50 Words or Less
The Tour Edge Hot Launch E525 irons and X525 ironwoods offer golfers tremendous value. While each set provides unique benefits both blend face stability, ultra forgiveness, and maximum distance for the mid to high handicap golfer.
Introduction
While Tour Edge is probably not the first brand that comes to mind when you think of golf clubs, their almost 40 years in business and customer friendly pricing definitely should. They hand build their clubs right here in the U.S., offer military and veteran discount pricing, and ship all orders within 48 hours of receipt.
Today I am focusing on their latest Hot Launch irons – specifically the E525 irons and X525 ironwoods. I put both of them in my bag for a few rounds to see how well they perform on the course.
Looks
In terms of looks, I will start with Tour Edge Hot Launch E525 irons. Each iron has a wide sole and thick body that easily distinguishes itself as a game improvement iron. The cavity is not visible which makes it appear as a large one piece iron, which most golfers will prefer. The branding has a distinct “VIBRCOR” across the sole’s edge which refers to the special material that helps with sound and feel. At address, the top line is large with a healthy amount of offset. These irons set up slightly closed.
The Tour Edge Hot Launch X525 ironwoods are clearly different than the E525 irons in looks. For starters, the sole is much wider. Each club has a cavity that extends out enough to provide a sole almost as a wide as a wood – hence the name. In addition, the black and white branding is only broken up by a splash of orange color along the sole.
At address, the grooves extend out to the toe to help with strikes all over the face. While it did take some getting used to, the lines make the face look elongated at address and provided a bit more confidence that I swing away freely. Despite the appearance, the toe to heel length is the exact same size as the E525 irons, only with less offset.
Sound & Feel
Despite their distinct differences in appearance, the Tour Edge Hot Launch E525 irons and X525 ironwoods are very similar in terms of sound and feel.
At impact, both sets elicit a mid-pitch “tick.” The sound is closer to a well struck blade than I would have anticipated. The only difference is that poor strikes with the X525 ironwoods had a hollow sound to them, not too dissimilar from a wood or hybrid.
As far as feel, the Tour Edge Hot Launch E525 irons and X525 ironwoods were again quite similar. If you blindfolded me while swinging, I probably wouldn’t be able to distinguish the two heads. Each of these heads delivered solid feel at impact with slightly harder feedback on shots away from center. The worst shots off the toe or near the heel provide increased vibration through the grip and hands. While you can distinguish your worst shots from your best, the sweet spot on both irons is quite large.
Performance
The Tour Edge Hot Launch E525 irons and X525 ironwoods live up to their name – hot launch. These characteristics come from the wide sole and undercut design in the E525 irons and the hollow body design in the X525 ironwoods that achieves impressive ball speeds in both of these clubs.
In my testing, both showed impressive distance off the face with slightly more spin in the E525 irons over the X525 ironwoods. This helps explain the difference in lofts between the two clubs. You can see the full loft specifications in the graphic below, but the pitching wedge is 42 degrees in the E525 irons while the X525 ironwood has a 43 degree pitching wedge. A small difference helps balance spin and trajectory for maximum distance.
That is where much of the similarities end. Unique to only the Tour Edge Hot Launch E525 irons, there is added toe weighting to help stabilize the face for straighter shots and to reduce the impact of off-center strikes. While I initially thought increased toe weight would create an open face at impact, the iron’s offset balances that out for an extremely controllable face.
Also specific to the E525 irons is the use of the VIBRCOR TPU material which is injected inside the cavity. This improves feel and helps with launch and distance. This is one thing I consistently saw with these irons – distance. Whether I had a good or bad swing, these delivered and had just enough spin to hold most greens. The Tour Edge Hot Launch E525 irons are ideal for the mid handicap player who doesn’t always find the center of the face and wants more distance .
The Tour Edge Hot Launch X525 ironwoods are super game improvement irons. Tour Edge’s patented Houdini Sole strategically places mass along the trailing edge for a low center of gravity which helps stabilize the club. Additionally, this acts as a guide rail to get through almost any turf. I would agree with Tour Edge in that it was effortless to achieve solid contact even on my worst swings. Any player who struggles with fat shots should certainly consider the X525 ironwoods.
Tour Edge specifically engineered the X525 ironwoods to have the weight out on the perimeter of the body and a healthy amount of offset for what they call the “anti-slice design.” I would take it a step further and say they are anti-hook as well. These want to square up at impact every swing. I even found it difficult to move the ball one way or another because of it.
These are easy to launch and provide plenty of distance. I noted that several balls flew the 200 yard plus green with the seven ironwood. While the distance was impressive, these are certainly geared towards those with slower swing speeds. If you need distance with your irons, these might be a perfect fit.
Both iron sets are offered in a four iron through approach wedge with the X525 ironwoods coming in at $629 per set and the E525 irons at $559 per set.
Conclusion
Tour Edge has put together two of the most game improvement iron sets available at a price point that beats out almost every other competitor in this space. Both sets offer maximum forgiveness, straight ball flights, and huge distance. Whether you’re a mid to high handicap or just need a little boost in distance, the Tour Edge Hot Launch E525 irons and X525 ironwoods should be high on your list to try out in 2025.
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Tour Edge Hot Launch E525 Irons Specs
Tour Edge Hot Launch X525 Ironwoods Specs
