A super powerful and forgiving iron in the game improvement category. On the firmer and clickier end of the spectrum in terms of feel and acoustics, but extremely strong in terms of distance.
For
- Exceptional distance
- Very forgiving
- Good launch considering the strong lofts
Against
- Not a huge change from the Stealth iron visually
- Quite a firm feel at impact
A genuinely strong offering from Callaway in the distance iron category. The sophisticated look and performance is excellent, with the distance and forgiveness a particular standout in what is an option that will suit a variety of players.
For
- Very competitive on distance
- Refreshingly sophisticated look
- Impressively forgiving
Against
- Low spin could hurt stopping power
TaylorMade Qi vs Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Irons: Read Our Head-To-Head Verdict
TaylorMade and Callaway are two of the biggest brands in golf and, for this year, they have both released new game improvement irons. Both brands have been churning out top-performing gear for a long time now and these two iron sets will be two of the most popular in 2024.
Both of these models are aimed at golfers who are looking to maximise forgiveness and increase distance and, as you would expect, both Callaway and TaylorMade have really delivered in this aspect.
The irons in question are the TaylorMade Qi and the Callaway Paradym AI Smoke. Both sets fall in line with their 2024 releases, with Callaway and TaylorMade also dropping new woods and drivers of the same name.
Both sets are different in terms of technology and looks but, when it comes down to performance, can they be split? Having rigorously tested both, we know what they can do so let's find out how they compare in this head-to-head!
Technology
Both brands are always at the forefront of any new technology and this time around it is no different. We start with TaylorMade and the Qi irons which, for 2024, have introduced what TaylorMade call 'straight distance'. In a nutshell, this is a new patented face that they have fitted throughout the bag so each club has an individualised head. TaylorMade say this eliminates more cut spin and controls the flex in the face. This is something the brand had identified as an issue for the target audience of these irons.
Additionally, they have tailored the CG location in the long irons so that it is lower, which helps when it comes to launching the ball, and then higher in the short irons to help maximise flight control. So, overall, the Qi irons have had a few tweaks from the Stealth irons to help the player looking for more help and forgiveness.
Moving onto the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke, which replaces the Paradym. Starting with the shafts. This isn't so much a technology change, but they have increased the length of the shaft from 0.5-inch to 0.625-inch increments from 9 iron upwards. The reason is to maximise the distance you get out of your swing. Although this is a small change, Callaway admit that this can effect control, but they have a solution....
The main technology story on these irons is the AI Smart face which Callaway has developed to optimise iron performance. This is based on the swing data from thousands of real golfers, with this 'Swing Code' made up of swing speed, club delivery, and face orientation. This is something that has been added across the new Paradym Ai Smoke Range and the result is that it should maximise distance while keeping dispersion tight, hence why Callaway believes this will negate the negative effects of the shaft length and leave you with more distance, while not impacting the dispersion.
Of the two irons nothing has hugely changed, but we think that the combination of shaft length changes and a new AI smart face, Callaway just edges it on tech.
Looks
With the technology aspect being so tight let us see if the looks split these two irons apart... This time, we start with the Paradym Ai Smoke. This set impressed us straight out of the box. With some game improvement irons, manufacturers can be a little over the top and garish at times but not Callaway, as these irons feel refined and sophisticated, with their chrome finish and the small carbon effect banner strip on the back that houses the Ai Smoke logo enhances, rather than detracts from the looks.
Looks are subjective of course, but one thing we found slightly disappointing in terms of the visual (and it really is minor!), is the continued use of shorter ferrules in the ‘game improvement’ iron category from Callaway. The Apex CB irons, for example, feature a ferrule nearly double the length and this elongated neck gives a more premium and traditional look. This is a very minor gripe but one we would love to see addressed one day.
Moving on to the Qi irons now and TaylorMade have continued with the very understated look we got with the Stealth last year. The main change is a slightly bigger badge on the back housing the name, and this is really the only real difference you can see with the naked eye.
This isn't a bad thing though, especially as the Stealth irons really did look great in this iron category. Along with the looks, the irons at address still look fantastic, with the slightly longer blade length and a nice reassuring top line giving you maximum confidence looking down at the ball.
Again, in terms of looks, there really is not much to separate these irons as they both look great at address and inspire confidence. The Qi irons might just pip this purely based on the fact we already thought the Stealth were the best-looking in the most forgiving irons category and not much has changed from that standpoint. If it isn't broken then don't fix it!
Feel
At this point, we still really cannot split these irons but with feel there is a slight gap between these two powerhouses. The Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke irons felt really premium at impact and there wasn't any clickiness.
We find the clickiness of some distance irons can rather cheapen the feel of them, but this was far from the case with these irons. It was a really nice solid contact and a great penetrating flight which is what you want in a distance iron.
In the TaylorMade Qi, we found the opposite. They felt a little harsh at impact with a clicky and firm feel off the face. Whilst you don’t expect the soft impact of a forged blade like the Mizuno Pro 221, the clickiness of the Qi surprised us. On a positive, however, the wide sole slid through the turf nicely and felt great in that aspect, with the feel of the strike very consistent across the face.
Overall though, this is the biggest difference we have found so far. The Ai Smoke takes it with its more premium feel and sound at impact giving it a clear edge against the Qi.
Performance
When it comes to choosing an iron, performance is going to be one of the crucial factors, so let's see which of these irons comes out on top on the golf course.
Starting with the Qi irons, the first thing we noticed straight away is the speed in which the ball zipped off the club face. The ball came off at an almighty velocity which added an incredible amount of distance and, in our review, our tester claimed that these went about 10 to 12 yards further than the irons he uses, Callaway Apex CBs.
This increase can be attributed to the lofts these distance irons come in at though, which are strong. Because the lofts are strong, we found that the spin was on the low side which is great for those windy conditions and getting more run out off the tee, but it does impact the stopping power of these irons. In testing, we found that even with a decent launch height, stopping these irons would be tougher in firmer conditions.
Although there is limited workability, the Qi will help those who tend to slice the ball, with there being a slight draw bias that does indeed help straighten up that left-to-right ball flight.
In the case of the Ai Smoke, these irons performed very well with solid distances and a great ball flight. We found the overall forgiveness of these irons pleasantly surprising, with off-centre strikes still travelling a long way and only losing a couple of mph ball speed.
Overall, no matter how much we mis-hit this iron, the distance didn't drop and ball speeds stayed consistent. Obviously, out of the centre of the face remained best for maximised distance and ball speed, but whether we were 2mm out or 20mm, the results were still excellent.
It's worth noting that these irons, like the Qi, are strongly lofted so the penetrating ball flights created were not a surprise to us, but we did like that we still got a reasonable launch even with the stronger lofts. Based on the data provided, however, the stopping power is going to be slightly limited, especially when conditions firm up.
Another great aspect we found with the Ai Smoke irons is the workability. Because there was no excessive offset we were able to manipulate the flight a lot more easily. Our tester was able to hit draws and fades at will and it meant that the Ai Smoke really stood out against other irons in this category.
Overall, we have no choice but to give it to the Callaway Ai Smoke as they still provided plenty of distance whilst maintaining forgiveness and straightness. Add the workability aspect and this Ai Smoke is unquestionably one of the best Callaway irons yet.
Which One Should You Choose
Choose the Qi Irons if...
- You are looking to increase your distance
- You want a draw bias iron
- You want a higher launch
Choose the Ai Smoke Irons if...
- You want more workability
- You want a lower spinning iron
- You are looking for more forgiveness
