The new TaylorMade Stealth Black irons are hitting the market right on time.
We’ve mentioned it before but it’s now standard operating procedure for OEMs on a two-year product cycle to give their current offering a little kick in the pants by giving it a paint job.
Yep, the TaylorMade Stealth Black irons are just like the regular TaylorMade Stealth irons that were released about a year ago. Except they’re black.
If that doesn’t get you all limp and tingly, I don’t know what will.
TaylorMade Stealth Black Irons
We’re not sure who started the trend but coming out with a black version of second-year iron releases dates back to at least 2018 for TaylorMade. That’s when the company came out with a black PVD finish on its P790 irons. Now it’s part of the OEM playbook to give current irons a sales boost entering their final year.
The TaylorMade Stealth Black irons, like the TaylorMade P790 Phantom Black irons released nearly a month and a half ago, feature a black PVD finish. Lots of folks turn their noses up at black PVD, simply because it’s not Diamond Black Metal (DBM) or Quench-Polish-Quench (QPQ). For the record, a black PVD finish is neither as “premium” nor as durable as those two finishes.
But it’s not junk. It won’t wear off after three range sessions and it won’t necessarily look like crapola after a year. You’ll notice battle scars after a while, and there will be face and sole wear, but it does take a while. There are better finishes, but if you think a black PVD finish will wear off right after you take off the plastic, you’re probably thinking of black oxide or other low-rent finishes used in the past.
Either way, TaylorMade is adding a $200 premium to Stealth irons in black. A seven-piece set (4-PW) will run you $1,200, compared to the standard chrome set at $999.
A Stealth Statement
When TaylorMade released the original Stealth irons last year, it was coming off a string of lackluster performances in MyGolfSpy’s Most Wanted testing. The TaylorMade M4 was the company’s last game-improvement iron that reached the Most Wanted medal stand and that was in 2018. Since then, TaylorMade’s game-improvement sticks had been mediocre, at best.
Stealth, however, copped first place in last year’s Most Wanted testing. It finished in the middle of the pack for forgiveness but fourth overall for distance and first by a mile in accuracy. Its final score of 97.5 was more than six points ahead of the second-place finisher.
The Stealth irons included legacy technology from past TaylorMade irons. Cap Back technology came from SIM2 which uses a low-density (i.e., light) polymer cap to close off the back of its hollow-body construction instead of steel. The saved mass was then repositioned south to lower the CG. Stealth built on that with Toe Wrap construction which removes significant mass from the high toe area and repositions it–you guessed it–lower.
And that makes the CG–you guessed it again–lower still.
And where the CG goes, the sweet spot will follow.
TaylorMade Stealth Black Irons – Specs, Price and Availability
As mentioned, the Stealth Black irons are identical to the standard Stealth irons, only black. The lofts are typical of the game-improvement category, based on a 28-degree 7-iron.
The stock shaft is a steel blacked-out KBS Max MT shaft, available in regular and stiff flexes. The stock grip is a black Lamkin Crossline 360.
TaylorMade Stealth Black irons will be available for both lefties and righties and will sell for $1,200 for a seven-piece set.
They’re available starting today at retail and at www.taylormadegolf.com.
