Well my search is finally over..after years of buying and selling and trying about every brand of iron available, I have settled on the X-18's and could not be happier, they have changed my game. I went to a demo day and hit about every club there is Cobra, TM, Wilson, Adams, titilest, Ping...all of them for over 4 hours of swinging and trying to grasp what feels the best in my hands, with the greatest control..There were alot of nice clubs, but I kept coming back to the X-18's..and decided they were the clubs for me. I went with the steel uniflex shafts after always hitting graphite..I loved the feel of the steel shafts and the consistency was incredible...almost pin point when you get your yardages dialed in...that's another story.. These clubs are nearly 2 clubs longer then anything I've ever played...The feel on contact is silky smooth, with little to no hand shock, like you haven't hit anything at all, yet the ball just explodes off the face, high and long with that sweet crisp sound upon impact....I love the shafts and how the uniflex adjusts to your swing, instead of the the other way around. Even mis-hits for me have been straight with good distance....I hit all there callaway irons that day, 04'Bertha's, Fusions, and X-18's...again no comparison... X-18's were the most consistent shot after shot... after several weeks at the range and dialing in the yardages, I shot under 85 for the first time in my life and am now going for under 80...I bought the 4-LW and am very happy with all of them..the Wedges are incredible...nice smooth swing and its a beautiful lob sticking on the green....I have wasted thousands of dollars buying and selling clubs, don't be like me..continuing to buy off the rack, I finally broke down and got custom fitted right there on the range with the Callaway rep (took about 15 minutes) and what a difference it has made...if I had done it 15 years earlier, I would have saved alot of money and frustration...Custom fitting, with the clubs you choose is WELL worth the price and time..It will change your game...I always thought Standard length and lie was ok for me, but I was dead wrong....I don't see having to buy anymore clubs for a very very long time if ever...Look for a demo day at your local course and give um' all a try...I tried um' all and these were the ones for me...I put mid-sized winn grips on them and they are even sweeter than before...Good luck...hope this helps someone looking for some irons...at least go and swing um' before you buy something else, you won't regret it....

Customer Service

Little irritated with delivery..took 3 weeks longer than profected to get my clubs...but I'm not very patient...other wise no problems...

Similar Products Used:

Wilson Deep Red II fat shafts, King Cobra II's, TM super steel burners, Ping Eye II's, Callaway Big Bertha's 96' and 02'

I'm an 8 handicap who had bought the Callaway x-tour, but soon realized although the forge feel is awesome, the lack of forgiveness is just too hard to live with. So, I sold my x-tour on ebay and bought the X-18 and couldn't be happier. I won't play anything, but callaway irons because of 2 reasons. 1) I think they make the best irons for Amateurs and 2) THEY HAVE THE BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE PERIOD!!! I'm with the last guy, if Anika can play these clubs and not need forged irons, then why do I need the? I plan on brining my handicap back down this year with these clubs!

I bought 3-PW and they proved to be an excellent set of irons. They hit the ball high and long. Mis-hits still garner considerable distance. I've found the long irons to be particularly easy to hit. No complaints.

Customer Service

Superb. I bought the clubs standard length & lie from a local dealer who accepted my X-14s as a trade in. I sent the X-18s to Callaway to have them lengthened 1/2 inch and bent 2 degrees upright. Callway paid for all, including shipping.

Similar Products Used:

Callaway X-14 Pro Series Irons.

I am an admitted club junkie. Although my scores are usually in the mid to high 70's, I don't feel that I am a "great" ball-stricker. My short game is my savior. Having said that, I was looking for a club that provided me with good playability and maximum forgivness. During my quest, I happened to be watching a few LPGA events and noticed that Annika, (who is a pretty damn good ball stricker), was playing the X-18's. Initially, I thought I must have been mistaken; surely she was playing the Pro Series. I followed up by doing a little research online and found out that she was indeed playing the X-18 model NOT THE PRO SERIES! So, all humility aside, I gave them a shot.....and loved them! They are amazing. I upgraded to the Dynamic Gold S300 shaft because I swing the club to hard for the uniflex shaft. I have never been happier. So - single digit cappers - swallow your pride. Pick up the club, put in the correct shaft, and go have some fun. A great club!

Customer Service

Awesome

Similar Products Used:

X-14, X-16, Taylor Made OS

I had an incomplete set of Callaway X-14 Steelhead clubs and wanted to upgrade to a full set. I thought that the X-18 would be the most sensible upgrade because it was supposed to be a refinement of the same club line, right? Wrong. This club is nothing like the X-14. The X-18 is a great club for the beginning who eventually wants so control shaping shots. I found the club head WAY too heavy. This combined with a lot of offset made if very difficult to shape shots. The uniflex steel is great, although I believe it's now a little heavier than the X-14 uniflex, although I'm not sure about this. I tried their standard graphite with a $200 upcharge and it was a total waste of money. Callaway graphite is designed for a senior or a swing that is very very slow and smooth. Even with steel, these clubs did not provide as much workability as I wanted. Heavy clubhead. Poor feedback. Overpriced. Overrated. Buy the MX-23. Equally forgiving with more potential for workability, IMHO.

