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The Mizuno Pro 225 irons are a nice compromise for players who want some distance, some forgiveness, decent looks, and fairly traditional feel.
Introduction
Mizuno fans have had to wait a little longer than expected for the new Mizuno Pro irons (thanks, COVID), but that wait is now over. After months of staring at pictures on the internet, you can find the Mizuno Pro 225 irons – as well as their smaller brothers, the 221 and 223 [review HERE] – at your local fitters and retailers. Were they worth the wait? Let’s discuss.
Need an easier-to-hit long iron alternative? Check out the Mizuno Pro Fli Hi HERE
Looks
The Mizuno Pro 225 is the successor to the Mizuno MP-20 HMB [review HERE]. Mizuno even refers to them as the second generation of the Hot Metal Blade on their website. As such, it’s the largest member of the Mizuno Pro family. The target audience is the mid-handicap player who wants some of the blade look without being punished on mishits.
To my eye, the address look of the Mizuno Pro 225 can all be described as “player-ish game improvement iron.” The top line is medium thick but very progressive – it gets much thinner as you move into the scoring irons. There is some offset, but it’s well-shaped. The substantial rounding of the toe makes the blade look more compact than it is. Finally, the sole width is average for a GI iron.
The faux blade look of the Mizuno Pro 225 is one of the major selling points. With minimal branding and an absence of color, it has a premium, players look in the bag.
Sound & Feel
My recollection of the MP-20 HMB was that the feel was unexciting, definitely short of “nothing feels like a Mizuno.” This set the bar low for the Mizuno Pro 225. I am pleased to report that this newer version surpassed my expectations.
With regard to feel, the Mizuno Pro 225 is solidly in the middle of the bell curve. I wouldn’t rate it as being soft, but it’s not firm or clicky either. It leans more toward solid and satisfying than I’d expect from a hollow iron, so I ultimately rate the feel as a small positive.
The sound of impact is quieter than the previous HMB. It also provides a clear signal on mishits – they’re duller sounding than pure strikes.
Performance
The Mizuno Pro 225 irons set themselves apart from their brothers with an emphasis on distance and forgiveness. Mizuno uses a very thin face to create some of their highest ball speeds. The Pro 225 is not among the very fastest irons, but my smash factor pushed into the low 1.4s on good strikes.
Strong ball speed is coupled with fairly low spin to create long carry distances. For me, the spin is on the low end of playable. It’s not the lowest spinning iron I’ve tested, but I would strongly recommend a good fitting to ensure that your approaches will be able to hold the green.
The hollow body construction and tungsten weighting pair to make the Mizuno Pro 225 quite forgiving for its size. You won’t knock down flag sticks with anything but a pure strike, but launch angle and ball speed are fairly robust on small misses. As the misses start to get bigger, you’ll see a larger gap between this iron and truly GI and SGI irons. Players above a low teens handicap should think carefully before bagging these.
As I noted in my review of the Mizuno Pro 221 irons [HERE], players need to be very careful in constructing combo sets with the Mizuno Pro irons. The three irons in this family are quite different in their construction and loft structure. This set has the strongest lofts by as much as 4 degrees. If you decide on a combo set, make sure you work with a skilled fitter to pair these irons correctly.
Conclusion
The Mizuno Pro 225 irons are a nice option for golfers who want a players look without giving up all the distance and forgiveness of a modern iron. These aren’t the longest iron nor are they the most forgiving, but they’re a good compromise for the low-mid handicap player who wants a little of everything.
Visit Mizuno HERE
Mizuno Pro 225 Irons Price & Specs
Matt Saternus
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Thanks for this, very interested in these irons. How much farther did these carry than the 221 and 223? Tested them with which shaft?
Dustin,
Comparing each irons longest shot, the 225 was about 5 yards longer than the 221.
-Matt
hi Matt, Regarding 225 vs. Callaway Rogue St max, Which set goes further? and does the rogue make it much more forgiving than the 225?
Jeff,
Distance will depend on the individual fit. The Rogue ST MAX is going to be more forgiving than the 225.
-Matt
Matt. Good work as always. You say they are not the fastest irons you’ve tested. So what is??
Terry,
Most of the big OEMs have at least one iron that’s notably faster – P790, Rogue/Apex, etc.
