The biggest improvement I thought from the original AP2s and the 712 AP2s is the feel.  The 712 AP2s feel much more solid.  The originals had a slight hollow feeling in my opinion, while the new ones feel like there is meat right behind the ball when you strike it.  Although looking at the cavity, it might seem that is where some of the metal is cut out, it certainly improves the feel.  I think the newly designed elastomer insert dampens vibration just the right amount, yet allows for solid feel.

Another improvement is the placement of tungsten.  Before it was across the entire sole, now it is placed at the corners of the sole for a higher M.O.I.  For me it made them just a touch lower launching too.  While these still launch on the higher side for me, the new trajectory is a little stronger and a little more consistent.

They are still a players iron with ample forgiveness.  I found I could control my shots very well with these irons.  If I really needed to change from a straight, high shot; I could do that.  I was able hit baby cuts and baby fades into tucked pins, I was also able to lower the trajectory slightly by delofting them all in a controlled manner.

The sole interaction with the turf was perfect for my needs.  I can get steep and dig, but the wider soles in the long irons glided through the turf, while the short irons still allowed me to attack the ball hard, without digging a hole.  The blunted leading edge along with relief on the trailing edge helped me make solid contact with the ball shot after shot.  They were great off tight fairways, yet cut nicely through the rough popping the ball up quickly thus losing very little distance.

When it comes to looks, Titleist tends to be as classy and traditional as it gets.  While I wasn’t in love with the looks of the original AP2s, the new 712 AP2 irons look really sharp to me.  I think the contrast between the chrome and satin forged metals, along with the black elastomer inserts looks really nice in my bag.  The top line looks just wide enough to inspire confidence, but thin enough to not look bulky.  The offset is minimal and the overall squarer headshape is really pleasing to the eye.

The Titleist AP2 712 irons have sent the standard by which all other irons will be judged, I don’t know if any other iron set will be able to knock these out of the bag, they really are absolutely perfect for me.