Most specialist wedges are cast rather than forged because the grooves have a hard life and that way they can stay sharper for longer. However if you accepted this trade off, then the forged Mizuno MP-T5 was the only game in town.
Now with the replacement Mizuno T7 you can have the best of both worlds as the forged 1025 steel head has been infused with Boron to make it stronger and the grooves longer lasting.
The overall T7 teardrop head shape and size is similar to the T5 with the major difference being the removal of the channel in the back of the head to give the T7 a classic blade style.
With the introduction of the Mizuno S5 wedge earlier this year, the range overlapped a little as the larger headed S5 was still forged, but just as playable for better players as the MP-T5.
With the T7, that overlap is gone as the blade style translates into blade playability with a sound and feel that is much sharper and thinner and I am not talking about some of my pitches here.
This is a classic blade of the past that is brought into the future through the use of the Boron Steel blend. Hit it out of the middle and the feel is firm but good. Stray a little and your fingers will start to know about it on a cold day as the cushioning of the MP-T5 and the more forgiving S5 provide a little more luxurious ride compared to the tight suspension and rigid feel of the T7.
The face features the same Quad Cut grooves as before, with wider shallow grooves in the higher lofts of 54° upwards and deeper narrower grooves in the lower lofts from 53° downwards.
The range now starts at 46° and goes up in 2° increments to 62°, giving you two more head options over the previous ranges that started at 50°.
The shape also changes a little as the lower lofts to 52° are shaped to be like the PW and 9 iron from an MP set with a straighter leading edge. As the loft increases from 54° upwards then the leading edge becomes more rounded.
Mizuno say they can do every loft from 45° to 62° by taking the even number heads and bending them to get the odd numbered lofts, before they then add the badge showing the actual loft and bounce on back.
As you may have spotted, the T7 comes in a choice of White Satin or Blue IP finish that we first saw on the S5. It is proving very popular and accounts for around half of sales, but it will wear off on the sole after around 30 shots or so.
Compared to its main challengers the T7 feels a touch lighter in the lower lofts and the bounce plays a little less than its number. This made opening up the face on the higher lofts easier as the club would slip under the ball off even the tightest lie and with the excellent grip the ball would flop and stop perfectly.
With the range starting at 46° it matches the loft of the standard pitching wedge from the MP iron sets and it is really these better players that the T7 is aimed at. It offers that high level of feedback that accomplished wedge players will appreciate so they know how they are hitting the ball.
The T7 is a very good wedge, but for high single figure golfers and upwards the more forgiving S5 is probably the Mizuno wedge to go for as it is still forged, cheaper, looks great and is more likely to retain your fingers if things go wrong.