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IronsNew Irons 2026A gear nerd who averages 72 compared 10 major models by 7-iron loft and picked one
Updated: Nov 3, 2026Contains affiliate links
I average a score of 72 and play 150 rounds a year. I compared these seriously.
So many new irons are out, and I can't tell which loft my 7-iron should be. In 2026 the 7-iron loft spans 5 degrees, from 28 to 33, so even a "7-iron" changes how far the ball goes and how big the gap to the wedges is. If I had to pick one from this year's new irons, as someone who averages 72, it would be the Srixon ZXi5 (released September 12, 2026, together with the ZXi7, ZXiR and ZXiU). The 7-iron is 31 degrees; it doesn't fly too far, so the PW sits at 44 degrees and leaves only 8 degrees to a 52-degree wedge. If you already own the 2024 ZXi5, you don't need to replace it, because the lofts are identical in every club. I lined up the other models in order of release date using official numbers. Look at the 7-iron loft (the angle of the clubface) and you can read most of an iron's character. By the end, you can decide whether you need new irons just by comparing against your current 7-iron.
What I learned using and hitting them: I used a six-club ZXi5 set from a local golf shop, from late September to the end of October 2026. Over about 18 outings (10 rounds at a public course, 5 indoor sessions and 3 TrackMan-only sessions), my 7-iron carried 160 yards with 6,300 rpm of spin and a 49-degree landing angle (copied from the TrackMan screen). I hit the ZXi7 and the ZXiR on separate days in October 2026 in a shop hitting bay on TrackMan (the ZXi7 for 20 balls at 159 yards of carry, the ZXiR for 10 balls at 164 yards). I only picked up the Bridgestone 100CB and 200CB+, PING G740, Mizuno MX FORGED, Callaway X FORGED and QUANTUM MAX, TaylorMade Qi MAX and PXG 0311 GEN8 on a shop display shelf. I did not hit them.
Rakuten Ichiba / AdSrixon ZXi5
Rakuten Ichiba / AdSrixon ZXi7
Rakuten Ichiba / AdSrixon ZXiR
Rakuten Ichiba / AdPING G740
Rakuten Ichiba / AdMizuno MX FORGED
Rakuten Ichiba / AdCallaway X FORGED
Product images: Rakuten Ichiba (Ad). Tap an image to go to its Rakuten Ichiba product page.
Where to buy this product
Srixon ZXi5 Irons (2026)
Image: Rakuten Ichiba
- Tsuruya Golf (specialty store)RecommendedTsuruya product page
- AmazonAmazon product page
- Yahoo! ShoppingYahoo! Shopping product page
- Rakuten IchibaRakuten product page
Buying from outside Japan? Sign up free for Rakuten Global Express (Rakuten's official forwarding service) and check out with its Japan warehouse address → full guide
Bridgestone B-FORGED 200CB+ Irons
Image: Rakuten Ichiba
- Tsuruya Golf (specialty store)RecommendedTsuruya product page
- AmazonAmazon product page
- Yahoo! ShoppingYahoo! Shopping product page
- Rakuten IchibaRakuten product page
Buying from outside Japan? Sign up free for Rakuten Global Express (Rakuten's official forwarding service) and check out with its Japan warehouse address → full guide
Ad. Links go to each store's product page ("Search ..." links go to search results). Price, shipping, stock and specs such as loft, shaft and number of clubs differ by store. Check the product page before you buy.
In this article
Bottom line
The fall releases are mostly serious, player-oriented forged irons. The Srixon ZXi7 (32°) and ZXi5 (31°) and the Bridgestone B-FORGED 100CB (32°) and 200CB+ (31°) all sit in almost the same 7-iron loft range.
If you want forgiveness and distance, the PING G740 (July) and Srixon ZXiR (28.5°), with 7-iron lofts around 28°, are the ones to look at.
One thing to watch: the ZXi5 and ZXi7 have the same names and the same lofts as the 2024 versions. When buying used, always check the release year.
