Just picked up a set of Bridgestone J33 Combo's last night on ebay and can't wait for them to arrive. I'm not sure if the will dethrone my Taylormade LT2's but I thought I'd try them out. Seems like I got a pretty good deal at $350.
Any of you guys play with the J33's? I'd love to hear your thoughts.
These are SPECTACULAR irons, and $350 is a terrific deal. As I have a set of their predecessor (T ourstage/Bridgestone Z101), I was very interested in the J33's. Here's my review of the J33's:
PREFACE: I have written before about the Tourstage Z101's, which are made by Bridgestone/Precept. The Z101's are wonderful irons, with a clean, thin topline, and the tungsten weighting in the long irons to help get a higher ballflight. In short, I felt as if these were the best performing irons I've ever owned or demoed. When the J33 combo irons were introduced, I was eagerly anticipating their release, to see if they could surpass the Z101's.
APPEARANCE: If you look at them closely, the sole has a "dual grind" with two very distinct grinds, that's supposed to help the sole glide through the grass easier than the Z101's. Very thin topline, and the clubs look great at address. I did notice that the J33's have some sharp lines and angles, but are complemented nicely by curving sweeps. The soles are fairly thin, which should appeal to better players. In short - these are very visually appealing irons, and probably look more "flowing" than the Z101's. The finish is a satin brushed finish.
FEEL/PERFORMANCE: As with the Z's, the longer irons are supremely easy to hit, with a very nice medium "click" feel to them, as the club impacts the ball. You can really feel the tungsten weights in the longer irons. The Mid-irons felt very workeable, and easy to control. The Short Irons were VERY solid, and reminded me a lot of the feeling of the Mizuno MP-37's. Very crisp, and a very substantial solid feeling to them.
SHAFT: Dynamic Gold S300's.
DISTANCE: Distance control seemed very consistent with these irons, not overly short or long.
CONTROL: The J33's felt VERY controllable, especially with the long irons. I believe the variable weighting really works, and it felt as if you could feel the ball easily, and control it's trajectory/path.
WEDGES: These looked and performed GREAT. I recall opening the face WIDE OPEN, and was easily hitting little cut flop shots easily. The feeling at impact is a little on the crisp side, which reminded me of a Mizuno MP wedge. I now own the 56*/60* J33 wedge combo, and I love 'em a lot. Very flexible wedges, with a wonderful sole design.
SUMMARY: I loved the way they look in all aspects (thin topline, not much offset, etc. etc.), and they are solid performers. Of special note is the sole design, which seems to work very well through the turf.
Here's some info I received from Bridgestone, when I emailed them asking about the differences between the J33's and the Z101's:
The information on our website is exactly what is in the catalog. As for any design features that are similar/different, the J33 combo set was designed from the beginning to be a combo set with a very progressive and consistent CG flow from lowest in the 2 iron to highest in the PW. In order to successfully achieve this, we placed 20 gram tungsten inserts in the trailing edge of the long irons. The z101 irons had tungsten inserts, but not as heavy
J33 Combo Specifications:
Iron Loft Lie Length S/W Offset
2 19° 59° 39.25" D3 3.5 mm
3 22° 60° 38.75" D3 3.25 mm
4 25° 61° 38.25" D3 3.0 mm
5 28° 62° 37.75" D3 2.75 mm
6 32° 62.5° 37.25" D3 2.5 mm
7 36° 63° 36.75" D3 2.25 mm
8 40° 63.5° 36.25" D3 2.0 mm
9 44° 64° 35.75" D3 1.75 mm
PW 48° 64.5° 35.25" D3 1.5 mm
Talk about a sweet set of clubs. After only a couple days at the range I'll be stuffing these irons in the bag and putting the Taylormade LT2's up for sale. They seem to be just as solid and easy to hit as the TM's but provide more feed back and the looks just can't be beat (ok, maybe the mp-60 might look as good).
amazing set of irons...kind of disappointed that a SW doesn't come in the package. i was interested in the mizunos, king cobras, pings, etc. these are by far the best forged irons on the market. the weight is a bit on the heavy side, but in the end the feel is amazing. everyone of my friends who have hit my clubs want to purchase them. don't worry you won't regret it!
I've had the J33 blades in the bag for about two weeks. If you like true blades these are hard to beat. The metal is not as soft as Mizuno blades but the feeling of a well struck shot has about the same feedback. As far as having the "right look" these look as good as the old Hogan apex's. I wish I could say these are the best blades ever but as with any true blade they perform as well as I swing with them. Give em a try if you are considering hard to hit tiny looking irons. You won't be dissapointed.
I have a buddy that works for Bridgestone. I think the J33s are very good...but I love the Gravity Chambers with the new Aldila shafts. They are like cheating, they are so straight.
The J33s are similar, and they have the classic look. I know you will enjoy them.