TaylorMade Men's Rocketbladez Iron Set

I received a Speedblade 6 iron for evaluation from TaylorMade, and did a lot of research on the Speedblade and Rocketbladez. Quite a few professional reviewers tested these iron sets on launch monitors, and the general consensus was that the Rocketbladez and Speedblade irons have similar carry and total distances. The differences are in spin, launch angles, and launch heights - assuming the shafts are the same. The smash factor seems to be a tad higher on the Rocketbladez. The Speedblades seemed to launch a bit higher with more spin, but the carry and total distances were about the same (within a few yards) as the Rocketbladez. Since I had used the Speedblade 6 iron for a number of months, I was confident that I'd like the Rocketbladez.A lot of online reviewers complained about the look, color, and feel of the Rocketbladez: saying the yellow color was ugly/loud, and that the feel at impact was loud, clicky, and harsh. The majority felt the Speedblade with its blue coloring, dark satin finish, and more muted sound was more refined. Honestly, as a high handicap golfer, I don't mind the Rocketbladez at all and in fact like the "loud" yellow color, and the sound at impact. It is slightly louder than the Speedblade at impact, but to the average user you may not tell that much of a difference. My R11S is a very loud driver, and my Rocketballz Stage 2 Wood and Rescues are tingy as well. The feel through the shaft is about the same to me. The Rocketbladez comes with tour velvet grips that is the same type of material and construction as the Speedblade grips, BUT the Rocketbladez grip color scheme is the same as the grips used on the Rocketballz Stage 2 Fairways and Rescues. I found out that Lamkin actually makes the grips on these clubs, and I always liked their materials and designs, much more so than Golf Pride and Winn for golf clubs. Winn makes some of the better feeling putter grips though. The Rocketbladez have a polished surface at the sole, with a satin finish all around. The Speedblade has a dark gunmetal satin finish and no polished surfaces.The Speedblade heads are slightly smaller/more compact than the Rocketbladez. The Speedblades have narrower soles, shorter topline, and the color scheme is designed to make it look more compact to entice low handicap players. The 3-7 Speedblades with Speed Pockets have slightly longer and thicker pockets with a handlebar design, versus the slits on the Rocketbladez. As an engineer, I was drawn more to the Speedblades, but keep in mind for beginners that on a 6-PW set, only 2 irons (6-7) would have the speed pockets. And the fact that high level players with launch monitors found no significant differences in distance performance between the Speedblades and Rocketbladez.The Speed Pocket with the 3M polyurethane reactive "goo" is only on the 3-7 irons. The 8-PW, AW, SW, and LW do not have the speed pocket. The Rocketbladez Max seems to have the speed pocket on all the irons, but I can't find any of the Max irons to try.The lofts and shaft lengths are very odd. Apparently, TaylorMade has used these shaft lengths since Burner 2.0, so you'll find them on the Burner, Rocketballz, Rocketbladez, Speedblade, and even the new SLDR irons. Essentially, the number on the sole is not accurate. A TaylorMade 6 iron is really a standard 5 iron in terms of loft and shaft length, a 5 iron would be a standard 4 iron. The advertised shaft lengths are about 3/8"-3/4" shorter than what they actually measure, and I cannot figure out the rhyme or reason. As a high handicap player, I have a R11S 12* driver (set to 13.5* loft), 3W (RBZ Stage 2 3-HL 17* loft), 3-5H (RBZ Stage 2, 19/22/25), the 6-PW Rocketbladez, and custom made AW/SW/LW from Maltby. The yardage gaps between the hybrids and Rocketbladez irons works out nicely with nothing substantial between the 5H and 6 iron.I see that they have a number of different iron sets, I'd recommend you consider them based on what you're using now. The 6 iron is 38.25" in length with 26.5* loft, about the same as a typical 5 iron. I can't hit long irons consistently enough to use them on a course, as the yardages are all about the same. Even the 5 iron is a challenge for me, but I can manage 120-140 yards with my Pinemeadow Pre 5 iron, or the Rocketbladez 6 iron. I started working on my swing, trying to hit down on the ball and extending my downswing as much as I can. I am now seeing 150-155 yards with the Rocketbladez 6 iron, which is decent yardage for a 5 iron.I feel confident that as I improve my swing, i can utilize the Rocketbladez more fully. Using my Nikon Coolshot AS laser rangefinder, and Golf Buddy WT3 GPS watch, I did not find any difference in distance between my Speedblade and Rocketbladez 6 irons (standard 85g steel shaft, regular flex). My swing speed with the 6 iron is about 75-85 mph, not the fastest, but I am a high handicap player/beginner.As for forgiveness, I'd say the Rocketbladez is OK but it isn't going to magically increase the distance of a mishit by 30 yards. However, they do feel very solid and I have enough feel to figure out what I did wrong (toe contact, topping the ball, etc...) many reviewers felt the Rocketbladez tends to feel more like a forged blade rather than a game improvement cavity back. I can attest to this as my forged (1025 carbon steel ) Maltby Tricept wedges sound and feel very similar with a solid hit. Once I started to dial in my swing, the Rocketbladez have a very high trajectory launch (steel shaft), and seem very very straight.I read that the long irons are made of Carpenter steel, similar to what they used on the face of the Rocketballz Stage 2 woods and rescues, while the mid to short irons are made of 17-4 steel which is softer than Carpenter steel but still harder than the 431 stainless that are used for the average irons. 17-4 is harder and allows the ball to explode of the face easier, with a clicky sound. I can attest that the polished soles on my Rocketbladez are very durable. After several large buckets of balls (we're talking over 300 balls) and 18 holes, the polished surfaces still look brand new. The Speedblade 6 iron I have, with its satin gunmetal sole finish, shows some very minor wear but I prefer the looks of the Rocketbladez.Overall: 5/5 stars, build quality is OK - I noticed they have a hard time cutting straight shaft ends, and the loft/lengths are 1 iron stronger than what is listed on the sole of the club. I like the feel and sound at impact, and the yellow color gives it an aggressive sporty appearance (like the Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera of irons versus the Lincoln Towncar of irons). Performs about the same as the Speedblade irons based on my observations and professional reviews.Bottom Line: Look for the Burner 2.0, Rocketballz, Rocketbladez, Speedblade, or SLDR irons to try out, and pick up set 1-2 years after their launch to find a good price.

I have used TM for quite some time now and these, without a doubt, are the best irons they have made. Improved distance and higher trajectory, they do the job. Highly recommended.

Played several rounds now I can say that Rocketbladez set lives up to the billing. These clubs are longer than my other set of irons (Ping G20), and they are straight. So long Ping set.

Great clubs at a bargain price. These make hitting the longer irons easy. Getting an extra 10-15 yards out of the 4-iron (200 yards). And the gap wedge (A-wedge) is spectacular. Useful from 90 yards in, to chipping around the green.

These irons look good at address, swing easy and are very foregiving. I also picked up about one-half club of distance helping to bridge the gap between my 4 iron and hybrid 3.

These are very nice clubs. And like most have said, I seem to be hitting the ball a lot straighter which translates into more distance.

Taylormade ironslove the irons have had taylormade in the past these are the best so far price is right,i put the seceret grips on and now even better.

I have played 7-8 rounds of golf since receiving my new clubs which my wife bought for my birthday. Enjoy them very much.