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RankingsBest Used IronsFive models one to two generations old, ranked by distance, accuracy and forgiveness
Updated: Oct 1, 2026Contains affiliate links
The used iron I recommend most is the Srixon ZX5 Mk II. It was overall No. 1 in the same comparison test two years running, in 2023 and 2024. It was No. 1 for accuracy too.
I average 72 with a best of 68, and as a gear nerd who has studied how clubs are built for many years, I lined up five models one to two generations old by distance, accuracy and forgiveness and ranked them. Where a club is good, I praise it without holding back. Where it is underwhelming, I say so.
An iron released in 2022 was still No. 1 in the 2024 test. With irons, older models don't easily lose to newer ones. In return, used irons come with pitfalls in loft and in the number of clubs.
The Gear Nerd's Pick
Srixon ZX5 Mk II (released November 2022; price at the time ¥138,600 for 6 clubs) It lands where you aim. That is this iron's greatest strength. In an 18-model comparison test it was No. 1 for accuracy and No. 1 overall. It was overall No. 1 in the previous year's test too. Of the irons I looked into, this is the only one that took No. 1 two years running. The construction pairs a body forged from S20C soft carbon steel with a chrome vanadium steel face. The soft body provides the feel and the strong face adds ball speed. The 7-iron is 31°, so the loft is not overly strong.
Find irons 1–2 generations oldRakuten Ichiba, as of Oct 5, 2026 10:17
Srixon ZX5 Mk II Irons (2022)Set (check the listing title for the number of clubs), new, lowest price first
Image: Rakuten Ichiba
I couldn't find any new ones from Japanese retailers on Rakuten Ichiba right now.
Used from ¥51,760 (Golf Do! used club Rakuten store) See used
PING i230 Irons (2023)Set (check the listing title for the number of clubs), new, lowest price first
Image: Rakuten Ichiba
- 楽天GORA店 Supported by GOLF5¥79,890+ shippingSee today's price on Rakuten
- アルペン楽天市場店¥79,890+ shippingSee today's price on Rakuten
- Victoria Golf 楽天市場支店¥119,900+ shippingSee today's price on Rakuten
Used from ¥47,393 (Golf Partner used club store) See used
PING G430 Irons (2022)Set (check the listing title for the number of clubs), new, lowest price first
Image: Rakuten Ichiba
I couldn't find any new ones from Japanese retailers on Rakuten Ichiba right now.
Used from ¥51,146 (Golf Partner used club store) See used
Mizuno Pro 245 Irons (2023)Set (check the listing title for the number of clubs), new, lowest price first
Image: Rakuten Ichiba
I couldn't find any new ones from Japanese retailers on Rakuten Ichiba right now.
Used from ¥56,747 (Golf Partner used club store) See used
Titleist T200 Irons (2023)Set (check the listing title for the number of clubs), new, lowest price first
Image: Rakuten Ichiba
- 第一ゴルフ カスタムクラブ専門店¥180,000free shippingSee today's price on Rakuten
Used from ¥65,719 (Golf Partner used club store) See used
Ad: New units (right-handed) from Japanese retailers found in a Rakuten Ichiba search, lowest price first. Used and grey-import items are excluded. Prices, shipping and stock change. Prices can also differ by loft or shaft, so check the product page before you buy.
In this article
Bottom line
If you are choosing on distance alone, it's No. 3, the PING G430. Its 7-iron is 29°. In a Japan test it carried 166.4 yards, the longest of the five.
If you are choosing for a ball that stops, it's No. 2, the PING i230. Its 50.5° descent angle was the largest number of the five.
Before you buy, find out the loft of your current 7-iron. Go from 33° to 29° and the same 7-iron flies nearly one club longer. The gap to the club above closes up and the gap to the wedge below opens. It is the most common mistake with used irons.
