Miuras CB-1008, CB-2008 and Genesis PP 9005 compared

Miura's range of irons is basically very diverse and has evolved greatly over the years from classic blades and cavity backs. The popular Genesis PP is a two-piece club that doesn't look like Miura at all, but once you hit it, you'll quickly realize how much Miura is in it. In this test we take a closer look at three popular Miura irons:

The CB-1008 is a very typical cavity back iron that was made for good players who want to hit the ball reliably but don't want to go with a blade. The CB-2008 also belongs to the Cavity Backs but is even more forgiving and has the center of gravity even further under the ball. Therefore it is much easier to play than the 1008 and also suitable for less strong players who have a certain dispersion in their game. The Genesis PP is definitely no longer a cavity back and belongs to the so-called Players Irons. It can't be forged classically from one piece but has to be put together first. The result is much more forgivability.

So the theory. Let's take a look at practice:

Our setup for the test

The three irons were tested by a solid player with a constant swing and a clubhead speed of 80mph with a 6 iron. Both are important criteria to make reliable statements at all. As shaft we took a Shimada VWS 90 in Regular. This is a good compromise, even if a player with a Genesis PP might prefer a graphite shaft. For this test, however, we need the same shaft in exactly the same settings for all irons.

Club head and ball speed

The clubhead speed was kept very constant on all three irons. This is a basic requirement to be able to make a comparison. The ball speed, however, also depends on the club and there are clear differences:

• CB-1008: 102 mph
• CB-2008: 104.7 mph
• Genesis PP: 106 mph

The speed therefore increases, which suggests that the Genesis PP is more efficient and gets more ball speed from a given clubhead speed. The hits in the test were very constant, i.e. the smash factor was very identical.

Launch Angle

The Launch Angle indicates the angle at which a ball starts. The bigger the angle, the higher the ball starts. This is especially important for players with low and medium club head speed. They have to be able to air the ball without using more force. The launch of the Genesis PP is the highest at 20.34°, while the differences between 1008 and 2008 are interestingly not so clear. This suggests that the 2008 launch is not really more favourable than the 1008 launch.

Genesis PP compared to CB 2008 front view

Flight altitude and landing angle

The higher launch of the Genesis PP also translates 1:1 into the flight altitude, which is at the same time the highest. This also results in a better landing angle which is highest with almost 43°. The bottom line is that this landing angle is still a bit too flat which means that we would have to try a different shaft in practice which increases both launch and landing angle.

Precision and directional control

Statistics on this are relatively difficult in this player class. The deviations of individual strokes have too much influence on average values. For this you would have to evaluate significantly more strokes. The standard deviation, i.e. the deviation from the mean value, is relatively identical for all three clubs, but slightly higher for the 1008. Which is to be expected. Nevertheless, the deviations are so small that one cannot speak of a significant difference.

The result summarized

The test basically confirmed what was to be expected. The PP Genesis is a very forgiving club head that is able to carry the ball into the air with the highest possible efficiency. This can be seen in the higher ball speed, launch and landing angle.

The differences between 1008 and 2008 are far less clear and above all of an optical nature. The 2008 has a slightly wider topline and sole than the 1008.