John,
That would depend on just WHICH set of Hogan irons you are referring to. I see all kinds of FTX Combos, a very wonderful set of Hogans that is a recent model, go for $300 in like new condition all the time on Ebay. I also know someone who just got a set of Hogan Directors for $90. Yes, I am aware that there will always be "collector's" clubs too and designs that were fully appreciated after their intial product lifecycle was over (Taylor Made 300 forged come to mind.)
Your point about shaft design I agree with, but only in GRAPHITE shaft design. How old are Dynamic Golds now? 40 years old? 30? The point being, they are the industry standard still and the shaft that most people use as the industry benchmark with plenty of tour players still using them. Graphite shafts (or whatever other materials they also use now) advance at a rapid rate. It's where all the focus is gonna be with .cor values and max cc values established.

John, you seem a little annoyed that I didn't agree with you. It's all in the fun of discussion friend.

John,
Don't let divots and Don bother you. They annoy me constantly and are always talking about shaft technology. I finally figured it out. They are not necessarily talking about the technology, but in reality are giving me "the shaft."
Bill

First of all I must offer my apologies to Don and Divots and everyone else on the forum. After reading my last reply it does sound a little short and I will try to improve on that in the future. Please allow me to explain my response.

I was trying to give 5803 a response to his initial question. In 5803’s question he ask “What name brand irons offer the best distance and value for the buck?”. This indicated to me that 5803 may have a limited budget and may not be able to afford Mizuno MP30's or similar type sets. He also said “I play with 18 year old Hogan Apex
cavity back irons” I’m guessing he likes his Hogan irons. So my suggestion was to maybe think about re-shafting the set of irons he has. By doing so he may be able to correct the problem he is having and continue to play with a set of irons he is use to and that he like. He may also be able to do this at quit a reasonable cost. Yes it would depend on the shaft he would chose, what it would cost in his area to have them re-shafted or whether he could do this himself and the type of grips he would chose.

I have found that a lot of retired people (myself included) enjoy trying new things to keep their interest and keep the price down. I have been building and modifying clubs for people for many years now (and I do not do it as a profession) and I have also help people get started into building and modifying their own clubs. I find that it is a lot of fun and with all the technology that is now available a very interesting pass time. There is a huge number of component manufacture, shafts and grips available to today’s golfer. Golfsmith gives class on building clubs and there is a huge resource of information on the internet. There is nothing better to me then to go golfing and play with a set of clubs I have built and shoot the score that I do.

I also feel that the golf industries obvious main direction is to continually get you to buy the latest style or design they can come up with and every time it is going to improve your game. We have all heard the commercials on how this club or that club will increase your distance by 10, 20,30 yards. If it was that easy we would all be on tour and Tiger would be writing this. There are many of answers to any one question, sometimes suggesting a new direction is the answer.

I hope this explains what I’m trying to do on this forum. It is an alternate direction to just trying to understand and correct a problem someone may have.

Bill,
Would you like your usual Hickory shaft today??

John: Not a problem at all. If you are talking about doing the work yourself, then Yes, re-shafting could be a real good way to go. But is you have to pay someone to do the labor, it might not be such a good deal. I just looked up what Golfsmith charges for re-shafting irons, and it's $19 a stick, plus the price of the shaft and new grip. That's $152 for labor, 3-PW. Depending on what shaft and grip, you could be paying more to re-shaft an old design set, than what you could buy a decent set of new or used irons for. For example, when Golf Galaxy open up a new store two months ago, they were selling a new set of Tommy Armour 855 irons for $150, down from $500. And the Teylor Made R540XD irons for $250, down from $400. I don't know how good either of those sets are, but they could be a lot better investment then re-shafting an old set of irons. Depending on how good the old heads are of course. Same thing can happen with a driver. You know how much a Aldila NVS shaft costs, It's $87.50 at Golfsmith, add a new grip and it would cost me $90 to re-shaft one of my drivers. Well, six weeks ago, I found a brand new Mizuno MP-001 460cc driver with a NVS shaft for $89.99. With a head cover. After hitting it for an hour, I couldn't pass up the price, especially since I had a $10 off coupon that brought the price down to $79.99. Figure a head cover runs $10 to $12, that was too good a deal to pass up. Turns out the first time I played 18 with it, I hit the two longest drives of my life, I think I did pretty good. As someone that builds all his own clubs, it wasn't easy to buy an OEM driver, but at the price, I figure I got a Mizuno driver head, grip, and headcover and a NVS shaft all for less than what the shaft would have cost me.

After all this, I just want to say, "WELCOME TO THE SITE, AND PLEASE STICK AROUND AND ADD YOU KNOWLEDGE BASE TO THE MIX". We can all learn a lot about this game, and I'm sure you have some knowledge that would help us all. Join in and enjoy the site. Type at you later, Don.

I’m guessing he likes his Hogan irons. So my suggestion was to maybe think about re-shafting the set of irons he has

I just went back and reread the first post, and it seems that he mentions he is hitting two more clubs than his playing partners. That would indicate his old irons have much higher lofts than new ones have. That alone would be a good reason to try new irons and see if he could play a 9 iron instead of his normal 7 iron. Not likely new shafts would help out for this.

I wanted to withhold my comments re the previous posts about
re-shafting,clubheads,different brands,etc.,until I tried
a friend's Callaway X-16's this AM.Today,I had my 'A' swing
and I shot an 81 from the blue tees(6750 yards),a new low
for me at that distance.However,I was 4 over par from the
long par threes(185-195 yards) where I had to battle the wind and use my 1 iron(no greenies).The X-16's are very
forgiving,one club longer than my Hogan's,but the offset
and wide heads are disconcerting to me.I'm used to thinner
heads having owned Haig Ultras(sounds like a cigarette)
before my Hogan set.In fact,these Hagen clubs are still in
good condition and I might try them to see how different
they are from my cavity back Hogans.The reasom I might do this is because I want to be able to work the ball a little more,while I'm still athletic.Therefore,my selection will
be biased towards 'blade-like'clubs or maybe even blades
that have some forgiveness.
I appreciate the aforementioned suggestions, which I find very educational and helpful to me.It is my belief
that today's heads with their angles,metal compounds,inserts,etc.,provide more distance,in general,than clubs made years ago.But I will continue
to demo clubs when I get the opportunity.So far,I like
Taylor made LT's and continue to be impressed by reviews
on the Wilson Staff Pi5's,Cleveland CG4's,and the Hogan
FTX's.This friday ,a Cobra demo unit is coming to Lake
Placid,Fl.to exhibit their clubs.I might drive down there,
since it's only 20 miles away.

You shot a new low from that distance with the X-16's, so I'd think you might want to give them another try some time soon. If that was the first time you played that set, and you shot a new low score, I's think a second round was in order. If you like a set with less offset and a thinner top line, I'd have to recommend the X-16 Pro series. Less offset and a thinner line both. At least that's what I'd try next. Good luck what ever you decide. Don.

Sorry Don,but I wasn't explicit enough.I used the X-16's
on just two holes and I felt like I was staring down at a
breakfast sausage link instead of a thick bacon slice.The
offset seemed strange too.It's just that I'm so used to
thinner tops.As I said before,these clubs are very
forgiving.It looks like it will be awhile before I
decide what to buy,due to my distance from large
golf retailers.There are places around my locale that sell knockoffs,butI'm fussy when it comes to irons.

Jack

I finally decided to buy the Wilson Staff P1 irons.Thanks
for all the suggestions.

Jack

Those look really nice Jack. I've looked at those at the local shop a few times. Good club for the money. They have reasonable lofts too, with the 47° PW. Hope they work well for you!