Ranking the five by distance, accuracy and forgiveness
I ranked on three criteria: distance, accuracy (dispersion from the target) and forgiveness. I used the rankings and scores from comparison tests run by MyGolfSpy in the US with 20 testers. The launch monitor is a GCQuad and the ball is the Pro V1. The tests used US-spec clubs.
Irons are tested separately by type. There are three tests: Player's Distance (Nos. 1, 4 and 5), Player's Irons (No. 2) and Game Improvement (No. 3). Rankings from different tests can't be compared directly. Read them as positions within the same test.
| Rank | Model (release, launch price) | 7-iron loft | Test (models) | Distance | Accuracy | Forgiveness | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 1 | Srixon ZX5 Mk II (Nov 2022; 6 clubs ¥138,600) | 31° | Player's Distance (18) | 6th | ◎ 1st | 4th | ◎ 1st |
| No. 2 | PING i230 (Jan 2023; 1 clubs ¥30,800) | 33° | Player's Irons (19) | 8.2 pts | 8.1 pts | 8.8 pts | 8.2 pts (2nd) |
| No. 3 | PING G430 (Nov 2022; 1 clubs ¥26,400) | 29° | Game Improvement (17) | 16th | 6th | 5th | 8th |
| No. 4 | Mizuno Pro 245 (Sep 2023; 6 clubs from ¥151,800) | 30° | Player's Distance (18) | 5th | 8th | 7th | 4th |
| No. 5 | Titleist T200 (Aug 2023; 6 clubs ¥165,000) | 30.5° | Player's Distance (18) | 12th | 3rd | 8th | 5th |
I also list measurements from masa-golf, a personal site in Japan (GCQuad, 7-iron). The hitter's head speed differs slightly from model to model, so use them to read the direction of a difference.
- ZX5 Mk II (31°): 161.2 yards of carry at a head speed of 36.2 m/s, 21.8° launch, 47.3° descent angle
- G430 (29°): 166.4 yards of carry, 4,356 rpm of spin, 35 yards peak height, 48° descent angle
- i230: 160 yards of carry, 51.7 m/s ball speed, 36.4 yards peak height, 50.5° descent angle
Why This Order
| Rank | Model | Why I ranked it here |
|---|---|---|
| No. 1 | Srixon ZX5 Mk II | No. 1 of 18 models for accuracy. It is 6th for distance and 4th for forgiveness, so it has no weak category. Its price at the time for a 6-club set was also the lowest of the five. |
| No. 2 | PING i230 | With a descent angle of 50.5°, it is the best for shots that stop. Its forgiveness score is also 8.8. The reason it is No. 2 is distance. Its 160 yards with the 7-iron was 6 yards shorter than the G430. |
| No. 3 | PING G430 | In the Japan test its carry was 166.4 yards with 0 yards of left-right deviation. But in the U.S. test it was 16th of 17 models for distance, so the results are split. Because the numbers are split, I ranked it No. 3. |
| No. 4 | Mizuno Pro 245 | It is 5th for distance, ahead of the No. 1 ZX5 Mk II. But it is only 8th for accuracy, and I have not found any numbers measured in Japan. With thin backing, it is No. 4. |
| No. 5 | Titleist T200 (2023) | It is 3rd for accuracy. But it is 12th for distance, and its price at the time was the highest of the five. The ZX5 Mk II is ahead on both accuracy and distance, so I ranked it No. 5. |
An iron is a club you aim with, so I looked at accuracy first. After that came distance and forgiveness. Change the criteria and the order changes too. Reread it according to which criterion you look at first.
No. 1 to No. 5: praise and weak spots
No. 1: Srixon ZX5 Mk II. Its accuracy is a clear step ahead. Distance irons go far but spray it. That is the common assumption, yet the ZX5 Mk II was No. 1 for accuracy among 18 models. It was 6th for distance and 4th for forgiveness. It has no weak category. In the Japan test too, its descent angle was 47.3°. It gets enough height to stop on a green. It runs from the 4-iron through the wedges, and the 6-piece set was ¥138,600 at the time. That was the cheapest set of the five.
