Iron sets are the single best value buy on the used market. New sets run $1,500 to $2,500, yet irons change less year to year than any other club in the bag. A well-kept set from two or three seasons ago plays 95% as well for a fraction of the price. Browse what's currently in stock in our used iron sets collection, then read on for what we'd buy and why.
Here are the seven used iron sets we rate hardest right now, based on what actually comes through our door from Japan and what our customers keep asking for.
1. Mizuno JPX Series - the feel king
If one search term dominates our inbox, it's Mizuno JPX irons. The JPX 921 and 923 lines (Forged and Hot Metal) cover everyone from single figures to mid handicaps, and Mizuno's grain-flow forging in Hiroshima is the gold standard for feel. Japanese-market JPX sets often come with premium stock shafts you won't see in Australian retail. If you see a clean set, do not sit on it - they move fast.
2. TaylorMade P790 - distance in a players' shape
The P790 is the set that made hollow-body irons mainstream. It looks like a players' iron and launches like a game-improvement club. Because TaylorMade updates it every two years, used prices on the previous generation drop sharply while performance barely changes. A used P790 set is arguably the best bang-for-buck iron buy in golf.
3. Titleist T-Series (T100, T150, T200)
Titleist irons hold value because they earn it. The T200 is the pick for most club golfers - compact enough to look right, forgiving enough to play right. If you're a stronger ball striker, a used T100 set delivers tour-grade precision without the tour-grade invoice.
4. TaylorMade Stealth and Qi irons - maximum forgiveness
For higher handicappers, a used Stealth or Qi set is the fast track to more greens. Big faces, strong lofts, easy launch. These come through in volume, which keeps used prices very friendly.
5. PING i-Series and G-Series
PING irons are famously durable, which makes them ideal used buys - they take wear better than almost anything else. The i230 and i210 suit better players; the G430 and G425 are point-and-shoot forgiving. PING's colour code fitting system also makes it easy to check the lie angle suits you before buying.
6. Honma and JDM forged sets - the connoisseur's pick
This is where sourcing from Japan really pays off. Honma, Miura and other Japanese forged sets are crafted to a level mainstream brands don't reach, and they rarely appear on the Australian used market at all. If you want irons nobody else at your club has, and feel that spoils you for anything else, watch our new arrivals closely.
7. Previous-generation Callaway Apex
The Apex line has been the benchmark forged game-improvement iron for a decade. Each new release pushes the last one down in price, and the difference on the course is minimal. A clean used Apex set in the right shaft is a quietly brilliant buy.
How to check a used iron set before you buy
- Grooves first. The centre of the face on the 7 iron through wedge tells you how much life is left. Sharp grooves = spin. Polished-smooth grooves = pass.
- Matching set. Confirm all irons have the same shaft and similar wear. A mixed set often means a replaced club.
- Lie and loft. Ask whether the set has been bent. Most quality used sets are still standard, but it's worth knowing.
- Photos of the actual set. Every set we list is individually photographed and graded, so you're never buying blind.
Every iron set at Rising Sun Clubs is a one-of-one sourced directly from Japan, honestly graded, and shipped from Adelaide for a flat $30 - free over $600. If your ideal set isn't in stock, it will be on a future buying trip, so check back often.