I bought two of these clubs 18 months ago to compliment my new X-14 irons, and they are my first foray into the world of forged wedges. FYI, I have the 54° and 58°, both with 12° bounce, in the Vintage finish.

I normally prefer a squarer, high-toe style head shape on my irons/wedges, whereas the Forged+ are rounder, but performance-wise I have no complaints whatsoever. On full swings, I can hit both clubs high and stop the ball on a dime. If I focus more on my impact, I can spin the ball back several feet on most of the South Carolina greens I play on (14 h'cap w/NXT Tour). My distance control is very consistent with these wedges. I can hit soft-landing pitches, or nip/punch shots that fly low and then hop and stop. They certainly put a lot of bite on the ball if you want it. Shots out of the rough pose no problem for these puppies as they literally "scythe" a path through the weeds.

However, where they really excel for me is around the green. IMHO, they are the best clubs I've ever had for short pitches and bump-and-runs (an honour that I thought my Ping ISI's had sewn up), plus they work extremely well out of sand. I love the feel I get with these clubs, and am mighty glad I got 'em. Subsequently, I've increased the range of shots I can now hit with my wedges, and my confidence with them is always high.

I can't comment on the chrome finish variant, but I like that there's no glare from the darker vintage wedges and the way they frame the ball. The added natural oxidation over time certainly seems to increase their grip on the ball and spin. Every once in a while I'll get a hankering for the smooth finish they had when they were new, and so I'll leave them sitting overnight in a glass of cola and.....Hey Presto! I'm back where I started!

With the new Callaway X-Tour wedges out, you may find these on sale somewhere. If so, I'd recommend anyone to pick one up and see what you think. Like putters, scoring wedges are a very personal thing. Hope my rambling advice helped someone out ?!