50 Words or Less
The Ben Hogan Edge EX irons have a large, boxy look at address. Poor feedback. Forgiveness is decent. Can be long on pure strikes, but not elite.
Introduction
When most players think of Ben Hogan Golf, traditional clubs like the Icon irons [review HERE] come to mind. And while the company takes pride in their players clubs, they know that most golfers need more forgiveness. For the golfer that wants to play Ben Hogan clubs but lacks The Hawk’s ball striking, they’ve introduced the Edge EX irons.
Looks
In a word, the address look of the Ben Hogan Edge EX irons is boxy. The top line is very wide and doesn’t have the beveling that many modern SGI irons use to look slimmer. There’s quite a bit of offset, and the face is large and square. If a big iron gives you confidence at address, this one is for you.
At a glance, the in the bag look of these irons is pretty decent. The branding is moderate – Ben Hogan signature on the sole, sun logo in the toe, and “Edge EX” beneath that. When you take a second look, however, you realize that the cavity is Grand Canyon deep. You could lose a small child in there. With the trend toward hollow body construction, especially in SGI irons, this look is jarring.
Sound & Feel
With such a deep cavity, I was expecting a loud, hollow feeling at impact. I was pleasantly surprised when contact produced a fairly muted sound. Impact is generally a “thud,” though perfectly struck shots do have a slight “click” to them.
On the topic of feedback, I could not disagree with the company’s talking points more. Ben Hogan says that the Edge EX provides “outstanding feedback.” I think these are some of the muddiest feeling irons I’ve hit. I had to pay extremely close attention to differentiate the feel of a pure strike from a mishit, and locating mishits precisely was out of the question.
Performance
Ben Hogan Golf refers to the Edge EX irons as having “Open Cavity Design,” intended to create maximum perimeter weighting and stability. While the Edge EX is certainly easier to hit than Hogan’s PTx Pro irons [review HERE], it’s not as forgiving as a club this large should be. Other manufacturers have advanced to AI-designed faces, tungsten weighting, and metal injection molding for precision CG placement. Ben Hogan Golf hasn’t, placing them behind the curve on forgiveness.
With lofts that are two degrees stronger than the Icon and PTx Pro, the Edge EX is able to produce decent distance. On centered strikes, the ball speed is good, but a few MPH short of being truly elite. This combines with mid/low launch and spin to create shots with strong carry distances. As always, I will note that the other side of that coin is that you may not be able to hold greens with these long shots. If you’re a high spin player, an iron like this can work very well. If you’re a low spin player, a low spin iron can be a recipe for shots that run through greens.
Like all the other Ben Hogan irons, the Edge EX has a V-Sole design. What’s different is that the Edge EX has a sole that’s much wider than any other Hogan iron. I think the V-Sole is actually most beneficial on a wider sole like this because it retains the forgiveness in the leading edge while getting the rest of the sole “out of the way.”
Finally, I have to say something about the “PreciseLoft System.” Ben Hogan Golf trumpets their adherence to 4 degree gaps between clubs as if it’s the cure to all distance gapping problems. It’s not. There’s nothing magical about 4 degrees. It’s like anything else in golf – it will work for some players but not others. I have no inherent objection to consistent 4 degree gaps, but to claim that it’s a magic recipe is wrong.
Conclusion
The Ben Hogan Edge EX irons are good game improvement clubs for the money, but their performance is unremarkable compared to the best offerings in this category. They are fairly long but far from the longest, somewhat forgiving but certainly not the easiest to hit.
Ben Hogan Edge EX Irons Price & Specs
Matt Saternus
Latest posts by Matt Saternus (see all)
- Oraimo Trcker 100 E-Bike Review - September 27, 2023
- Podcast Episode 199 – L.A.B. Golf Putters - September 27, 2023
- PXG 0317 T Irons Review - September 26, 2023
How timely for me to see this review, I was going to order demo clubs this week. Based on this review I will pass on these and look elsewhere. Thanks for your honest reviews Matt.
Based on the review, it is in His opinion about the clubs. I have had the pleasure of hitting these clubs and found them delightfully refreshing. I used to be a scratch golfer before my major operation. That is why Hogan has a try before you buy. If you don’t like them, then send them back. You might like them? Only you can be the judge.
Matt, thanks for another great review. You might consider at some point trying and reviewing the Cobra F-Max Airspeed irons. I bought a set on spec based on online research and am quite happy. With available graphite shafts, they are a decent option for seniors and others who want to use a game improvement iron to de-risk from mishits. In my experience, flushed shots really fly and mishits yield better than expected results. Happy holidays!
I’ve had them in the bag for 6 months and are very pleased with them. I’m getting more yardage and a lower ball flight compared to my PTx Pros. Also, the DTC pricing was fairly substantial compared to other OEMs. I found I can tell when and where I miss-hit the ball. The only downside to these irons, to me, if you’re a Hogan fan, they don’t have the traditional Hogan feel or sound. Feel is firmer than the PTx Pros or Icons, and sound is a muted tock versus the iconic, thwack that Hogan irons are known for. For reference, these have more offset than the Callaway Apex and Apex DCBs, I believe.
Not surprising results at all. This club seems almost identical to a two piece Forged Hogan Apex Edge iron I owned some years back. Shame that they haven’t improved the iron in the years since – agree that the competition has leapfrogged them considerably with technological advances in weighting and face design. Hard pass for me….
I have a set of Edge irons I bought two years ago and I like them, so much I took the Pings out and put them in my bag. Hogan’s prices have jumped up so if I was looking at dtcs I might look elsewhere now.
This is really a great article I really like and will definitely share it widely with my friends, wish you always have good health and make more articles in the future. thank you
What are the best clubs compared to these Hogans?
Steven,
I think most everything offered by the major OEMs in the GI and SGI categories is better.
-Matt
This article is very good, I hope in the future you will publish more quality articles so that I can send it to my friends. Wish you always stay healthy.
This is really a very good article that I really like and will definitely share it widely with my friends, wish you all good health and make more articles in the future. thank
The article has extremely high-quality content, I appreciate it, your article will certainly bring a lot of useful knowledge to everyone. respect you
I have been playing golf for 60 years. Owned Hogan Clubs for 45 years. Great irons provide feed back based on great contact. The beast way to describe it is a halo around your head at the top of the swing thru impact. I found HOGAN “Decade” “Grind” to be some of golfs finest.
Ben Hogan edge ex irons are a tremendous upgrade from the Hogan pro forged edge from over 20 years ago. I had a set of brand new Titleist from 2020 and these Hogan edge ex are a 100% better iron and I’m a 0 hcp. Golfer. Best irons I’ve ever had since original Hogans of 23 years ago