Sub 70 639 CB Irons Review – Are They Forgiving & Good for High Handicappers?

Sub 70 639 CB Irons Review – Are They Forgiving & Good for High Handicappers?

“The Sub 70 639-CB irons have premium looks; but do they deliver premium performance for high handicappers?”

Sub 70 is a company that is trying to do something extraordinary: disrupt the premium forged iron market. A lot of smaller golf club OEM’s take the easier router which is breaking into the game improvement club market.

But Sub 70 is reaching for the brass ring. Case in point: the Sub 70 639-CB irons. The Sub 70 639-CB irons are single-billet forged and somehow, they are sold for significantly less than other forged irons.

Are the Sub 70 639-CB irons too good to be true? How do they fare for high handicap players? I tested them to find out.

Sub 70 639-CB Irons Overview

“Looking down at the Sub 70 639-CB irons behind the ball, I got the sense that these were player’s performance irons.”

The Sub 70 639-CB irons have a moderate top line that I would say is slightly on the thin side. The blade length from heel to toe is also of a moderate length – not as short as say, Mizuno blades but not as long as Titleist performance irons. They have what Sub 70 calls “player’s cavities” which is essentially just a shallow cavity back.

As a result, the undercut isn’t too thick. When looking down at these irons, I felt that they would be very workable. And I was right. The Sub 70 639-CB irons were forged from a single billet of DT-4 soft stainless steel. While the Sub 70 639-CB irons don’t feel as soft as carbon steel forged irons, I still thoroughly enjoyed the sensation at impact.

I was deftly able to manipulate the ball from left-to-right and the feedback was as clear as a bell. I rarely had to look up at my shot to determine where on the face I made contact.

The Sub 70 639-CB irons also have a rounded leading edge which plays very smoothly from the deck and the semi-rough. I tend to dig with new irons that I test and I was leaving behind very small divots with these irons. The Sub 70 639-CB produced a mid launch that with a little bit of effort, could be worked to a high launch. Overall, I liked the feel and performance of these irons. But how forgiving were they?

Are the Sub 70 639-CB Irons Forgiving?

“The most forgiving thing about the Sub 70 639-CB irons is that they play very smooth off the deck.”

And that’s what you want if you are playing anything but executive courses. The Sub 70 639-CB irons feel fluid from the deck and even in the semi-rough, it wasn’t difficult for me to scoop the ball up and high. Off the tee was another story. You don’t have a ton of margin for error with these irons.

The sweet spot is pretty compact and it is fairly easy to hit the ball thin or heavy because of the relatively shallow face depth. Are the Sub 70 639-CB irons the most forgiving irons I’ve ever tested? Not by any means. Are they some of the most forgiving forged irons I’ve ever tested? Absolutely.

The cavity back goes a long way toward straightening out flight on less than perfect strikes. On most slight toe-side misses, the Sub 70 639-CB irons kept the ball in play which is more than I can say for other forged irons. The dispersion won’t be super-tight even if you mis-hit by just a bit. But your slight mis-hits won’t be punished with unplayable lies.

Are the Sub 70 639-CB Irons Good for Beginners & High Handicappers?

“The Sub 70 639-CB irons are good for mid handicappers and high handicappers who are really determined to improve.”

I would say that if you are in the 12-22 handicap, these irons are at least playable. They aren’t the best for beginners and high handicappers; but they are at least viable. The problem that I have with a lot of game improvement irons is that they neglect one very important aspect of performance that hinders a lot of high handicappers: feel off the deck.

Sub 70 didn’t forget that with these irons. I wish all game improvement irons felt this smooth through the turf. If you play a lot of 3-par courses, I wouldn;t recommend these irons. But if you are a high handicapper who is serious about getting into single-digit territory, the Sub 70 639-CB irons can help.

Should you Buy the Sub 70 639-CB Or the Sub 70 799 Irons?

The Sub 70 799 irons are super game improvement irons. As such, they are much bigger than the Sub 70 639-CBs. The 799’s launch very high with very little effort and play long even if you have a slow swing speed. The Sub 70 799 irons would be better than the Sub 70 639-CBs if you’re a pure beginner.