Takomo 101/201/301 - anyone have any experience?

[GolfSpy SAM]

Hey all - 

  Big fan of what a lot of these DTC companies are doing - bringing high quality components at crazy-low prices.  I've had my eye on the 201s for a while, but honestly not sure my consistency would justify the less-forgiving forged cavity-back (currently playing the Sim Max irons from 2020) design.  I see they (Takomo) just recently announced the 101T, which is a slightly more refined version of their 101 (hollow-body, akin to the P790), so kind of more of a P770.

  Wondering if anyone has any experience with Takomo -  by all accounts I can find online (TXG, James Robinson, etc.), they're well-made alternatives, with the down-side being not being able to hit them anywhere before buying (and with no demo program that I can tell).  KBS shafts, quality grips, etc. 

  I'd love to up game enough to justify one of the two sets, and the idea of hitting a forged iron certainly appeals to my vanity, but I'm guessing the 101T's are the right club at the right time - but would love a little feedback if anyone has any to offer.

  Also, I'd be selling my Sim's for whatever I could get to offset some of the cost ($639 total with KBS C-Taper / Lamkin Midsize upgrades).

  Thoughts?

[Violinguy]

James Robinson sure likes them.   According to their website, they are backordered with long lead time.  They seem like wonderful clubs, but I don't like that you can only get 4-PW.  I have no use for a 4-I

 

Edited June 17, 2022 by Violinguy

[jakemuffins]

I have the 201s. Very satisfied with them coming from a srixon game improvement set. Literally no complaints other than they announced a combo set a month after I bought them. 

[GolfSpy SAM]

16 hours ago, jakemuffins said:

I have the 201s. Very satisfied with them coming from a srixon game improvement set. Literally no complaints other than they announced a combo set a month after I bought them. 

Yeah, the 201s are beautiful.  I've been looking at the new 101Ts that were just announced (not available yet) - basically the "P770" of their lineup, as the original 101s were considered "large-ish" by some.  I love the look of both the new 101Ts and the 201s, and trying to figure out if a combo of either those (8,9, P in 201, 5, 6, 7 in 101T) or the 101T/101 would be a benefit to my game or just something to spend more money on.  

Glad to hear you've had a good experience.  Any issues with forgiveness, coming from the GI set?  

[jakemuffins]

10 hours ago, Samsonite said:

Yeah, the 201s are beautiful.  I've been looking at the new 101Ts that were just announced (not available yet) - basically the "P770" of their lineup, as the original 101s were considered "large-ish" by some.  I love the look of both the new 101Ts and the 201s, and trying to figure out if a combo of either those (8,9, P in 201, 5, 6, 7 in 101T) or the 101T/101 would be a benefit to my game or just something to spend more money on.  

Glad to hear you've had a good experience.  Any issues with forgiveness, coming from the GI set?  

Not really but with a caveat. For most of my teens I was a single digit handicap but didn’t play for about ten years after college. Picked up the 585zs thinking I’d have a hard time getting my swing back into shape. After some practice though I realized I could handle something a little sleeker so I traded those in and bought the takomos. They are less forgiving but the feel is great. I used to play a hogan apex combo set and I’d say they feel just as good as those did back in the day. I’ll be buying the 301s as a cb/mb combo set as soon as they’re released. No experience with the 101 or 101T unfortunately. 

[jakemuffins]

Also, not sure if you care but they ship direct from Hong Kong not Finland. Doesn’t really matter to me but for your awareness. 

[Bulldog]

I ordered the Takomo 101 heads.  You get 4 iron through PW in the set.  I built them with Nippon N.S.PRO 8950GH constant weight shafts.  I've played 6 rounds with them so far.  This combination works great for me.  They are power lofted, e.g. 30° 7 iron.  I've gained about 12-15 yards per club.  I haven't used a 4 iron in 25 years.  I was startled when I found I could hit it.  

Looks  

Feel  

Price  

Performance

 

[GolfSpy SAM]

On 10/22/2022 at 10:25 AM, Bulldog said:

I ordered the Takomo 101 heads.  You get 4 iron through PW in the set.  I built them with Nippon N.S.PRO 8950GH constant weight shafts.  I've played 6 rounds with them so far.  This combinations works great for me.  They are power lofted, e.g. 30° 7 iron.  I've gained about 12-15 yards per club.  I haven't used a 4 iron in 25 years.  I was startled when I found I could hit it.  

Looks  

Feel  

Price  

Performance

 

Love it - thanks for the feedback! I see in your sig that you're only playing 5-PW - did you decide you didn't need the 4, or you preferred your hybrid? 

[Bulldog]

1 hour ago, Samsonite said:

Love it - thanks for the feedback! I see in your sig that you're only playing 5-PW - did you decide you didn't need the 4, or you preferred your hybrid? 

I should have said I was startled to be able to hit the 4 iron off a clean lie. From the rough, not so much.  So I've gone with the 4 hybrid which is better for me from the rough.  Also, the Takomo 5 iron is also freaky long for me.  Last week, I had a 165 yard approach shot to a front pin placement.  That was the 5 iron in my previous irons, so I hit the Takomo 5 iron. I was surprised when I got to the green and found my ball had gone off the back of the green. Arccos measured the Takomo 5 iron shot at 181 yards.

