Despite working in the golf industry for many years now, until very recently I still had a set of classic Titleist AP2's in the bag from 2008. What can I say, I'm a creature of habit and I continued to use them due to pure nostalgia of using them as a junior player. But this ideal got shook to its core a week ago when I was lucky enough to receive a set of Srixon's limited edition ZXi5 irons in a black finish. To put it simply, look at them...
Seriously, look at them. I wasn't joking with the title of this piece, despite never having used a black iron before, I love them so much they might never come out of my bag. The blackout irons are part of Srixon's Blackout Collection which includes the ZXi5 and ZXi7 irons, along with a few very cool soft good pieces like headcovers and golf bags.
Thankfully, as a slightly higher single digit handicap player, these are the more forgiving ZXi5 irons which have been deemed 'players distance' irons. The black finish may make them look a touch more intimidating, and it has a function too to reduce glare, but as someone who doesn't play competitively, golf is supposed to be fun and I'm going to enjoy looking at these irons in the bag and at address every single time.
My colleague Joe tested the standard ZXi5 irons at the start of 2025 and loved them so I'm looking forward to getting them onto the course. He said in his full review; 'The Srixon ZXi5 irons are a must-try for anyone looking for a cavity-back iron. Strong looks coupled with exceptional feel, good levels of forgiveness and impressive distance output will no doubt appeal to a broad spectrum of golfers.'If you want to take a look at the full Blackout Collection, I would check out the Srixon website here.
