Tourstage 2011 X-Blade 705 Irons Review

Tourstage has released 2 wonderful looking players forged cavities for 2011. I received two 7 iron demos last week for testing of the new X-Blade 705 Type M and 705 Type S. At first glance both premium forged irons look very similar and it’s almost hard to see the differences but on further inspection they are subtly different and for good reason.

The Type M is the smaller of the two but not by much. As both irons target the pro to better player, both 705 models are on the more compact size.  The differences can really only be seen when the two are placed side by side. The Type M has a thinner top line, slightly less offset (but almost impossible to see to the naked eye), and a slightly smaller sole. Both irons have very sharp lines and a boxy toe. Both also share the multi grind sole (Tourstage calls it a Hyper Grind sole – I guess that sounds more fancy!) featuring a lot of cut away toe and heel relief as well as leading and trailing edge relief. These versatile soles are made to help the player make the purest contact possible in any lie and reap the benefits of a pure premium forged iron.

Another key difference between the two models is the cavity itself. The slightly more forgiving Type S features an undercut pocket cavity in the longer irons #3-6 for added forgiveness and ease of use. The 3-6 irons are made to focus on straight away distance performance. I wish Tourstage had actually sent me a 5 or 6 iron of the Type S so I could compare the pocket cavity to the Type M. The Type S also has a a slightly wider sole and lower cavity creating a lower CG point and higher launch.  The Type S on the other hand has a higher thicker cavity made for a more pure feel and a focus on a stable launch and spin control. You can see the cavity comparison well in the top picture and the higher cavity of the Type M in fact makes it look larger than the more forgiving Type S but that’s just an illusion as the pro model Type M is indeed smaller.

Better players will like the face profiles of both irons and the way they set up. Interestingly, to my eye, there appears a touch more offset in these models compared to the 701 and 701G model from a year ago. The offset however is still mininal. (In the picture above and below the Type M is on the left.) You can also see in the offset picture below how the topline of the Type S is in fact slightly thicker.

I tested both irons more at the range and on grass mostly for feel, grind, trajectory and control. Both irons are very pure feeling and a lot of that has to do with what I mentioned earlier about the grind. The grind on both allows very clean entry and exit through the turf allowing easier contact right on the sweet spot of both irons. the Type M with thicker cavity area felt especially soft and produced a lower trajectory ball than the lower CG Type S. Of course this is also affected by the fact that both irons had different shafts, 950GH in the Type M and graphite Tour AD 95 in orange in the Type S. Their compact size and sharp lines frame the ball well and were easier to hit than I expected. Some X-Blade models in the past were rather difficult to hit for anyone other than a single digit and great ball striker but the 705 series seems to have improved on that. I’d still say the Type M is aimed at the scratch golfer and single digit player while the Type S can be played by a single digit to maybe a 12 to 15 handicapper who is a good ball striker.

I prefer both these irons to the new Tourstage GR Forged which I found off balance in size and odd looking in design. If you’re a mid capper and a pretty good ball striker with aspirations at taking it to the next level I’d suggest the 705 Type S over the GR Forged. Both 705 models are already shipping and available in the Tourspecgolf.com pro shop.

[nggallery id=160]