XXIO is a very niche brand. While other companies target the majority of their clubs to average men golfers, XXIO focuses on the lightest weight clubs for seniors.
If you find yourself getting tired towards the end of a round, then you might be a good candidate for XXIO irons like the XXIO Prime 11 irons.
Here’s our completely honest review that is in NO WAY sponsored by XXIO.
Light Weight Design (Lightest on the Market, Actually)
The XXIO Prime 11 irons are by far the lightest irons that I’ve ever swung. From the club head, to the graphite shaft, all the way to the grip itself, they made these clubs as light as they possibly could without compromising performance. From many hours of research, these were the #1 lightest men’s irons that you can buy.
The lightweight design allows you to swing the club faster than other iron sets on the market. Faster swing speed will add some distance to your iron shots, but the lightweight design may be a small detriment to your consistency.
Their entire business is focused on manufacturing lightweight clubs for seniors. And it’s pretty impressive that they can make such a high performing iron set weigh so little… without sacrificing performance. While they are so light, they are also durable, easy to hit (forgiving), and relatively long.
Appearance
It’s very common for golfers to be afraid of clubs from brands that they haven’t heard of. That’s fair. Brands that you haven’t heard of typically produce low quality, cheap looking clubs. That is absolutely not the case with the XXIO Prime 11 irons.
The XXIO Prime 11 irons look extremely professional all around. The black and gold color scheme is a great combination in my opinion.
The perimeter weighting is positioned very low on the club heads. That leads to higher launching, more forgiving club heads that seniors typically want. For a set of irons marketed to seniors, the toplines are surprisingly not super larger, which is a benefit for overall appearance of the irons at address.
Performance
Let’s go ahead and get this out of the way. How I PERSONALLY performed with the XXIO Prime 11 irons doesn’t offer much value to you. I am by no means the target audience for these irons. I’d highly recommend that you find a club fitter in your area to fit you for the best club heads and shafts for your game. However, I can definitely give you general things to expect from the XXIO Prime 11 irons.
It’s worth mentioning that, yes, these are also the longest irons that seniors can buy. Not just because they are lightweight, but also because they are extremely strongly lofted. The average PW is 45 degrees. The XXIO Prime 11 iron PW is just 42 degrees, which is closer to the average 9 iron.
It’s a forgiving club head due to the wide soles, moderate offset, and average toplines. This design leads to a large sweet spot. That means that shots hits an inch or so away from the center of the club face will still fly relatively straight and long.
Overall, the feel and sound at impact were surprisingly nice. Muted sound and not a whole lot of vibrations sent through my body when I made contact. These aren’t forged – they are cast. However, XXIO’s casting process has continued to improve, and it’s obvious here!
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- You won’t find a lighter weight set of irons for men
- Due to the lightweight design and strong lofts, these are the longest irons for seniors
- Only available in lightweight graphite shafts that seniors need
- Very forgiving on mishit shots, but still a relatively compact look at address (the low perimeter weighting can’t be seen at address with most of the irons)
Cons:
- Pretty pricey for a non-forged set of irons
- Difficult to find sometimes. Not all retailers carry XXIO clubs, even though they are owned by the same company that owns Cleveland and Srixon.
- Not the most forgiving set available. Super game improvement irons (like hybrid style irons) are far more forgiving, which may be a better fit for beginners seniors.
Who the XXIO Prime 11 Iron Set is Best For
There’s no question about it. The XXIO Prime 11 irons are best for senior golfers that want the most lightweight, longest set of irons on the market with plenty of forgiveness.
While these aren’t the most forgiving clubs on the market, the extra weight of an oversized clubhead would add too much weight anyway. With the large soles and lots of low perimeter weighting, this is a great club for seniors that want to hit longer, higher iron shots, even on their mishits.
These are far more expensive than other non-forged, graphite-shafted clubs marketed to seniors. However, other clubs aren’t near as light as these are, the price is most likely worth it as long as you can afford it. If you want a slightly heavier, less expensive set of irons, then go to the next section!
Better Value, Lightweight, Graphite Shafted Option for Seniors
If you want a better value lightweight set of irons, I’d go with the Cobra Airspeed iron set. While they are a little heavier than the XXIO Prime 11, there isn’t a huge difference. It is Cobra’s lightest weight set ever, and they have been working on senior, lightweight sets for a while now.
Keep in mind that there are cheaper lightweight sets out there (like the Wilson D200 irons), but I think the Cobra Airspeed offers more bang for your buck. The Cobra irons are higher quality and lower in weight than most senior sets, and they are only slightly higher in price. You can pick up a set of new Cobra F-Max Airspeed irons for around $450 if you are patient enough.
Thank you for reading my honest, unbiased review of the XXIO Prime 11 irons!
How come the shaft weights are about the samr for regular prime and xxio irons? What is the difference in reg prime andsr prime shafts?