Where have you been, Maxfli?! This once great equipment brand inexplicably disappeared off the mainstream radar in the early 2000s, and many of us thought that was it! However, there were some signs of life when it was announced that Lexi Thompson would be putting a Maxfli ball into play, and subsequently, PGA Tour winner Ben Griffin has done the same. Then, lo and behold, there were some rumours and brief sightings of some clubs in the works…
I am delighted to say that I have been sent a set of the new Maxfli XC2 irons and have been putting them through their paces to see if this comeback iron can rival some of the best irons on the market.
Starting with the tech and what we are looking at with the XC2 is very much a forged cavity back, but the forging process is an interesting one here. They are actually forged five times, and in the midst of that process, the designers left some small pockets in the head to fill with tungsten in the toe and ceramic in the heel in order to enhance forgiveness and balance out the CG placement.
A radiused sole has been used, and there is significant leading edge relief designed to promote a slippery turf interaction at impact.
Looks-wise, I find it difficult to imagine a better-looking iron in this category, and the response I got to a post I put on social media when I received them would certainly corroborate that. The brushed matt finish is fantastic, offering a really premium feel, and something about the Maxfli logo just looks great! A few people in the comments on social media noted the striking resemblance to the Ping i230 iron, which I can definitely see too.
In terms of the playing position profiles, on the whole, they are good, although the shorter irons are a touch more angular than I ordinarily like. The mid to long irons, however, are beautifully shaped with good proportions and frame the ball well.
In terms of performance, I am happy to say I was not disappointed. Whatever wizardry the designers employed with the multiple forging and ceramic inserts has absolutely paid off; they feel fantastic. I am so used to feeling that hot, springy sensation in this category of iron (as the bulk of them are hollow-bodied), that feeling a much more subtle and soft impact was extremely refreshing.
Interestingly, on the whole, that softer feel didn’t compromise the ball speed and distance output too much, and they performed well in that regard. I decided to pit them against what I still believe to be the category leader for compact distance irons, the TaylorMade P790, and was pleasantly surprised.
In terms of the 7-iron data, there was less than 2 mph of ball speed difference between the two and only 5 yards of carry for me, albeit in favour of the TaylorMade model, although the very slight difference in loft could account for some of that. The Maxfli XC2 7-iron is 30.5˚, while the P790 is 30˚.
As I went through the bag, these distance differences jumped around a little with the Maxfli producing stronger results in the shorter irons the the TaylorMade P790, and this was the opposite way round as I moved up into the 4-iron, for example, with the P790 significantly outhitting the XC2. Once again, though, I would put the majority of that down to the loft discrepancies between the sets at various points, which is certainly something to take note of if you are considering a purchase.
I had very high hopes for these irons based purely on nostalgia and the initial looks, and thankfully, they did not disappoint me. What I love the most is that they offer a genuine alternative in terms of feel to most of the compact distance category while not compromising on the performance characteristics of speed and distance that people shopping in this area are looking for.
The Maxfli XC2 irons are priced at $999.00 for a 4-PW set.
