Takomo Irons - 2023 Forum Review

[GolfSpy_BNG]

We have some exciting news!!!!!

 @DukeStKing will be giving the Takomo 101T’s a review as well. 

[GolfSpy_BEN]

Congrats @DukeStKing! I look forward to reading about your impressions of these irons. 

[GolfSpy_BNG]

Gonna bump this as @DukeStKing has posted his intro.

[TylorJudd]

Just throwing an update post in for everyone. The 301CB are still wonderful. I create a fair amount of compression, and very rarely do they dig too far. They're constructed so nicely. They have performed, yesterday I was able to birdie 3/4 par 5's and they're getting me there in two with confidence. I've thrown a +2+3 +7 out since the testing ceased. They continue to impress me. Furthermore, the towel and hat they give you are top notch. The hat gets hard use and has no sweat signs and the towel stays so soft! I love how these perform and the confidence they inspire

[KC Golf]

101T mid irons were just great today.  On two par 3s hit it to less than 3 feet.  Both shots spinning and stopping within a foot.  Just fantastic distance control into a strong side wind.

Just continue to be very impressed.

[DukeStKing]

First Impressions:

Looking at the soles of the Takomos, the first thing I was struck by was the slightly wider sole than my Callaway Apex Combos. What's interesting is that the PW seems to have a wider sole but the 5 iron doesn't. 

Versus the 5 iron:

The increased width of the Tacomos is most pronounced near the toe. This leads me to believe that the Tacomos will have a bit more bounce and dig a little less. Considering I’ve been known to take divots so large I could roll them up and sell them as sod at Home Depot, a little more bounce will do me some good. 

I think the smaller profile of the Tacomos will also make the Superintendent of my home course happy. Here are a couple of shots of the Tacomos compared to the Apex’s. What’s interesting is that the pitching wedge in my Apex set is the Pro version as I have the Combo set.

Here are the 5 irons:

 

At address the Tacomos look so compact, which I really like because they don't give me the sense I'll be diggin' this deep... 

And now a comparison of the specs:

It will be interesting to see how the weaker lofted Tacomos stack up against the Callaways. I think it will be a worthwhile endeavor to take a deep dive into a comparison between the Tacomos and the Apex Combos, because Tacomo's big sell is that they provide the same quality at a fraction of the price of the big boys. Considering a set of Callaway Apex irons runs over $1,100 and the Tacomos are a little more than half that, it will be worthwhile to see how well they stack up against each other.  Also, considering I really love my Callaways, it will be quite the feat if the Tacomos can kick them out of the bag. 

First Comparisons:

I have a Garmin Approach G80 that has radar which measures clubhead speed, ball speed, smash factor, tempo and distance. I tested the 8, 7, and 5 irons of my Callaway Apex Combos and the Takomos. Here's a video of my swing:  

 

The reason I tested the 8 and 7 was I wanted to get a sense of the gapping. Here are the numbers with the 8 and 7 irons (again the C is for Callaway and the T is for Tacomo): 

And 7's: 

And finally the 5 irons: 

So the first comparison shows that the numbers are pretty identical. Since I'm not a robot, I couldn't get the smash factor or ball speed numbers exactly the same, but they're pretty close. I didn't post pictures of all the shots I took, but these were pretty consistent. Misses were also very consistent and neither the Tacomos not the Callaways were better or worse on the misses- they both lost about 10 yards. Since putting the Nippon shafts in the Callaways, I haven't gotten any really hot (long) misses and thus my yardages have been pretty dependable. The Takomos look to be the same consistency wise- I think the KBS lites are pretty similar to the Nippon NS Pro 850GH NEOs. The distance numbers don't take launch angle into consideration, so a true comparison of distance will have to wait for the on course evaluation. I have hard time believing that the KBS lites will launch any higher than the Nippons, so I bet the distances will be comparable. It is interesting to see that the data that the Garmin measures well (ball speed and clubhead speed) matches up. (I actually compared the measurements that the Gamin takes at my friends house, who has a Foresight GCQuad launch monitor, and the numbers were very accurate.) It looks as if the Tacomos are matching well in terms of performance to the Callaways. 