The underwhelming part is that it only ranks 6th for distance. For distance alone, there are longer irons in the same test. It was released in November 2022, so some sets with worn grooves are mixed in. When buying used, look closely at the photos of the face.
Great for you if you
- You miss greens left or right more than long or short
- You want a forged body and forgiveness too
- You are replacing irons with a 7-iron of around 31°
Better to skip if you
- You just want one more club of distance (that's No. 3, the G430)
No. 2: PING i230. For a ball that stops, this is the best. Its 7-iron is 33°, the weakest loft of the five. The ball flies higher for it, and in the Japan test the descent angle was 50.5°. If you want to stop the ball on firm greens, the numbers are clearly on your side. In the 19-model Player's Irons test its 8.2 overall was 2nd, and its forgiveness score was 8.8. It has a better player's shape, yet it is forgiving. That is what is so good about the i230. You can buy it one club at a time, which also makes it easy to add irons on the used market.
The weak spot is distance. 160 yards with the 7-iron is 6 yards shorter than the 29° G430. Switch to an iron that doesn't go as far and your whole setup shifts. One more thing. A Japanese test article gives the loft as 31°, which conflicts with PING's official 33°. With used clubs, the previous owner may also have strengthened the lofts. Ask the shop you buy from for the measured loft.
Great for you if you
- You want your irons to stop rather than go far
- You want to add irons one club at a time
Better to skip if you
- Your current 7-iron is 30° or less and you want to hit the same distance
No. 3: PING G430. Long, and it doesn't stray left or right. In the Japan test it carried 166.4 yards. That was about 4 yards past the average for the same loft range (the same site's comparison). Left-right deviation was 0 yards. In the comparison test too, it was 5th of 17 models for forgiveness and 6th for accuracy. For anyone after a forgiving used iron, this is the first one I recommend.
There are two underwhelming points. In the US test it was 16th of 17 models for distance. That is the opposite of the Japan test. My reading is that the Game Improvement group has many models with even stronger lofts, and among them it ends up on the short side. The other is looks. The head is large, and a Japanese test article also says it is "hard to call good-looking". If that will bother you at address, you are better off passing.
Great for you if you
- Your iron strikes are scattered across the face
- You struggle to get the ball up
- You care about results more than looks
Better to skip if you
- You like a compact head
- Your current 7-iron is 31° or more and you don't want to change your gapping
No. 4: Mizuno Pro 245. For distance, it beats the No. 1 ZX5 Mk II. It was 5th for distance in the same test, and 4th overall. The 4- through 8-irons are chromoly steel, and the 9-iron down are precision-forged soft carbon steel (Mizuno release). Long irons built for distance, short irons built for feel: I like that split.
The weak spots: it only ranks No. 8 for accuracy, and I could not find any numbers measured in Japan. The only backing is the US test. Its price at the time was also on the high side, from ¥151,800 for 6 clubs.
Great for you if you
- You want a Mizuno forging and distance too
Better to skip if you
- Your goal is to cut left-right dispersion (No. 1 is better on the numbers)
No. 5: Titleist T200 (2023). 3rd for accuracy. The face is forged and the body is cast. In the same test it was 3rd of 18 models for accuracy. If you are choosing on precision, it comes right after the ZX5 Mk II.
I'll say it plainly: this part is a weak spot. It was 12th for distance. It is in the Player's Distance group, yet it sits on the short side. Its price at the time, ¥165,000 for 6 clubs, is also the highest of the five. The ZX5 Mk II is ahead on both precision and distance, so I positioned it as the pick for golfers who want an all-Titleist bag.
Great for you if you
- Your woods and wedges are Titleist and you want the set to flow
Better to skip if you
- You are replacing your irons to gain distance
Five things to check before buying a used iron set
- Number of clubs and which irons. Is it a 5-piece or a 6-piece set? Is the 5-iron included? What "6 clubs" contains differs by model. Decide up front, right down to which wedge will follow the PW.
