Mizuno JPX 919 Hot Metal Vs. Titleist 718 AP1 Irons Comparison Overview

When people think about Mizuno and Titleist, they tend to think about tour-grade clubs – and for good reason. Over the years, both of these companies have found great success on the professional tour circuit.

These days though, it seems that every company is trying to reach a broader market. As more people picked up the game during the pandemic, there is even more demand for game-improvement irons. Today we are comparing irons from 2 companies better-known for their premium clubs.

Mizuno JPX 919 Hot Metal Irons Overview

The great thing about the JPX 919 Hot Metal irons is that they have some of the high-quality appointments as more premium models in the 919 lineup.

Specifically the chromoly 4140 construction. This is a highly-resilient alloy that lends a soft feel that is normally reserved for player’s performance irons. It also has a favorable strength-to-weight ratio so while they are plenty powerful, they are still wieldy in the hands.

It should be noted though that the Hot Metal irons have smaller, more compact heads than the Titleist 718 AP1’s. They also have weaker lofts until you get to the 8 iron. This is where Mizuno shows it’s true colors. The short irons in this set launch high and will make your ball come down with snow on it.

Titleist 718 AP1 Irons Overview

Almost every iron in this set will help you hold onto fast greens surprisingly well.

We also really liked how lateral mis-hits were almost no problem with these irons. While you will have to mind the pronounced offset or risk hooking left, we feel that most high handicappers won’t find this to be a problem.

The Titleist 718 AP1’s produce exceptionally straight flight and while spin rates are pretty low across the board, the launch and descent angles more than make up for it in terms of stopping power.

The only thing we didn’t like about these irons when compared to the Mizuno JPX 919 Hot Metal irons was the feel. The Titleist 718 AP1’s have a loud “slap” at impact and a stiff feel.

Mizuno can’t seem to escape their reputation for premium clubs. While the JPX 919 Hot Metal irons feel great, the Titleist 718 AP1’s will be a bigger help if you’re a high handicapper. We love the short irons in the Hot Metal set but we found something to love about nearly every iron in the AP1 set.

Titleist 718 AP1 Irons

Category: Game/Improvement

Mizuno JPX 919 Hot Metal Irons

Category: Game-Improvement/Distance

Titleist 718 AP1 First Impressions

We were expecting a lot from these irons before we ever hit the course with them simply because they were Titleist irons and we know Titleist to make awesome clubs no matter the category.

We can honestly say that we were impressed with these irons at the end of the day. What struck us the most was the fact that our high handicap testers were able to land more greens.

The Titleist 718 AP1 irons do an amazing job of launching high and landing soft. They produce an ideal descent angle no matter what your skill level is. In short, the Titleist 718 AP1 will help you perform above your handicap.

Our high handicap testers noted better short game control as opposed to the irons they typically use. We honestly weren’t expecting such accuracy around the pin from these game-improvement irons but of course, we were happy to have it.

Mizuno JPX 919 Hot Metal First Impressions

We didn’t think that irons with minimal offset and relatively compact heads could be so forgiving.

We are thankful to say that we were mistaken though – at least in this case. While the Mizuno JPX 919 Hot Metal irons don’t exactly have a reassuring look at address if you are a high handicapper, they are packed with forgiveness features that make their presence known as long as you give these clubs a fair shake.

After our first round with the Mizuno JPX 919 Hot Metal irons, we were smitten with the easy distance. Almost everyone in our testing party were notching increases in distance.

However, on our second round, we were starting to feel the lack of control a little more. While the short irons launch considerably high and provide good spin control, it’s the mid irons that really suffer.

They feel like they were caught between being distance-oriented and accuracy-oriented and didn’t do the latter very well. Predictable distances were lacking in the mid irons and lateral workability suffered considerably.

Titleist 718 AP1 Selling Points

Hollow body design in the long irons
Undercut design in the short irons
Pre-worn leading edge
Custom tungsten weighting in each iron
Fairly thin top line for irons in this category

Mizuno JPX 919 Hot Metal Selling Points

Harmonic head geometry
Sound ribs
Distinct feedback from the chromoly design
Smooth turf interaction from the beveled trailing edge
Stability frame

Who are the Titleist 718 AP1 Irons for?

We don’t want to say that these irons are best for high handicappers and beginners because that would be less accurate than saying they are best for high handicappers who are serious about their game.

If you are casual about the game, play a few times a year or aren’t particularly concerned about breaking 100, don’t get these clubs. There are plenty of cheaper irons that would suit you better.

If however you are committed to getting better, the Titleist 718 AP1 irons will work great for you. They provide great distance and surprising short-game control.

The AP1 Family

If you are looking for even more forgiveness then the Titleist 716 AP1 irons would be a good choice. They too feature an undercut cavity but have more perimeter weighting than the Titleist 718 AP1 irons.

This will help preserve ball speed when you hit near the perimeter of the face as opposed to the sweet spot. The 716 AP1 irons also have a more noticeable cavity in the back at point of address.

You can actually see the sole jut out a bit more with the 716 irons which may be a welcome sight to beginners and high handicappers. However, in terms of distance the 716’s come up short of the Titleist 718 AP1 irons.

The lack of a hollow body design in the long irons make the 716’s consistently shorter than the Titleist 718 AP1’s.

Distance: 94/100

Accuracy: 97/100

Forgiveness: 94/100

Feel & Control: 94/100

Overall Score: 96/100

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Who are the Mizuno JPX 919 Hot Metal Irons for?

It’s clear that Mizuno was targeting high handicappers with the Mizuno JPX 919 Hot Metal irons. But going deeper than that, we also came to the conclusion that these irons would serve players well after they break 100.

The relatively compact design makes them more workable than any game-improvement irons we have ever tested. And the chromoly design makes them very durable.

While they are more expensive than a lot of game-improvement irons on the market, you definitely get your money’s worth in the long run with the Mizuno JPX 919 Hot Metal irons.

So in the end, these irons would be best for high handicappers who are serious about the game and intend to keep playing and keep improving.

The Hot Metal Family

The Mizuno Hot Metal Moniker is used to indicate distance irons. For example, there are Mizuno JPX 919 Forged irons that are more compact and obviously forged. This model would be better for lower handicap players.

The same is true of the Mizuno JPX 921 irons. There are “Forged” “Tour” and “Hot Metal” versions of the JPX 921 irons. The Hot Metal irons in each line are usually a bit larger and lack features like grain flow forging which is what makes many Mizuno irons so unique.

For this reason, any “Hot Metal” irons would be at least worth a look for any high handicappers who, again, are serious about improving their game. Though they lack the forged construction, they still feel great, are surprisingly consistent and will serve you long after you break 100.