First Impressions- Hitting the Tacomo 101T's:

This was not the first time hitting the Tacomo 101T's. The day I got them in the mail, I took them to the course to play 3 holes at around 7:30pm. (Can you tell I was a little excited?) My first impression was that they felt really solid, soft and smooth; solid and soft at contact and smooth to swing. The sound is crisp and I really enjoyed the way the heads moved through the turf. (Have I mentioned that I'm a bit of a digger?) The on course sample size is small but promising- I can't wait to play a full round with them. I felt the same way hitting off the the mat: solid, soft and smooth. Comparing the feel to the standard Callaway Apex's, I would have to give the edge to the Tacomos. The standard Apex irons are a bit clicky. The Apex Pros and the Tacomos felt very similar- soft, not clicky at all. The Tacomos and the Apex Pros are tied in terms of feel and sound. My final thoughts will be after playing a couple of rounds using the Garmin to record data (distances and gapping) and most importantly seeing how they interact with the turf and whether the Tacomos can help me score.  

  

 

[Old Joe]

Great insights. Thanks. I had a set of 101s. Will be interested when you get enough experience with the 101T set to assess dispersion. My issue with the 101 was offset lead to some big misses left. I also caught a few huge flyers with the short irons; inexplicable from the fairway. 

You are sure right about the sole size and shaping. Takomo deserves a lot of credit for attention to this detail that makes a big difference on the course, especially for us diggers

[Shrek74]

7 minutes ago, GeorgeIII said:

I bought a set of Takomo 101s with steel shafts and want to return them because I ordered a set with graphite shafts.  But I cannot find an address to return the unused 101s to with the steel shafts.  Anybody know because their website seems to think this is a matter of national security and does not show an address to return clubs to despite saying that a purchaser has 30 days from receipt to return clubs for a refund.  Thanks

From their website:

Email: [email protected]

Business-ID: FI32312332

Address: Takomo Manufacturing Co Ltd, Kalevantie 8, 20520 Turku, Finland

I'd email them first though. Returns may go to a completely different location.

[GolfSpy_BEN]

11 minutes ago, GeorgeIII said:

I bought a set of Takomo 101s with steel shafts and want to return them because I ordered a set with graphite shafts.  But I cannot find an address to return the unused 101s to with the steel shafts.  Anybody know because their website seems to think this is a matter of national security and does not show an address to return clubs to despite saying that a purchaser has 30 days from receipt to return clubs for a refund.  Thanks

I’ll ask the potentially dumb question: Have you reached out to their customer service through an email or phone call? 

[DukeStKing]

2 hours ago, Old Joe said:

Great insights. Thanks. I had a set of 101s. Will be interested when you get enough experience with the 101T set to assess dispersion. My issue with the 101 was offset lead to some big misses left. I also caught a few huge flyers with the short irons; inexplicable from the fairway. 

You are sure right about the sole size and shaping. Takomo deserves a lot of credit for attention to this detail that makes a big difference on the course, especially for us diggers

You’re finding that the Takomos don’t dig as much for you? What set did you have previously? 
 

[Paul Hedrick]

1 hour ago, GeorgeIII said:

I bought a set of Takomo 101s with steel shafts and want to return them because I ordered a set with graphite shafts.  But I cannot find an address to return the unused 101s to with the steel shafts.  Anybody know because their website seems to think this is a matter of national security and does not show an address to return clubs to despite saying that a purchaser has 30 days from receipt to return clubs for a refund.  Thanks

Why don't you start by going to the 'customer help' section of their web page?  From there you can send them an email, or possibly chat with them.  There is also a section that talks about returns

Edited August 23, 2023 by Paul Hedrick

[Old Joe]

13 minutes ago, DukeStKing said:

You’re finding that the Tacomos don’t dig as much for you? What set did you have previously? 
 

Have JDM Dunlap New Breed  cavity back. Sold Honma TW727 irons. The Takomo 101’s definitely had better turf interaction, with wider sole that was beveled on both the leading and trailing edges. The sole also tapers toward the heel, which helps out of rough. Net: superior turf interaction is Takomo’s secret sauce. As review wrote, the sound/feel is forged like across more of the face than blades. 

