Two of the best players-distance irons of 2025, both at about $200 a club. The Srixon does almost everything beautifully; the P790 is the category benchmark. The gap comes down to distance, forgiveness, and how much you value the cleaner look.
Short answer
The TaylorMade P790 is the stronger all-rounder— it carries the higher consensus (9.5 vs 9.2), and it wins the two things most buyers come for: distance and forgiveness. A new 4340M forged face and a sweet spot up to 24% larger make it the longest, most stable iron of the pair, which is why it earned Hot List Gold and back-to-back Iron of the Year.
The Srixon ZXi5 wins looks and workability— and ties the P790 on feel and turf interaction, two categories that are a genuine wash. If you shape shots, want the cleanest players profile, and don't need the extra distance, the ZXi5 is the more satisfying iron. For most golfers, though, the P790's distance-and-forgiveness combo is the smarter buy.
Srixon
i-FORGED body, softened SUP10 face, MainFrame tech, Tour V.T. Sole. The do-everything players-distance iron with class-leading feel and looks.
TaylorMade
Hollow body, new 4340M forged face, 24% larger sweet spot, SpeedFoam Air, FLTD CG. The fifth-gen iron that created — and still defines — the players-distance category.
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ZXi5 wins 2 of 7 · P790 wins 3 of 7 · 2 tied
ZXi5
P790
Reviewers repeatedly called it the best-looking iron in its class — cleaned-up monochrome geometry, brushed steel and high chrome, minimal toe branding, a manageable topline and modest offset that hide the help.
The 2025 redesign slimmed the topline and added the Tour Satin Scratch finish — genuinely refined and premium, but reads a touch more technology-forward than the Srixon's pure players profile.
ZXi5
P790
The headline upgrade. The i-FORGED body pairs a forged S20C steel back with a SUP10 face Srixon says is 14% softer than the ZX5 Mk II's — soft and crisp with minimal vibration, even given the ball speed.
The new 4340M forged face is the generational fix for the P790's old knock: Today's Golfer said the feel has fundamentally changed — softer and more premium with a gentle, crisp click. A genuine dead heat.
ZXi5
P790
Plenty fast, but the set runs on the low-spin side and solid strikes travel farther than expected — Golf Sidekick flagged that gapping into the wedges deserves attention. Distance is good, not class-leading.
The explosive end of the category. The 4340M face and hollow body launch the long irons — Today's Golfer carried a 4-iron 240 yards without worrying about strike location. Roughly the longest iron in the class.
ZXi5
P790
Impressive for how compact it looks — MainFrame face tech held a toe strike to about a seven-yard loss for Golf Sidekick, and it finished second for forgiveness in MyGolfSpy's testing. Strong, just not the most.
The more forgiving of the two. A sweet spot up to 24% larger than the 2023 model, plus SpeedFoam Air and FLTD CG tungsten weighting, tightened 7-iron dispersion to roughly 10 yards in testing.
ZXi5
P790
The shot-shaper's edge in this matchup. The compact players-style head and Tour V.T. Sole respond to input, letting better players move the ball on demand more readily than the bigger hollow body.
Workable for a players-distance iron, but the hollow body and forgiveness bias mean the ball flight doesn't bend to manipulation quite as eagerly. Built to fly straight and far first.
ZXi5
P790
One of the most-praised features of the whole ZXi line. The Tour V.T. Sole's progressive widths and bounce make it feel 'almost like a blade in the turf' (Plugged In Golf), even from difficult lies.
The redesigned progressive sole was a quieter 2025 win — Today's Golfer praised how cleanly the short irons glide, and Golf Monthly called it one of the best-interacting irons in the category. A genuine tie.
ZXi5
P790
At about $200 per club it's priced at the premium end of the category — you pay for class-leading feel and looks, and the forged faces scuff more readily than some rivals.
Same ~$200-per-club outlay, but it packs in more of what most buyers want — the extra distance and forgiveness — so it edges ahead on performance-per-dollar despite the identical sticker.
Buy the ZXi5 if you...
Buy the P790 if you...
