For a pure forged blade there are only a couple of companies that do it right and Titleist is one of them and the latest 718 MB continues this fine trend.
Compared to the previous 716 MB there is very little technical change and the lines are still based on the original 680 forged blade of 2005.
The shape of the muscle on the 718 back has become a little straighter again after the curve of 716 MB and combined with the shiny chrome finish, it is a very classy looking iron with simple lines.
Titleist say that the subtle changes will give better distance control and that is what the 718 MB iron is all about. It is for those elite players who can strike the centre of the face consistently, but who want a lower MOI head in order to shape shots.
Hit it from the centre and the one piece forging gives a lovely sharp sound and feel which will tingle your fingers if you don't quite get it right.
The MB sits beautifully behind the ball and the heads could only be described as compact as the 6-iron below shows.
The heads do get progressively larger as you go up through the set and the consistency of sound and feel is very good.
Even the sleek 3-iron can give you that unique feeling of hitting a long iron well, but you will need the club head speed in order to get launch angle right for today's modern lower spinning balls.
The 718 MB comes with a Project X shaft as standard but there are many more options available through Titleist custom fitting, so you should find one to suit your game.
The lofts are pretty much as they have always been for the MB blade, so if you are blending in with any of the other 718 irons then you will need to match the gaps.
Don't be afraid to have more than one iron of the same number in two models as Adam Scott apparently carries two 5 irons which have different lofts so he can benefit from the slightly larger head sizes of irons like the 718 CB and 718 AP2.
As semi-cavity and cavity back forgings improve each generation to offer more forgiveness with greater feel, then the days of blades like the MB could be numbered.
However I hope not as they are beautiful to look at for most of us and lovely to hit (well) for those elite players who can take advantage of the shot shaping flexibility they offer.