[TG8]

1 hour ago, GeorgeIII said:

I believe the clubs come from Hong Kong but can't get address from internet or Takomo website.  I will keep emailing Takomo Customer Service until I get an answer.  Thanks for all responses.

Try messaging them on instagram or facebook. Some companies respond quickly to DMs

[GolfSpy_BNG]

4 hours ago, GeorgeIII said:

Still waiting to hear back from Customer Service replying to my numerous emails.  I find it odd that they don't show a physical address in Hong Kong where the clubs are manufactured to return them to for a refund which they claim can be had if the clubs are returned within 30 days of receipt.  Also, the box does not have a shipping label with point of origination.  I will keep posting how this saga turns out.

You will more than likely never find an address to return them to Hong Kong. That’s where they are assembled and shipped from but not where they are based out of.  
 

Next part have you checked your spam folder for the response. Sometimes it goes there. Also multiple emails over a couple days may come off as needy and not get a response. Patience is a virtue and can go a long way with customer service reps as they are human just like us. 
 

Also in a side note, not sure if it has change but when I asked early this year about graphite shafts there was a 6 week lead time for those. Just something to think about. 

[xOldBenKenobiX]

4 hours ago, GeorgeIII said:

Still waiting to hear back from Customer Service replying to my numerous emails.  I find it odd that they don't show a physical address in Hong Kong where the clubs are manufactured to return them to for a refund which they claim can be had if the clubs are returned within 30 days of receipt.  Also, the box does not have a shipping label with point of origination.  I will keep posting how this saga turns out.

I would say try to reach out via social media platforms, they are active on Twitter and Instagram.

Best of luck.

[Shrek74]

Still waiting to hear back from Customer Service replying to my numerous emails.  I find it odd that they don't show a physical address in Hong Kong where the clubs are manufactured to return them to for a refund which they claim can be had if the clubs are returned within 30 days of receipt.  Also, the box does not have a shipping label with point of origination.  I will keep posting how this saga turns out.

First thing in the morning, go to the customer support page and try to connect via their chat feature. That might help speed things along.

Sent from my SM-N986U1 using Tapatalk

[GolfSpy_APH]

Moving back into the reviews - @DukeStKing glad you have your clubs in hand and are getting some insights into them. Have they met expectations so far? Where do you hope to see the most gains vs your current set?

[DukeStKing]

4 hours ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

Moving back into the reviews - @DukeStKing glad you have your clubs in hand and are getting some insights into them. Have they met expectations so far? Where do you hope to see the most gains vs your current set?

About to find out more today- I’m getting ready to tee off.

[KC Golf]

2 hours ago, DukeStKing said:

About to find out more today- I’m getting ready to tee off.

Hit ‘em pure!    Enjoy!

[ZackS]

Been awhile since I provided an update. Mainly cause between work and heat I haven’t been playing. Did get out a few times this week. I still continue to be impressed with the turf interaction and forgiveness of the 101t’s. Which I have been testing that a bunch with my ball striking . I will say it has not been with just the Takomo irons this is happening and some of the ball striking wows started before the testing began. Despite this I was able to card a couple of 78’s this week. Someone watching might say I am making too big a deal about it but for someone who could definitely get directionally challenged hitting the ball in the center of the face has never been something I have struggled with. Despite the fact that in my testing head to head my dispersion was better with the Takomo’s then my Adams irons, I went with the stiff KBS and my old clubs are X still KBS so they are about 10 grams lighter. The swing weight on the Adams are slightly heavier because of this as well. So this has been a thought for a little bit and then I saw the TXG/CC video yesterday where Ian mentioned that he almost alway adds weight if someone is struggling with contact. It is also mainly on shots that are not just stock swings where I am relying on feel even more. With that said I am going to do a little experiment. I ordered some lead tape and going to up the swing weight at least 1 points and see how it goes. 

Edited August 25, 2023 by ZackS

[DukeStKing]

On 8/23/2023 at 2:40 PM, DukeStKing said:

First Impressions:

Looking at the soles of the Takomos, the first thing I was struck by was the slightly wider sole than my Callaway Apex Combos. What's interesting is that the PW seems to have a wider sole but the 5 iron doesn't. 

