Callaway Paradym AI Smoke Vs Callaway Paradym Irons Comparison Overview

Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Vs Callaway Paradym Irons Comparison Overview

ParadymAi vs Paradym (1)

Callaway are back for 2024 with the Paradym Ai Smoke range which are pushing to boundaries of AI Technology to the next level with the smart face across the range.

While the Paradym Irons of 2023 catered for mid-handicappers and competed with the likes of the Taylormade P790’s, the Ai Smoke range is back to serving the high to mid handicap levels and the results have been well received in the golf community.

Callaway Paradym Irons Overview

“The Paradym comes in a regular version aimed at mid handicappers and an X version which caters to higher handicap players..”

The Paradym Irons are hollow body, players distance irons and they are forged which means the feel a bit nice when caught flush, but it also drives the price up to $1,500 which is a considerable investment.

The 455 steel face ensures solid distance when caight flush and the dispersion was quite tight as well.

Looking at the irons in the bag, they have the patented rounded shape of a Callaway and the design is a little blocky and 1970’s looking.

Overall, not the best release from Callaway in recent years.

Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Irons Overview

Ai Smoke Irons

“The Ai Smoke Irons come in 3 flavours – The Max, The High Launch and The Max Fast For Slower Swing Speeds.”

The Max Irons are hollow body players’ irons again, filled with Urethane Microsphere for impressive sound and feel. They are however cast instead of forged and this makes them competitive in terms of price.

The looks are also vastly improved and there is a longer blade and bigger face for higher handicappers.

The lofts are slightly stronger but we are getting more height and more distance this year.

The smart face makes the clubs much more forgiving, especially when hit low on the face or when hit thin.

The high launch version will suit high handicappers who struggle to get the ball in the air and the max fast is perfect for slower swing speeds.

“Overall the Ai Smoke irons are a big step up from the Paradym and should find there way into many more golfers bags this year. The price has dropped and the performance has improved. This one is a no brainer.”

Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Irons

Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Irons3

Category: Hollow Body Players Distance Irons

Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke First Impressions

“My first impression of the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke irons was that they were familiar.”

I love it when Callaway plays to their strengths and right away, I could tell the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke irons had classic Callaway design.

The face depth is about medium as is the width of the top line and the sole width. Again, very reminiscent of the size and shape of the Edge irons.

They look like they’re going to be forgiving at first glance and they live up to their initial appearance.

It took me just a couple of swings to get past the 170 yard carry mark with the 7-iron and I was also pretty pleased with the dispersion. Even on my toe-side mis-hits, I wasn’t over-drawing the ball.

Yes, I landed a little too right of the target, but the divergence was never greater than 9 yards.

Callaway Paradym Irons First Impressions

The first thing to notice about the Paradym irons is the attractive design which looks great in the bag and will have plenty of shelf appeal in 2023.

They have a player’s profile at address and are built to get the maximum distance possible.

The stronger lofts add about 5 to 10 yards to each and the feel explosive on impact.

The price point is quite high but the premium forged steel face does make up for this to a certain extent.

The irons come in 2 flavors:

Callaway Paradym Irons:

For low to mid-handicappers looking for distance, easy launch, stopping power, and workability.

Paradym X Irons – Perfect for Mid Handicappers looking for distance, easy launch, and forgiveness.

The irons have a rounded shape that we expect from Callaway and the paradigm shift occurs within the clubs and not on the outside.

The 455 premium steel face was reserved for only hybrids, woods and drivers up to now. With the advances in A.i design, they are now available in the irons.

The Paradym irons will be for consistent strikers even though they are forgiving on mishits. This is down to the compact blade which had us missing left and right a bit too often.

We found the Paradym X to be better suited to our game and they are quite long, adding 5 to 10 extra yards from what we would expect.

They get progressively more workable as you get to the shorter irons and the pre-worn leading edge allows the ball to get good air time more easily.

With the premium price point, we wouldn’t be rushing out to get these irons unless you are due an upgrade and they are the best clubs for you after fitting.

The hollow body players distance iron market is quite competitive.

Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Selling Points

Smart Face Technology
Extra ¼ “ of length in the mid and long irons
True Temper Elevate and Project X Cypher shafts available
Hollow-body design
AI-designed face architecture
Strong lofts

Callaway Paradym Iron Selling Points

455 Steel Forged Face Cup
Hollow Bodied With Plenty Of Tungsten Weighting
Pre Worn Leading Edge
X Version for more forgiveness
Attractive design
Urethane Microspheres to absorb impact
Powerful sound and feel

Who Are the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Irons for?

In my humble opinion, I think the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke irons would be great for handicappers in the 17-23 range.

This is the area where you’re still going to need a good bit of distance and help staying on the fairway – two things that the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke irons do exceedingly well.

But if you have problems hitting the ball low, the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke irons are not for you.

For the naturally low hitter I would recommend the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke HL irons which, as you can probably guess, have weaker loft profiles which means higher launch.

The Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Irons Family

Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Irons6

In addition to the standard Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke irons, Callaway has released the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke HL and the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max Fast iron sets.

As already discussed the HL version is a weaker-lofted, higher-launching set. The 7-iron HL checks in at 30° in comparison to the 28° lofted 7-iron of the standard Paradym Ai Smoke set.

The Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke HL irons also have deeper cavity backs and are generally a bit more forgiving.

Then there are the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max Fast irons which also feature a deep cavity back and even weaker lofts – the 7-iron is 31°.

The Max Fast irons boast a lighter design than the standard Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke irons so they would be better for slower swing speed players.

Distance: 98/100

Accuracy: 97/100

Forgiveness: 97/100

Feel & Control: 95/100

Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Irons

Overall Score: 97/100

Who Are The Callaway Paradym Irons For?

These are perfect for golfers looking for distance and workability who are due an upgrade, have a decent budget and are suited to the clubs through a fitting.

The Paradym irons are not the most forgiving due to the compact blade but they are long, get the ball in the air and have decent stopping power for relatively low spin rates.

The X version will suit higher handicap players who want distance and forgiveness with some ball flight control thrown in.

They are a premium set of irons and have a premium price point.

The powerful will be great for a golfer with a higher swing speed who wants to work the ball with a draw or a fade.

The looks and the power feel were the most impressive for us and they do add distance, but again, this is more down to the stronger lofts and they dont add much from the Rogue St series.

For us, they are mainly for Callaway Affectionados who don’t mind spending more for premium quality.