Taylormade Stealth Vs. Taylormade SIM2 Irons Comparison Overview
It’s a new year and a new year brings new gear. The new Taylormade Stealth irons hit shelves on April 1st and they immediately generated a ton of buzz. Even before they came out, preorders were being filled all the way back to January.
Now the Taylormade Stealth irons and the Taylormade SIM2 irons have a lot in common and we wanted to see if the Stealth irons really do make a significant improvement. So we tested them side-by-side. Take a look at what we found.
Taylormade Stealth Irons Overview
The Cap Back design was a big innovation from Taylormade. With the Taylormade Stealth irons, they take another significant leap in iron design.
For those who don’t know, the Cap Back is a rear badge that bridges the sole and crown so that the face can be separated from the body. This is design feature present in the SIM2 irons. But with the Taylormade Stealth irons, the Cap Back actually wraps around the toe, shaving toe mass by about 10 grams.
That mass is then placed in the sole, right under the center of the face. This gives the Taylormade Stealth irons a very low CG so right off the bat, it’s easy to swing. It pulls your downswing to achieve optimal launch.
The Taylormade Stealth were surprisingly good on short approaches for being game-improvement irons. The drop and stop capability was impressive and the distance in the long irons was on par with the SIM2 irons.
Taylormade SIM2 Irons Overview
The SIM2 irons pioneered a lot of the technology that Taylormade has used in the Stealth irons.
When we played the SIM2 irons after testing the Stealth irons, it felt like playing a mini version of the Stealth’s. The SIM 2’s feature a lot of the same technology including the speed pocket, progressive ICT (Inverted Cone Technology), and the Cap Back design.
Only, the Cap Back on the SIM2 irons don’t cut into the toe so much so the Taylormade Stealth irons actually have a lower CG. In terms of distance though these irons are almost equal. We were getting max distances of 176 yards with the 5 iron of both these sets.
Both of these iron sets emphasize the same things: ease of swing, forgiveness and distance. However, the Taylormade Stealth irons set themselves apart by also providing good short-game performance.
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Sim 2 Max Irons
Category: Distance/ Game Improvement Irons
Taylormade Stealth Irons
Category: Game Improvement Irons
Sim 2 Irons – First Impressions
Immediately noticeable on these irons is that they look pretty similar to the Sim Max irons but the Cap Back technology does stand out as being more solid.
We weren’t expected much difference in performance either and turned out to be true as well, the Sim 2 Max are slightly longer and lower launching than their predecessor which shows an incremental improvement but nothing overly major to write home about.
The echo dampener and cap back does make these irons feel a good bit smoother in the shorter irons and you can really get a good command of the ball with the forged feeling face.
Thru slot and ICT technology ensure the sweet spot is large and playable and that is another feature that we enjoyed about these clubs.
Overall the clubs do mark an improvement over the Sim Max in terms of distance, feel and control and we recommend giving these clubs a shot before committing to a purchase, because the Sim Max are still competitive and may be available for a keener price.
Taylormade Stealth First Impressions
The Taylormade Stealth irons have a striking design that we didn’t really know what to make of at first.
These are some of the most uniquely designed game improvement irons we ever tested. The cap back system that wraps around the rear toe area looks striking but it didn’t make sense to us at first.
Then we started playing with this set. One of the first things we noticed was that even with the 4 iron, it was very easy to find the sweet spot. The offset helps yes, but more than anything, that extra mass in the sole beneath the sweet spot helps to square up.
It’s like a giant target for your alignment. And since the face was designed to flex to a ridiculous degree, you don’t need a fast swing speed to get decent distance out of these irons.
With the 5 iron in the Taylormade Stealth set, our testers were able to establish an average distance of 161 yards. Of course, as game improvement irons, they suffer from the typical short-game pitfalls.
With the shorter irons, spin is very hard to control. Roll distance was a problem on short approaches and if you are playing a particularly fast green, you will need to rely on your wedges for longer shots.
Taylormade Sim 2 Max Irons – Selling Points
- Artificial Intelligence Used In Weight Placement
- Massive Sweet Spot
- Cap Back Is Excellent For Feel
- Echo Dampener Increases Consistency
- Straight Biased shots without much offset
- Some Of The Leading Irons On The Market
Taylormade Stealth Selling Points
- They have an innovative cap back design
- They do work to soften harsh vibration to a moderate degree
- Reduced toe mass
- Increased sole mass under the center of the face
- They feature Taylormade’s inverted Cone Technology (ICT)
- 450 stainless steel face
Who Are The Sim 2 Irons For
Because these irons offer so much, literally any golfer can get good performance from them although they are going to be a perfect fit for Beginners, High Handicappers and Mid Handicappers.
Lower handicap players and pros might look to the consistency and enhanced workability of some players irons but these are still going to be easily usable by any player.
Taylormade Sim 2 Family Of Irons
The Sim 2 Max also comes in the Sim 2 Max OS which is more forgiving and has a higher loft.
The Sim 2 follows on from the Sim Irons and offers slight improves in all aspects of the game.
Distance: 96/100
Accuracy: 95/100
Forgiveness: 94/100
Feel And Control: 92/100
Overall Score: 96/100
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Who are the Taylormade Stealth Irons for?
The Taylormade Stealth irons would primarily benefit high handicap players who are struggling chiefly with distance.
While they offer a moderate degree of forgiveness, it’s clear after testing these irons that most of the R&D went into improving ball speed and distance for players with slower swing speeds.
Most of the testers in our party with swing speeds under 90MPH were keeping up remarkably well with testers with faster swing speeds. Just don’t expect impeccable feel from these irons.
While Taylormade claims that the polymer cap back material gives these irons a “forged feel” we would classify this as a dubious claim at best. At the end of the day, there is simply no mistaking a forged iron and these are not forged irons.
The Taylormade Iron Family
While the Stealth irons are a stand-alone class, Taylormade makes a ton of iron sets. One of the most notable for beginners and high handicappers is the SIM2 Max irons that sport an oversized face profile so that it’s much easier to nail the sweet spot.
The SIM2 Max irons also feature the predecessor to the cap back system, the Speed Bridge. The Speed Bridge is a rear brace that connects the crown and sole, allowing the face to be disconnected from the body just like the Taylormade Stealth irons.
The result is the same: higher degree of flex and ball speed. However, the SIM2 Max irons will do more for you if you are struggling with iron accuracy. They offer comparable distance to the Taylormade Stealth irons; but with a higher emphasis on forgiveness.
Distance: 94/100
Accuracy: 92/100
Forgiveness: 93/100
Feel & Control: 89/100
Overall Score: 92/100
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