I played for years with a set of Tommy Armour blades. Those were extremely unforgiving to say the least. I bought a set of the Taylomade R7 irons about a year after they came out. I love these irons. They hit great, are much more forgiving but allow you to do things with the ball still. The hell with buying new irons unless they are in bad condition or you fall in love with a set that you hit better.