This is a close, high-quality matchup — two of 2025's standout players-distance irons, priced within pennies of each other at about $200 a club. The categories where they tie are telling: feel (9.4 each) and turf interaction (9.3 each) are a genuine wash. Srixon's i-FORGED/SUP10 face and TaylorMade's new 4340M forging both deliver soft, premium impact, and the Tour V.T. Sole and P790's redesigned sole both glide cleanly through turf. So the decision isn't about how they feel or interact with the ground — it's about the three categories that separate them.
The P790 wins where it matters most for the largest group of buyers: distance (9.8 vs 8.6) and forgiveness (9.5 vs 9.0). The 4340M face launches the long irons — Today's Golfer carried a 4-iron 240 yards — and a sweet spot up to 24% larger holds ball speed on mishits, tightening dispersion. That combination is exactly why it carries a 9.5 consensus, Hot List Gold, and back-to-back Iron of the Year. It also nudges ahead on value: same sticker, more of the performance most golfers want.
The ZXi5's answer is the craftsman's case. It wins looks (9.4 vs 9.2) — widely called the best-looking iron in its class — and workability (9.0 vs 8.6), the compact head bending shots more readily than the bigger hollow body. It's no slouch on forgiveness either; MainFrame held a toe strike to about seven yards. If you shape shots, find the center, and want the purest players profile without giving up much help, the ZXi5 is the more satisfying iron. But if you want the longest, most forgiving option — and most golfers do — the P790 is the pick.
“Fly a 4-iron 240 yards in the air whilst not being too concerned about where I hit it.”
Today’s Golfer·On the P790Favors P790
“The cleaned-up geometry and minimal branding make these the best-looking game-improvement irons on the market.”
Plugged In Golf·On the ZXi5Favors ZXi5
“Massively improved feel — that's the headline upgrade and it delivers.”
Golf Monthly·On the P790Favors P790
“The only iron to finish top 10 in accuracy, distance and forgiveness — and our testers' favorite on sound, feel, looks and likelihood of purchase.”
MyGolfSpy·Players Distance testing, ZXi5Favors ZXi5
ZXi5 — our take
The do-everything Srixon, and the looker of the two. It wins shelf appeal and workability, ties on feel and turf, and stays close on forgiveness — all in the cleanest players profile in the class. The shot-shaper's pick at 9.2.
✦ Best for: shot-shapers and ball-strikers who want the cleanest look (0–15)
P790 — our take
The category benchmark and the stronger all-rounder. It wins distance, forgiveness, and value, ties feel and turf, and carries the higher 9.5 consensus with Hot List Gold. For most golfers, this is the iron to buy.
✦ Best for: mid-to-low handicappers who want distance and forgiveness (5–18)
On balance, yes — the P790 carries a higher 9.5 consensus score (vs the ZXi5's 9.2) and wins the two categories most buyers prioritize, distance (9.8 vs 8.6) and forgiveness (9.5 vs 9.0), plus value. But it isn't a blowout: the ZXi5 wins looks (9.4 vs 9.2) and workability (9.0 vs 8.6), and the two tie on feel and turf interaction, making the Srixon the better pick for shot-shapers who want the cleanest players look.
The P790 is the more forgiving iron, scoring 9.5 versus the ZXi5's 9.0. Its sweet spot is up to 24% larger than the 2023 model and, combined with SpeedFoam Air and FLTD CG tungsten weighting, it tightened 7-iron dispersion to roughly 10 yards in testing. The ZXi5 is still impressively stable for such a compact head — MainFrame face tech held a toe strike to about a seven-yard loss — but the P790 holds more ball speed across the face.
The P790 is the longer iron, earning a 9.8 distance score against the ZXi5's 8.6. Its new 4340M forged face and hollow body launch the long irons especially well — Today's Golfer carried a 4-iron 240 yards. The ZXi5 is plenty fast too, but it runs on the low-spin side and solid strikes can travel farther than expected, so gapping into the wedges deserves attention during a fitting.
Both cost about $200 per club, so it comes down to priorities. Choose the P790 if you want maximum distance, the largest sweet spot, and the category benchmark — it's the better fit for most mid-to-low handicappers. Choose the ZXi5 if you shape shots, find the center consistently, and want the cleanest, most compact players look with class-leading feel; its workability and looks edge the P790, and feel and turf are a dead heat.
Compare these head-to-head, or see how they rank across the field.