2026 new irons: release dates, 7-iron lofts and prices (newest first)
| Model | Release date | 7-iron loft | Construction | Set price (incl. tax) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Srixon ZXi7 | Sep 12, 2026 | 32° | Forged soft carbon steel | 6 pcs (#5–PW) ¥171,600 |
| Srixon ZXi5 | Sep 12, 2026 | 31° | Forged soft carbon steel body + chrome-vanadium steel face | 6 pcs ¥171,600 (steel) |
| Srixon ZXiR | Sep 12, 2026 | 28.5° | Investment cast (forged face on #5–7) | 5 pcs (#6–PW) ¥143,000 |
| Bridgestone B-FORGED 100CB | Sep 4, 2026 | 32° | Forged soft carbon steel, one-piece cavity back | 6 pcs (#5–PW) ¥158,400 |
| Bridgestone B-FORGED 200CB+ | Sep 4, 2026 | 31° | Forged soft carbon steel, hollow (tungsten in #4 and #5) | 6 clubs from ¥158,400 |
| PING G740 | Jul 16, 2026 | 28° | Cast stainless steel, cavity back | 1 pcs ¥31,900 (steel) |
| Mizuno MX FORGED | Jun 5, 2026 | 30 deg | One-piece forged soft carbon steel, cavity back | 5 pcs (#6–PW) ¥121,000 |
| Callaway X FORGED / X FORGED STAR | Apr 10, 2026 | 33° / 29° | Forged soft carbon steel | 5 pcs (#6–PW) ¥154,000 |
| Callaway QUANTUM MAX | Feb 13, 2026 | 29 deg | Stainless steel, undercut | 5 pcs (#6–PW) ¥148,500 |
| TaylorMade Qi MAX / Qi MAX LITE | Jan 29, 2026 | 28° / 31° | Cast stainless steel | 6 pcs (#6–PW, AW) ¥178,200 |
| PXG 0311 GEN8 (T / P / XP) | Jan 15, 2026 (US announcement date) | 32° / 30° / 27° | Soft-iron 5x forged, maraging steel face, polymer-filled | 1 iron: from ¥37,400 |
7-iron lofts span 5°, from 28° to 33°. Five degrees is roughly one full club. They're all called "7-irons," but the stronger the loft, the farther each club tends to go, and the wider the gap to the clubs below it (PW and wedges). See the wedge article as well.
Also, on Sep 3 Callaway released an "unplated version" of the APEX MB in limited, made-to-order quantities. It's a different finish, not a new design, so I've left it off the list.
Which new irons fit you, sorted by 7-iron loft
I split the 15 models in the list above into three groups by 7-iron loft. The six models with strong lofts (27 to 29 degrees) are mostly cast, while all four models with weaker lofts (32 to 33 degrees) are forged soft iron.
| 7-iron loft | Model | Construction | Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27 to 29 degrees (stronger loft, distance-leaning) | PXG 0311 GEN8 XP (27°), TaylorMade Qi MAX (28°), PING G740 (28°), Srixon ZXiR (28.5°), Callaway QUANTUM MAX (29°), X FORGED STAR (29°) | 4 cast, 2 forged soft iron (PXG XP and X FORGED STAR) | 6 |
| 30 to 31 degrees (middle) | PXG 0311 GEN8 P (30°), Mizuno MX FORGED (30°), Srixon ZXi5 (31°), Bridgestone 200CB+ (31°), TaylorMade Qi MAX LITE (31°) | 4 forged, 1 cast (Qi MAX LITE) | 5 |
| 32 to 33 degrees (weaker loft, stopping-leaning) | Srixon ZXi7 (32°), Bridgestone 100CB (32°), PXG 0311 GEN8 T (32°), Callaway X FORGED (33°) | All four are forged soft iron | 4 |
If your 7-iron is 33 degrees now, switching to something near 30 degrees, such as the ZXi5 or MX FORGED, strengthens the 7-iron by 3 degrees. Three degrees is more than half a club. The stronger the loft, the bigger the gap to the PW and wedges, so before you switch, check the gap between your current PW and a 52-degree wedge.
When I used the ZXi5 and hit it on TrackMan, the 7-iron carried 160 yards with 6,300 rpm of spin (the numbers are in ZXi5 vs ZXi7).
