TaylorMade’s Qi Max iron has big shoes to fill if it’s to be as successful as its predecessor. I’ve spent weeks testing the latest offering to find out if the latest game-improvement model is a hit or miss.
In 2025, TaylorMade raised eyebrows by not releasing an iron alongside the TaylorMade Qi35 carbonwood family. Instead they stuck with the previous year’s Qi iron – a move that paid dividends when it won top game-improvement iron honours in our best irons test. But for 2026, Qi Max is taking its place, targeting straight distance and improved feedback.
With two years to work on it, you’d expect some big refinements from TM in the new model and the Qi Max (and Max HL) iron offers some serious changes to take things up a notch and offer the amateur golfer more than just forgiveness in an attractive, modern iron head.
Having tested the first-gen Qi irons, as well as a variety of the best game-improvement irons over the last 12 months – I was very excited to see how the TaylorMade Qi Max’s fit into this saturated iron category.
I was fitted for Qi Max at TaylorMade’s Kingdom in Carlsbad, California, so I knew that the iron in my hand was right for my game. Being a faster swinging player, getting a well-fitted game-improvement iron has presented problems in the past, but with the TaylorMade Qi Max irons, it was quite the opposite. Let’s dive in.
A players game-improvement iron
Price: $1099.99 / £1050.00
Pros & Cons Ratings Specs Features
Pros Exceptional dispersion, through TM’s straight distance Pleasing shelf appealSuperior aesthetic down at addressTwo options (Max and Max HL) to suit the needs of all golfers. Cons The feel is not anything groundbreaking, which goes against TaylorMade’s messaging
Looks
Tech
Performance
Overall
RRP £143 per iron Availability 4-LW (5-SW in HL) Stock Shafts KBS Max 85 MT (S,R) Stock Grip Superstroke Crossline 360 Black Superior feel and soundStraight distance Individual head optimizationOptimized ball flightRefined players shape
Looks – 4.5/5
I feel like the aesthetics in the game-improvement category have seen huge improvements in the last decade. Golfers want to have irons that represent something different to your woods – driver especially.
Irons should provide elegance, in a head that doesn’t jump out of the bag in a negative way. With the overall construction of game-improvement irons, this is almost an impossible task. GI irons are, in general, big.
Don’t get me wrong, the TaylorMade Qi Max and Max HL irons are no exception. They need to be oversized in nature in comparison to your standard iron, and that’s fine – but they don’t need to be badged up to scream ‘game-improvement model’, and TM have managed to avoid that trap.
The HL iron is larger than the flagship offering, and provides more forgiveness. The standard Qi Max is a refined players shape for the game-improvement scene, with a slightly thinner topline and blade length.
They have work to do to compete with the likes of Srixon and Mizuno’s game-improvement models when it comes to shelf appeal, but are ahead of Cobra and Callaway. Qi Max has a young, fresh design. They’re not the best-looking game-improvement irons TM have ever released (step forward Stealth!) but it’s really hard to fault their profile at address and, for me, that’s the most important factor.
Tech – 4/5
This is where I was sceptical. The refinements that TaylorMade have made for Qi Max are clear and very positive, but there is one thing that left me concerned.
As with Qi, Qi Max feature the patented face technology that controls face flexibility to reduce cut spin – straight distance, not draw bias. Alongside straight distance, we have individual head optimization and optimized ball flight, leading to an iron that will provide the golfer with the correct landing angles for every club. GI irons sometimes push the boundaries a bit too far with their lofts but TaylorMade have been firm but fair with their Max and HL offerings.
But the main tech talking point from TaylorMade for Qi Max has been the superior sound and feel. This has been a major focus for the brand for 2026, with a new internal stability bar and ECHO damper material aiming to improve this based on research with amateur golfers. The ECHO damper material has been strategically positioned to support the iron, reduce vibrations, and supposedly deliver incredible feel for a game-improvement iron.
Have they managed it? Not for me. However you package it up, a game-improvement iron is still a game-improvement iron. They won’t ever feel like one-piece forged irons. In fact, I’d go as far as to say I’ve never tested a game-improvement iron that truly feels good. That part has to be sacrificed to offer forgiveness in droves. Does Qi35 feel better than some game-improvement irons I’ve hit? Yes. But is this a staggering leap forwards? No. Ultimately, though, it’s about performance, and it that sense, this iron delivers.
Performance – 4/5
Let’s get straight to it – I’ve never seen numbers like this with a 7-iron. I topped out at over 150mph ball speed with relative ease, and the straight distance was certainly visible for a golfer who struggles with dispersion. Due to my speed, we moved into the Max HL, ensuring I get the necessary spin and landing angles on all of my clubs.
With slightly more forgiveness in play, I was seeing approximately 7,000 RPM for a 7-iron, and numbers that I could have associated with a pure players iron… except they were 20 yards longer.
ClubBall SpeedSpin RateCarryLand AngleTaylorMade Qi Max HL151.4mph7,485212 yards49.4
I did prefer the shaping of the TaylorMade Qi Max, but I’d still push the majority of amateur golfers into the Qi Max HL. Yes, the only true way to determine which is right for you is via a custom fitting – but extra loft is a good thing if you’re considering these irons. Distance is great, don’t get me wrong, but with the correct landing angles, you’re ensuring when you hit a green, it stays on the green. A large chunk of golfers looking to purchase GI irons will have a below average swing speed. Loft is your friend in this instance, not your foe.
I tested the irons in California, at Custom Golf Works in Guildford and Royal Clinque Ports in Kent and was able to hear the acoustics and feel of these irons in various different settings.
If I’m being brutally honest, it’s disappointing.
As I mentioned, there’s no hiding the fact these are game-improvement irons and they do sound and feel like it. GI irons will have a slightly higher, clicky sound. The feel isn’t horrendous by any means, but it’s not pleasing. I’ve tested a lot of GI irons down the years and this is very much middle of the road for sound and feel. Perhaps I wouldn’t view that as an issue if TaylorMade hadn’t gone quite so deep into promoting the superior sound and feel of Qi Max.
That element aside, really impressed.
Final verdict – 4.2/5
Although the feel was a letdown, I accept that might not be an issue for the target market who don’t hit the variety and volume of clubs across categories that I do. And the feel issue doesn’t mean the TaylorMade Qi Max and Max HL aren’t a superior package for the amateur golfer. When grouping all the assets together, I came away very impressed, and would recommend the Qi Max family to any high handicappers looking for straight and consistent distance.
As mentioned, I think the TaylorMade Qi Max HL will go under the radar in 2026. If you’re reading this and thinking of a game improvement iron investment this year, the HL options aren’t something to turn your nose up at. I have a feeling in 10 years time, we’ll look back at the lofts of game improvement irons and wonder why they were so strong.
