Bettinardi has produced some of the best putters in the game for a number of years now, so when I heard it was releasing some iron models to market, I was very curious to see what it would come up with. The Bettinardi MB24 is the first of the models I have gotten my hands on, so let's see if they can compete with the best blade irons on the market.
In terms of the technology, as you would imagine with irons sitting in the blade category, the MB24 isn’t swamped with features, but there is some engineering lurking within. The head is a one-piece forging of 1025 carbon steel but within that, they also feature what Bettinardi refers to as tri-material construction. Essentially, this is the internal introduction of high-density tungsten and military-grade CMC (Ceramic Matrix Composite) that is aimed at maximizing forgiveness and also allows Bettinardi to pinpoint CG locations depending on the loft of the club. This is aimed at providing more launch in the long irons and better spin control in the scoring clubs.
The aesthetic profile of the MB24 is an interesting case. From the back, they are stunning. The brushed satin finish gives a very premium look and the minimal branding complements that perfectly. As with its sibling the CB24, the fine detailing in the lower portion of the head looks fantastic sat in the bag, so from a shelf appeal point of view they are up there with any of the best irons in the game.
In the playing position down by the ball, however, I am not quite sold. The overall footprint just feels a little too big to me and the top line is not as thin as I would like it to be in this category of iron. For example, when placed next to the Callaway Apex MB or Titleist 620 MB, the blade length and top line, in particular, become very noticeable. Similarly, shape-wise, the profile just doesn’t quite suit my eye, the transition from hosel to head is a little too high for me and overall they just look a bit clumsy at address compared to some of the other best blade irons.
Performance-wise, the MB24 irons stack up nicely against the competition. I did my testing at Saunton Golf Club using my FullSwing KIT launch monitor with TaylorMade TP5 golf balls. Across the board, the MB24 was competitive with anything else in the category in all major ball data parameters such as ball speed and carry distance, and delivered a nice, mid-spin number of 6744 rpm which produced a very manageable flight window.
In terms of workability, I found it relatively easy to manipulate the trajectory both from a height and left-to-right point of view and there was good feedback from strike.
From a feel point of view, the MB24 is excellent. There is a real depth to strike and when I missed the centre of the face, they didn’t feel as harsh as some blades suggesting the internal weighting is doing a good job.
The MB24 irons come with an RRP of $1600 for a seven-iron set and come with a couple of stock shaft options (KBS Tour and Dynamic Gold MID 100) and numerous other custom offerings. The stock grip is a Bettinardi logoed Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360.
The Bettinardi MB24 is an excellent blade iron in many ways and a strong first entry to the market. The slight reservations I have over the address profile are of course subjective, some players may absolutely love them. Based on the feel and performance, I would certainly recommend trying them to find out.
