Best Mizuno Irons in 2023

***If you’re looking for the most recent reviews for 2023 gear, we will be updating this page in the summer after we’ve had a chance to review them!

If you’re in a hurry and just want to know our top choices, here they are:

• Best Overall: JPX 921 Hot Metal
• Best For Beginners and High Handicappers: Mizuno MP20 HMB
• Most Forgiving: Mizuno MP20 HMB
• Best For Mid and Low Handicappers: Mizuno MP20 MMC
• Best Forged Irons: Mizuno MP20 MMC

I have a soft spot for Mizuno irons because they were the first irons I ever played with as a high school senior. My Grandfather had just purchased a set of Ping irons and gave me the Mizuno blades he had bought back in 1988.

I still love those clubs even though they were not a great fit for my beginning game back then. They looked great and it felt incredible when I could hit one flush.

Mizuno irons are known for their soft, buttery feel and extreme high quality forging process. Their forged clubs are some of the best on the market.

In general, Mizuno is known for irons that are more geared to good, seasoned golfers but their JPX 921 Hot Metal irons are some of the best game improvement irons on the market today.

The bottom line is that Mizuno makes and designs high quality irons. As you continue reading, you will see our description and review of 6 Mizuno iron sets and you will understand why we consider these 6 of the best Mizuno irons on the market today.

Best Mizuno Irons in 2022 Reviewed

Mizuno JPX 921 Tour

The JPX offering by Mizuno was the most used iron by non-contract players in 2019 and won the most money by non-contract players in 2019. That basically means that players are using the JPX line without being paid because it gives them the best shot to…Well get paid. The JPX 921 Tour irons gained in exposure and popularity when Brooks Koepka won all 4 of his major championships with these irons. The JPX 921 Tour clubs are forged from Mizuno’s “Pure Select Mild Carbon Steel” to give you the soft feel for which Mizuno has become known.

As players focus more on distance and less on shaping shots, these irons continue to grow in popularity. They offer some forgiveness and a lot of distance for players irons. The JPX 921 Tour irons offer a stability frame with toe bias weighting for longer CG distance and straighter, consistent ball flight. That means that while pros use it on the PGA Tour, it has features that could help golfers with many different skill levels

Pros

• Mizuno’s Grain Flow forging process continues to make the best and softest feeling clubs on the market.
• Thicker behind the hitting area to improve sound.
• Shorter irons have narrower soles to improve turf interaction.
• Brooks Koepka used JPX Tour clubs to win all 4 of his majors.
• One of the best combinations of power and feel out there.
• Anti-glare minimizes distractions over the ball.
• The center of gravity promotes a straighter shot, but good players can get a lot of spin out of the short irons and can work the longer irons around the course as well.
• One of the best looking Mizuno irons at address.

Cons

• On the expensive side.
• Not for high handicappers.
• Not as forgiving as many of the other Mizuno irons.

 

Mizuno JPX 921 Forged

Advertised as having the power of Chromoloy in a forged body, this is the first Mizuno forged club to use this metal in the forging process. Chromoloy is stronger than steel and more durable so that you can have a thinner face for faster speeds in an iron that will last for a long time. The JPX 921 Forged irons are perfect for golfers who want a bit of everything (forged feel and sound, fast ball speeds, great looks and a degree of forgiveness) without compromising anything. You definitely get more distance with the Forged than the Tour irons along with some extra forgiveness.

However, while the Tour model has some shot shaping capabilities, the Forged irons really do not. They are really a players distance iron because they offer quite a bit of forgiveness and distance at the expense of other things. The Chromoloy face really does transfer more energy to the ball and promote more distance. It is also a very high launching club. It is really a combination of a lot of great features that could appeal to the best golfers in the world and a double digit handicap.

Pros

• These irons do a lot of things really well.
• The Chromoloy forged metal is really strong and transfers a lot of energy from club to ball so that you do not have any power leakage.
• Additional perimeter weighting with toe bias for stability on off center ball strikes.
• Chromoly allows the clubface to be up to 0.5mm thinner.
• The Grain Flow Forged HD provides one of the softest feels of any iron out there.
• The smaller club head is an ideal look for mid and low handicap golfers.
• A very stable club design that feels great through impact.
• Small and thin scoring irons give you a lot of feel and spin around the green.

Cons

• Good at everything but not great at anything.
• One of the more expensive Mizuno iron sets.
• Does not look as good at setup as many of Mizunos other forged clubs.

