With 61 major wins, you would expect Wilson to be a bit more renowned for their irons than they are. However in recent years they have been regaining that respect through several excellent models and the Wilson Staff D7 irons continue this trend.
The Wilson Staff D7 Irons replace the 2017 Wilson Staff D300 irons and contain a lot of improvements.
Firstly, the looks are cleaner and more likely to appeal to mid handicappers, with an all chrome finish that looks better than the chunky matt blocks on the sole of the D300.
Under the hood, Wilson say that they have grouped various design features under the 'RE-AKT' name. I am not 100% sure how this names relates to them all or what it means, but I am sure the Wilson marketing team will enlighten me in due course.
What I do know is that Wilson has made the face 0.5mm thinner in the 4 to 7 irons so that it is just 2mm thick to increase ball speeds.
Having upped the number of Power Holes from one row in the D300 to two rows in the Wilson Staff C300 irons, Wilson has really gone for it in the D7 with three rows in the longer irons.
However the number of Power Hole rows is now variable, as in the 8 and 9 irons there are two rows, the P and G wedges have one and the SW none.
The Power Holes that were on the topline of the D300 have gone because of the thinner face, which is a good thing as it improves the looks at address.
Having less holes in the top actually means that Wilson can save weight and move it into the heel and toe of the club. This improves the MOI by around 10% on the D300 to make it more forgiving on off-centre hits.
The D7 hosel is also 5mm longer so that will also help balance out the head more. There is even an option to adjust the lie more easily thanks to the notch in the hosel, which is important in cast clubs.
At address the D7 looks much better and will have a greater appeal. I did like the look of the Power Holes on top, but I can see why some might not like them and the D7 look is much cleaner.
So does all this tech work? I took the D7 and D300 6-irons on GC2 to compare them. I should point out that the lofts in the 4 to 8 irons are around 1° stronger, with the 6-iron coming in at 25°.
However I don't think we can put the extra ball speed of nearly 2mph down entirely to a stronger loft, so it has to be the Power Holes doing their thing.
Combined with less spin and a higher flight from the lower weight distribution, the D7 gained 6 yards on the D300, which is pretty impressive.
This puts the D7 irons right up there as one of the longest irons in the market, by the number on the sole of the club. Just remember to check the lofts when doing your own comparisons.
You can start to see the cavity at the back of the 6-iron at address, if that is something that bothers you, but otherwise the D7 is a very good looking club. The head is a generous size with a mid sized top line that I think will have wide appeal.
With that big cavity and wide sole, the sound from the longer irons with those extra rows of Power Holes was a little on the hollow side. As you move into the short irons with fewer rows, then the sound tones down and the feel becomes firmer and closer to what you expect from a cast, cavity back iron.
The short irons were pretty good for this type of set and given the lofts I would be tempted to go right down to the 48° Gap wedge. This is an option club for the set, so I would swap this in for the SW and then move into your specialist wedges.
Wilson Staff D7 Irons Verdict
I think Wilson has done an excellent job with the D7 irons. They have improved the looks and taken the Power Holes concept, which I like, to the next level.
Blending the number of rows of Power Holes as you go down through the set gives you speed where you want it in the longer irons and a bit more feel in the shorter irons. It is not forged feel, but it is good enough for this category of club.
The whole set felt nice and light to swing, thanks in part to the excellent KBS Tour 90 shaft, so that will enable mid handicappers to generate the club head speed to get the most from the heads.
And the best bit is the price which makes the Wilson Staff D7 irons excellent value for money. With performance to match the more expensive, forgiving mid-handicap irons from the other main brands, then Wilson are on to a winner with the D7.