50 Words or Less
The Mizuno JPX921 Forged irons are a redundant entry in the JPX921 line up. Lots of overlap with other JPX921 and MP-20 irons. Not a bad iron, just not unique.
Check out the new Mizuno JPX923 Forged Irons HERE
Introduction
The Forged has always been the middle child of the JPX line ups. It’s not as sexy as the Tour but not as forgiving or long as the Hot Metal. With the new JPX921, the Forged version makes a clear turn toward longer brother with Chromoly construction. Has the JPX921 Forged found a new identity in the players distance category?
Looks
The Mizuno JPX921 Forged irons are visually exactly what we’ve come to expect from this line. They’re not quite as thin and pretty as the Tour version, but they’re a touch slimmer than the Hot Metal. Unfortunately, that’s also how I would describe the Hot Metal Pro [review HERE]. The difference between the Forged and Hot Metal Pro is quite small: 2mm of blade length and 1mm of top line thickness.
The in the bag look of the JPX921 Forged is also quite similar to the JPX921 Hot Metal and Hot Metal Pro. The cavity has a nearly identical shape and they all use the same combination of matte and chrome silver.
Sound & Feel
The feel of this iron really had me scratching my head. I hit ball after ball trying to put my finger on a way to describe it, and I’m still at a loss. One thing is unquestionable: it’s extremely quiet, just a little thud on contact. But as to the feel, there’s so little of it that I can’t find words for it. It isn’t hard, but it’s not soft either. I know I made contact, but that’s about all I know.
Because there is so little feel and so little sound, there’s virtually no feedback. If I really missed one, I could feel the club twist, but small misses were as quiet as pure strikes.
Performance
The JPX921 Forged irons are made with Chromoly 4120 which allowed Mizuno to make the face very thin. This gives these irons high ball speed. On centered strikes, I didn’t find much difference between the Forged and Hot Metal for ball speed.
Mizuno’s focus with the JPX921 Forged irons is an increase in forgiveness. This latest model does seem slightly more forgiving than the previous version, though that’s based on memory, not head to head testing. Compared to the Hot Metal and Hot Metal Pro, the Forged is measurably less forgiving but not noticeably so. Small mishits get good results; big misses will end up substantially short of your target.
My hang up with these irons is the lack of difference with the Hot Metal Pro or the MP-20 HMB [review HERE]. In terms of size, these three irons are extremely close and in some instances identical. The lofts of the JPX921 Forged are a bit weaker than the Hot Metal Pro (two degrees in the longer irons, one degree in the short irons) and one degree stronger than the HMB. In the hands of most golfers, the JPX 921 Forged is not going to be a unique performer.
Conclusion
There’s nothing wrong with the Mizuno JPX921 Forged irons. They’re pretty long, they look decent, and they have good forgiveness. My disappointment comes from the fact that Mizuno had an opportunity to offer a unique product and instead put out something that’s a near-copy of irons they already have in their line up.
Mizuno JPX921 Forged Irons Price & Specs
Matt Saternus
Latest posts by Matt Saternus (see all)
- Cobra Aerojet Driver Review - May 29, 2023
- TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Review - May 25, 2023
- PING G430 SFT Fairway Wood Review - May 24, 2023
Golf is such a psychological game, maybe that’s one reason Mizuno puts out so many irons that seem similar. If you want something blade-like, you have MP-20; something cavity that says “more forgiveness” one has the JPX Lineup.
These JPX 921F confuse me a little. The 8-Gap are 1025 steel, whereas the 4-7i are Chromoly Forged. I own the 919F and they struck me as odd – just go with the Chromoly. The 8-PW do not have the extremely thin face of the 4-7. I think the reason is that Mizuno believed the scoring irons should not be too hit. But what not Chromoly? I did hit the 921F recently in the 7i and while I enjoyed it, in the same shaft, I had better dispersion and spin with the MP-20 HMB with the Chromoly Forged Face and Neck. Distance was the same in the 7i, the HMB was slightly longer, better carry and settled more quickly.
I think the 921F is sort of their do everything JPX iron but if you can take something a bit larger, the HMP is another to try. Mizuno gives you so many options.
Absent Brooks Koepka, I don’t see the point of this line of irons at all. I guess the hot metal is more “forgiving” and stronger lofted than any of the MPs…
I think the fact that you find so little difference between the models is more of an homage to the Hot Metal Pro than it is a knock on the Forged. Having played Mizuno forged irons for the last 16 years, I found the 921’s very pleasant and similar feeling to mine. These are longer than mine, but I would expect that with the stronger lofts and the inevitable advances in technology. Would have liked to have seen some Quad or Trackman numbers.