Versus the 5 iron:

The increased width of the Tacomos is most pronounced near the toe. This leads me to believe that the Tacomos will have a bit more bounce and dig a little less. Considering I’ve been known to take divots so large I could roll them up and sell them as sod at Home Depot, a little more bounce will do me some good. 

I think the smaller profile of the Tacomos will also make the Superintendent of my home course happy. Here are a couple of shots of the Tacomos compared to the Apex’s. What’s interesting is that the pitching wedge in my Apex set is the Pro version as I have the Combo set.

Here are the 5 irons:

 

At address the Tacomos look so compact, which I really like because they don't give me the sense I'll be diggin' this deep... 

And now a comparison of the specs:

It will be interesting to see how the weaker lofted Tacomos stack up against the Callaways. I think it will be a worthwhile endeavor to take a deep dive into a comparison between the Tacomos and the Apex Combos, because Tacomo's big sell is that they provide the same quality at a fraction of the price of the big boys. Considering a set of Callaway Apex irons runs over $1,100 and the Tacomos are a little more than half that, it will be worthwhile to see how well they stack up against each other.  Also, considering I really love my Callaways, it will be quite the feat if the Tacomos can kick them out of the bag. 

First Comparisons:

I have a Garmin Approach G80 that has radar which measures clubhead speed, ball speed, smash factor, tempo and distance. I tested the 8, 7, and 5 irons of my Callaway Apex Combos and the Takomos. Here's a video of my swing:  

 

The reason I tested the 8 and 7 was I wanted to get a sense of the gapping. Here are the numbers with the 8 and 7 irons (again the C is for Callaway and the T is for Tacomo): 

And 7's: 

And finally the 5 irons: 

So the first comparison shows that the numbers are pretty identical. Since I'm not a robot, I couldn't get the smash factor or ball speed numbers exactly the same, but they're pretty close. I didn't post pictures of all the shots I took, but these were pretty consistent. Misses were also very consistent and neither the Tacomos not the Callaways were better or worse on the misses- they both lost about 10 yards. Since putting the Nippon shafts in the Callaways, I haven't gotten any really hot (long) misses and thus my yardages have been pretty dependable. The Takomos look to be the same consistency wise- I think the KBS lites are pretty similar to the Nippon NS Pro 850GH NEOs. The distance numbers don't take launch angle into consideration, so a true comparison of distance will have to wait for the on course evaluation. I have hard time believing that the KBS lites will launch any higher than the Nippons, so I bet the distances will be comparable. It is interesting to see that the data that the Garmin measures well (ball speed and clubhead speed) matches up. (I actually compared the measurements that the Gamin takes at my friends house, who has a Foresight GCQuad launch monitor, and the numbers were very accurate.) It looks as if the Tacomos are matching well in terms of performance to the Callaways. 

First Impressions- Hitting the Tacomo 101T's:

This was not the first time hitting the Tacomo 101T's. The day I got them in the mail, I took them to the course to play 3 holes at around 7:30pm. (Can you tell I was a little excited?) My first impression was that they felt really solid, soft and smooth; solid and soft at contact and smooth to swing. The sound is crisp and I really enjoyed the way the heads moved through the turf. (Have I mentioned that I'm a bit of a digger?) The on course sample size is small but promising- I can't wait to play a full round with them. I felt the same way hitting off the the mat: solid, soft and smooth. Comparing the feel to the standard Callaway Apex's, I would have to give the edge to the Tacomos. The standard Apex irons are a bit clicky. The Apex Pros and the Tacomos felt very similar- soft, not clicky at all. The Tacomos and the Apex Pros are tied in terms of feel and sound. My final thoughts will be after playing a couple of rounds using the Garmin to record data (distances and gapping) and most importantly seeing how they interact with the turf and whether the Tacomos can help me score.  

