Takomo 301 Irons Review – Are They Good for High Handicappers?

The Takomo 301 irons are affordable and boast features of much more expensive clubs.

They come in CB (cavity back) and MB (muscle back) versions. In the following review, we will be talking about the performance, forgiveness and merits of both versions.

Takomo 301 Irons Overview

“Profile-wise, there is only one real difference between the Takomo 301 CB and Takomo 301 MB irons.”

And that’s that the Takomo 301 CB irons have a slightly wider top line. However, each version is forged from S20C soft carbon steel.

The 7-iron blade length of each version is 71mm and the  offset profile is also identical.

At address, the Takomo 301 irons look stunning. They look like the Titleist T series irons.

The offset is a bit noticeable in the long irons but it shrinks up nicely in the short irons where you’ll need more precision.

They also have a very soft and smooth feel. On impact, I felt the club absorb all shock and could precisely tell where I made contact by feel alone. On mis-hits, I wasn’t jolted by the shock.

The faces of these irons are also pretty consistent. I got similar spin numbers on face-center strikes as I did with off-center strikes.

However, heel-side mis-hits still produced a slice so you still have to be careful with these irons.

Takomo 301 CB Specs

Club	4	5	6	7	8	9	PW
Loft	23	26	30	34	38	42	47
Lie	61	61.5	62	62.5	63	63.5	64
Offset	2.4	2.2	1.9	1.8	1.7	1.5	1.3

Takomo 301 MB Specs

Club	4	5	6	7	8	9	PW
Loft	23	26	30	34	38	42	47
Lie	61	61.5	62	62.5	63	63.5	64
Offset	2.4	2.2	1.9	1.8	1.7	1.5	1.3

 What Handicap Are They for?

“As you would expect, the Takomo 301 MB irons are for scratch players while the Takomo 301 CB irons are recommended to low to scratch players.”

However, I think the Takomo 301 CB irons would work well for mid handicappers based on my testing.

They have fairly wide soles and more importantly, perimeter weighting. I found it easier to keep my shots on-line with the Takomo 301 CB irons than the MB’s.

And according to my launch monitor data, my off-line divergence with the Takomo 301 CB 7-iron was only 6 yards compared to 8.2 yards with the MB irons.

And I wasn’t changing my swing very much with the Takomo 301 CB irons. They felt comfortable, had a low CG for higher flight and were very reasonably forgiving for blades of this length.

I could definitely see that the Takomo 301 MB irons are more suitable to low handicap and scratch players.

The CG doesn’t feel as low as the CB irons so they were clearly made for players who like to keep the ball low.

They also have a cleaner look at address. Just looking at them, I got the sense that I could affect any shot shape I wanted because of the thinner top line and limited offset.

But I mis-hit more with the Takomo 301 MB’s. With the MB’s I had to adjust my swing more to get the same kind of accuracyI was getting from the Takomo 301 CB irons.

Should you Buy the Takomo 301 MB or the Takomo 301 CB’s?

“The Takomo 301 CB irons are definitely more forgiving while the Takomo 301 MB irons offer better control and accuracy.”

Another thing to consider is that  the Takomo 301 MB irons are forged from a single billet of S20C soft carbon steel.

This gives them a more controlled feel and the ability to take on tough chips and flops with better control over spin and launch.

Single-digit handicappers will surely love the control that the Takomo 301 MB’s afford.

But if you are not quite as concerned about your short game as you are with getting down the fairway (and staying on it) the Takomo 301 CB’s are a good alternative.