I have resently received my 921 Hot metal Irons and I have to say long straight and very good feel.
I am hitting these irons longer than any I have played.
I am a 10 handicap andhave to say if get properly fit for these irons they will work well for you.
Right now nothing better on thw market for a 10 handicap player.
For me, in the JPX line, the HMP and 921F would be my go-to, even a blended set with a 4 or 5i in HMP.
I think the Chromoly thin face works to give you greater and consistent ball speeds, and the longish heel to toe blade (slightly more compact than 919F) gives the mid capper confidence while offering a tad more forgiveness and retaining more ballspeed than the 919F. It depends on what you need in playability. The HMP gives you more forgiveness and distance due to a stronger loft but possibly not what you want to see at address.
The low to low mid capper with irons can also look at the HMB as an option. Actually, the only negative I hear with the 921F is lower cappers saying the blade is a bit too long (same con they gave to the 919F) although the shorter irons are smaller in the 921F (which is a good thing). Good luck.
I bought a blended set of the mp20’s and played 12 rounds with them and traded them in. I’m just not consistent enough anymore for the blades. The jpx forged are the new set and I find the longer irons easier to hit than the mp20 hmb. The 4 is so long and easy to launch that it makes my 20* hybrid redundant, which gives me room for another wedge. The added forgiveness is what I got and what I was looking for. They’re a club to a club and a 1/2 longer than the blades, but with the lofts that’s to be expected. The only shot I haven’t tried yet is a knock down.
Mizuno marketing is very similar to Porsche product lines. Product versions look similar but are really variations of a performance theme. You pick the one that meets your needs and price point. I found each MP and JPX iron to perform different enough from each other to make a choice between the models.
I don’t think I could disagree more. These irons are for someone that wants help, looks, feel, and performance in a beautiful package. I came from the Apex 19 combo set, which I loved, and these outclass that set in every regard. Do not discount the 921 Forged.
Moving up from one of the best game improvement distance irons on the market in the M-4s was a tough decision. Upon receiving and striking my new 921 forged irons my worries left me almost instantly. These clubs cut so cleanly through the turf like I have never felt before. The ball comes off the club face so cleanly you can close your eyes strike the ball and know exactly where to find your ball. These clubs are not in competition with other Mizuno clubs they are another quality choice in the lineup for the players to choose from. A win win for the golfer.
I tested the JPX 921 Forged for about an hour with many different shafts. I liked these so much , I ordered a set. I did not like the standard shafts that Mizuno uses but ordered them with S300’s These irons were so consist it just , how do you say, unbelievable!
Now the only problem is, I ordered this set 6 weeks ago and I am still waiting on a shipment date, and I thought Titleist was slow.
Dan
Recently did a fitting test with these and a few others. I thought these felt very soft and pure with TP5 balls. The shape was very similar to my previous gamers (Bridgestone J15 CB), which was comfortable for me, but the stronger loft in the 921F was giving me a bit more distance, which I didn’t really want.
I ended up going with a set of Mizuno HMBs. The HMBs definitely felt harder off the face, but they matched my desired lofts/distances, and the carry distances were super consistent in my testing. The HMBs did launch higher than the 921F with same shaft.
Also tested the 921 Tour which were very appealing in feel and looks, but I worried about my ability to hit the long irons consistently as a 7hc.
Bought a set of forged 921s after playing MP54s for 6 years. Disappointed with lack of feedback; very un-Mizuno like. Good strikes seem to exhibit a click sound but none of the smooth buttery feel received from good strikes with the MP54. Off centre strikes don’t lose a huge amount of distance. Main advantage is the bullet trajectory and distance on well struck shots into the wind, even allowing for the stronger loft e.g. flying my 7 iron further than the 6 iron equivalent in the 54s.
In summary, the jury is out but I may revert back to the more traditional Mizuno feel of the 54s and on-sell the 921s
So I’m assuming between the 921 Forged, Hot Metal Pro, and HMB, there is very little difference in performance…. so if a player gets fitted into one, most likely could game the others as well? I’m so confused.
Brandon,
I would not say that those three are interchangeable. There are fairly substantial size and performance differences.
-Matt
I just tested and bought these irons. (my 7i swing speed was 91 mph during the fitting). For me, with the same shaft ($-taper stiff), the Forged gave a much more penetrating flight (still with similar spin numbers) than the HMP. I suspect the weight is slightly higher on the clubface, which for my swing makes all the difference.
