SirShanksAlot
The Fi5 iron is a throwback to the Wilson irons of old… no oversized shafts, no deep cavities, no thick soles or bulky top lines. These are true “players” irons and are designed for the more accomplished player. The Fi5 is one of three new irons from Wilson… who have been working very hard to revive the “Staff” name and get consumers excited about the once popular brand.
Wilson has jumped on the “combo set bandwagon” with this one. The longer irons have thicker soles to create a lower center of gravity, the mid irons are a standard cavity back and the short irons are muscle backs. The longer irons are kind of interesting… they aren’t really a cavity back… they look more like a blade with extra weight towards the bottom. All of the heads are forged from 8620 mild carbon steel which provides the golfer with great feedback. They also all feature very thin top lines and soles… even the thicker soles on the longer irons aren’t really that thick. Wilson outfitted the Fi5 irons with True Temper Dynamic Gold steel shafts and there are other great shafts available through the custom department. A better player should not have any problem finding a shaft that works. Wilson is on their way back to respectability after the Fat Shaft era… or should I say Fat Shaft error. The Fi5 irons represent the Wilson irons of old and many golfers hope that these irons are the first step towards a regeneration of the Wilson brand.
I think all of the testers agreed that the Fi5’s are beautiful irons. They loved the shiny chrome finish and the way the clubs looked at address. Testers enjoyed the feel of the irons but most agreed that the clubs aren’t as soft as many other forged offerings. I think the biggest knock on the Fi5 irons is their lack of forgiveness. It’s funny that neither of Wilson’s big PGA staff members (Padraig Harrington and Jesper Parnevik) play the forged Fi5 irons. They have both decided to use the more forgiving Pi5 irons. Most of our testers commented on the lack of forgiveness but noted that well struck balls felt great. The ball flight was mid to high and the longer irons got the ball high thanks to their low center of gravity. The reduced offset made shot shaping easy. Some testers mentioned that they felt the Fi5 irons were one of the shorter irons that they have hit. Many testers had to use one more club to get the yardage they were after. These irons are a huge step in the right direction. These are what Wilson irons used to be like. Make no mistake about it… the Fi5 irons are not for everyone. They are designed for the better player and higher handicappers should look at the two other Wilson irons. In a nutshell… very beautiful irons, not that forgiving, decent feel and easy to shape shots. These aren’t the best Wilson irons ever made but they make us excited about what might come next year.
SirShanksAlot Rating Out of Ten: 6
Target Handicap – 10 and under
Ball Flight – Mid to low
Offset – Minimal
Construction – Forged 8620 Mild Carbon Steel
Stock Shafts – True Temper Dynamic Gold steel