-Matt
Counterpoint:
A not so excited review for an iron, that for my game, is a brilliant performer. Mid 80s shooter here and have played ten rounds this last month with the 225s. Came from the 2021-P790. For me, zero difference on forgiveness, way better feel and longer by a half club or more. Toe, heel, all mostly forgiven. Maybe you play solid forged and these are not your type of iron? Or your SS is much faster and your misses are penalized more? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Because I have not threatened as many flagsticks in years. I purchased the set 4-P because that is all they had in stock. Tried the four iron instead of my usual 3 hybrid and wow! never had so many four iron shots that were so consistently long and accurate. Misses are dead feeling but not a stinging feel that shocks, just a friendly reminder to hit the center! Normally a PING G guy but have tried many of the hollow headed irons this past couple years and thought the P790 was the one. But after using the 225s. They are firmly in the mid cappers bag.
This comment echos my experience with the 225s, also replacing Ping G’s. I could not be happier with them. My fitter recommended that I de-loft them, so they aren’t quite as strong as the standard specs. Great balance of forgiveness on misses and they don’t look like clown shoes in the bag. I’ve only been playing regularly for a few years and wanted to come into the season with a new set of irons that wouldn’t discourage me by setting me back, but that I could play into as I continue to improve. These are it. Index continues to melt down from high teens to mid teens in half a season since I’ve gamed these, and the biggest thing holding me back at this point from low teens is now my poor driving.
Hi Matt!
I will ask the obvious question. How do you think these compare to the P790?
In terms of feel, forgiveness, ball speed retention across the face, peak height and spin?
I assume P790 is longer and hotter, but I am not looking for more distance myself. Just a good all arounder.
Side question. Do you think the P790 GW is a little too hot for chips and pitches?
Thanks and I appreciate your reviews and opinion!!
Joe
Joe,
I have a full review of the P790 here: https://pluggedingolf.com/2021-taylormade-p790-irons-review/
-Matt
The entire new line from Mizuno is nice. I play MP 20’s now. I will say having gone through extensive testing with various manufacturers my #’s with PXG Gen 4 was better across the board. Distance, feel, dispersion all better for me. Mizunos are nice when hit pure but they are not forgiving and you’ll be punished with loss of distance and personally I’m tired of it. Looking forward to my new irons arriving. Good review here though. Accurate.
I agree with you about the PXG’s being more forgiving and with a softer feel to boot. I won the 0311xp/p Gen 3 (blended set).
The 225 is a big improvement over the HMB. Chris Vosh of Mizuno says the 225 was designed as a trueiron set. The HMB originated from previous long iron offerings but was not a true iron set. Now you have true irons with the 225 and it still retains the copper layer throughout the entire line adding to a softer feel.
I played the HMB last year. I thought the blade was too long with too much offset. Enter the 225, I was fortunate to have won a set of Mizuno irons and had to order before demoing – I have the 5-7i going with 223 in the rest of the set and also a 223 7i just to see if as a 9 capper if I could hit it consistently. I can, but that’s another positive story – ordered the 223 in 4-6i to complete the 223 set.
Back to the 225 – All dimensions are smaller this year and it makes for a vastly improved iron in terms of a pleasing appearance. It is still very forgiving in 4-8i and the shorter irons look better. It is not as low lofted as other distance irons, so it won’t be the longest but it packs a rocket-like distance punch in 4-7i with the thinner face. On Trackman, spin was very low for me (don’t have a large descending AOA), launch was high, descent angle was around 48-49. Studio numbers may be deceiving as to the reality outside. On the range, I saw more than adequate height to stop the ball on greens similar to my HMBs. I suggest you hit them outside if possible. I think your swing frees up outside. I am using Recoil 95.
As to blending sets, they do well with the 223 as they are only 2 degrees away from each other in loft. Mizuno has a chart for blended sets and suggests which irons to weaken or strengthen. Overall, I know golfers below 10hc who have ordered the entire 225 set, 4hc who have blended 225 with 221, and those who have blended 225 long irons with 223. I don’t like to bend irons too much so weakening the 225 long irons with the 223 would work. Have fun.
What are your Iron Lofts from #4 – PW and how you proceed with Wedges?
I have now a MP225 set and I’m unsure about the huge 5° gap in mid and short irons. But it is winter, so difficult to dial in.