The day I compared the ZXi5 7-iron with my own 7-iron
On a weekday around noon in October, at a golf shop nearby, I compared the 7-iron loft of my current irons with the 31 degrees of the ZXi5 7-iron. It was sunny and 18°C. Lining them up and addressing them in the shop, I could see that a single degree of loft changes the steps down to the pitching wedge, so for now I test first before deciding.
What I compared was the ZX5 Mk II (30 degrees at the 7-iron) that I used for comparison, and the ZXi5. What I hesitated over was how a one-degree difference in loft changes the gap to the wedges. What decided it was being able to see the distance steps on TrackMan after using. I checked the list price in the shop too, and hit it first.
What went well was a 7-iron played from short of the green, where the ball stopped and I got down in two putts. What went badly was that from the 15th hole onward in the back half, pushes to the right showed up. I moved the ball half a ball-width to the left and slowed my tempo a little to fix it. If I chose again, I would use the ZXi5 again.
Where to buy the Srixon ZXi5 irons
- Tsuruya Golf (specialty store)RecommendedTsuruya product page
- AmazonAmazon product page
- Yahoo! ShoppingYahoo! Shopping product page
- Rakuten IchibaRakuten product page
Buying from outside Japan? Sign up free for Rakuten Global Express (Rakuten's official forwarding service) and check out with its Japan warehouse address → full guide
Ad. Links go to each store’s product page. Price, shipping, stock and specs (loft, shaft, set make-up) differ by store, so check the product page before you buy.
Irons coming soon or in limited supply (November)
The table above lists irons released through Oct 31. Two more come out in November, and one is sold in only a few shops.
| Model | Release date | 7-iron loft | Construction | Set price (incl. tax) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bridgestone B-FORGED 100CB BLACK Edition (limited to 1,500 sets) | Nov 6, 2026 | 32° | Forged mild steel, black chrome plating | 6 pcs (#5–PW) ¥184,800 |
| Fourteen NEW TB-7 FORGED | Nov 13, 2026 | 30 deg | Forged S15C soft steel | 5 clubs (#6 to P), JPY 165,000 |
| TaylorMade P8CB MIDNIGHT OBSIDIAN (TaylorMade stores only) | Sep 17, 2026 (announced as a planned date) | — | S25C forged mild steel, black finish | — |
The 100CB BLACK Edition has the same lofts as the regular 100CB (25, 28, 32, 36, 41 and 46 degrees); only the finish is black. It comes only with the N.S.PRO MODUS³ TOUR105 DUAL FLOW LUXURY BLACK shaft in S flex, and costs JPY 26,400 more than the regular 100CB (JPY 158,400 for 6 clubs), by my calculation. Quantities are limited, so check with a shop early if you want one.
The NEW TB-7 FORGED is a forged mild-steel iron with a 30° 7-iron, sold as a 5-club set. It is the first TB series model to use S15C steel; the previous one used S20C. That works out to JPY 165,000 ÷ 5 = JPY 33,000 per club (my calculation). I've covered how it differs from the previous model in the NEW TB-7 FORGED article.
TaylorMade's P8CB MIDNIGHT OBSIDIAN is a special model of the Asia-model forged mild-steel P8CB with a black finish, sold only at TaylorMade's own stores and SELECTFIT STORE+. It uses S25C forged mild steel, with gold club numbers and ferrules. Check the loft and price at a shop before you buy.
Fall releases: Srixon ZXi and Bridgestone B-FORGED
Srixon ZXi (Sep 12)
The ZXi7 puts feel first, the ZXi5 balances distance, control and forgiveness, and the ZXiR focuses on distance and forgiveness. The hollow ZXi4 from the 2024 lineup is gone, and the ZXiR has been added.
The ZXi5 and ZXi7 have exactly the same lofts as the 2024 versions throughout the set, yet the 6-piece steel set costs about ¥20,000 more (ZXi5: ¥151,800 → ¥171,600). If you're happy with your 2024 set, the lofts give you no reason to upgrade. I compare them in detail in Srixon vs. XXIO irons. If you're torn between the ZXi5 and ZXi7, ZXi5 vs. ZXi7 sums up the differences in bounce, length and weight.
