As the wedges in sets of irons become stronger, it creates gaps for specialist wedges to cover the distances from around 110 yards and in.
If you are a better player then there are a lot of options, but it always strikes me as odd that you would switch to a blade wedge for full shots if the rest of your set is made up of cavity back irons.
There are a couple of specialist cavity back wedges around, but the first to do this properly was the Cleveland 588 Rotex wedge in 2012. This was a really good wedge so when Cleveland said that they were launching the follow-up Cleveland 588 Rotex 2.0 CB wedge, I was keen to see what they had done.
Cleveland 588 Rotex 2.0 CB Wedge Review
A lot of wedge chat is around the face grooves and with the 2.0 version, Cleveland has made the walls of the 4th generation Tour Zip grooves steeper with 15% sharper edges to get the dirt out of the way so that the club can impart as much spin as possible on the ball at impact.
In between the grooves, the Rotex face is created by a micro milling process and then laser etched lines to create additional roughness are added between the grooves to create as much friction as possible.
I have tried many of the Cleveland wedge faces over the years and the Rotex 2.0 version keeps up a fine tradition by generating a very good level of spin, making it one of the best in the market.
The 588 Rotex 2.0 CB head is made from 431 Steel and has also undergone a little bit of a makeover and looks a little larger in the toe area. This is good for when you are opening the face as it creates more area for the ball to run up and it also changes the sound, giving the 2.0 version a higher pitched noise that I like because it sounds a bit livelier.
The CB sole is based on the excellent Cleveland CG14 wedge that continued through to the first Rotex wedge. The wider sole was very good out of sand and that continues in the 2.0 CB, especially as the larger face gives you more confidence that you can splash the ball out.
Like before, the 588 Rotex 2.0 wedges come with a low, medium and high bounce option in most of the lofts, signified by 1, 2 or 3 dots on the sole respectively, with the actual bounce marked on the hosel.
This is a good clear system and provides all the options you need to get the right combinations, although a visit to the Cleveland website or a professional fitter would be advised, as sometimes you need to see how the grind and the effective bounce plays for real.
In addition to lofts from 48° to 60°, there is also a choice of a silver Tour Satin or Black Satin finish which both look great, although the Black Stain will wear quite quickly to leave some wear marks, so make sure you are hitting it out of the centre for the best visual results.
The CB sits very well at address and there is a small amount of heel and toe relief if you wish to vary the lie to play different shots, but otherwise it plays very much like a cavity back iron, but with a lot more feel from the cast head.
Just because it is a cavity back wedge, this does not mean that better players should not take a look at the CB. It is ideal for everyone for full shots, but then has the added benefit of better feel for touch shots around the green than most cavity back set wedges.
Therefore I would have to say it is the best cavity back wedge on the market at present, but if you prefer a little more versatility from a blade style head then Cleveland has you covered with a blade version.
Cleveland 588 Rotex 2.0 Blade Wedge Review
Cleveland also brings you the Rotex 2.0 face in a blade, but it is not a completely new head shape.
It is based on the excellent Cleveland CG15 wedge which stood out for the sole grinds on the heel and toe.
Thankfully these continue in the 588 Rotex 2.0 version and the 1 and 2 dot grinds are some of the best in the market for allowing you the flexibility to raise the heel or toe to play touch shots.
If you are looking for versatility around the greens and performance from sand, then the Cleveland 588 Rotex 2.0 gives you everything you would need and more and it is not hard to see why this is one of the best selling wedges in the market.
The levels of bounce per dot vary in the blade version because of the thinner sole. For instance on the 2 dot 56° wedge, the CB has 16° of bounce, whereas the blade version has 12° so that may influence your choice of head shape and loft.
Catch it correctly and the feel from the 9620 carbon steel head and the spin from the Rotex 2.0 face is excellent and right up there as one of the best.
As you would expect, the head is a little more compact than the CB version, but is still big enough to give you some margin for error.
The lofts start at 46° with this version, but unless you are low single figures I would be tempted to have a 46° to 50° in the CB and then go to the 588 RTX 2.0 blade for the higher lofts.
Like previous Cleveland wedges, the blade version feels towards the lighter end of the scale even though the swing weight is the same or less than the main competitors. The bounce tends to play about average for the stated lofts, so a 1 or a 2 dot sole will be ideal for most players.
So whichever version of the 588 RTX 2.0 wedges you go for, you can rest assured that you will have one of the best performers in the market with a tried and tested design and a face that gives good levels of spin for that all important control on the greens.