Our Cleveland Launcher CBX irons review took place at The Golf Shack at Moor Allerton in Leeds.
We first saw the CBX irons at the brand’s launch event this summer where they also launched the CBX wedges, HB launcher woods and irons.
But we wanted to get the CBX irons on the launch monitor to see how they performed.
We used a Foresight GC Quad to get some numbers thanks to PGA professional James Whitaker.
Cleveland Launcher CBX irons review – First impressions
There’s a fair bit of shelf appeal with these and I think they will work for a wide variety of players.
They are quite large and ‘friendly’ looking but have a really nice stylish design with a brushed chrome finish.
It struck me how nicely they would blend with the new CBX wedges from a purely aesthetic point of view.
Another good thing about the CBX irons is the fact they have the loft stamped on the sole. Why more brands don’t do this baffles me. At the end of the day the loft is all that matters.
Or even better would be to get fitted and then have the number of how far YOU hit it added to the sole.
I digress, but Cleveland say they print the lofts to make sure there aren’t big gaps – particularly at the bottom end of the bag.
So the pitching wedge has 44˚ on it meaning you’ll want a 48 or a 50 next rather than jumping straight to a 56˚ or 58˚ sand wedge.
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Cleveland Launcher CBX irons review – The technology
The brand have pulled on their wedge technology to make sure the faces on these irons produce the right amount of spin to stop on the greens.
There’s also a similar V sole to the wedges to help the CBX irons glide better through the turf.
They are cavity-backs and have low centre of gravity to promote good ball speeds and high launch.
Cleveland Launcher CBX irons review – The results
There was quite a loud sound of these irons which wasn’t the sweetest or most pleasing I have heard this year. But that could very well be a personal thing.
The ball seemed to come off the face nicely and launched nice and high with decent spin.
A six iron for me is a 160-165 club so getting a carry of 158 was pretty much there or thereabouts.
They don’t quite come off the face as hot as some other irons I have tested this year but I don’t think these irons are all about distance. They are as much about precision and that’s why they will appeal to high single figure players as well.
Cleveland Launcher CBX irons review – NCG verdict
I wouldn’t say I’d ever really considered Cleveland irons before but the CBX are ticking a lot of boxes for me.
They are helpful without being too chunky and still look like ‘proper’ golf clubs with decent shelf appeal.
I didn’t quite get the distance I might have expected from say my Ping G400 6-iron and the lofts are equally strong.
If you simply want distance then there are other irons out there which may do the job a bit better.
But these CBX irons were not custom fit for me and I may have squeezed a few more yards our with the right shaft.
Either way, these irons seem ideal for a mid-teen handicapper like myself and I think it proves Cleveland don’t just make great wedges.
They have invested a fair bit in the ‘game-improvement’ market this year which is good to see and I don’t think anyone who plumps for clubs in the new launcher range will be disappointed.
Details/SRPs:
Men’s Steel Set (5-PW): £570 (single iron: £95)
Men’s Graphite Set (5-PW): £648 (single iron: £108)
Women’s Graphite Set (5-PW): £648 (single iron: £108)
For more information available on the Cleveland website.
Review: Cleveland Launcher HB irons
Review: Cleveland Launcher HB driver
First Look: Cleveland CBX Wedges
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