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In this review, I’ll be taking a comprehensive look at the TaylorMade Qi irons.
TaylorMade’s focus with the Qi irons is eliminating the miss to the right, or to the left for a left-handed golfer. A progressive CG and a suite of technologies including Cap Back and Speed Pocket are designed to deliver exceptional ball speeds, launch, and control.
How do these irons actually perform when put to the test? How do they compare to the previous generation Stealth? Who are they best suited for? Are they worth putting in the bag?
Here’s what will be covered in the review:
Read on to learn what you need to know to make an informed purchase.
Note: Unless otherwise stated, stock shafts and stock grips are used when evaluating this club. In most cases, the golf clubs reviewed on Golfstead are acquired temporarily for testing purposes and are not purchased. The review that follows is based on the personal experience and research of the author. Because everyone’s swing and body are different, results with a particular club may differ from person to person.
What are the reviews like?
The Qi iron won a gold medal on the 2024 Golf Digest Hot List and currently sits at an average customer score of 4.9/5 (100% recommended) on the TaylorMade store.
What People Like
- sublime feel at impact
- highly forgiving off-center
- fairly affordable
- premium aesthetic
- easy to hit straight
What People Don’t Like
- too similar to the Stealth irons
- limited spin coming into greens
The Features
Cap Back
The Qi irons feature the latest iteration of the Cap Back design.
Initially introduced for the SIM2 Max and then the 2022 Stealth irons, the Cap Back is a multi-material construction that spans the entire cavity, visible as the large dark region on the back of the club. It’s made from a lightweight polymer and is designed to maximize flexion of the face at impact.
The Cap Back allows the Qi iron to enjoy the benefits of both a traditional cavity back and a hollow-body style of iron. As in the Stealth irons, it also wraps around the high toe area (Toe Wrap) for higher ball speeds and launch across the face.
HYBRAR Echo Dampers
Also carried forward into the Qi irons are an echo damping system that is designed to provide a more satisfying feel and sound.
The echo dampers consist of a fully encapsulated insert made of a soft polymer blend (with a concentrated HYBRAR material) that is positioned behind the face from heel to toe.
The system uses several contact points across the face to channel away harsh vibrations, without compromising face flexibility.
Other features of the Qi irons include:
- Thru-Slot Speed Pocket: a slot at the bottom of the sole that is designed to increase flexibility, ball speeds and forgiveness on shots hit low on the clubface, which is a common mis-hit area.
- FLTD CG: this strategic design, which stands for ‘Flighted Center of Gravity’, consists of a progressive CG that is lowest in the long irons for higher launch and higher in the shorter irons for more precise control.
TaylorMade marries all of the tech above to create an iron that delivers optimal gapping, straighter flights, and higher ball speeds through the entire set.
Stock Info
The Qi irons are available for purchase individually and in sets.
Also available is the Qi Combo Set, which pairs the Qi irons with the forgiving and versatile Qi10 Rescue hybrids.
The stock shaft options are the KBS MAX MT 85 (steel), Fujikura Ventus TR Blue HB (graphite), and Fujikura Speeder NX TCS (graphite). The stock grips are the Lamkin Crossline 360 and Lamkin ST Soft Ladies.
If you’re interested, full information on shafts, grips and other customizations can be found here.
Below are the specs of the Qi irons. Click or zoom to enlarge.
The Performance
Distance
The Qi irons are extremely long. That said, they don’t seem to have a noticeable leg up in ball speed over the Stealth irons, which is not at all surprising given how similar they are.
The lower launch combined with fast ball speeds, relatively strong, and lower spin are a recipe for monstrous distance. I was hitting the 7-iron around 194 yards, which is terrific for me.
I can see this being particularly useful when using these irons as a driving club, where you’re trying to get the ball out there as far as possible from the tee box.
Forgiveness
Unlike distance off the sweet spot, it does appear that the Qi is slightly more forgiving than the Stealth. In particular, the sweet spot is slightly larger owing to the marginally longer blade length.
Dispersions are tight. Moreover, these irons have a high MOI which promotes stability and very consistent results throughout the set.
Beyond these things, mis-hit performance resembles the Stealth. It’s certainly near the top in terms of forgiveness for 2024 across all OEMs.
Playability
The Qi irons are not really any more playable for me than the Stealth irons were.
Launch and spin are a bit too low for me, and I wasn’t satisfied with the amount of stopping power they delivered coming into the greens. The ball flights were a little too hot, especially with the long irons but even with the shorter irons as well.
I reckon the Qi irons will be the perfect fit for certain players, but I’m just not one of them. This is despite the superb consistency, easy launch, and impressive workability for a GI iron.
I find it interesting that TaylorMade would emphasize “hitting it straight” in the marketing of the Qi iron, as I didn’t find that it reduced the right miss (or left, in my case) any more than the Stealth. The offset is the same as is the very slight draw bias, so I really don’t see why it would.
The Look
The Qi iron has a modern aesthetic with fantastic bag appeal. The black Cap Back region on the back of the iron really gives the iron pop without making the design too cluttered or complicated, and in my opinion, it’s really what makes the look.
At address, the iron very much resembles the Stealth model. As a fairly chunky game-improvement iron, it sports a thick top line, wide sole, and painted bottom groove, with a high degree of offset that is going to help take the right side of the course out of play.
One of the main differences between the Qi and Stealth, in terms of shape, is that the blade length of the Qi is one millimeter longer — this has the effect of increasing the size of the sweet spot. I would have liked more of a unique look that differentiates itself more from the previous generation, but it’s not too big a deal.
The Sound & Feel
I had a hard time finding a difference in sound and feel when compared with the Stealth iron, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I think it’s in a pretty good place right now.
Feel at impact is sharp, but it’s muted somewhat by the echo dampers, which help it feel more forged and less “clicky” as TaylorMade irons have typically felt in the past. The feel is also solid and explosive, particularly when you make center contact.
The sound at impact is a nice “crack” that is consistent across the face. Feel is exceptionally consistent as you move from the center towards the heel and toe, even as far as GI irons go.
I have never been particularly fond of the feel of TaylorMade irons in relation to other OEMs, but that’s just my personal preference. I do find that the sole provides for very smooth and pleasant turf interaction.
Where To Buy These Irons Online
You can order Qi irons with steel or graphite shafts on TaylorMade’s official store, with optional customization through their Custom Shop.
Another option is Global Golf. They offer performance guarantees, club trade-ins, deals, and other programs designed to make the buying experience as attractive as possible.
You can also buy Qi irons from Amazon and PGA TOUR Superstore.
Don’t forget about eBay, where you can often find unbeatable deals on new and used golf equipment.
Final Thoughts
I’m quite surprised about the Qi irons as they’re essentially just a repackaged version of the Stealth irons with a new coat of paint and marginally longer blade length.
The technologies are the same between the two, and they have almost no differences at all. The story is similar: distance and forgiveness is exceptional, but even though launch is good, many golfers will be less than satisfied with stopping power into the greens due to the strong lofts and lower spin.
Moreover, TaylorMade’s assertion that the Qi is the “straightest distance iron in golf” is largely just generic filler marketing. They’re straight, no doubt, but they don’t have some special ability that I haven’t seen in other draw-biased irons in recent years.
If you already game the Stealth irons, there’s not much reason to pick these up unless you have extra money to spend. A new, truly distinguishing feature that sets the Qi apart from its predecessors would have been appreciated.
Are you interested in the Qi irons? Have you played them? What’s your experience? Tell us about it in the comments below.
