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Srixon ZXi5 vs TaylorMade P790The 7-irons differ by just 1°. The real gaps are 4- and 5-iron loft, construction, and ¥20,000

Updated: Nov 3, 2026Contains affiliate links

The ZXi5 and P790 are a lot alike. 7-iron lofts are 31° and 30°, and both PWs are 44°.
The differences show up from the 5-iron up. The P790's 5-iron is 23°, the ZXi5's is 24°. At the 4-iron it's 20° and 22°, a 2° gap.
So which to choose comes down to "what you want from your long irons." If you want them to go far, the P790. If you want them to step down club by club, the ZXi5.
I average 72 with a best of 68 and I'm a gear nerd who enjoys lining up spec sheets, so I compared them on official numbers only.

Bottom line

ZXi5 vs P790: Comparison Table

From the official spec sheets, here are only the numbers that matter when choosing.

Sources: Dunlop official and TaylorMade official sites (checked Sep 12, 2026). Prices are MSRP. Both 6-club sets are #5–PW.

The MSRP difference is ¥19,800. The ZXi5 is cheaper (my calculation).

The ZXi5 is also the newer one. The P790 has been out for a year and a half.
That also means store prices may have dropped further on the P790. Don't decide on MSRP alone: check today's prices in the “Where to buy it cheapest” box at the top of this page.

Loft Comparison: The 4-, 5- and 6-Irons Differ

Line them up iron by iron and it's clear where they match and where they differ.

Sources: club-by-club lofts from the Dunlop official and TaylorMade official sites (checked Sep 12, 2026). Differences are my calculation.

The 9-iron and PW are the same.
Loft gives you no reason to choose on the short irons.

The gap is at the top. The P790's 4-iron is strengthened all the way to 20°. The ZXi5's 4-iron is 22°, so the P790's 4-iron is about half a club stronger than the ZXi5's. If you want to gain distance with your long irons, this is where the P790 has the edge.

But the stronger the loft, the harder it is to launch. Not many players can hit a 20° iron high enough to hold a green.
Honestly, it's not an easy loft even for me.

So if you don't carry a 4-iron, this difference almost disappears. Across the six clubs from 5-iron to PW, the biggest gap is 1°. Applying the common rule of thumb to my distance (7-iron 160 yards, measured), 1° on the 7-iron is about 3 yards (my calculation).

The flow into your wedges is a draw. Both have a 44° PW, which leaves 8° to a 52° wedge. Either way you slot in one 48° or 50° wedge (How Many Wedges to Carry).

Construction: Forged ZXi5, Hollow-Body P790

What separates two irons with similar lofts is how they are built.

ZXi5: A Forged Soft Carbon Steel Body

The body is forged soft carbon steel (S20C). Only the face uses hard chrome-vanadium steel. A tungsten-nickel alloy goes into #4–7 to lower the center of gravity.
On Srixon's official chart, forgiveness is 4 of 5. This is not a model that gives up forgiveness. The 7-iron's bounce angle is 16°, an angle that suits both steep hitters (diggers) and sweepers.

Great for you if you

• You want to prioritize a construction that feeds into feel (forged)
• You want to build it with graphite or light steel (3 stock options)
• You want each iron to cover its numbered distance

P790: Hollow Inside, Thin to Look At

The head is hollow inside, and that cavity holds a lightweight filler called SPEEDFOAM AIR. Hollowing out the inside lets you move mass outward and downward at the same weight. That's why it looks thin at address yet holds up when you miss the center. That is what TaylorMade is selling with this model.

The head is cast from 8620 mild steel, which is a different way of making it from a one-piece forging. Feel is a matter of taste, so this is a point I would like you to check by hitting it in a shop. This article does not include my impressions of the P790's feel.

Great for you if you

• You want both a thin-looking head and resistance to mishits
• You want distance from the 4- and 5-irons
• You can use it as is with the steel 950GH NEO or MODUS3 105

What is new in the P790 (2025)? How it differs from the 2023 model

The 2025 P790 uses a lightweight new material in the face, 20% stronger than before. TaylorMade says the sweet area is up to 24% larger than the 2023 P790 7-iron (it varies by club).

It also gets the "FLTD CG design," which changes the shape and weight of the tungsten for each club. The aim is to make long irons easier to launch and short irons easier to stop. In TaylorMade's comparison chart the lofts are 23 degrees for the 5-iron, 30 for the 7-iron and 44 for the PW. The body is hollow and filled with SPEEDFOAM AIR.

Can I buy a single P790? Loft and lie ±2 degrees, length ±0.5 inch

Yes. TaylorMade's P-series can be ordered from one club as a custom club. Loft and lie can be changed by up to ±2 degrees (no extra charge) and shaft length by up to ±0.5 inch.

As the table above shows, the P790 4-iron is 20 degrees, 2 degrees stronger than the ZXi5 4-iron. If you want a 4-iron, you can also bend the loft weaker to get closer to the ZXi5. A "Designer Series" with a different look is also offered on the same P790 build.

Source: TaylorMade Japan official P790 special page (P700 series). Checked Oct 30, 2026.

