TaylorMade RSi 2 Irons Review – A Forged Performer

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TaylorMade RSi 2 Irons - 4 Perspectives

Here I’ll be reviewing the TaylorMade RSi 2 iron.

Like its game-improvement brother, the RSi 1, the RSi 2 is the first iron to feature FaceSlot Technology which helps preserve ball speeds across the clubface.

Is the RSi 2 iron worth the buy? Read on to find out what you need to know about it 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.


Quick Verdict

Rating: 4.8/5 (Excellent)

Classification: Better-Player

Pros

  • solid distance
  • highly forgiving
  • quality impact sound and feel
  • distinct feedback
  • does everything well

Cons

  • can be a little difficult to shape long irons
  • some people experience durability issues (face slots chipping in particular)
  • delicate wedge shots can feel a little clunky/heavy

Best Suited For

The RSi 2 irons are recommended for lower handicaps with a low ball flight, but there’s something in them for higher handicaps as well, namely an impressive amount of forgiveness.

Best Places To Buy Online

Now that this model is a few years old, there are two places where you can get it at a great discount.

The first is eBay, which is a fantastic source for new and used sets. The second is Global Golf, which offers many attractive deals and programs that save you money and headache.

Want a high-resolution look at the RSi 2 irons? Click on the composite image at the top of the page and navigate the photos on the left-hand side of the screen.


What are the reviews like?

Overall reception for the RSi 2 has been extremely positive, with a 4.9/5 rating on Global Golf, 4.6/5 rating (92% recommended) on the TaylorMade website, and 4.8/5 (100% recommended) on the DSG website.

What People Like

  • has a surprising ability to maintain characteristics of a good player iron (for example, excellent feedback and feel) and still be long and highly forgiving
  • regarded as one of the most forgiving player irons available

What People Don’t Like

  • some have experienced durability issues such as chipping of the face slots
  • some have found delicate wedge shots to feel a little heavy and clunky

What are the features?

Like the RSi 1, the RSi 2 iron is designed to provide more forgiveness, better ball speed (and hence distance) and better accuracy.

Unlike the RSi 1, though, the RSi 2 iron has a more traditional shape (smaller head, less offset, thinner top line, etc.), sound and feel, and features a progressive multi-material construction.

The features of the RSi 2 iron are summarized below (full details can be found on the RSi 2 page on the TaylorMade official website):

FaceSlot Technology

FaceSlot Technology in the 3-8 irons (two slits on either side of the impact zone) provides “uniform flexion across the face” which protects ball speeds and generates more distance on off-center hits towards the heel and toe.

Speed Pocket

A Speed Pocket with “ThruSlot Technology” in the sole of the 3-7 irons increases launch angle and further protects ball speeds of shots near the bottom of the face.

Inverted Cone Technology

This effectively increases ball speeds over a large area of the face around the sweet spot.

Progressive Multi-Material Construction

Long Irons (3-5)

These have tungsten weighting low in the toe for increased ball speed and a higher launch.

Mid Irons (6-7)

These have a high-strength, thin-face steel construction for high speed and consistency.

Short Irons (8-9)

These have a forged carbon steel face with milled grooves for soft feel and control.

Wedges

These are fully forged and made of 1025 carbon steel for greatly improved feel and precision.

Stock Info

Stock shafts offered are the KBS Tour 105 steel shaft and the Matrix Ozik Program F15 graphite shaft.