One advantage HMB’s have over 225’s is the lofts. HMB’s are closer to traditional lofts so easier to hold greens.
Great point Jimmy. I love my MP20 HMBs.
But remember, the design of a club does not only involve loft.
Just bagged’em. Getting set up with Steelfiber i70 5-AW.
They should show up about the time we lose the ice on Lake Erie.
These remind me of my P770 irons . I demoed the Mizuno MP-20 HMB (and many other irons) thinking I’d probably get Mizunos, but the P770 won out pretty easily with better feel and performance.
As a bit of a Mizuno fan boy, I’m excited to test the new pro range as I’m due an upgrade. Although I’m playing off 4.6 and no spring chicken, I’m drawn to the 225’s as I need some more forgiveness and distance. This review is contrary to all the others on distance which seem to suggest the 790 and 225’s were equal on this. Hard to make an argument for anything other than Mizuno for irons imo, but I did say I’m biased!
Played Mizuno my whole life. Name it had it all; all versions in blades. I am professional and obviously looking to shape the ball both ways, moved from Mp18 MB straight over to a full set 225; 4 to PW. Fit the right shafts and you will be amazed the diffrence between Blades and forgiving. Best irons I had in my career as it took my GIR % from 78% to 88% in a month. I am even shaping the ball beter. Miss hits still carries 95% of the distance and still finds the dance floor.
My view best irons ever, well done Mizuno.
Good to hear you now have a 10% better GIR percentage than the top PGA tour professional since switching. Sounds like you should either A) get in some Monday qualifiers B) Stop playing the reds or C) Stop exaggerating on the internet. I have not once met someone with a 90% GIR rate I am not worthy
I’m guessing it’s the reds he’s playing…
I know right, all pga pros play on championship level courses at 7900 yards with greens rolling at 13, so of course he should be compared with those who do
I went with the new P790 . Taylormade, they believe in the men and women who joined the military by giving 15% off.
Any product on there website. Know that’s gracious.
I can’t see any significant differences between this and the MP20 HMB. The thing with Mizuno irons is that you’re getting quality no matter what ‘MP’ iteration you’ve bought. I upgraded from MP-H4 irons to MP20 HMB; but only 6-iron to PW. I kept the 2-iron to 5-iron in the H4’s. It’s a superb combination and I absolutely love the feel and flight of this combo.
I own the HMB and 225 – Other than loft, there are significant differences, but “significant” is subjective. The 225 are slightly shorter heel to toe, less offset is significant, short iron appearance is significantly better, slightly thinner sole – a better iron. And good for a blended set of 225 long to mid-irons and 223 short irons.
Please review the 223.
Are you going to do a review on the Mizuno Pro 223 as well?
Yes.
Curious how these compare to 0311p gen 3?
I have a full review of the 0311 P GEN3 irons here: https://pluggedingolf.com/pxg-0311-p-gen3-irons-review/
Best,
Matt
Hi Matt – are you going to review the pro fli hi? Would love to hear your thoughts.
Hunter,
Yes, hopefully in the next month or so.
Best,
Matt
Hi Matt,
Got fitted for these clubs and after hitting them, I noticed that I lost about 10-15 yards of distance per club. For example, I was hitting my 7 comfortably between 180 and 190. Now I am struggling to get to 170. Is this a common expectation with newer fitted clubs?
For context, my former clubs were Cobra F-Max, Regular Flex.
New Clubs are Mizuno Pro 225, X-Stiff Flex.
Thank you in advance.
Jack,
Are the new irons 10-15 yards shorter than your old set or shorter than they were during the fitting?
Best,
Matt
Hey Matt,
The new irons are 10-15 yards shorter than my old set as well as during my fitting.
Thank you.
Jack,
If the new irons are not performing the way they were during the fitting, you should contact your fitter immediately to get some kind of remedy. There’s no reason for a new fitted club to not perform as it did during the fitting.
The only thing I can think of off hand that might explain this is a difference in golf ball, but I have a hard time thinking that a ball change would make that big a difference.
Best,
Matt
The x flex is gonna kick a lot less. How does someone go from an R to an X???
If you wanted to play these irons with a more traditional loft, would you recommend weakening them from 4 to PW buy 2 deg?
Gareth,
2 degrees is probably the most I would recommend changing a set. But yes, that’s certainly an option that’s available to you.
Best,
Matt