© Callaway Golf

Traditionalists rejoice: Apex irons are back.

Once considered the apex, if you will, of the Ben Hogan brand, Apex forged irons disappeared from the market years ago. But Callaway retained the Apex name when it sold Hogan to Perry Ellis in 2012, and now it’s ready to roll out the next generation of these vaunted blades.

Make no mistake: These aren’t your father’s Apex irons. Where previous versions featured a classic muscleback design, Callaway decided to go the cavity-back route to better appeal to modern players. While all the clubhead steel is forged (rather than cast), the body and face are built separately and fused together.

Callaway promises great distance from Apex irons thanks to their decreased lofts and thin steel faces. A low center of gravity compensates for the lower lofts by lifting shots higher.

The new Apex irons hit the market December 6, 2013, with an MSRP of $1,099 for a set of eight with steel shafts, and $1,299 in graphite.