Specs of the RSi 2 iron and the stock shafts are detailed in the tables below:

NameLoftLength (Steel / Graphite)LieOffsetSwing Weight (Steel / Graphite)Hand
217°39.25" https://golfstead.b-cdn.net/ 39.5"60°5.2D2 / D2RH
319°38.75" / 39"60.5°4.8D2 / D2RH/LH
421°38.25" https://golfstead.b-cdn.net/ 38.5"61°4.4D2 / D2RH/LH
524°37.75" https://golfstead.b-cdn.net/ 38.0"61.5°4.0D2 / D2RH/LH
627°37.25" https://golfstead.b-cdn.net/ 37.5"62°3.6D2 / D2RH/LH
731°36.75" / 37"62.5°3.2D2 / D2RH/LH
835°36.25" https://golfstead.b-cdn.net/ 36.5"63°2.8D2 / D2RH/LH
940°35.75" / 36"63.5°2.4D2 / D2RH/LH
PW45°35.5" https://golfstead.b-cdn.net/ 35.75"64°2.0D3 / D3RH/LH
AW50°35.5" https://golfstead.b-cdn.net/ 35.75"64°1.6D3 / D3RH/LH
SW55°35.25" https://golfstead.b-cdn.net/ 35.25"64°1.4D5 / D5RH/LH
ShaftFlexWeightTip SizeButtTrajectory
KBS Tour 105 SteelS105g0.370"0.600"Mid
KBS Tour 105 SteelR100g0.370"0.600"Mid
Matrix Ozik Program F15 GraphiteS79g0.370"0.600"Mid
Matrix Ozik Program F15 GraphiteR77g0.370"0.600"Mid

How do these irons perform?

Distance

Similar to the RSi 1, distance results with the RSi 2 irons are very respectable and consistent. They’re not necessarily the longest irons on the market when hit in the sweet spot (although many golfers have reported distance gains of over 10 yards with all clubs).

Where they shine, however, is mis-hit distance; mild to moderate mis-hits will result in a minimal loss of ball speed.

There aren’t many irons out there that do as good a job as the RSi 2 at preserving ball speed across the face.

Forgiveness

The RSi 2 irons provide terrific forgiveness, especially when you consider the fact that they have forged qualities, slimmer heads (thinner top lines, narrower soles, etc.), better feel and better feedback than many of the chunkier game-improvement irons out there today.

Forgiveness seems to be about on par with the RSi 1 in most respects.

The RSi 2 irons, particularly the long irons, suppress sidespin very well, making relatively straight shots easy to hit.

Playability/Trajectory

The RSi 2 irons do well out of almost any lie — rough, fairway, bunker — thanks in part to the beveled leading edge.

Well-struck short irons tend to fly high and straight, allowing soft and precise landings into the green; such an iron is great for golfers who find that their shots tend to be a little too low.

Shot shaping is relatively easy to pull off, more so than the RSi 1.


What about look, sound & feel?

The Look

As mentioned before, the RSi 2 iron has a relatively slim and compact profile.

Both the top line and sole are narrower than what you might expect for an iron this forgiving. The cavity back of the RSi 2 gets smaller as you move from the long to the short irons.

The design is clean with a minimalist colour scheme.

The 3-7 irons have two face slots on either side of the hitting area as well as a slot on the sole, both filled with polymer (the 8 iron has the face slots but not the sole slot).

It’s worth noting that at address, the face slots might be distracting to some golfers.

The Sound & Feel

While the slotted RSi 1 have questionable sound and feel compared to the non-slotted RSi 1 irons, the same can’t be said for the RSi 2.

The RSi 2 irons feel balanced and stable at address and through the swing; impact sound is great and impact feels firm and crisp. Mis-hits are not jarring and impact feedback is plenty distinct.

It’s worth mentioning that some people feel the weight of the wedges are a little too heavy for certain delicate shots.


Where should you buy these irons online?

Click the button and the links in this article to be taken to the best buying destinations.


Conclusion

The TaylorMade RSi 2 irons are outstanding.

They’re impressively forgiving for better-player irons, and while they’re ideal for low to mid handicappers who could benefit from a higher ball flight, high handicappers should be more than satisfied with the distance, feel and forgiveness offered.


Have you tried the TaylorMade RSi 2 irons yet? Feel free to share your thoughts by dropping a comment below!

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2 Comments

  1. mondejar85 January 3, 2016
    • Paul January 5, 2016

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