Review: Nickent 3DX Pro Irons - “Players Irons” by “The King of Hybrids”
Michael White
Nickent Golf has really made a name for themselves as a hybrid specialist, winning the hybrid count on the Nationwide tour multiple times and having a strong presence on the PGA tour as well. This “specialty” reputation is a good thing, and perhaps, a bad thing. Nickent offers a full lineup that you could fill an entire bag with, but people may not even be aware of their other clubs, being their reputation as a “hybrid company” seemingly precedes them.
I tested their newest iron offering: The 3DX Pro. Their designer, John Hoeflich, has designed some of the most renowned cavity back designs in recent years for multiple companies. The 3DX Pro is a very traditional-looking club at address. The top line is pleasingly thin, and the amount of offset is fairly minimal. The leading edge is also quite straight, making it very easy to aim. One thing I noticed was that even the long irons looked fairly lofted at address, giving them the illusion that they are very easy to hit. The lofts are, in fact, quite strong, with the pitching wedge having 46 degrees of loft. The finish of the 3DX Pros is what I would describe as a “misted” satin type chrome finish. Glare was not an issue.
Like many modern cavity back designs, the 3DX Pros incorporate a weight cartridge in the back of the cavity. It is centrally located in the cavity in an effort to increase the “workability” of shots. Nickent touts the ability to use differently weighted inserts to allow their sets to be built at any length and maintain normal swingweights. Also, the 3DX Pro is made from a special alloy which is said to enhance the softness of their feel. I would agree completely with that statement. Between the softness of the metal, and the polymer surrounded weight cartridge, the 3DX Pros had a feel that is one of the softest cast cavity backs I have ever hit. It almost felt as though the faces were hollow, high COR design the impact was so soft and pleasing.
The ballflight of the 3DX Pro was quite high for me. I must qualify that statement by saying my demo set came equipped with graphite shafts, which admittedly, did not fit what I would normally play. Given the low placement of the weight cartridges in the cavity, I would imagine this set would launch fairly high, regardless of the shafts installed. Proprietary Nippon MS 1180 shafts are the stock steel option. The proprietary UST speed-rated graphite shafts were quite playable and had a good, responsive feel with excellent ease of launch. I found the 3DX Pros to be workable to a certain extent, but they primarily like to go straight. They are fairly neutral in their ballflight characteristic, thankfully lacking the draw bias that some cavity back game improvement irons exhibit. Overall, the soft feel at impact, the neutrally oriented nature of the head, and the ease of use made them a very enjoyable set.
The real test came when I had my higher handicap friend play this set. He had been struggling with a set that was probably above his head from an ability standpoint. Our first round out where he had the 3DX Pros in the bag, his ballstriking was noticeably better, and I actually witnessed him hit one of the nicest 4 iron shots I had ever seen him hit: high and soft-landing, and just over 200 yards. He was certainly happy and impressed, as was I. The graphite shafts sped up his clubhead speed considerably, and were a much better fit for him than they were for me.
The 3DX Pros are finished with Golf Pride V-55 grips complete with hand placement graphics. These high quality grips were a welcome surprise on such an affordably priced set of irons. Many manufacturers use grips of lesser quality on sets that cost hundreds more.
In summary, the Nickent 3DX Pro irons are a mix of many much-appreciated attributes. The feel is soft and pleasing. Their ease of use is very apparent, and suited for both higher handicap players who desire a minimally offset iron design, as well as mid to low handicappers who want some workability with ample forgiveness. The attention to detail, and customization possibilities, make them a pleasing entry into the mid-sized “player’s” cavity back market. A full line of custom shaft options is available. Everything from Aldila NV graphite, to True Temper, Rifle, and Nippon steel shafts is available through Nickent’s custom workshop. If you are in the market for some irons, and had not thought of Nickent previously, do not overlook them. The “King of Hybrids” seems to know a thing or two about making a great iron set too!
Michael White (a.k.a. “Mr_Divots”)
Independent Equipment Consultant/Forums Moderator
Golf-Gear-Review.com