Which to Choose: 4 Conditions

I kept to conditions you can check for yourself. Work through them from the top.

If your answers split between left and right, go with the condition nearest the top. Your set makeup is hard to change later.

If you're unsure, first look up the loft of your own 5-iron. It's on the spec sheet on the maker's official site.
If your current 5-iron is weaker than 25°, the P790's 5-iron (23°) will be at least 2° stronger. Swap it in thinking it's the same “5-iron” and your distance steps shift.

To find where your own set has a gap, enter your lofts in the Club Setup Check (free). If you're torn between the ZXi5 and the ZXi7 from the same series, go to ZXi5 vs ZXi7.

Do you carry a 4-iron?

Update history

• November 3, 2026: Noted that the ZXi5 I compared is the 2026 model I used about 18 times from September to October. The P790 was only a stance and practice swings.
• Updated 2026-11-03: Rewrote the "range I have touched" section so that it is clear this article contains no impressions of use
• Oct 5, 2026: Published

P790 iron (2025): specs by club

The P790 is TaylorMade's player-oriented iron with a hollow head filled with SPEEDFOAM AIR. The 2025 model came out on Mar 14, 2025. A 6-club set (#5 to PW) is JPY 191,400 and one club is JPY 31,900 (191,400 ÷ 6 = 31,900, which matches the single price). It comes in eight clubs, from the 4-iron to the AW, and the 3-iron from the 2023 model is gone.

Source: Minna no Golf Digest (TaylorMade's announcement, Feb 19, 2025). Standard shafts are the N.S.PRO MODUS3 TOUR 105 (S) and N.S.PRO 950GH neo (S). The right-hand column is my own subtraction. Re-read on Oct 31, 2026.

The loft gap is 3 to 3.5° in the long irons and 5° in the short ones. The design widens the gap as clubs get shorter, and it is 5° from the PW's 44° to the AW's 49° as well. If you add a wedge, the question is what comes after the AW's 49° (how many wedges to carry).

How the P790 has changed: the 2021 and 2025 models side by side

The 2021 P790 (the third generation) came as a 6-club set (#5 to PW). Putting the same clubs from 2021 and 2025 side by side, the lofts have been getting a little stronger.

Sources: Kakaku.com Magazine (Sep 23, 2021) and Minna no Golf Digest (Feb 19, 2025). The differences are my own subtraction.

According to TaylorMade's announcement, the changes from the 2023 model to the 2025 model are as follows. The 3-iron is gone and an AW is added, and every club except the 6-iron has lofts 0.5° to 1.0° stronger. The face changes from chrome-moly steel to forged nickel-chrome-moly-vanadium steel (4340M), which is about 20% stronger. The sweet area is said to be up to 24% larger on the 7-iron compared with the previous model. A design that changes the tungsten weight and shape for each club (FLTD·CG Design) is also new for the 2025 model.

What this table shows is that the P790 has made its lofts a little stronger with each generation. The 2025 7-iron at 30° is 1° stronger than the ZXi5's 31°. The gap grows with the longer clubs: the 4-iron is 20° against 22°, a 2° difference. A "7-iron" is not the same loft across models, so line the lofts up and compare distances in the club check.

What I did and did not use for this article

I used the ZXi5 about 18 times, but this article centers on the official numbers set side by side with the P790. I only took a stance and made practice swings with the P790, so I do not write any hitting impressions of it. The loft and price numbers come from the makers' official materials, and the subtractions and re-sorting are mine.

Please check whether it suits your set by hitting a few balls in a shop. As a rule of thumb, 1 degree of loft changes the distance by about 3 yards (my calculation). First see whether those 3 yards fit the gaps in your own distances.

How many yards apart are they club by club, and what is the price gap per yard?

I multiplied each loft gap by about 3 yd per degree of loft (a common rule of thumb). P790 has the stronger lofts, so in the same club it should go farther.

Lofts are from the official spec tables. The distances are my calculation. Real distance changes with length, shaft and strike point.

Now the price side. The six-club set list-price gap is ¥191,400 − ¥171,600 = ¥19,800, which is ¥3,300 per club (the single-club gap is also ¥3,300). On the 7-iron, you pay ¥3,300 more per club for about 3 yd extra, roughly ¥1,100 per yard. A 4-iron would add about 6 yd, but these sets start at the 5-iron, so the 4-iron would be bought separately.

About the writer and sources

I'm a golfer who averages a 72, plays about 150 rounds a year, and enjoys reading gear specs side by side.

The range of what I used is written in the section "What I did and did not use for this article." The numbers come from the official materials, and the subtractions and re-sorting are mine. Last updated: November 3, 2026.

FAQ

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Sources for this article

• Dunlop official: Srixon ZXi5 irons (2026)
• TaylorMade official: P790 '25 irons
• Minna no Golf Digest: announcement of the 2025 P790 (February 19, 2025)
• Kakaku.com Magazine: P790 2021 model (2021 9, 23)

Last updated: Nov 3, 2026

Specs and prices are the figures published on manufacturers' official websites and in press releases, and by media outlets (checked Oct 5, 2026). These are published figures; any numbers from my own hitting or use are given in the article body with their conditions.