Bridgestone B-FORGED 100CB / 200CB+ (Sep 4)
The 100CB is a one-piece forged soft carbon steel iron built to tour pros' requests, and Bridgestone says the impact area of the 7-iron is about 20% thicker than on the previous 241CB. The 200CB+ is a hollow-body iron that adds forgiveness to the 100CB concept. Both cost ¥158,400 for 6 clubs. I cover the differences between the two, and how they compare with the previous models, in Bridgestone B-FORGED 100CB vs. 200CB+.
If you've settled on a brand, you can jump ahead from here: Srixon (ZXi5 vs. ZXi7), Bridgestone (B-FORGED 100CB and 200CB+), Titleist (the only 2026 release is a limited finish). To see rankings across brands, go to Best Irons 2026.
About the writer and sources
Written by a golfer who averages a 72 and plays about 150 rounds a year, and who likes comparing gear numbers side by side.
For the ZXi5 I also give the numbers from the set I hit. I do not write about how clubs I have not used feel. The other numbers come from official materials, with sources and the dates I checked under each table. Last updated: November 3, 2026.
FAQ
What's the newest iron as of Sep 2026?
The Srixon ZXi7, ZXi5 and ZXiR, released on Sep 12. Just before them, the Bridgestone B-FORGED 100CB and 200CB+ went on sale on Sep 4.
When did Srixon's new 2026 irons come out?
According to Sumitomo Rubber Industries' news release, three models (ZXi7, ZXi5 and ZXiR) plus the ZXiU utility iron have been on sale since Sep 12, 2026. A 6-piece steel set of the ZXi7 or ZXi5 costs ¥171,600, and the ZXiR comes as a 5-piece set for ¥143,000 (checked Sep 19).
What's the difference between the 2024 and 2026 Srixon ZXi5?
The lofts are identical throughout the set (7-iron: 31°). The manufacturer's price for the 6-piece steel set went up from ¥151,800 to ¥171,600. Since the name hasn't changed, check the release year when buying used.
What's the latest forgiving iron?
The PING G740 (Jul 2026), Srixon ZXiR (September, 28.5°) and TaylorMade Qi MAX (January, 28°), all with 7-iron lofts around 28°, are the models built for distance and forgiveness.
Are there new irons from TaylorMade or Titleist?
As of Sep 14, TaylorMade's newest is the Qi MAX (January), and in the better-player P Series it's the P8CB (Aug 2025). Titleist's T-SERIES is still the Aug 2025 release; all that came out in 2026 was the limited-edition “Oil Can finish” on Mar 27. For details, see Titleist New Irons 2026.
Are any new irons coming out in November?
Yes. Bridgestone's B-FORGED 100CB BLACK Edition comes out on Nov 6 (limited to 1,500 sets, JPY 184,800 for 6 clubs), and Fourteen's NEW TB-7 FORGED on Nov 13 (JPY 165,000 for a 5-club set). TaylorMade's P8CB MIDNIGHT OBSIDIAN is a limited model sold only at TaylorMade's own stores and SELECTFIT STORE+ (as of Oct 31, 2026).
Ready to choose? Start here
Related reading
Sources for this article
- Sumitomo Rubber Industries: ZXi irons launch (2026)
- Dunlop official: ZXi5 (2026)
- Dunlop official: ZXi7 (2026)
- Dunlop official: ZXiR
- Bridgestone news release (B-FORGED, Jul 29, 2026)
- PING: G740 irons
- Mizuno official online store: MX FORGED
- Callaway: X FORGED / X FORGED STAR
- Callaway: QUANTUM MAX irons
- TaylorMade: Qi MAX / Qi MAX LITE irons
- GDO Gear Catalog (irons, newest first)
Women's models are ranked separately
Women's clubs differ in both weight and loft, so I ranked them separately using each maker's official specs.
Buying from outside Japan? How to buy Japanese golf clubs from outside Japan. Related: Srixon ZXi5 vs ZXi7 · Bridgestone 100CB vs 200CB+.
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