Callaway Paradym X Vs Callaway Big Bertha BB23 Irons Comparison Overview

Callaway Paradym X Vs Callaway Big Bertha BB23 Irons

When the Paradym clubs came out, they turned a lot of heads.

Callaway went all-in on carbon fiber appointments and seemingly wanted the Paradym brand to be linked to that royal blue color scheme.

While the Paradym X irons often get overlooked, they are certainly worthy game improvement irons. In 2023, we have a new set of Big Bertha irons as well.

The Big Bertha irons will all but surely sell better than the Paradym X’s; but that may only have to do with marketing.

We wanted to see how the Paradym X irons stood up against the more hyped Callaway Big Bertha BB23 irons so we tested them side-by-side.

Callaway Paradym X Irons Overview

“The Callaway Paradym X irons have a sleeker look than the BB23 irons.”

The topline is about as chunky as the BB23 irons; but the sole is definitely narrower. The Paradym X irons have a more traditional look than the BB23’s.

The Paradym X irons also have forged 455 steel faces and hollow bodies. The loft is also slightly stronger than that of the BB23’s.

In terms of performance, the Paradym X irons have a stronger, more controllable trajectory.

While we would never say these irons are workable, it is much easier to flight the ball down than with the Callaway Big Bertha BB23 irons.

More than anything though, the Paradym X irons are long. We were getting very strong trajectories and very impressive carry distance with these irons.

Callaway Big Bertha BB23 Irons Overview

“The Callaway Big Bertha BB23 irons have massive soles and thick toplines.”

They almost look like hybrid irons. These are incredibly forgiving irons that want to fly straight. Even on big mis-hits, we were seeing only moderate drop-offs in ball speed.

The Callaway Big Bertha BB23 irons feature urethane microspheres which gives them a softer feel than the Paradym X’s.

However, feedback is not as clear in the Callaway Big Bertha BB23 irons as it is in the Paradym X’s. It was difficult to tell from feel alone when we mis-hit and where we mis-hit.

“The Callaway Paradym X’s had the better overall feel and produced more distance. They are certainly impressive game improvement irons.

But in terms of overall forgiveness, they don’t perform as well as the Callaway Big Bertha BB23 irons. The BB23’s are more appropriate for beginners and 25+ handicappers.”

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.

Big Bertha BB23 Irons – First Impressions

These irons look really nice in the bag, the blue has been removed from the 21 version and the super forgivness features have been camoflaged to ensure that these irons look super slick in your bag.

These irons have longer blades, a thicker top line, a chunkier sole, and more offset to ensure that you get maximum forgiveness, distance, launch, and consistency from your clubs. These are perfect for beginners, high handicappers, slow swing speeds, and any golfer who is very inconsistent with they shots.

Slower swing speeds will get the launch and distance they want, due to light weight and ultra-low CG. Players that hit the ball all over the face will get that much-needed consistency in their ball flight.

Each iron is specially designed by A.I. and are progressive. The longer irons get good distance and the short irons have good stopping power on the greens.

Urethance Micropshers sit behind the 450 stainless steel face which gives super ball speeds for such a chunky iron while the sound and feel are also right up there with the best in the game improvement category.

Overall a great iron for anybody who wants ultimate forgiveness while sacrificing some distance and workability. It’s all about trade-offs in the Iron selection.

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 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

Big Bertha BB23 – Selling Points

Amazing Looks
Ultimate Forgiveness
Easy Launching
Longer Soles, Thicker Top Line, Chunkier Sole
A.i Designed
Progressive Irons
Sound And Feel Excellent

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.

Distance: 96/100

Forgiveness: 92/100

Accuracy: 94/100

Feel & Control: 95/100

Overall Score: 94/100

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Who Are The Big Bertha BB23 Irons For?

The BB23’s are for beginners, high handicappers, slower swing speeds and players that are inconsistent with their irons.

You can really make every shot your best shot with these irons and it will come as a relief to many beginners when they find a club that is perfectly tailored to their game.