Callaway Big Bertha Vs. Taylormade Stealth Irons Comparison Overview
It’s tough being the new kid on the block. All the neighborhood kids are apprehensive to play with you because they don’t know what you’re like. This is an apt analogy for new golf clubs. Without experience, it can be hard for golfers to warm up to new sets.
The Taylormade Stealth irons launched this year and we wanted to help introduce them to the world. To do so, we compared them against a tried and true set of game improvement irons: the Callaway Big Bertha’s.
Callaway Big Bertha Irons Overview
The first thing you will notice about the Big Bertha irons is the prominent sole and visible tungsten weight.
We won’t lie, these things look pretty big at point of address. But for the high handicappers in our test group, this was certainly a plus. The Big Bertha irons inspire confidence at point of address and launch the ball like you wouldn’t believe.
The pronounced offset will also help newbies who are struggling to overcome their shot biases. This is a great set for anyone struggling with a slice or any beginner looking for max launch and distance. The Big Bertha’s also do a decent job of cutting through the rough and providing adequate forgiveness.
Taylormade Stealth Irons Overview
The Taylormade Stealth irons are much lighter and nimbler than the Callaway Big Bertha’s.
While we would certainly still classify them as game-improvement irons, it’s clear that they have a bit more performance to offer mid handicappers than the Big Bertha irons. For starters, the smaller head profile makes them more workable from 7 iron to the 9.
Secondly, they sport and almost muscle back design but in reality, it’s just a rear badge that fills in most of the rear cavity. That all being said, the Taylormade Stealth irons yielded impressive launch angles that kept up with the Big Bertha’s.
The Taylormade Stealth irons had almost no chance of keeping up with the Big Bertha’s in terms of distance though. The 4 iron of the Taylormade Stealth set was yielding max distances of 185 yards compared to 192 yards with the Big Bertha 4 iron.
The Taylormade Stealth irons have the launch and workability to be useful for intermediate players. However, if you are looking for a pure set of game-improvement irons, the Big Bertha’s are still the better choice.
Callaway Big Bertha Irons
Category – Super Game Improvement Irons
Taylormade Stealth Irons
Category: Game Improvement Irons
Big Bertha B21 – First Impressions
The B21’s take on the legendary name of the Big Bertha series and these irons are super forgiving and easy to hit.
The Irons have been designed using Artificial Intelligence that ensures the very best weighting and features are included for maximum accuracy and forgiveness.
The clubs also have wide soles and a pronounced offset that ensures you get tons of forgiveness even when you don’t hit the ball flush on the sweet spot.
The clubs have a lot of loft, allowing you to get the ball in the air while the Tungsten Weighting keeps the center of gravity low.
You shouldn’t have any problems getting the ball in the air with these Irons.
Taylormade Stealth First Impressions
The Taylormade Stealth irons have a striking design that we didn’t really know what to make of at first.
These are some of the most uniquely designed game improvement irons we ever tested. The cap back system that wraps around the rear toe area looks striking but it didn’t make sense to us at first.
Then we started playing with this set. One of the first things we noticed was that even with the 4 iron, it was very easy to find the sweet spot. The offset helps yes, but more than anything, that extra mass in the sole beneath the sweet spot helps to square up.
It’s like a giant target for your alignment. And since the face was designed to flex to a ridiculous degree, you don’t need a fast swing speed to get decent distance out of these irons.
With the 5 iron in the Taylormade Stealth set, our testers were able to establish an average distance of 161 yards. Of course, as game improvement irons, they suffer from the typical short-game pitfalls.
With the shorter irons, spin is very hard to control. Roll distance was a problem on short approaches and if you are playing a particularly fast green, you will need to rely on your wedges for longer shots.
Big Bertha B21 – Selling Points
- Artificial Intelligence
- Urethane Microspheres
- Lots Of Loft In The Clubs
- Wide Soles – Large Sweet Spot
- Flash Cup Face For Ball Speed
Taylormade Stealth Selling Points
- They have an innovative cap back design
- They do work to soften harsh vibration to a moderate degree
- Reduced toe mass
- Increased sole mass under the center of the face
- They feature Taylormade’s inverted Cone Technology (ICT)
- 450 stainless steel face
Who Are The B21 Irons For
The Big Bertha B21 Irons are for beginners and high handicappers who want to get as much forgiveness as possible from their clubs and will perfect for anyone who struggles to get the ball in the air with their irons.
B21 Family Of Irons
The B21 come in only 1 format but there are plenty of other offerings in 2021 from Callaway in The Mavrik family and Apex 21 Iron Sets.
The Mavrik irons are perfect for High – Mid Handicappers and the Apex 21 Set is perfect for the better players among us.
Distance: 94/100
Accuracy: 96/100
Forgiveness: 98/100
Feel And Control: 86/100
Overall Score: 94/100
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Who are the Taylormade Stealth Irons for?
The Taylormade Stealth irons would primarily benefit high handicap players who are struggling chiefly with distance.
While they offer a moderate degree of forgiveness, it’s clear after testing these irons that most of the R&D went into improving ball speed and distance for players with slower swing speeds.
Most of the testers in our party with swing speeds under 90MPH were keeping up remarkably well with testers with faster swing speeds. Just don’t expect impeccable feel from these irons.
While Taylormade claims that the polymer cap back material gives these irons a “forged feel” we would classify this as a dubious claim at best. At the end of the day, there is simply no mistaking a forged iron and these are not forged irons.
The Taylormade Iron Family
While the Stealth irons are a stand-alone class, Taylormade makes a ton of iron sets. One of the most notable for beginners and high handicappers is the SIM2 Max irons that sport an oversized face profile so that it’s much easier to nail the sweet spot.
The SIM2 Max irons also feature the predecessor to the cap back system, the Speed Bridge. The Speed Bridge is a rear brace that connects the crown and sole, allowing the face to be disconnected from the body just like the Taylormade Stealth irons.
The result is the same: higher degree of flex and ball speed. However, the SIM2 Max irons will do more for you if you are struggling with iron accuracy. They offer comparable distance to the Taylormade Stealth irons; but with a higher emphasis on forgiveness.
Distance: 94/100
Accuracy: 92/100
Forgiveness: 93/100
Feel & Control: 89/100
Overall Score: 92/100
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