I have reviewed quite a number of Tour Edge products in the last couple of years, with some particular highlights being the Exotics C725 irons, so I was very much looking forward to the release of the budget-friendly, game improvement offering, the Hot Launch E525 irons. Hoping to take their place alongside the best game improvement irons, I took them out on the course to see what they had to offer…
Tech-wise, what we have is very much a game improvement iron, featuring a wide sole and a ‘deep undercut’ design which facilitates more face flexion and faster ball speeds across the face. Tour Edge has also used its Vibrcor technology - a high-grade TPU placed in the undercut pocket - to enhance the impact feel by dampening the vibrations. Finally, we have some significant toe weighting which has been added to maximize stability on poorly struck shots with the intention of retaining ball speed and tightening dispersion.
The looks will please those prioritising maximum confidence at address due to the heavy offset, long blade length, and pretty substantial topline. From a distance, I think that they also offer some excellent shelf appeal with nice shaping and a well-picked-out gold accent color. However, one of my bugbears in the ‘budget’ golf equipment space is a lack of attention to detail in terms of the finish, and that is somewhat evident here with some less-than-perfect paintwork.
Smudging and paint bleeding over into areas it wasn’t intended to, simply should not happen, and unfortunately, that was evident throughout my set. Granted, this has absolutely no bearing on the performance of the iron, and I fully understand that when looking to hit a specific price point, there are compromises to be made in certain areas, but it would cost no more to ensure that the paintwork is a touch neater.
I was genuinely impressed with the performance of the Tour Edge Hot Launch E525 iron, especially in terms of the distance output, although that should have come as no surprise due to the very strong lofts of this set. The 4 iron is 19˚, the 7 is 27.5˚, and the PW comes in at 42˚, although there is the option of a 46˚ AW to help you bridge the gap into your more lofted wedges.
Interestingly, the peak height wasn’t negatively affected by these lofts too much for me, reaching some relatively healthy apexes, comparable with my own gamer set of TaylorMade P7CB irons, albeit with significantly less spin.
Impact feel was impressively soft (potentially aided by the Vibrcor technology), and the wide sole will suit players with a steeper attack angle into the ball.
If you are looking for maximum workability and refined control, then you are looking in the wrong place with the Tour Edge Hot Launch E525 irons, but what you do get is a very user-friendly, solid-feeling game improvement iron.
The Tour Edge Hot Launch E525 Iron is available in 4-PW, 4-PW + AW, and 5-PW + AW in both right and left hand. The stock steel shaft is the True Temper Elevate MPH 95, while the stock graphite is the UST Mamiya Helium Black. When ordering from the Tour Edge website, you can specify length, loft, lie, and even how many wraps of tape you would like on your grips, which is an excellent additional service.
The RRP is $559/£431 for a 7-club set.