Review Date October 1, 2005 Overall Rating 5 of 5 Value Rating 5 of 5 Rate this review? 5 Highest4321 Lowest Reviewed by: Bigbull, Shoots in the 80s Model Reviewed: Callaway x-18, regular flex steel shafts Summary: I play about once a week but was having trouble being consistent if I missed a week or two. Played the original nike pro combos(not the OS) for two years after playing ping eye2s for years. Knew results didn't reflect my ability. Decided to switch at the end of the summer. I tried x-16 pros and the ball flight was way too low. I hit the g-2s (nice), cobras and nike slingshots (both hit it too high) but ended up buying the x-18s. The first couple of rounds were a complete disaster as the clubs feel heavy compared to the nikes and my distances were way off. After a few practice sessions I went on vacation and played 4xs in a week. Once I got the distances dialed in I was sold. These irons are consistently 10-15 yds longer than the nikes. I'm now hitting pw 125 yds, 7 I 160 yds & 3 I 210 yds consistently. 2 reasons- callaway cheats on the loft so clubs are 1-2 degrees stronger compared to other manufacturers and the quality blows nike away. Read my review for more info on nike. Good shots feel solid and misses still give you 80%+ of normal distance. Offset does lessen offline shots and ability to work the ball but-you can take dead aim with confidence as results are very consistent. Last 10 rounds have all been with under 85 and I think things will only get better. I am still learning that there is a big risks of hitting flers out of the rough and have airmailed a few greens. EX: I hit a 9 I 155/ 20 yds over a green. I can live with the extra distance and its an ego trip to hit distances I haven't been able to for 10+ years. Also fairway bunker shots have taken some adjustments as the clubs have a wide sole and are heavier the the nikes. Overall misses still hit greens and i'm now avg. 2-3 birdie putts inside 12 feet every round. I absolutely think these are fantastic clubs. Unless you play/practice 3x aweek these clubs are the way to go. I may never break par but I bet my bad rounds will be 90 or less unless i break a leg. Price tag of $700 new is higher than some, I paid $400 used and felt like I stole them. Customer Service: Haven't had to use it yet Similar Products Used: Ping eye2 black dot, nike pro combo 1st model

THese clubs are great!! Pretty heavy clubs that get the ball in the air with good distance. I bought custom fit clubs off the Callaway web-site and they got to my house within 2 weeks!! A+ Service. My game improved 7 strokes the first round I played with these, and 5+ any other time out. I couldn't be any happier with them!!!

Customer Service

Excellent!!!

Similar Products Used:

King Cobra

I am average. 16 handicap. I shoot in 80's&90's. I got these and found them to be more correcting than previous irons I own (mizuno mx20) but shorter. I have read many great reviews, and I must admit they are pretty forgiving and look beautiful (dark navy instert, chrome, shiny etc). However, I found regularly a distance issue. Irons could vary greatly i.e. 7 iron 135-150 yards. Yes I am not the greatest consistent swinger, but that was too much for me. I also found more often it was the lower yardage i.e. 7 iron 138yds. I would sit at the 150 marker, pull 7 iron, hit, only to find short of green. Next time I used a 6 iron, guess what, barely on fringe. I recently had a grip lesson and have gained accuracy and length. But this does not change the fact that I went straight from mizuno mx 20's and 150 yd 7 iron, to this set and reduced length. I found the irons to have a very heavy one piece feel that made swinging feel like too much effort. In summary, good players cannot work it much as too much correction. They on the other hand may not have the distance issues I did, but avg golfers might end up like me, with a heavy feeling/swinging, shorter length set. p.s. read my review of what I exchanged for, with a completely different feeling if you are interested, they are the fusion's, which are great.

Customer Service

Great, gave me help in advice before buying and after issues. Very highly recommended.

Similar Products Used:

callaway bertha 04 irons, fusions, mizuno mx20's, nike slingshot, ram fx2.

Purchased the X-18's after looking at many iron sets. Been through many, many fittings with all manufacturers. Finally came down to Callaway and Ping. While the G-2s' are nice, I just had a better ball flight with the Callaways'. I have played 3 rounds since they were delivered (custom set). Let me say they are about the best irons I have ever hit, straight, long or longer than my old set and very forgiving. My only complaint is they must have a softer face material. My local clubs divot sand is a little corse and on the range I noticed the faces scaring more than I think it should. I also let one of my playing partners hit a shot and he toed it. The sand put a bunch of lines in the high polished edge. This creates no problem with the club, it just looks cosmetically bad. Delivery from the factory was very fast and the set looks beautiful, very nice lines at address. Callaway has hit a home run with these clubs. Be sure to get a a good fitting at your local club or retail store.

Customer Service

Great service, used them on a shaft problem on my hybrid wood and they were excellent.

Similar Products Used:

Ping, Cobra, Clevland, TaylorMade, Hogan, Mizuno

The new Callaway X-18 irons are great clubs to add to any golf bag. Having previously owened Callaway X-14 irons, I sought to try out the new and improved X-18's. I was amazed to find that yes indeed, these clubs are VERy forgiving, just as Callaway had promised. However with forgiveness comes a lack of feel. When you pelt an X-18 the feel can be described as somewhat muted but when your looking at a straight long shot, you just don't really care that much. The clubs are very thick but after a while this feels natural. Physically the clubs look awesome unlike the big bertha 2004 irons (yuck). I would recommend these clubs to anyone looking for long and straight shots. If you consider that feel is important in a club, then try the X-Tour they are forged and are good for low handicaps

Customer Service

Callaway have a great customer service

Similar Products Used:

TaylorMade OS2, Mizuno MX23,