Taylormade P790 Vs. Srixon ZX5 Irons Comparison Overview

The Taylormade P790 and the Srixon ZX5 irons have a few key design elements in common which is why a lot of people bring them up in the same conversation about game improvement irons. While they are talked about in the same breath often, they have rarely been tested side-by-side.

We wanted to see exactly how these two iron sets differ and how they are similar so we went out and tested them both. Read on to find out how both of these iron sets performed relative to one another.

Taylormade P790 Irons Overview

The Taylormade P790 irons combine a carbon steel body with a forged steel face insert.

This combination makes for pretty good ball speed while the Speed Pocket ensures that you keep pretty good ball speed on mis-hits. The forged face insert will also help with low-face strikes. In this way the P790’s are similar to the Srixon ZX5’s because the ZX5’s were made to be forgiving.

But the heads of the P790’s are shaped more like player’s performance irons. They have thinner top lines and soles compared to the Srixon ZX5’s. There is also another very big difference: the P790 irons are hollow body irons.

Srixon ZX5 Irons Overview

The Srixon ZX5 irons also sport the tandem of a forged carbon steel body with a forged steel face insert.

So which irons felt better? In truth they were almost identical in terms of feel. The hollow body construction of the P790’s made them a bit longer in the short irons than the Srixon ZX5’s. However, the long irons in the Srixon ZX5 set provided significantly more carry distance.

The flight of the P790’s was kind of low which a lot of our testers didn’t like. Apex height was better throughout the Srixon ZX5 set. The Srixon ZX5’s also have a more congenial look for beginners and high handicappers at point of address.

Indeed, our slower swing speed testers were getting better use out of the Srixon ZX5 irons than the P790 irons. Furthermore, our lower handicap testers noticed better spin rates from the short irons in the Srixon ZX5 set.

The main difference in terms of performance is that the short irons in the P790 set play a bit longer than the Srixon ZX5’s. However, forgiveness and short-game spin were noticeably better with the Srixon ZX5 irons compared to the P790’s.

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.

Taylormade P790 – First Impressions

The first thing to notice about the P790 irons is the compact, forged heads that come in a shape and style that will suit the better players.

Despite the players feel of the irons, they also come packed with technology that will add distance and forgiveness like the Thru Slot speed pocket, speed foam and inverted cone technology which allows more flex on impact.

The forged irons are actually a hollow construction, filled with speed foam which allows much greater distances to be achieved than the original P790’s and the tungsten weighting keeps the CG low for an easy launch for an iron of this type.

The original P790 irons, released in 2017, were definitely for the players but with the remodelling in 2019, these can also be used for mid handicappers looking to test the waters of players irons.

All in all, definitely not for the high handicappers.

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

P790 Irons – Selling Points

2 Tungsten Weights For Low COG
Co Molded Cavity Badge For No Vibrations
Lots Of Loft In The Clubs
Flexible Hinge And Variable Face Thickness
Forgiving And Consistent

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.