking across the face.
We averaged 217 yards with the ZX7 6-iron and 135.4 mph in ball speed. There is not much difference between each model in terms of numbers in this case.
Verdict
We could barely be more impressed with the Srixon ZX7 and ZX5 MK II irons. They both offer superb ball-striking qualities and they serve players who are confident in finding the middle of the club face.
The ZX7 irons are constructed to serve the best players and we discovered the buttery feel of the club face first-hand. They were a joy to hit and they will no doubt prove to be massively popular in the professional game.
The ZX5 irons have stronger lofts and they behave like a player's distance iron. They don't have the most forging faces, but they have a good degree of offset that can suit mid-handicappers.
Feel is the keyword with this new release from Srixon and this certainly exists in the ZX5 irons too. We enjoyed the turf interaction of these irons and this is another key factor that golfers will take pleasure from.