[Jim517]

Just got a set of custom 101 irons. Delivery was close to 12 weeks. Like the look and feel and can't wait to hit them- there is 11 inches if snow on the ground right now. The 8 iron in the set had a couple of dings on the toe with a spot of rust. I was quite surprised considering they were brand new! Sent an email to Takomo and they, of course apologized and said it "shouldn't affect performance," and gave me a $25 credit toward my next purchase. No mention of replacing the head/head or addeessing the issue directly. I mean, a brand new set kf custom clubs that should of, at least, not have any marks on them! I have bought several sets of irons in my time: Wilson Staff, Taylormade, Calloway and even a few sets of Northwesterns (talk about budget!) and this had never happened! It may sound picky, but considering their claim to be a cut above, I really had high hopes. Needless to say, I will not be buying anything from them again. 

[GolfSpy_APH]

I wish they had a few other options for LH, but these have certainly peaked my interest if I was to look at a second set of irons. Of course the 659 TC are safe in the bag, but these do have a lot of appeal to me!

[jacksonstorm]

Have had 4-p,stock KBS C-Taper Tour light (note this stock shaft is an upgrade for many brands),stock LLL. Ordered last Nov (2021) recieved a month later. This model was fairly recently introduced at time. Was bought as a back up set to be used for range while gamers at CC.Change irons annually and gamers this year were Apex,PXG Gen 3 P,and currently  T200 ,4-p. (2022).

The 201s feel as good as most forged irons I've owned (roughly 50 sets since 1975). Distance is good and forgiveness is very good for a one piece of metal forged iron. Wanted to play them more than the few times I did but used again mainly for practice at range when not at CC. Also being I like to trade sticks often wanted to keep newish condition. Not as forgiving as my T200 or PXG Gen 3 I would say the dispersion is better. To my knowledge the price is same as a year ago $589. plus $50 shipping from Hong Kong. I don,t think you can touch  many a forged iron of similiar quality  with the noterity it gets from You Tube for less. Yes the DTC types can"t be demoed without cost thus the lower cost.

[marktama]

19 hours ago, Jim517 said:

Just got a set of custom 101 irons. Delivery was close to 12 weeks. Like the look and feel and can't wait to hit them- there is 11 inches if snow on the ground right now. The 8 iron in the set had a couple of dings on the toe with a spot of rust. I was quite surprised considering they were brand new! Sent an email to Takomo and they, of course apologized and said it "shouldn't affect performance," and gave me a $25 credit toward my next purchase. No mention of replacing the head/head or addeessing the issue directly. I mean, a brand new set kf custom clubs that should of, at least, not have any marks on them! I have bought several sets of irons in my time: Wilson Staff, Taylormade, Calloway and even a few sets of Northwesterns (talk about budget!) and this had never happened! It may sound picky, but considering their claim to be a cut above, I really had high hopes. Needless to say, I will not be buying anything from them again. 

You might consider responding that the $25 credit does not resolve your concerns and that want to have the club replaced instead.  As a new company, I would imagine that customer satisfaction is paramount, and that if you are insistent, they will acquiesce.

Edited December 2, 2022 by marktama
clarification

[Glenmore5]

Not a good customer experience 

[Apimendez]

I have Tk 101 and they are fantastic. Recomend with eyes closed. 

[SAnderson42]

I have ordered a set of custom 101's but I haven't received them yet. It has been over 8 weeks since I placed my order - (Oct. 31st).  I've emailed several times and get a generic response back with no timeline. the initial timeline they gave me when I ordered was 6-8 weeks.  

[GolfSpy SAM]

31 minutes ago, SAnderson42 said:

I have ordered a set of custom 101's but I haven't received them yet. It has been over 8 weeks since I placed my order - (Oct. 31st).  I've emailed several times and get a generic response back with no timeline. the initial timeline they gave me when I ordered was 6-8 weeks.  

Dang. That's disappointing to hear. I would assume it has something to do with the Holidays, but...not really a great excuse to at least respond to an email, especially to someone who's already paid them.  

I guess this is why Sub-70 gets so much business - their customer service is just incredible. 

This is the kind of thing that will keep other people away from taking a chance - hopefully they're reading this and can adjust accordingly. 

Let me know when you get a shipping notice? Just curious as to how much beyond the 8 weeks it ultimately is. 

[Franc38]

I've ordered a combo set of iron 301 on Christmas' eve and just got them this morning. Had the time to go a play a quick 9 holes this afternoon...

So far, I'm really happy. The lofts are in my wheelhouse (just 1° stronger than my current/former set, so no need to change the rest of the bag), the fit and finish is great, no dinks or uneven surfaces that I've noticed, The heads are really nice, squat compact with a bit of a "thick-ish" (say that very very fast) topline. They remind me a bit of the Mizuno MP4 at address. The offset is not too big (but looks a tad larger than what the specs say... somewhat more than my current/former set of Bridgestone J38 CB. Well, that's talking fractions of mm on something that's on the "low offset" segment of the market anyways.

