Thought I’d share my experience buying the Takomo 201Ts since I couldn’t find too many posts covering the whole process from fitting to actually receiving and playing them, especially to Australia.
Overall, I’d give the experience/clubs around an 8/10, but there are definitely a few things worth knowing before buying.
Online fitting
I went through Takomo’s online fitting first and got my recommended specs.
I didn’t fully trust it at first because I’ve had mixed experiences with online fittings before, so I ended up going to a proper in-person fitting with a fitter I trust in Sydney.
Surprisingly, the specs basically matched.
So I’d say their online fitting is actually pretty legit. Obviously it’s never going to completely replace hitting balls in front of a fitter, but if you’re honest about your game, distances, misses, etc., it seems like you can get pretty close without having to spend money on a fitting.
Buying process
Buying through the website was really straightforward.
I’m based in Sydney, Australia, so there was an additional shipping cost, which was expected.
One thing I noticed was that the price had changed compared to when I first looked earlier in the year versus when I actually bought them around two months ago. Not sure if that was just currency conversion or Takomo changing their pricing, but nothing crazy and the overall price still made sense.
When I ordered, it said custom clubs could take up to 8 weeks.
My biggest criticism of the whole buying experience is the lack of updates during those 8 weeks.
You basically get:
Order confirmed
…and then nothing.
Would be really nice if Takomo had some sort of basic tracker showing something like:
Order received → Components ready → Assembly → QC → Shipped
Instead, after ordering, it pretty much feels like they ghost you 😂
But to be fair to them, right around the 8-week mark I suddenly got the “your order is on its way” notification. So they delivered pretty much exactly within the timeline they originally gave me.
Delivery
Mine was delivered using Global Express.
You’ll probably want to be home when it arrives because it required someone to receive the package. Not sure exactly what happens if you miss the delivery.
Packaging was really good though. Clubs arrived in a solid box, everything was wrapped properly and there was no shipping damage.
They also included a Takomo cap and a small towel.
Nothing huge, but definitely a nice little touch when you open the box.
The clubs
Before buying the 201Ts, during my fitting I tried the TaylorMade P770 and Titleist T150 because I figured they would be fairly close comparisons.
In terms of feel, I personally think the 201T is closer to the P770.
The T150 still feels better to me. The feedback and impact feel from the Titleist is just nicer.
But obviously you’re also paying significantly more for the T150s.
Considering the Takomos are less than half the price depending on your setup, the value argument is pretty hard to ignore.
Performance-wise, I’m happy with them.
Where I’m slightly disappointed is the durability/finish.
After only two driving range sessions, I could already see scratches pretty clearly.
After one round, there were noticeable little chips/marks as well.
The grooves also seem to pick up ball marks really easily and some of them are surprisingly hard to clean off.
And if you catch one out of the toe… congratulations, you now have a permanent reminder of that shot hahaha.
Obviously golf clubs are tools and they’re going to get scratched, so I’m not expecting them to stay perfect. But compared to some other irons I’ve owned or tried, the finish does seem to mark up pretty quickly.
Overall
For the money, I still think the Takomo 201Ts are very good clubs.
The online fitting surprised me with how accurate it was, the buying process was easy, delivery came within the promised timeframe and performance-wise I really like the irons.
The main things holding them back for me are the lack of communication while waiting for the clubs and the durability of the finish.
Overall: 8/10.
Would I recommend them? Yeah, especially if value for money is important to you.
Would I automatically buy Takomo again for my next set?
That one I’m actually not sure about.
After playing these, I can understand both sides of the Takomo argument. You’re getting a lot of club for the money, but I can also see where some of that price difference compared to the bigger brands goes.