 

Mizuno JPX 921 Hot Metal

The JPX 921 Hot Metal have the look and feel of performance clubs but with the distance and forgiveness found only in game improvement irons. These cavity back clubs are really easy to hit and provide some of the longest distance of any irons on the market. If you are looking for long, straight, and extra forgiving irons, the Hot Metal from Mizuno is a great set. Being cast from a hard metal, these clubs do not have the same feel that Mizuno forged clubs are known for, but what they are lacking in feel they make up for in forgiveness and distance. The Chromoloy face is really thin and produces some of the fastest ball speeds on the market.

The irons are perimeter weighted for increased forgiveness and a huge sweet spot. The variable thickness sole design gives the face a lot of flexibility for even higher ball speeds. The center of gravity is low in the club so not only do you get great distance, but you get a great launch and ball flight as well. You will not be able to work these clubs around the course because they produce very little spin. What that means is that you will have fewer mishits and a much straighter ball flight. This is a pure game improvement club that helps you hit the ball long and straight with forgiveness that is unmatched. Mishits will still go pretty long and pretty straight no matter where on the face you strike it.

Pros

• If you are looking to add some distance to your iron game, this set has a lot of features to increase ball speed.
• The perimeter weighting gives you a big sweet spot and a lot of stability through contact.
• A high launch because of the low center of gravity. 
• These clubs function like a game improvement iron, but they look great at address.
• One of the straightest and most accurate clubs on the market.
• Differentiates itself in the game improvement iron by removing any offset from its design.
• The leading edge cuts through the turf well and helps you make consistently solid contact.
• Has good feel for a game improvement, cast iron.
• The Cup Face technology provides good forgiveness and extra perimeter weighting.
• Good price point for the features offered.

Cons

• Mizuno irons are known for their soft feel, but you do not get that with these forged clubs.
• Really hard to shape your shots because it is designed for little to no spin.

 

Mizuno MP 20

The Mizuno MP 20 irons are the classic forged muscle back irons that you think of when you hear the name “Mizuno.” Grain Flow Forged HD from a pure mild carbon steel starts the production of one of the softest feeling clubs out there. This thin layer is then plated in copper and nickel chrome, a throwback to some of Mizuno’s first designs, to give you both added stability and that ridiculous “Mizuno feel.” It is this thin layer of copper plating that enhances the feel of this club to what some people call the softest Mizuno iron yet.

The Tour Ready profile is also a big deal because it not only feels like a PGA Tour type club, it looks the part as well. With thin toplines and a tapered blade, it looks great at setup. The chrome finishing looks great as well, and it also decreases the glare in turn increasing the sight lines performance. This is a throwback club to some of the earlier Mizuno irons in terms of how they look, but the technology is top notch and the feel is hard to beat.

Pros

• The feel of these irons is as soft as there is out there.
• Great shot shaping clubs.
• Accentuate high launch in the long irons and control in the short irons.
• The scoring irons give you incredible feel and spin around the green.
• More playable for more golfers than most Mizuno muscle backs.
• The discreetly tapered top blade gives you some extra control and better performance on high or low face strikes.
• The refined topline on every iron looks great especially for players used to a muscle back iron.
• The mixed satin/mirror finish reduces glare and adds to the classic look of these irons.
• There are 3 layers that work together to create the incredible feel of these irons.

Cons

• Definitely not playable for every golfer, you have to be able to make consistent contact on the smaller sweet spot.
• On the expensive side.
• There are much more forgiving Mizuno blades out there.
• One of the smaller sweet spots.

 

Mizuno MP 20 MMC

Designed to look and feel like the MP20 irons, but with the addition of a Titanium muscle plate and Tungsten sole weight for better playability and more forgiveness. The titanium muscle plate increases MOI while providing solid feel and sound. The increased MOI makes the club more forgiving than most muscle backs. The tungsten sole weight gives you a really high launch while also adding to MOI and forgiveness.

These irons are slightly larger and more highly lofted to make them easier to hit for a larger audience. The purpose of these irons was to keep as much of the look, feel, and performance of the MP 20 while adding forgiveness, a higher launch, and ease of play. To that end you find the same forging process and softness that you do in the MP 20 irons with increased forgiveness and distance capabilities including a larger sweet spot.

