Srixon ZX5 Vs Ping i525 Irons Comparison

Srixon ZX5 Vs Ping i525 Irons

It’s a battle between forged players irons in today’s comparison of the Ping i525’s and the Srixon ZX5’s.

Srixon ZX5 Irons Overview

“The ZX5’s have a forged face and a 1025 carbon steel forged body.”

The forging gives the ZX5’s an incredibly soft feel at impact whether you strike the ball flush or mis-hit.

The blade isn’t super-compact either so there is a semblance of forgiveness in the appearance.

The long iron grooves are narrower while the scoring iron grooves are deeper to maximize spin control where you need it most.

Ping i525 Irons Overview

“The Ping i525’s have a forged maraging steel face and 17-4 stainless steel body.”

While not as soft or consistent as the ZX5’s, they are comparably forgiving. ThePing i525’s feature tungsten weights in the toe and shaft tip for exceptional stability on either side of the sweet spot.

But the Ping i525’s are more compact than the ZX5’s so there is a bit more workability.

“The Srixon ZX5’s have a softer feel and better turf interaction. But the Ping i525 irons are more workable in both the long and short irons so they would be better if you want the ability to move the ball with every iron in your bag.”

Srixon ZX5 Irons – First Impressions

The Srixon ZX5 irons are a major improvement over the Srixon Z585 irons which had a cheaper, more game improvement look about them.

The first thing we noticed about these irons is how nice they look. Srixon got rid of the back insert which made the previous Srixon irons look a bit cheap. The Srixon ZX5’s on the other hand have the look of a premium set of forged irons.

They have a sharp, sleek look even as the cavity back pokes out a little more noticeably in the long irons.

Another reason we think the Srixon ZX5 irons would be good for mid handicappers is the amount of offset you see at point of address. The Srixon ZX5’s have a moderate amount of offset that is enough to inspire confidence but not enough to make these look like a pure set of game improvement irons.

Srixon did a good job of making the Srixon ZX5’s occupy the middle ground between player’s performance and game improvement irons. When compared to the ZX7’s you will notice that the top line is a bit thicker.

The Srixon ZX5’s also have longer blades than the ZX7’s. However, this is to be expected. The ZX7’s are definitely more of a pure set of player’s performance irons and emphasize workability over forgiveness. Still, the Srixon ZX5’s aren’t much bigger than the ZX7’s.

Ping i525 Irons – First Impressions

The Ping i525 irons first struck us as gorgeous irons with a tremendous feel.

Most of that comes from the forged maraging steel face. It’s also important to note though, that the body’s of these irons are made from 17-4 grade stainless steel.

This gives them a metal-wood flexing effect so they are no slouches in the distance department either.

You just have to have a fast swing speed to get the most distance out of them. Still, the feel is something you will be able to notice right away.

Whether from the tee or off the deck, the feedback is great and they give off a deep, solid and satisfying sound when you pure the ball.

The Ping i525 irons offer a unique combination of forgiveness and player’s performance features.

Extreme Perimeter Weighting

Weights have been added to the toe and shaft tip in order to increase ball speed on errant shots.

Micromax Grooves

The milled grooves are exceptionally tight and help you control loft in the scoring irons.

Forged Face

The forged maraging steel face interacts with the stainless steel body to help increase ball speeds.

Srixon ZX5 Irons Selling Points

Multi-material construction
Tungsten toe weights in the long irons
“V” shaped sole
Narrower, deeper face grooves in the scoring irons
Milled back side

Ping i525 Selling Points

Forged maraging steel face
17-4 stainless steel body
Extreme perimeter weighting in the toe and shaft tip
Polymer injected
Milled groove pattern
Notched hosel

Who Are the Srixon ZX5 Irons for?

Srixon isn’t wrong when they say that the Srixon ZX5’s will have something to offer players of all skill levels. But after testing these irons, it’s clear that the players that stand to gain the most from these irons are mid handicappers.

They offer a moderate degree of workability which will suit the needs of players who are just starting to learn how to work the ball to their advantage on the fairway. Both the long and short irons have enough stopping power for the mid handicapper as well.

While the longer irons sacrifice a bit of spin control in favor of forgiveness and distance, we think most mid handicappers will be able to overlook this minor flaw. And since most mid handicappers will still want a moderate degree of forgiveness, the longer blades and thicker soles of the Srixon ZX5’s will suit them better than the ZX7 irons.

The Srixon ZX Family of Irons

The Srixon like of ZX irons also includes the popular Srixon ZX7 irons. The ZX7 irons have less offset, thinner top lines and thinner soles across the board so at point of address, they may scare some mid and high handicappers away.

However, you do get acute spin control from the scoring irons and excellent workability. Like the Srixon ZX5 irons, the ZX7’s are also fully forged. They also feature tungsten weights in the toes of the longer irons to help keep the blade from turning over.

As you might expect from a set of player’s performance irons, the ZX7’s also have stronger loft characteristics than the ZX5’s. Everything is the same up until the five iron: the Srixon ZX5 5-iron is 24 degrees while the 5-iron of the ZX7 set is 25 degrees.

So you do get slightly higher launch and sharper descent angles from the Srixon ZX7 irons starting with the 5-iron. Again though, this is pretty much to be expected from a set that is geared towards lower handicap players.