Martin Hopley
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Ping is renowned for their forgiving cavity back irons, but they also make a pretty good better players' iron too.

Since the S59 the number has decreased with each new model until the 2014 S55 iron, as the new 2016 model is now just called the iBlade.

Ping iBlade Iron

The first thing you notice is the clean design with a water repelling Hydropearl Chrome finish that only features the iBlade branding on the back. If you think you have seen this before then you are right as it draws on the styling of the Ping Glide wedges.

Ping iBlade Iron

Being a Ping iron there is of course a pocket cavity and this is filled with a Custom Tuning Port (CTP) that uses 60% more elastomer than in the S55 and looks a lot better too.

Ping iBlade Iron

The CTP is there to reduce vibrations and fine tune the sound and feel of the iBlade, which for a cast iron is pretty good, especially in the shorter irons.

Ping iBlade Iron

There is still a tungsten weight in the toe to balance the head of the iBlade and increase the MOI to make it a little more forgiving.

Ping iBlade Iron

It is apparently a ‘purer’ form of tungsten, which does not mean that it leads a cleaner life, but that it is denser so you get more bang for your weighting buck. Unlike the S55, Ping has decided not to highlight this fact visually and I prefer the less technical look.

Ping iBlade Iron

The soles are the same width as the S55, but in the 3 to 7 irons the bounce has been refined a little to help turf interaction and I certainly found them very easy to clip off tight lies.

Ping iBlade Iron

At address the top line is very blade like and you would be hard pressed to think you are playing a cavity back. There is hardly any offset and quite a straight leading edge so everything about this is saying ‘blade’.

Ping iBlade Iron

The heads are little longer than the S55, especially in the 3,4 and 5 irons, which is a good change as they did look a little compact before.

Ping iBlade Iron

Ping has been able to do this by using a softer 431 Stainless Steel that has a stronger strength to weight ratio and saves around 4g to improve the MOI. This also enables the face to be 50% thinner than the S55 at just 1.7mm (0.068 inches) to create more ball speed, especially in the long irons.

Ping iBlade Iron

I checked this out on SkyTrak with the iBlade and S55 4-irons and whilst I did not get the 6 yards Ping is claiming, the iBlade did carry a couple of yards more.

Ping say the iBlade has a flatter face because it is milled rather than cast, so we will have to take their word on that, but the spin and feel are still very good.

Comparing the 6-iron of the iBlade with the S55 and the larger cavity Ping i iron highlighted the differences between the models. The two blade models performed pretty similar, with the larger cavity on the i being more forgiving.

Ping iBlade Iron

The most noticeable difference was the sound. The i was the most hollow sounding because it had the largest cavity back, then the S55 and then the iBlade. Each time Ping enhance their better player iron it looks and sounds better and the iBlade has a sharper sound than the S55 which I think most will like.

Ping iBlade Iron

The lofts are 1° weaker in the 7 to 9-iron than the S55 and a touch stronger in the 3 and 4-iron to help match the trajectory and shows how the extra speed benefits the longer irons more.

Ping iBlade Iron

Aside from the new font of the sole numbers, which some felt did not look as sharp as the Glide or S55, there is a lot to like about the iBlade.

Ping iBlade Iron

The cleaner look is more better player and almost conjures up that gleaming blade/ thing of worship vision that you would see in a tour player’s bag that there was no chance of you being able to use .

Unless you are a low single figure golfer that may still be the case, but if you are up for it then the iBlade is more forgiving in the longer irons than most blades. Whilst it might not have all the feel of a forged blade, the feedback from the mid to short irons in particular will be enjoyed by Ping diehards and by most better players.

Ping iBlade Iron

If you go for the Glide wedges then the iBlade will also create a set of irons that will blend in terms of look, construction and feel to give you one of the best feeling and forgiving cast irons for low handicap players in the market today.

Golfalot Rating: 4 stars
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Ping iBlade Iron

Ping iBlade Irons - Product Details

UK Launch11 August 2016
UK Launch RRP£1040
USA Launch11 August 2016
Handicap Range
Low
High
GolferMens
Hand AvailabilityLeft, Right
ManufactureCast
MaterialSteel
FinishChrome
Swing WeightD2, D4
Shaft NameTrue Temper Dynamic Gold
Shaft TypesSteel
Shaft FlexStiff, X Stiff
Shaft Weight129g
GripGolf Pride New Decade Multi-Compoud
DesignBlade
Set Makeup3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, PW
Manufacturer's WebsitePing Website

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User Reviews

Nate Wilson
May 2018

This club is the best club ever made. I blades are insanely long and accurate. I carry my 7 iron 180 with movement. The looks are, to me, the best of any ever made. I haven't been a PING fan until now but wow. Worth every penny.

Paul Kim
March 2018

Accurate, consistent! Perfect irons with good quality!! I will never look back.

Patrick Kennedy
February 2018

Have these irons for two months now, can’t wait for the good weather. I have played about ten times with them and they are so accurate. My bad shots have gone (slice) and I am hitting so many greens with them. Played Foto Island (Cork) last week and had birdie putts on all four par 3’s off the blue markers. I know that would not have happened with my old Nike irons. Roll on the Summer.

Matty
December 2017

I really like these irons. They offer good feel (not great), and great workability just like you would think a players iron would. The thing that makes these stand out to me was their forgiveness compared to the players irons of other brands.

April 2017

Some of the best irons I've hit. Feel is awesome, and response is second to none. So happy I went Ping after playing Mizuno, Titleist and Nike. I won't be going back.

January 2017

I went from Ping I3's, to S59's to Iblades. Ping - please please please make a 2-iron in the I-blades. Anyways the I-Blades are the best irons in every category of an iron. I feel like I'm driving a Ferrari because I'm always getting compliments about how great the irons look. The price is a little high but you get what you pay for. I have a ton of confidence with them which helps my game. I can't wait to hit them tomorrow and the next day and the next after that. I bought the Ping Glide wedges 52, 56, 60 to match the I-Blades. These irons are amazing. I can't wait to see what model Ping comes out with next. Hopefully it'll be a few years so I can play the I-Blades and save up another $1200.00 plus tax. Long story short, the I-blades are beyond amazing and I can't see anyone being disappointed. The I-Blades are the best club Ping has ever made.

November 2016

Just got these iBlade irons and hitting them so sweet even though I am a 13 handicap. I find these very forgiving for a blade club just loving them and they are helping to get my handicap down too, as they are very accurate 👍

September 2016

I played the S55 before and expected the same kind of performance. For me the S55 are very similar to Titleist 716CB as a forgiveness comparison. I expected similar performance from the iBlade's but I was blown away with how easy these irons are to hit. I would say they are 1:1 with Titleist 716 AP2. I would also add that they are even slimmer than the S55 looking down at them, super sexy. This is a very good compromise of good forgiveness and zero offset blade iron look. Really looking forward to gaming these irons next season.

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