- 7-iron loft. Even among the five in this article, it spans 4°, from 29° to 33°. Four degrees is nearly one full club. Compare it with your current 7-iron.
- Shaft model and flex. Some listings have one club in the set with a different shaft. Look at the photos and labels for every club.
- Whether the loft and lie angles have been altered. Soft carbon steel irons can be bent to adjust them, so a previous owner may have strengthened or weakened the lofts. Choosing a shop that publishes measured figures gives you peace of mind.
- Face grooves and sole scratches. The 7-iron and PW get used the most, so they wear first. If a listing has no photos of these two, I would pass.
I explained why lie angle matters, with numbers, in Is Your Club Causing the Duck Hook? The shorter the club, the more 1° off affects direction.
Who is better off buying new instead of used
Better off buying new
- You want length, lie angle and shaft measured and fitted before you buy (with PING you can order new irons in the lie angle you choose)
- In the price box, the gap between new previous-generation stock and used was small
- You aren't confident you can spot groove wear or mixed shafts from photos of a set
Used is fine if
- You know your current 7-iron's loft and length and can choose a model that flows from them
- You can inspect the actual clubs with your own eyes when they arrive
For new 2026 models, Best Irons and Latest Irons 2026 compare them with the 7-iron lofts lined up.
What loft was your 7-iron? Check the stamping on the sole, or the maker's page for past models.
FAQ
How old a model can I go with used irons?
There is no fixed number of years. Performance differences between iron generations are small, and the Srixon ZX5 Mk II, released in 2022, was overall No. 1 in the comparison tests in both 2023 and 2024. Rather than age, look at groove wear and whether the loft and lie angles have been altered.
Which used iron is the longest?
Among the five in this article, it's the PING G430, with a 29° 7-iron. In a Japan test (GCQuad) it carried 166.4 yards. But because the loft is strong, it can fly nearly one club longer than your current set. Check the gaps to the clubs above and below it first.
Should I buy a 5-piece set or a 6-piece set?
Decide by whether you use a 5-iron. If you don't hit a 5-iron, a 5-piece set starting from the 6-iron, with a hybrid in the open slot, is often easier to build around. Models that were sold one club at a time, like PING's, can be bought used by individual iron as well.
Can the lie angle of used irons be adjusted?
Forged soft carbon steel can be bent and adjusted by a club fitter. Cast stainless steel is hard, and the range it can be bent is usually small. Of the five in this article, the ZX5 Mk II and Mizuno Pro 245 are forged, and the G430 and i230 are stainless steel.
Ready to choose? Start here
Related reading
Best Used Drivers | 5 Picks by Distance and Dispersion
Latest Irons 2026 | Compared by Release Date and 7-Iron Loft
Sources for this article
- MyGolfSpy: Best Player's Distance Irons of 2024 (US spec, 18 models, 20 testers; updated Aug 14, 2024)
- MyGolfSpy: Best Player's Distance Irons 2023 (15 models; ZX5 Mk II overall No. 1)
- MyGolfSpy: Best Player's Irons 2024 (19 models, 20 testers; updated Jun 26, 2024)
- MyGolfSpy: Best Game Improvement Irons of 2024 (17 models, 20 testers; updated Dec 17, 2024)
- masa-golf: Srixon ZX5 Mk II Irons test (GCQuad)
- masa-golf: PING G430 Irons test (GCQuad)
- masa-golf: PING i230 Irons test (GCQuad)
- Dunlop official: Srixon ZX5 Mk II Irons (price, loft, materials)
- PING official: i230 Irons
- PING official: G430 Irons
- Mizuno news release: Mizuno Pro 241, 243 and 245 (Aug 18, 2023)
- Titleist news release: T100, T150 and T200 (Aug 4, 2023)