  

 

First Round Impressions:

I played my first round with the Tacomo 101T’s yesterday at my home course. Kudos @Old Joe for coming up with “secret sauce” sole terminology. I agree with him wholeheartedly- the interaction with the turf was wonderful. The course was soft and the rough terrain as deep and I would have to say this this the greatest strength of the Tacomos.  I had a couple of tough lies in the rough and the Tacomos breezed through the tall stuff better than my Callaway Apex’s. In the soft fairways I had shallower divots that were straight as an arrow at the target line. 
That was the great news… now for the not so great. The trajectory was too penetrating for my tastes. On the first hole I had 120 to the middle of the green and hit a pure PW that landed in the middle and rolled off the back of the green onto the fringe. Weird for me. I’m used to backing the ball up quite a bit with my Apex irons. On the fourth hole I had a 170 yard shot from the fairway that went 180 with the 7 iron. The story was the same all day:

Comparing the numbers above (it’s only one round, so it has to be taken with many grains of salt) with the Callaway Apex irons:

Considering the lofts on the Tacomos are weaker, but the flight was lower and thus the distances were the same,  there must be some big spin differences. So there can only be two reasons that I get less back spin with the Tacomos: 1. The shafts and 2. contact. I have the Nippon 850 neos in the Callaways and when I reviewed them I was struck by how much more backspin I produced with them over the stick Elevate shafts. I think the KBS lites play similar to the Elevates, producing more of a penetrating bal flight- I was about club longer with the Elevate shafts in the Callaways. This is the most likely explanation for the difference in backspin between the Callaways and the Takomos. A less plausible (but possible- maybe a combination of both) reason for the more penetrating ball flight of the Tacomos is the delivery of the face through the zone as a result of less digging. The sole not digging results in a shallower contact point and less backspin. Of course it’s possibly a mix of the two factors, but after one one round, the lack of back spin stood out to me. Reduced backspin may work for some, but not me. Again, I’ll reserve final judgement after playing with them a few more times. 
I’ll finish on a positive note: despite the reduced back spin I had a good day scoring: 

While the dispersion (long) was not what I wanted, the left to right misses were minimal. I pushed a shot or two, but was very happy with the left/right dispersion. 
I’m going to continue to look at the back spin in future rounds- using the same ball (Pro V1) to see if I can get the ball to back up for me. Stay tuned. 

Edited August 25, 2023 by DukeStKing

[Jim Shaw]

8 minutes ago, DukeStKing said:

First Round Impressions:

I played my first round with the Tacomo 101T’s yesterday at my home course. Kudos @Old Joe for coming up with “secret sauce” sole terminology. I agree with him wholeheartedly- the interaction with the turf was wonderful. The course was soft and the rough terrain as deep and I would have to say this this the greatest strength of the Tacomos.  I had a couple of tough lies in the rough and the Tacomos breezed through the tall stuff better than my Callaway Apex’s. In the soft fairways I had shallower divots that were straight as an arrow at the target line. 
That was the great news… now for the not so great. The trajectory was too penetrating for my tastes. On the first hole I had 120 to the middle of the green and hit a pure PW that landed in the middle and rolled off the back of the green onto the fringe. Weird for me. I’m used to backing the ball up quite a bit with my Apex irons. On the fourth hole I had a 170 yard shot from the fairway that went 180 with the 7 iron. The story was the same all day:

Comparing the numbers above (it’s only one round, so it has to be taken with many grains of salt) with the Callaway Apex irons:

Considering the lofts on the Tacomos are weaker, but the flight was lower and thus the distances were the same,  there must be some big spin differences. So there can only be two reasons that I get less back spin with the Tacomos: 1. The shafts and 2. contact. I have the Nippon 850 neos in the Callaways and when I reviewed them I was struck by how much more backspin I produced with them over the stick Elevate shafts. I think the KBS lites play similar to the Elevates, producing more of a penetrating bal flight- I was about club longer with the Elevate shafts in the Callaways. This is the most likely explanation for the difference in backspin between the Callaways and the Takomos. A less plausible (but possible- maybe a combination of both) reason for the more penetrating ball flight if the Tacomos is the delivery of the face through the zone as a result of less digging. The sole not digging results in a shallower contact point and less backspin. Of course it’s possibly a mix of the two factors, but after one one round, the lack of back spin stood out to me. Reduced backspin may work for some, but not me. Again, I’ll reserve final judgement after playing with them a few more times. 
I’ll finish on a positive note: despite the reduced back spin I had a decent day scoring: 

While the dispersion (long) was not what I wanted, the left to right misses were minimal. I pushed a shot or two, but was very happy with the left/right dispersion. 
I’m going to continue to look at the back spin in future rounds- using the same ball (Pro V1) to see if I can get the ball to back up for me. Stay tuned. 

wow, lots of information there. The first thing that I would say and you mentioned it, it is only 1 round, probably the average after 10 rounds or so will give you a better idea of performance. Interesting that your 6 iron Takomo flew so much further than your 4 and 5 iron. Maybe a "flyer" lie? the spin rate coming off the Takomo's is interesting as well, something to keep an eye on for sure. Great info though. 

