50 Words or Less
The Miura PI-401 irons offer neither class-leading performance nor the vaunted Miura feel. Not a bad iron, but there’s nothing here to justify the price other than the brand name.
Introduction
Due to their price and limited availability, Miura is one of the few golf brands that still has substantial mystique. Owning a set of Miura irons is a rite of passage for gear heads, something that needs to be checked off the bucket list. The problem for the brand, however, is that their appeal is built around one-piece forged irons which limits their market to low handicap players. The Miura PI-401 irons are an attempt to expand into the game improvement market, but is this an offering that abandons the things that make Miura what it is?
Looks
How you feel about the address look of the Miura PI-401 irons will depend on how you classify them. Given that Miura intends them for “players of every skill level,” I’ll put them in the game improvement category where they’re very good looking. They have fairly low offset relative to GI irons and an average face profile. The satin chrome finish is a clean, practical choice.
In the bag, my feelings about the PI-401 irons are colored strongly by the Miura name. The brand has so many stellar designs – from super traditional blades to my personal favorites, the MC-501 [review HERE] – that the bar is very high, and the PI-401 fails to clear it. There’s nothing objectively bad about them, I just think they’re bland. The few aesthetic details, such as the level change near the sole, are clunky to my eye.
Sound & Feel
One of the critical things to recognize about the Miura PI-401 irons is that they are not a traditional one-piece forging. They have a forged carbon steel face attached to a “soft steel” body. This results in a feel that is medium soft with a clicky sound. Off center strikes get called out with a much louder impact sound and a feel that gets hard, particularly on thin strikes.
I want to be very clear about this: the PI-401 irons don’t feel bad, but they don’t feel particularly good either. Miura’s notes say that this set has “the renowned Miura ‘feel'” which I do not agree with at all. My notes actually say, “These could be from any OEM.” While I don’t think that the feel is disqualifying, it’s definitely not a reason to put these in the bag.
Find the classic Miura feel in the KM-700 irons HERE
Performance
With the Miura PI-401 irons falling short in looks, sound, and feel, they need to have a strong anchor leg to justify their enormous price tag. Unfortunately, the performance is just average.
Miura touts “exceptional forgiveness” in this set, and that’s simply not the case. While not nearly as taxing as Miura’s blades, there are dozens of similar-sized irons that are as or more forgiving. The PI-401 does a good job keeping the ball speed high on a small miss, but anything more than a slight error will lose substantial distance.
The story on dispersion and workability is similar. Small misses won’t create much twisting in the club head and will typically hold their intended line. If you make a medium or large error, however, you can expect to hit the ball to all fields. The tradeoff is that these irons do offer the kind of shot control you would expect from a smaller game improvement iron. This is another area where I disagree with Miura’s ratings – the workability is definitely more than 1 star, but the forgiveness is not nearly 5 stars. If you’re looking for substantially more forgiveness, I would look to something like the Miura IC-601 [review HERE].
Turning to ball flight and distance, the Miura PI-401 irons are in the middle of the bell curve. They launch on a medium trajectory with mid-low spin. This helps them in the distance race but will be a negative for players who need more stopping power on the green. As always, work with a fitter to dial in the right shaft if you want to optimize these heads for your swing.
Conclusion
“Good” and “not bad” are phrases I’ve used a lot in describing the Miura PI-401 irons, but unfortunately that’s simply not enough – in my view – for a set that costs $320 per club. If you want the real Miura experience, opt for something like the Miura CB-301 [review HERE] and suffer through the mishits to enjoy the true “Miura feel” of a pure strike. On the other hand, if you’re looking for forgiveness and playability, you can find better – for less money – with almost any other OEM.
Visit Miura Golf HERE
Miura PI-401 Irons Price & Specs
He founded Plugged In Golf in 2013 with the goal of helping all golfers play better and enjoy the game more.
Matt lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago with his wife and two daughters.
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One Comment
interesting offering from Miura. would be fun to hit them. #Gifts