Pros

• There are 3 layers that work together to create the incredible feel of these irons:
  • Grain Flow Forged HD from mild carbon steel.
  • Copper plating.
  • A soft chrome overlay.
• A higher launch than the MP20.
• Slightly larger club head for more MOI and making them easier to hit.
• Additional forgiveness not always found in a forged muscle back.
• A new technology is used where titanium is forged into the back cavity producing greater inertia at impact without sacrificing feel.
• Great and consistent performance throughout the set from the 4 iron to the PW.
• Great look and feel at setup.
• The sound of a good hit with a Mizuno iron is one of the best golfing sounds in the world.

Cons

• Higher handicappers will need a club with more forgiveness.
• The workability of these clubs is lacking.
• A “tweener” kind of club that is not purely a players iron and is not a game improvement iron.
• On the expensive side.

 

Mizuno MP 20 HMB

The blade-like looks and forged features mask a hollow bodied construction and more generous sole width. Mizuno calls this a set of “hybrid” irons because of the combination of muscle back looks and feel with added distance and forgiveness.

The biggest difference with these “hot metal blades” is the wider sole, chromoly face, and hollow bodied construction. Each of these features are game improvement features that are meant to increase forgiveness and distance and they do just that. 

Pros

• Grain Flow Forged from 4135 Chromoly for high-strength performance with soft, solid, consistent feel.
• One of the most forgiving forged irons out there.
• You gain some ball speed from the Chromoly face.
• These are really forgiving irons especially for the blade like look.
• The game improvement aspects of this iron can genuinely improve your scores.
• Mishits can still travel long and straight.
• Look great at setup.
• Very little offset, it is almost not visible.
• Long irons are idea replacements in a combo set.
• A tungsten weight in the 3-8 irons create a higher MOI and steeper launch, and that weight is removed for your “scoring” clubs.
• Great feel for a performance iron.
• One of the best combinations of game improvement and players features out there. 
• Produce a really high launch.

Cons

• One of the most expensive sets on this list.
• Not as much workability in these irons.
• Sacrifice feel to get forgiveness.
• The topline and sole are noticeably thicker and this can throw you off if you are looking for a true blade.
• Scoring irons can be a little chunky for some golfers.

 

Why Choose a Mizuno Iron?

The answer to this question is both really simple and really complicated. You buy Mizuno irons for the soft, buttery feel. Even their cast irons that are made specifically for game improvement features have great sound and an incredible feel in your hands.

There really is something different about the way Mizuno irons are made. Across the golf landscape of club manufacturers, each one has something that they do better than the others. For Mizuno, they just make a golf club with soft feel that gives you immediate feedback and sounds great on contact.

If the answer is simple because of the feel that these irons provide, the more complicated answer is that not every golfer cares as much about feel as they do about other aspects of golf. Many beginners and high handicappers are looking for distance and forgiveness.

Even many PGA Tour pros are less concerned with shot shaping and more concerned with launch angle and distance. Mizuno’s hot metal irons and chromoly construction help with those areas, and they will still suit golfers of all skill levels regardless of what you are looking for in an iron.

But the bottom line is that you choose Mizuno irons for the feel. 

Mizuno Technology

Chromoly. A metal that is stronger and more durable than steel but with many of the same qualities. Using a chromoly face, Mizuno is able to make it considerably thinner and faster but still hold up as well or better. With the JPX 921 Forged, they were able to add this metal to their forging process and it has been a huge success.

Grain Flow Forged. This is the forging process that has made the name “Mizuno” synonymous with the word “feel.” They use a soft mild carbon steel to forge their irons into some of the softest feeling clubs in the world. Nobody in the industry can match their forging process.

Multi Material Concept. This concept refers to adding a Titanium muscle pad for added MOI and forgiveness along with a 12g Tungsten toe weight for ease of launch to the Grain Flow mild carbon steel chassis. These different materials combine together to add forgiveness, a higher launch angle, and more distance to the already soft feel of a Mizuno iron.

Feel. Can something be crisp and firm but soft at the same time? That is the feel that you get with Mizuno irons. They are solid and stable when you make contact with the ball so that you know the ball has been struck well. You can also feel where the ball struck your club, that extra split second it spends on the face, and that sound that lets you know it was a good shot.

The Verdict

Mizuno irons have always been known for their soft feel, and it looks like they are just improving on that feel every year. Their high quality, Tour level muscle backs have been on display in the golf world for years now, including 2019 when Mizuno irons were the highest earning clubs on tour.

In recent years, however, they have begun to excel on all levels of iron production. Their hot metal clubs are great game improvement irons and they have added some forgiveness and distance features to their blades as well. Mizuno now makes a high quality club for any golfer at any skill level, but they will always be known first and foremost for their soft feel.