[Jim Shaw]

Good morning all, 

I see a few updates on Takomo irons popping up, I have not gamed mine since end of June as tournament season started in earnest in July with the provincial championships and will end with the National championships the 1st. week in September. Once the end of tournament season is upon me, I will be shelving the Miura's and gaming the Takomo's full time, should have lots of updates then. 

Fun to see the other testers information and feedback. thanks for that.

[ZackS]

17 minutes ago, DukeStKing said:

First Round Impressions:

I played my first round with the Tacomo 101T’s yesterday at my home course. Kudos @Old Joe for coming up with “secret sauce” sole terminology. I agree with him wholeheartedly- the interaction with the turf was wonderful. The course was soft and the rough terrain as deep and I would have to say this this the greatest strength of the Tacomos.  I had a couple of tough lies in the rough and the Tacomos breezed through the tall stuff better than my Callaway Apex’s. In the soft fairways I had shallower divots that were straight as an arrow at the target line. 
That was the great news… now for the not so great. The trajectory was too penetrating for my tastes. On the first hole I had 120 to the middle of the green and hit a pure PW that landed in the middle and rolled off the back of the green onto the fringe. Weird for me. I’m used to backing the ball up quite a bit with my Apex irons. On the fourth hole I had a 170 yard shot from the fairway that went 180 with the 7 iron. The story was the same all day:

Comparing the numbers above (it’s only one round, so it has to be taken with many grains of salt) with the Callaway Apex irons:

Considering the lofts on the Tacomos are weaker, but the flight was lower and thus the distances were the same,  there must be some big spin differences. So there can only be two reasons that I get less back spin with the Tacomos: 1. The shafts and 2. contact. I have the Nippon 850 neos in the Callaways and when I reviewed them I was struck by how much more backspin I produced with them over the stick Elevate shafts. I think the KBS lites play similar to the Elevates, producing more of a penetrating bal flight- I was about club longer with the Elevate shafts in the Callaways. This is the most likely explanation for the difference in backspin between the Callaways and the Takomos. A less plausible (but possible- maybe a combination of both) reason for the more penetrating ball flight if the Tacomos is the delivery of the face through the zone as a result of less digging. The sole not digging results in a shallower contact point and less backspin. Of course it’s possibly a mix of the two factors, but after one one round, the lack of back spin stood out to me. Reduced backspin may work for some, but not me. Again, I’ll reserve final judgement after playing with them a few more times. 
I’ll finish on a positive note: despite the reduced back spin I had a good day scoring: 

While the dispersion (long) was not what I wanted, the left to right misses were minimal. I pushed a shot or two, but was very happy with the left/right dispersion. 
I’m going to continue to look at the back spin in future rounds- using the same ball (Pro V1) to see if I can get the ball to back up for me. Stay tuned. 

Interesting you were seeing less spin since the rest of us have seen good spin result with them. Curious to see if hit continues for you. 

[KC Golf]

Since the weather was not great, played 27 holes on the GC Quad sim yesterday. The numbers and spin remained in a good window.  Lots of stopping power.  Combination of nice spin and landing angle.  Played 10 on the stimp.

