Taylormade Stealth Vs Wilson D9 Irons Comparison Overview

Unfortunately, there are millions of dollars that go into marketing golf clubs.

So much emphasis is put on marketing that it can be very difficult to sort through the dross and get to what really matters about a golf club.

To help you cut through the fancy claims and flashy gimmicks, we are continuing our series of comparison overviews with the Wilson D9 and Taylormade Stealth irons. What are these irons really all about? Let’s find out.

Taylormade Stealth Irons Overview

TaylorMade Stealth Iron

“Taylormade claims that by removing mass from the toe area and placing it in the sole, they have created an easily launchable set of irons.”

In this case, the physics is pretty basic: the more mass low in the head will make for a lower CG. So Taylormade isn’t blowing smoke with this claim. The Stealth irons do in fact launch high; but they’re not the highest-launching irons on the market.

Taylormade also states that the “ECHO Damping System” gives the Stealth irons a forged-like feel. Ya, this one is false. While the Stealth irons don’t feel harsh by any means, they are a far cry from feeling like actual forged irons.

The true merits of the Taylormade Stealth irons are that they launch high and offer a clean, solid feel at impact. You also get a good amount of workability from them as you can bend the ball left-to-right by a variance of about 3 degrees.

Wilson D9 Irons Overview

Wilson D9 Irons

“Wilson states that the D9 irons optimize distance and ball speed with the addition of the Power Holes.”

For those who don’t know the “Power Holes” are cavities drilled into the soles of the D9’s and filled with urethane. From our testing, these Power Holes did seem to make some kind of a difference. In particular, they seem to increase ball speed on low-face strikes.

Wilson also says that the D9’s represent their lowest CG irons ever. While the Wilson D9’s certainly do have a comfortably low CG, again, these aren’t the lowest CG irons we’ve ever tested.

“Overall, we liked the well-rounded performance of the Taylormade Stealth irons better than the Wilson D9’s. While the Wilson D9 irons are forgiving, they don’t give you the lateral workability that the Stealth irons provide. The Stealth irons feel solid and provide comparable distance to the Wilson D9’s. They’re also better for lower handicaps.”

Taylormade Stealth HD Irons – First Impressions

“The first thing that almost all of our testers noticed about these irons was the width of the sole.”

This is what makes these borderline hybrid irons. The sole looks very chunky both in the bag and behind the ball. For high handicappers, this will likely be a welcome sight. You will feel very confident taking a full swing with these irons and likely increase your striking accuracy.

Tayloramde Stealth Iron Family

“For better players looking for a bit more workability, the standard Taylormade Stealth irons would be a solid choice.”

The standard Taylormade Stealth HD irons have a more traditional iron look at address even as they are cavity backs. Mass has been shaved off of the toe area and repositioned in the sole, right under the sweet spot. So you get rewarded more than usual when you pure the ball. The flight is lower compared to the Taylormade Stealth HD irons and so are the spin rates.

The standard Taylormade Stealth irons will definitely feel better for players with faster swing speeds too. They have a neutral flight instead of the internal draw bias of the Taylormade Stealth HD irons. The standard Tayloramde Stealth irons lack the multi-material cavity badge in the back; but they don’t really need it because forgiveness is not the main emphasis of these irons.

Wilson D9 Irons – First Impressions

Wilson-D9-Irons2.

“We weren’t sure what to expect from these irons.”

We liked that they were sleeker than the D7’s; but again, we were put off by the matte/chrome finish on the face.

That became less important as the test session pressed on. We were very impressed with the forgiveness and distance of these irons.

While spin rates are a bit low, Wilson seems to have compromised with higher launch.

Taylormade Stealth HD Irons Selling Points

Steep launch angles
Good stopping power
They play well from the rough
They will help you correct your slice
The wide sole looks forgiving behind the ball
Great for high handicap players looking to increase accuracy

Wilson D9 Selling Points

Power holes
Fast face
Low Cg
Strong lofts
Expansive sweet spot

Who Are the Taylormade Stealth HD Irons for?

“The Taylormade Stealth HD irons will benefit high handicappers and in particular, high handicappers that need to be able to launch the ball high while keeping it on the fairway.”

If accuracy is your main concern, then the Taylormade Stealth HD irons should definitely be on your radar. If distance is your main concern, you may want to look elsewhere. The distance isn’t the main attraction with these irons. Don’t misunderstand, as we have said the distance our testers were yielding with these irons was considerable – just not anything you would write home about.

Distance: 93/100

Workability: 90/100

Accuracy: 95/100

Feel & Control: 93/100

Overall Score: 93/100

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Who Are the Wilson D9 Irons for?

“We could see both mid and high handicappers making good use of these irons.”

You get a touch of workability and the ability to stop the ball on fast greens which is something both high and mid handicappers will love.

Wilson D Family of Irons

The Wilson D9 irons are the most technologically advanced but the D7 irons are actually more forgiving – albeit at the sacrifice of any semblance of workability.