Mizuno Pro 241 Vs Mizuno Pro 245 Irons
Today we address the differences between the new Mizuno Pro 245 and Mizuno Pro 241 irons.
Mizuno Pro 241 Irons Overview
“The 241’s are single-piece forged from 1025E carbon steel, have a soft copper underlay and more mass placed behind the hitting zone.”
The 241’s look like premium blades because they are. They have more rounded edges than most blades and a compact shape.
They yield great distance if you can center them consistently.
The scoring irons are compact and offer minimal forgiveness but they are supremely workable and prevent digging surprisingly well.
The Mizuno Pro 241’s cost $1400.
Mizuno Pro 245 Irons Overview
“The 245’s feature tungsten weighting, hollow body construction and variable face thickness.”
These are the largest irons in the new Pro lineup. There’s visibly more offset with wider soles and top lines.
They yield great distance while still delivering clear and responsive feedback. Compared to the 241’s the Mizuno Pro 245’s play longer but don’t compromise when it comes to spin rates.
They cost $1400
“The Mizuno Pro 241’s offer more workability for the single-digit handicapper.
The Mizuno Pro 245s play longer and have strong stopping power for mid handicappers.”
Mizuno Pro 241 Irons – First Impressions
“I was struck by the aggressive tapering of these blades.”
They are compact and even with rounder edges than most blades, look like really inviting irons.
And unlike the other new Pro irons which feature multi-material construction, all the irons in the Mizuno Pro 241 set are forged from 1025E carbon steel.
For me, that meant a consistently soft and responsive feel throughout the set. The Mizuno Pro 241’s also feature a soft copper underlayer to enhance the overall feel.
And the feel is one of the first things I really liked about these irons.
Again, even when I bottomed-out a bit too early, I still got a nice solid feel at impact and was able to manage a nice little cut.
I attributed that to the acute feel from the amazing forged, single-piece construction of these irons.
Almost immediately, I was burning the 7-iron for 170 yards of carry, 120 MPH ball speed and spin in the 7,000 RPM range.
I was very satisfied with the overall performance after just a couple of warm-up swings.
As you get down to the scoring irons, you will notice that the blade lengths shrink down quite a bit.
The short irons are super compact and I cannot stress that enough. The offset is about the width of a follicle of hair and the scoring lines pretty much make up the entirety of the blade.
That all being said, the scoring irons are supremely workable. What Mizuna has done with the 241 irons, and since they are geared towards better players, is move more mass behind the hitting zone.
So you get a slightly higher CG throughout the set and amazing distance when you flush these irons.
Even with a shaft setup that clearly wasn’t for me, I was getting really good carry and was able to flight the ball at will thanks to the slightly higher CG.
In the end, I was able to work the ball left and right, up and down which is exactly what you want from blades.
Overall I was really pleased with the workability, surprised by the near-immediate distance I was getting and thrilled with the turf interaction.
As a player who digs much deeper than I like to admit, I was getting very good flight, spin and distance even when I hit the ball fat.
Mizuno Pro 245 Irons – First Impressions
“My first impression of the Mizuno Pro 245 irons was that they looked shockingly similar to the Mizuno Pro 225’s.”
In fact, I set both of them down beside each other and could barely tell the difference.
The scoring lines and hitting in the Mizuno Pro 245 irons are a little lighter in color than the 225’s; but other than that, the 245’s are as compact as the 225’s.
The good news about all that is that the Mizuno Pro 245 irons truly do look like blades even though they technically aren’t blades.
So you get that clean, blade-like look at address with the bonus of a true distance boost.
Irons 2-7 in this set have a suspended tungsten weight which allows for a lower CG without inhibiting face flex.
As a result I was getting great ball speed – 117.4 MPH with the 7-iron on average.
But in the scoring irons, you have a 1025E semi-hollow body with a 17-4 stainless steel back piece to help control the flight a bit more and get the CG a bit higher.
This provides a more solid feel, better feedback and better overall control over spin and launch.
The Mizuno Pro 245 irons also produced near-immediate distance for me. Within the first three swings I was averaging a carry distance of 170.5 yards with the 7-iron.
But what surprised me even more than the distance were the spin rates.
As a player’s distance iron, I was expecting some low spin numbers. But my average spin rate with the Mizuno Pro 245 7-iron was 5200 RPMs.
And keep in mind that these are relatively strong-lofted irons – the 7-iron checks in at 30°.
Mizuno Pro 241 Irons Selling Points
- One-piece grain flow forged from 1025E carbon steel
- Increased bounce angle
- Soft copper underlay
- Excellent blade design
- Very compact short irons
- Full satin brush finish
- Aggressive blade tapering
- More mass moved behind the hitting zone
Mizuno Pro 245 Irons Selling Points
- Long irons are forged from chromoly
- Scoring irons are forged from 1025E carbon steel
- Hollow body design
- Suspended tungsten weighting in the long irons
- Increased bounce angle for better turf interaction
- 17-4 stainless steel back piece in the scoring irons
- 431 stainless steel back piece in the long irons
- Blade-like appearance
Who Are the Mizuno Pro 241 Irons for?
The Mizuno Pro 241 irons are great for low handicappers who want to be able to work the ball while getting excellent feel and response.
And if you’re anything like me and tend to dig, you will absolutely love these irons.
They shrunk my divots and produced more favorable lies for me even when I wasn’t on my A-game.
But make no mistake about it, you have to be able to flush the ball consistently with these irons.
The short irons in this set are very compact so accuracy is a must if you want any kind of control or distance from these irons.
But if you can currently manage blades pretty well, the Mizuno Pro 241 irons will reward you with buttery feel, acute workability and distance you probably wouldn’t expect from blades.
The Mizuno Pro 241s currently retail for around $1400.
The Mizuno Pro Family of Irons
“The new Pro line also features the 243 and 245 irons.”
The 243s and 245s feature multi-material construction. The 243’s are slightly larger than the 241s while the 245 irons are the player’s distance entry into the pro line and are the biggest in terms of profile.
Distance: 97/100
Accuracy: 97/100
Forgiveness: 94/100
Feel & Control: 98/100
Overall Score: 96/100
Who Are the Mizuno Pro 245 Irons for?
“The Mizuno Pro 245 irons are for the player that really wants the look of blades with the performance of distance irons.”
I can imagine that 13-about 22 handicappers will really like these irons. Of course, as Mizuno irons, the short irons are very workable.
You can feel every nuance of your contact and get a keen sense of overall control.
But it’s the mid and long irons that really impressed me. They will be great for mid and high-ish handicappers who need help staying on the green.
They also don’t look like your typical player’s distance irons.
They aren’t as compact as blades; but everything else is blade-like. The top line is thin, the soles are compact and the offset is nearly non-existent.
The Mizuno Pro 245’s would be great for the player who isn’t quite ready to graduate to blades; but still wants blade-like feel, looks and performance.
The Mizuno Pro Family of Irons
The Mizuno Pro 225 irons have a nearly identical profile to the Mizuno Pro 245’s.
They also share the same grain-flow forging and hollow body design. But the Pro 225’s spin a bit lower than the Mizuno Pro 245’s and have a more penetrating flight.
Distance: 97/100
Accuracy: 97/100
Forgiveness: 95/100
Feel & Control: 98/100
Overall Score: 96/100