The feel is really nice, a bit more "solid" or "hard" than the Bridgestone (same S20C steel, but the Bridgestones are Endo forged and have a small magnesium insert supposedly "vibration dampening"... either could be the reason). I'm liking that more "solid" feel a lot (reminds me of the TW blades that I've tried a while ago, and the MP4s, again are in the same ballpark). The soles are bit wider than what I was comfortable with but being "pre-worn" on the front and back edges, I found the "turf interaction" to be quite nice (the ground is soft, verging on soggy, at the moment, we'll see when conditions get harder in the summer.

All in all, I'm very happy! Sure, the grips are standard but I had asked them and getting midsize grips would have pushed the wait time from 5-10 days to 8 weeks, apparently, so I'll keep the standard grip for a while an regrip in a while with some good midsize corded things later on.

[GolfSpy SAM]

6 minutes ago, Franc38 said:

I've ordered a combo set of iron 301 on Christmas' eve and just got them this morning. Had the time to go a play a quick 9 holes this afternoon...

So far, I'm really happy. The lofts are in my wheelhouse (just 1° stronger than my current/former set, so no need to change the rest of the bag), the fit and finish is great, no dinks or uneven surfaces that I've noticed, The heads are really nice, squat compact with a bit of a "thick-ish" (say that very very fast) topline. They remind me a bit of the Mizuno MP4 at address. The offset is not too big (but looks a tad larger than what the specs say... somewhat more than my current/former set of Bridgestone J38 CB. Well, that's talking fractions of mm on something that's on the "low offset" segment of the market anyways.

The feel is really nice, a bit more "solid" or "hard" than the Bridgestone (same S20C steel, but the Bridgestones are Endo forged and have a small magnesium insert supposedly "vibration dampening"... either could be the reason). I'm liking that more "solid" feel a lot (reminds me of the TW blades that I've tried a while ago, and the MP4s, again are in the same ballpark). The soles are bit wider than what I was comfortable with but being "pre-worn" on the front and back edges, I found the "turf interaction" to be quite nice (the ground is soft, verging on soggy, at the moment, we'll see when conditions get harder in the summer.

All in all, I'm very happy! Sure, the grips are standard but I had asked them and getting midsize grips would have pushed the wait time from 5-10 days to 8 weeks, apparently, so I'll keep the standard grip for a while an regrip in a while with some good midsize corded things later on.

Love it! Thanks for the feedback! The 301s are definitely less forgiving than what I’m looking for, but good god they’re pretty  keep us up to date with how they treat you!!

[Franc38]

I'm currently away from my golf bag, but I'll post some pictures (included the "at address" pics that are so hard to find for most manufacturers... makes you wonder if golf club manufacturers think people buy clubs to look at them in the bag, instead of playing with them).

[GolfSpy SAM]

23 hours ago, Franc38 said:

I'm currently away from my golf bag, but I'll post some pictures (included the "at address" pics that are so hard to find for most manufacturers... makes you wonder if golf club manufacturers think people buy clubs to look at them in the bag, instead of playing with them).

This sounds like a really weird outgoing voicemail message.

[Franc38]

54 minutes ago, Samsonite said:

This sounds like a really weird outgoing voicemail message.

Yep, should have that on my pro mail when on holidays, or something!

[Franc38]

Ok, back home for two days... Managed 12 holes this afternoon (will be the last until Friday) and I confirm my impressions. Feel is "solid", not as soft as on the (Endo forged) Bridgestone but I like the more "powerful feel". When well hit they go a bit further than said j38cb (there's 1° difference in lofts), but seem less forgiving off the toe. Now, view at address: first the 9i

Then the 7i:

And finally the 5i:

Sorry for the dirty clubs, I've wiped them cursorily after my round and not been very good at it .

[tschott]

On 12/1/2022 at 6:21 PM, Jim517 said:

Just got a set of custom 101 irons. Delivery was close to 12 weeks. Like the look and feel and can't wait to hit them- there is 11 inches if snow on the ground right now. The 8 iron in the set had a couple of dings on the toe with a spot of rust. I was quite surprised considering they were brand new! Sent an email to Takomo and they, of course apologized and said it "shouldn't affect performance," and gave me a $25 credit toward my next purchase. No mention of replacing the head/head or addeessing the issue directly. I mean, a brand new set kf custom clubs that should of, at least, not have any marks on them! I have bought several sets of irons in my time: Wilson Staff, Taylormade, Calloway and even a few sets of Northwesterns (talk about budget!) and this had never happened! It may sound picky, but considering their claim to be a cut above, I really had high hopes. Needless to say, I will not be buying anything from them again. 

Believe I would send the whole set back and try a different brand

[GolfSpy_APH]

Never had a chance to go, however looks like I will be back in Finland again next year and am going to see if I can get an appointment and head up a day or two early. Maybe even depending on the time of year do a fitting there with them if possible!

[Franc38]

Some more pics, hopefully better quality...

From the back (8i, in 301mb)

From the back (7i, in 301cb)

From the top front (7i, I think)...

These clubs look really nice, clean and pure and at the same time thick enough they are not frightening like the Cobra RF may be.

 

Edited January 8, 2023 by Franc38