Takomo IGNIS D1 Review: Budget Driver, Tour-Level Threat

Have you heard about the $319 driver that supposedly competes with $600 drivers from the big tour brands? It’s the Takomo IGNIS D1 driver, and I put it to the test on the course and on a launch monitor for this complete review.

Pros:

• Forgiving and long
• Highly configurable
• Terrific value
• Nice sound and feel

Cons:

• Not available in left-handed

Finnish golf equipment company Takomo has fascinated me in recent years with their gorgeous irons (like the 101 and 101Ts) and cult-like following. While I’ve never put a full set of Takomo irons into play, the reviews have been pretty positive. At a cost significantly less than the competition, I’ve always thought they’d be worth checking out.

I’ve put both Takomo’s wedges and fairway woods through the ringer, and they did not disappoint. Since then, I’ve been wondering when the direct-to-consumer company would launch a driver. That day has come.

Actually, that day came quietly a couple of years ago, but most golfers didn’t know about it. That’s when Takomo launched an unpolished IGNIS D1 proto, which was designed to be just that, a prototype to provide the company with feedback on its very first driver. It was a limited edition, and the direct-to-consumer company did very little to promote sales. 

Takomo collected customer feedback on the prototype and coupled that with internal testing to improve it for this full-scale edition.

First, Takomo learned that the majority of buyers cared more about forgiveness than distance. 

Second, it became clear that the sound and feel needed to improve for the real deal. The prototype, as one customer put it, was like "throwing a can of peas against a large rock."

The new IGNIS D1 that Takomo released in July 2025 is essentially its first real driver, built and designed off the prototype. Engineers completely redesigned the face and weighting system. 

They added a variable thickness face that boosts forgiveness from the most commonly missed locations on the face.

The prototype had three weight ports at the rear of the club for a single weight, offering a neutral setting, fade, or draw bias. The IGNIS D1, however, has three weights (one 13g and two 3g) for those three weight ports. The weights themselves are also thinner compared to earlier iterations of the IGNIS D1, which keeps the center of gravity lower in the head. 

And there you have it. Takomo’s new driver.

While I couldn’t put this driver on a robot, I did manage to play several rounds with it, and I used a launch monitor to compare it to other drivers I’ve been playing this year.

The Takomo IGNIS D1 comes in two loft options, 9-degrees or 10.5-degrees, with two stock shaft options: the red (mid-high launch and mid spin) and blue (mid-launch, low spin) Ventus shafts from Fujikura. 

I chose the 9-degree driver, which can be adjusted 2 degrees up or down, with a stiff blue Ventus shaft. I tinkered a little with the weights, but mostly tested it with weights in the neutral setting and hosel in the stock loft since I don’t really need any help drawing the ball or countering a hook.

With that said, I found this driver very forgiving. It’s just as forgiving as any driver I’ve tried in the last few years, regardless of price. If I put a reasonable swing on it, I found the fairway. And I liked the way it launched. If I missed a fairway, it was because I simply put a bad swing on it, but honestly, that didn’t happen very often.

That raises the question: was it the shaft or the head? That’s hard to answer, because the Blue Ventus shaft is fairly premium for a stock shaft, and my feeling is the shaft certainly helped. It seemed to fit the way I load and unload pretty well.

Here’s the kicker: I found this driver (CEO Sebastian Haapahovi named it IGNIS, which is latin for “fire”) fairly long on the course, both during a tournament and in casual rounds. 

Twice, I hit drives on holes to places I haven’t been to in a long time. Both were par 5s that left just 8-irons on my second shot. (Yes, both holes were under 500 yards, but I’m a senior, and we’re talking 8-irons. And yes, I reached the green both times, though there was a three-putt.)

To put some data behind the on-course distance I was getting, I took the driver out to the range and put it on a launch monitor. While it didn’t record unworldly distances, I was consistently hitting it over 270 yards, which is a little longer than I’ve been used to lately. Plus, the ball went fairly straight. This is hardly scientific, of course, since I’m not a robot. And again, the shaft probably played a role in it (it probably just fit me better). But subjectively, I just liked the feel of the IGNIS D1 Driver, and it seemed to jump off the club.

I also liked how it felt and how it sounded, which was somewhat muffled. It looks great at address with its carbon crown and lightweight steel construction, which is all wrapped in a matte black finish that looks super clean in a pleasantly shaped head. 

Finally, I let some other players try out this driver, too. A couple of highly skilled players both told me they liked the way it felt, and they both were able to hit it long distances.

My goal was to compare the Takomo IGNIS D1 Driver to the best on the market straight up. In that respect, I’ve concluded that it certainly holds its own and then some.

But it’s impossible not to consider the price. The IGNIS D1 is $319 for crying out loud, and pretty much every major OEM driver is $600 these days. At just over half the price of the premium drivers on the market, anyone who’s looking for a new driver should consider checking out Takomo.

Of course, one drawback is that you can’t walk into a retailer and try a Takomo driver before you buy it, or go through a live fitting. You need to have a good idea of your specs before you buy it. 

If you’re dialed into your specs, the Takomo IGNIS D1 is a savvy purchase that punches way above its weight.