The new Takomo 201 Mkii irons have been built to compete with the biggest names on the market, but at a far more competitive price point. I was curious to find out whether these irons can genuinely compete with the established brands.
Whenever I’m evaluating clubs to find the best golf irons, one of the most noticeable themes is the rising cost of a new set.
That’s what makes Takomo so interesting.
The direct-to-consumer brand offer clubs at a much lower price than mainstream brands and are winning plenty of new fans as a result.
But can the Takomo 201 MkII compete with one of the best all-round irons in golf – the TaylorMade P790 – in the fiercely competitive players’ distance category? I tested them to find out.
Quick Verdict
The Takomo 201 MkII prove that spending more doesn’t always get you a better iron. They deliver the feel, looks, and performance you’d expect from a premium players’ distance model, while undercutting many of the biggest brands on price. I’d happily recommend them even if they cost the same as the competition.
Players’ Distance control at comforting prices
Pros & Cons Ratings Specs Features
Pros Pricepoint is outstanding for the qualityShots are powerful with great height and stopping powerIrons look and sound clean, suiting any golfer’s bag Cons Custom options still aren’t incredibly deep’Try before you buy’ is still going to be a hold up for some golfers
Looks/Feel
Technology
Performance
Overall
RRP $649 / £589 Availability 4-PW Stock Shaft KBS Tour / KBS Tour Lite Stock Grip Lamkin Crossline Black 7-iron Loft 31º Category Players’ Distance Construction 17-4 stainless steel, with machined faces A clean players’ inspired shape with mid offset for comfort at every standardBalances a blend of distance and forgiveness for maximum playabilitySuited for golfers moving beyond Game Improver irons but still need trustA premium blend of materials for feel as well as performance
Looks/Feel: 4/5
No matter how good any other aspect of a golf club is, the decision on whether we play it is often down to what we prefer the look of.
This might not be the most scientific way of choosing a new set of bats, but golf is still played with the heart as much as any data metric.
In this regard, the Takomo 201 MKii irons are a solid addition to the company line-up.
They have a clean, minimalist look. You could call it ‘simple’, but it’s clearly an intentional decision to give players the impression that they, and the irons, have been taken seriously.
There’s a comforting size to the set at address, right in-between the 101 Mkii game improver and 201T player’s cavity style.
Not too big, not too small – that will appeal to a wide variety of golfers. I love how well the ball is framed, with good space either side of the ball for mishits.
It might not be suited to every player, but for the target audience it’ll work well to inspire more confidence, as will the offset, which is obvious but not overbearing.
Beyond that, the sole is healthy but cambered well. There’s enough room for internal tech to make a difference, but I’ve not been concerned about the club digging or bouncing away from the turf, even in the dry conditions I’ve tested in.
Ultimately, the 201 Mkii’s are a clean and easy addition to the bag for pretty much any golfer regardless of how ‘style-orientated’ you are, with the two-tone finish providing a final, classy look to swoon at.
All this comes with a solid feel off the face that will only encourage you to swing harder to squeeze the most you can from them.
Technology: 4/5
In all honesty, there’s not going to be much that surprises you in the Takomo 201 Mkii irons if you’re at all clued up on modern tech stories.
That being said, just because you’ve seen it before, doesn’t mean to say it’s an easy thing to implement, and Takomo have done a stellar job in crafting these irons.
There’s a good balance of power and consistency, created through two core technologies that are designed to push your game forward.
The first is with the hollow-body construction that allows for progressive CG (Center of Gravity) positioning.
As you move down through the irons, the 201s reposition mass deeper and lower into the head, with the 4-iron having the lowest CG point.
It allows for more launch and better trajectory to produce a higher ball flight in the long irons and a more penetrating punching flight from the short irons and wedge.
It’s designed to give you greater stopping power on the greens as well as improve ball speeds by matching CG to the most common strike location for the most likely user.
Secondly, the new Mkii irons use a dual-body build, with a cast 17-4 stainless steel body used throughout the set.
The faces are also 17-4 stainless, however they’re separate components that are brought together with the rest of the iron. The 4- through 7-iron utilize a VFT face plate, machined into shape, whereas the 8-iron to pitching wedge have flat faces installed without any machining.
The VFT (Variable Face Technology) has been cut to be thinner as you move away from the face to increase speeds, therefore helping distance from mishits, for a more controlled consistency and higher forgiveness level.
It’s all quite standard stuff in the modern era, but it’s been done well and should receive praise for its quality.
My only gripe is with the lack of options for shafts and grips.
I understand this is one of the ways that Takomo are able to keep the price in such a good place, but I’d really like to just see one more option outside of the KBS Tour/Tour Lite choice for the sake of shaft profile variety.
Performance: 4.5/5
Despite the lack of full shaft choice, the KBS models included are a good compliment to the heads themselves, helping improve the feel and feedback further through great vibration control.
I’ve been lucky with weather for testing over the last few weeks, able to run the 201 Mkiis through their paces in both lush and dry grass conditions.
It’s been ideal to see how these irons can play in contrasting turfs for a more rounded perspective, which can sometimes be a struggle when product launches in the early parts of the year.
I’m seriously impressed with Takomo’s player’s distance iron.
Not once have I felt like I’ve needed to apply any extra speed or pressure to the ball to flight it how I’ve wanted, with the 201s launching easy and with plenty of jump from the face.
It’s not a soft feeling or anything hard, but well enough in the middle, even when caught slightly lower on the face.
Speaking of which, the sole geometry, with the slightly raised trailing edge, has been beautiful through every turf type, showcasing an unexpected versatility for golfers that play across many course styles.
I’ve particularly had fun hitting the longer irons in the set.
They’ve got some real power behind them, and that’s without resorting to silly lofts (the 4-iron comes in at 22º while the 7-iron is 31º) so it still hits the window I expect.
On mishits, the forgiveness is plain to see. Ball speed is retained well, so distance stays where you expect it to be, and there aren’t many irons I’ve found as easy to keep straight as the Takomo 201 Mkii.
For me, the only difficulty I’ve had is with producing partial shots around the course.
When I’m dealing with wind, I’d prefer to hit knockdown shots where I need to rely on spin to stop the ball instead of trajectory.
While the spin and height is enough with full swings, there have been times where low flights have skipped past my target, although in fairness, this is really the limit of what these irons are designed to do.
If you are going to try to shape shots and flights, the little brother 201T Mkii is going to be ideal.
If you’re happy to stick to full swings for the most part of your game, I can’t really find fault with the 201.
Overall: 4.2/5
If you’re asking me how the Takomo 201 Mkii irons perform, I’d say they’re a good set of clubs that offer solid feedback, reliable performance, and are a great brand entry point for both seasoned golfers and newer, aspiring players.
If you asked how they perform considering the price they’re sold at, I’d struggle to give you a better option on the market.
Takomo want to be able to stand up on performance alone, which is an entirely fair ambition, but the cost cannot be ignored here and that’s only a positive point for them.
While you can’t test them before ordering, there’s going to be few golfers that will feel disappointed in what you get back, regardless of the incredible pricing.