[Shrek74]

55 minutes ago, DukeStKing said:

First Round Impressions:

I played my first round with the Tacomo 101T’s yesterday at my home course. Kudos @Old Joe for coming up with “secret sauce” sole terminology. I agree with him wholeheartedly- the interaction with the turf was wonderful. The course was soft and the rough terrain as deep and I would have to say this this the greatest strength of the Tacomos.  I had a couple of tough lies in the rough and the Tacomos breezed through the tall stuff better than my Callaway Apex’s. In the soft fairways I had shallower divots that were straight as an arrow at the target line. 
That was the great news… now for the not so great. The trajectory was too penetrating for my tastes. On the first hole I had 120 to the middle of the green and hit a pure PW that landed in the middle and rolled off the back of the green onto the fringe. Weird for me. I’m used to backing the ball up quite a bit with my Apex irons. On the fourth hole I had a 170 yard shot from the fairway that went 180 with the 7 iron. The story was the same all day:

Comparing the numbers above (it’s only one round, so it has to be taken with many grains of salt) with the Callaway Apex irons:

Considering the lofts on the Tacomos are weaker, but the flight was lower and thus the distances were the same,  there must be some big spin differences. So there can only be two reasons that I get less back spin with the Tacomos: 1. The shafts and 2. contact. I have the Nippon 850 neos in the Callaways and when I reviewed them I was struck by how much more backspin I produced with them over the stick Elevate shafts. I think the KBS lites play similar to the Elevates, producing more of a penetrating bal flight- I was about club longer with the Elevate shafts in the Callaways. This is the most likely explanation for the difference in backspin between the Callaways and the Takomos. A less plausible (but possible- maybe a combination of both) reason for the more penetrating ball flight of the Tacomos is the delivery of the face through the zone as a result of less digging. The sole not digging results in a shallower contact point and less backspin. Of course it’s possibly a mix of the two factors, but after one one round, the lack of back spin stood out to me. Reduced backspin may work for some, but not me. Again, I’ll reserve final judgement after playing with them a few more times. 
I’ll finish on a positive note: despite the reduced back spin I had a good day scoring: 

While the dispersion (long) was not what I wanted, the left to right misses were minimal. I pushed a shot or two, but was very happy with the left/right dispersion. 
I’m going to continue to look at the back spin in future rounds- using the same ball (Pro V1) to see if I can get the ball to back up for me. Stay tuned. 

I'm super in hearing how the spin thing goes. I play the 101's and seem to have plenty of spin to hold the greens as I continually find my ball within a few yards of my pitch mark, and in some cases just a few feet. I may be a high spin player due to my swing, but my 101's don't seem to have an issue at this point. More rounds will really tell the tale for you I'm sure.

[DukeStKing]

41 minutes ago, Jim Shaw said:

wow, lots of information there. The first thing that I would say and you mentioned it, it is only 1 round, probably the average after 10 rounds or so will give you a better idea of performance. Interesting that your 6 iron Takomo flew so much further than your 4 and 5 iron. Maybe a "flyer" lie? the spin rate coming off the Takomo's is interesting as well, something to keep an eye on for sure. Great info though. 

The 6 iron was a mistake- I hit the 5 iron 205 off the tee and I mistakenly hit the 6 iron button on the Garmin. Unfortunately the Garmin doesn’t fix it in in “My Bag” when I make the correction after the round. 10 rounds and it will even out. Another 6 iron I hit went 180- a lay-up on a par 4. 

[Jim Shaw]

20 minutes ago, DukeStKing said:

The 6 iron was a mistake- I hit the 5 iron 205 off the tee and I mistakenly hit the 6 iron button on the Garmin. Unfortunately the Garmin doesn’t fix it in in “My Bag” when I make the correction after the round. 10 rounds and it will even out. Another 6 iron I hit went 180- a lay-up on a par 4. 

ahh, that makes sense

[snoopy79]

Great information on your initial analysis. I been thinking about Takomos for my next set of irons so this very interesting to me. The backspin piece is really curious  

Look forward to reading more!  

[KC Golf]

After another lacklustre day with my 101T pitching wedge, and seeing my good 9 irons and 52 deg shots seeing great results. I am struggling with the 101T PW right now.  The rest of the set is great.  I am usually pretty good with a PW, but a change in irons has caused some issues for me.  Most of it seems to be around distance control and trajectory.  It’s inconsistent.  

This is something I am seriously thinking about… my Takomo 101T PW is not the confidence inducing club the rest of the set is, so I thinking about replacing it to fit into the gap between my Vokey 52F and my 101T 9 iron,  I think it’s a 46 or 28 Vokey F.  Time for a fitting.  Ugh the cost…