One of my golf buddies has been very happy with Diamond Tour Golf. He has two or three clubs...nice driver too-- which he keeps in his bag 24/7.
Although, I never tried them, he speaks well.
Check out both CSGgolf.com and Hirekogolf. Both sell some really good iron components, as well as completed clubs if you want to go that route. The Acer XK irons from Hireko are excellent clubs. The LX2 heads from CSG are also excellent.
I take it you have never used either the Acer XK or LX 2 irons. They are JUST AS GOOD as ANY of the branded sets you recommend buying. AND they are NEW, not old and used.
Hireko makes some very quality stuff. I still personally think it is wrong of them to so liberally "borrow" from obvious OEM designs, but their own designs are top class. Their "borrowing" isn't as bad as some of the other clones out there, however.
Their Dyanacraft Prophet series is excellent, and they just came out with a series of irons with a really nice looking black finish.
I think you'd like the Acer XK irons if you go that route. I have set of XK Pro irons with TT Dynamic Gold shafts in them, and they are excellent set of irons. Which is why I can recommend them. Same for the LX-2 irons from CSG Golf. I've got a set and then I built a second set for my wife.
Every company "borrows". I have a problem with a place like Diamond Tour that there whole business, **** near, is based on blatant copies. I do not consider Hireko's stuff in this category.
ALL the major OEM's are building irons that look pretty much the same. At least one of their models look like all the rest. I have a TaylorMade Tour Perferred iron that looks just like a Callaway X-22 iron. Small differences to be sure, but the heads are so close it's hard to tell if it's a Callaway or not from any distance at all.
My single favorite club is a clone of the new Callaway irons. There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with it and I love it. Try Valuegolf.com. You won't find me spending $400 for a driver when I can spend $100 for a new club that does the SAME job as good or better. Plus I'll have $300 left over for different shafts, grips, etc.
And if you're like me and just starting out, why spend major bucks on clubs when you might not know what you like or need yet? If nothing else you could learn by using clones then, if you feel like it, buy some name brands to show your friends. LOL.
My single favorite club is a clone of the new Callaway irons. There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with it and I love it. Try Valuegolf.com. You won't find me spending $400 for a driver when I can spend $100 for a new club that does the SAME job as good or better. Plus I'll have $300 left over for different shafts, grips, etc.
And if you're like me and just starting out, why spend major bucks on clubs when you might not know what you like or need yet? If nothing else you could learn by using clones then, if you feel like it, buy some name brands to show your friends. LOL.
Oh, didn't know that. I haven't bought anything from there....yet. But I will. I really like the clubs they sell and the prices are good. And I like the layout of the website....simple and informative and not too "busy".
I have a Knight Rippa D1 19* that looks just like one of the new Callaway irons I saw in a catalog. It's like a hybrid. From my net research it seems these Knights were sold in K-marts for $20 and it's an awesome club for me. From the moment I first tried it I blasted the ball with it. My stepson didn't want it in his bag because it's "cheap". LOL