Every year, TaylorMade claims to outdo themselves with their latest line of irons. The SpeedBlade irons are heavily hyped to be a huge upgrade over the RocketBladez irons, but is that truly the case? Our 0 handicap tester, Jeff Bushnell, put the SpeedBlade irons to the test. Now, it's time to find out if the SpeedBlade irons are all that TaylorMade says they are.

Golfer:  Jeff Bushnell  |  Handicap: 0  |  Age: 37

The TaylorMade SpeedBlade 6 Iron Set Up


SpeedBlade Loft: 26.5

SpeedBlade Lie: 62.5

Length: 37.625 inches

Shaft: Stock SpeedBlade 85 Steel stiff flex

Swing Weight: D 2.5

Frequency: 299 CPM’s

Golf Ball Used: Titliest Pro V1 X

The TaylorMade SpeedBlade Testing


During testing, the SpeedBlade 6 iron was hit 20 times on Hurricane Golf’s Vector Ball launch monitor and the top 10 results were used to for this review.  The Titleist Pro V1 X was the golf ball used for all results.

The TaylorMade SpeedBlade Numbers


Average Swing Speed: 96 mph

Average Ball Speed: 136 mph

% Increase of Ball Speed Versus Club Speed: 33.8%

Average Ball Launch Angle: 15.25

Average Ball Spin: 4061

Average Carry Distance: 198

Average Roll: 7

Average Total Distance: 205

The TaylorMade SpeedBlade Analysis


The 2013 SpeedBlade irons are the newest release in the TaylorMade family of irons.  Along with the irons came promises from TaylorMade that seemed  unrealistic to obtain once again. TaylorMade claims the SpeedBlade irons are smaller, yet more forgiving, and will result in longer shots with higher launch and farther carry than the RocketBladez line released last year. Our tester began the test with skepticism and felt many of TaylorMade’s claims would be debunked during the testing.  His initial response was not a good one because it looked like TaylorMade had taken the RocketBladez iron and simply put a new name on it to market a new line of irons. After closer examination, some pretty noticeable differences were found. The SpeedBlade iron is indeed slightly smaller and has a darker finish than the RocketBladez irons, and it also has more weight low and toward the back of the club.  The “speed slot” on the bottom has a different configuration than the RocketBladez irons as well.   

While checking the specs of the club, our tester was very curious to see if TaylorMade was promising more distance because TaylorMade made the club longer and strengthened the lofts of both.  However the loft, length and shaft on the SpeedBladewere exactly the same as the RocketBladez.  Our tester checked to make sure the specs were what TaylorMade advertised and  was pleased to find the iron had exactly 26.5* of loft and the swing weight was exactly a D2.5.  However, the shaft did play about a full flex softer than what it said, but since it has an 85 gram steel shaft it wasn’t too surprising.

Once our tester was warmed up, he was very pleased by the feel of the club, as it did feel much softer and solid than the RocketBladez iron.  The SpeedBlade also had much less of a “clicky” feel and reminded him more of hitting a forged iron.  When he put the SpeedBlade iron to the test and started recording shots on Hurricane Golf’s ball launch monitor, he was absolutely shocked.  In the 20 swings that he made, heI had 15 of the farthest 6 irons he has ever recorded on the machine.  He was almost 2 full clubs farther than the current irons in his bag.  Even though the length of his current 6 iron is the same as the SpeedBlade, his swing speed was on average 4 MPH’s faster with the SpeedBlade irons.  The percent ball increase over club head speed was actually better than many drivers he has tested.  On his mishits, the spin rate would increase slightly, as is expected, but the distance was still there.  His only real complaint on the SpeedBlade iron is that it has a little more offset than he’s used to looking down at, which made it more difficult to shape shots.

Jeff’s Final Verdict on the TaylorMade SpeedBlade Irons


For the first time in a while TaylorMade has really impressed me.  If you are looking for extra distance, higher launch and forgiveness in an iron with a sleek look, I would consider the SpeedBlade irons. I will say that much like a driver, the faster the club head speed the more spring the face is going to have.  So, more aggressive swings will notice a greater increase, but the club does hit farther at all swing speeds tested.  

The only real negatives I could find with the SpeedBlade iron would be for those who are a scratch or very low handicap golfer.  The offset on the iron made it difficult to work the ball and wasn’t the most appealing part of the iron to look down at.  Also, trying to dial yardages in seemed to be a little tricky with the SpeedBlade because the difference in yardage on an 80% swing versus a 100% swing was substantial.  However, for just about every other level of golfer, the TaylorMade SpeedBlade far exceeded my expectations.  If you are in the market for some new irons I would recommend you find a demo day and give the TaylorMade SpeedBlade irons a try.