Tour Edge Exotics E8 Irons
Category: Max Game-Improvement Irons
Price: $600-$700, steel; $800, graphite
WE TESTED: 4–AW with KBS Tour 90 steel shaft and 4–AW with UST Mamiya Recoil 460 F3 graphite shaft
KEY TECHNOLOGIES: Heavy tungsten weights low in the heel and toe add to the head’s stability.
PROS
PLAYABILITY: The wide sole really gets through all types of rough; responds well to less than full swings in the scoring zone; easy to get shots flying high and straight.
ACCURACY/FORGIVENESS: These sticks won’t cover up all your misses, but they do a decent job of minimizing the worst ones; the Exotics E8 maintains distance reasonably well when you don’t hit it absolutely pure.
DISTANCE CONTROL: Shorter irons do a good job of nailing the right distance, while yardages are basically predictable through the rest of the set; the Exotics E8 is no longer than testers’ own sticks, but it’s long enough to score.
FEEL: Very satisfying on center contact; a real sense of compression at impact—they’re dynamite when struck well; minimal sting in the hands when you miss one in a bad spot.
LOOK: The long blade provides a ton of confidence at address; good combination of a traditional chrome finish and a nice shape; you can see a lot of technology, but it’s not distracting.
CONS
Some testers don’t get as much help on off-center hits as they do with other models; the longer irons don’t perform quite as well overall as the rest of the set; not one of the longest hitters tested.
BOTTOM LINE: The Exotics E8 nicely blends accuracy, look and feel, but it doesn’t fare as well as the category leaders for forgiveness and length.
BUY THE CLUB: Get your own Tour Edge Exotics E8 irons
NEXT REVIEW: Wilson Staff D200 Irons
MORE INFO ON THE TOUR EDGE EXOTICS E8 IRONS
From Golf.com, September 23 2014
The new Exotics E8 irons from Tour Edge are aimed at players looking for a combination of big time power and enhanced control. The key feature of the progressive set design is an extremely deep undercut cavity and flexible, free-standing clubface, the combination of which provides faster ball speed and distance on shots struck on a wide area of the face including the low area near the sole. To help players who have trouble squaring the clubface consistently at impact, tungsten weights are positioned low in the heel and toe areas of the clubhead, providing increased stability on strikes that occur away from the sweetspot. Other features of the new E8 irons include a multi-material vibration dampening insert in the cavity for improved feel at impact, progressive sole widths, offset, and toplines, and the choice of custom set makeup that can include up to two Exotics hybrids. Tour Edge’s lieftime warranty and 30-day play guarantee come standard. — Rob Sauerhaft
NEXT REVIEW: Wilson Staff D200 Irons
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