Mizuno MP-33 Iron Review 22 Years Too Late

Why should 22-year-old clubs matter? The Mizuno MP-33s are revered as one of the best set of bladed irons ever made. So why not review these beauties?

A little backstory may be necessary, being a 10ish handicap most of my life I always played game improvement irons with significant perimeter weighting. Through 2019 I started to dabble a little into club building, club design, and club technology, in this “journey” my mind went to extremes to help me better understand the influences each variable has on the game. Since I was still young and my ego was a little bigger then my first deep dive was around finding the thinnest bladiest blades. A vein attempt to focus on beauty and simplicity over well something that could legitimately improve my game. (Honestly, I was trying to convince myself that if I played or practiced with blades it would make me a better player).

The Search for Blades

Since I am a frugal individual I started searching older generation clubs that would give me the quintessential Muscle Back look and feel with less of a commitment to my wallet. Hands down late 90’s early 00’s Mizunos, Hogans, and Muiras seemed to be on the shortlist of most forum sites and reviews I read. The MP-33s and Hogan Apex being the most recommended of the bunch. So I started doing some eBay and forum hunting and was seeing moderate sets of those and other similar clubs in the $150-300 range. By chance, I was killing time with my wife and happened to find myself in Golf Galaxy (like one often does) and was checking out the Used rack and found a set of MP-33s in fairly good condition for $90.

Being in a golf store with simulators and new clubs I grabbed the MP-33 7iron and the at the time current MP-20 irons that had just been released and brought them straight to the launch monitor. After hitting both 7 irons a few times, then again, they both had a tremendous feel and strikes were fairly consistent. I proceeded to get the MP-33 5 iron, then 9 iron, then 3 iron, then well my wife was getting bored and knew before I was that these irons were coming home.

Reconditioning

Being used these irons needed a little love and a bit of updating. Swapping out some grips, giving these clubs a much-needed polish, and applying some new paint fill these things were ready to be back on course. I probably should have swapped some stiffer shafts in these since I believe the Rifle Flighted 5.0 was not quite suited to my swing, but I was ready to play and the shafts probably would have easily doubled or tripled the price, so I have waved that for now.

On Course

Finally getting these bad boys out on course was a must in short order. Addressing the ball and comparing them to my gamers was a difference having a 30% smaller topline, smaller toe toe-to-heel length, and 4+ degree loft difference meant many adjustments were needed. The size didn’t influence me too much significantly and as long as I remembered to grab at least 1 extra club I was at least in the ballpark. The biggest difference and this shouldn’t be too surprising was the feel. Although it was never guaranteed the MP-33s were such a different feeling to my cavity backs. The MP-33s were a crisp snap compared to a pop or thwack of modern Game improvement or Hollow body irons (Those are the technical terms.) That feedback though was quite apparent on whether it would be a good shot or not by feel alone.

Comparing these head-to-head to a few other irons the biggest difference I noticed was more height and spin (even with comparable lofts), deeper divots due to the slimmer sole, and forgiveness on off-center hits. I was impressed by how well they did online yet distance was impacted by 8-10 yards when not flushed.

Who Should play the MP-33s?

Well probably no one BUT everyone should try them. To be fair, I believe this is true for the Cleveland Halo Irons as well. They are a different experience that prioritizes aesthetics, feel, and precision over forgiveness and speed. The feedback at impact was unparalleled to anything I’ve ever played and does allow for a better understanding of where on the club face was struck.

Since I have purchased these irons they have spent more time hanging on the wall than out on course but it’s always fun to bring them out for a change of pace in my practice. I also take these out if I have an “iron only” round for the day be it a par 3 course or just a challenge day. I often use them on my R10 if I’m trying to compare clubs or want to work on my impact location. The MP-33s and most Muscle Backs are like a large chocolate Ice Cream cone. Is it best for you, should you eat it? No, but damn it’s delicious, and good luck keeping me from treating myself once and a while.