I pre-ordered the JPX921 Forged irons. 11 handicap, legit. Ordered 4-9 irons. Obviously spent a tremendous amount of money. I was floored when I got them, the 8-9 irons weren’t chromoly-infused. Only the 4-7 irons stated HD Chromology Forged near the hosel. The 8-9 just said 1025E HD or something. Not once during pre launch was this ever mentioned. It was pitched that this was a full chromoly-infused iron set. So I reached out to Mizuno on Instagram, and got a response from Chris Voshall. He basically told me it was decided “early on” to not make the scoring clubs out of chromoly, but rather their traditional 1025E. Within 30 minutes of his response, the Mizuno website changed their 921 page format to include the statement “scoring clubs flow into 1025E,” or something to that extent. I was flabbergasted. They made a hype over these clubs only to flat out lie to the consumers who pre-ordered and were left in the dark. I must tell you, I was pretty pissed. But all in all, I do like the irons. I just couldn’t believe Mizuno played all of us like a fiddle.
LOL
Can’t disagree more with this review, and I generally agree with the reviews on this site for most of the clubs. I’ve been gaming the 921 Forged for this year, and I’ve hit the Hot Metals, and gamed for a few rounds the Srixon ZX-7, Cobra Forged TEC, T200s, and I keep coming back to the 921 Forged.
Feed back is clear, you can tell where you miss it. And I agree, that at first the feel was so soft that I wasn’t even sure that I hit it. But then I realized that’s what happens when you flush it. Anything else, you will know you missed the sweet spot. Spin and distance is incredibly consistent, and the longer irons are easy to hit. I would take a serious look at these clubs
I love Plugged In golf, I feel like this is the best review site on the web. Straightforward and to the point, and almost always on point.
Except in this case…this is such an odd review. Tt seems very concerned with how the Forged compares to other items in the line rather than judging the club on its own merits. This is even odder because the he JPX Forged has been on this “tweener” block long before the Hot Metal Pro, which was a mid-cycle release in 2020. If you are concerned with logical consistency in product lines, the question is not why does the Forged exist, it’s why did Mizuno introduce a really similar Hot Metal Pro?
I hit the Forged an HMP side by side, and to be honest I don’t think they feel similar at all. They were within 0.5 yards of each other on Trackman over a significant number of strikes, but the feel was so significantly better in the Forged. A night and day difference, such that the only reason I could see someone choosing the HMP over the Forged would be to save a few dollars. I wound up not spinning either of them enough and went with the Ping i210 instead.
Love PluggedIn but this was a head-scratcher for me!
This is the exact right question. The HMP’s are the odd choice. Forged vs. cast iron is a noticeable difference. Cast iron vs minimally smaller cast iron is a much, much less noticeable difference.
Couldn’t disagree more. Made the mistake of ordering the Hot Metal irons – they’re just horrible. Almost every shot, they went flying off to the right.
Tried the forged and they fly straight as an arrow. Have now put the Hot Metals on eBay in an attempt to recoup some of my losses. Why oh why didn’t I try the forged first 🙈
I stated that I hate these irons for lack of feel but at 66 years old I love hitting the 4 iron 230 off the tee. These are players distance clubs with a ton of forgiveness and pretty good control.
I hate these irons and couldn’t figure out why. You hit the nail on the head. Zero feel. I left the 919 tours in the bag and these are going up on ebay.
Took them to the range for one last chance vs 919 Tour. No contest. I have no idea if I hit it in the middle other than the lack of a clacky sound. The Tours have all the forgiveness anyone who breaks 80 ever needs. The Forged are on ebay. Good riddance!
I have had my 921 forged for about a month after playing 919 forged this year. I hit the 4-5-6 irons amazingly well, but I am left a little flabbergasted with the 7-P, which has always been a strength in my game. There is a small part of me that thinks I might need to try the tours and build out a combo set, but then I am left with some clubs I won’t need. We’ll see where it takes me, but so far, I am extremely happy with the Mizuno clubs. I normally pretty well agree with Matt (his stats are nearly identical to mine, but I have a little more spin) – this might be their most solid entry into the players distance category ever (I picked these over the 225s even though I loved the way the 225’s looked).
This is a very odd review as many other commenters have said. I am confused about how someone could hit the Hot Metal/Hot Metal Pros as cast irons and not feel a difference with the Forged. It’s night and day. Trying to say there’s no point to the Forged because of the HM/HMP is like saying there’s no point for the Dodge Charger SRT to exist vs. all the other Charger models. Not the best analogy, but you get my point.
HM/HMP’s head felt too big for me and felt very much like game improvement irons, which they are. The Forged are more compact and much softer.
This has been my experience. I find it really confusing how people say they can’t feel mishits. It is VERY apparent because it’s a much different tone (“clack”) and feel. It can be pretty harsh. I love mine.