Orlimar Stratos Hybrid Irons Review – Are They Forgiving & Good for High Handicappers?

“The Orlimar Stratos hybrid irons were designed for maximum distance and to rival the hybrid irons produced by larger manufacturers.”

On paper, you get a lot of the same features as hybrid iron sets from the major golf club OEMs. The Orlimar Stratos feature variable face thickness cup designs much like clubs from Callaway and Taylormade.

And before we go any further with this review, it’s important to keep in mind that these are hybrid irons. So right off the bat, they were designed for beginners and high handicappers. But just how effective are they? Read on to find out.

Orlimar Stratos Hybrid Irons Overview

“The complete set of Orlimar Stratos hybrid irons consists of irons 4-PW. They come with stock graphite shafts in lite, regular and stiff flex.”

Luckily, I was able to get my hands on a complete set of Orlimar Stratos irons with stiff flex which is more congenial to my swing speed and tempo. The feel of the stock shafts is surprisingly stable. I was expecting a wet noodle but the shafts retain good speed while imparting a stable feel through transition.

The Orlimar Stratos set has a progressive design. The shape of the heads is massive in the long irons and shrinks in the short irons. The soles are also massively wide in the long irons but narrow out in the short irons. All of the clubs in the set are cast from stainless steel.

To be quite honest, I couldn’t get on with the size of the long irons. The soles were too wide for me to manage with my 90+ MPH swing speed – and the fast shaft was only making things worse. While my digging issue was eliminated with the long irons, I couldn’t get any workability out of them and the spin rates were too high for my speed.

However, I got along very well with the mid irons. I really loved the rounded out soles. They provided smooth turf interaction without feeling too clunky. Going back to the long irons though, I can see how beginners may actually like them. They just weren’t right for me in particular.

But the mid irons are a bit smaller and were easier to manage with my swing speed. The short irons and wedges have more traditional designs. I really liked the steep launch angles and steep descent angles I was getting from them. Any type of player should be able to get ample stopping power out of these scoring irons.

Are the Orlimar Stratos Irons Forgiving?

“While the long irons were unmanageable for me, they were also ridiculously forgiving.”

It’s hard to produce poor distance and height with these irons no matter what your swing speed is like. My only gripe was shot shape. But that shouldn’t matter if your chief concern is forgiveness.

The Orlimar Stratos hybrid irons are ridiculously forgiving with their oversized heads and massive soles. The long irons perform more like hybrids off the tee and the mid irons will help you find face-center consistently off the deck.

If you have trouble chunking the ball off the deck, the Orlimar Stratos irons will be especially helpful. The wide soles hover over the turf easily. One of the best things about these irons is that I got the hang of them very quickly. I imagine that most other golfers would have the same experience.

Are the Orlimar Stratos Irons Good for Beginners & High Handicappers?

“Beginners and high handicappers are the only kinds of players these irons are good for.”

Or should I say, excellent for. The Orlimar Stratos irons are nothing if not forgiving. Off the tee or deck, they are very easy to hit. Whether you are on a par 3 course or staring down the fairway of a long par 4, you should easily  be able to coax good distance and dispersion out of these clubs.

The flight I was getting out of them was helplessly straight in the long irons and mostly straight with some shots drawing just a bit in the mid irons. Again, I expect most players would have the same experience.

Should you Buy the Orlimar Stratos or the Orlimar Escape Hybrids?

The Orlimar Escape clubs are pure hybrids; but you can get an entire set ranging from #3 to PW. This makes the Escape clubs viable as complete iron set replacements. However, I found the Orlimar Stratos irons to be a bit more forgiving.