“Apex Plus - a forged compact cavity offering a little more help than the muscleback Apex. Rung-2.”

Designer Jeff Sheets' own account of the project and independent retailer/spec archives place the Apex Plus's introduction in 2000, not the mid-1990s, following directly on from the acclaimed 1999 Apex Blade that Sheets and forger Endo Manufacturing of Japan produced for Spalding's relaunch of the Hogan brand. Sheets pushed for 'a serious players' game forgiveness version' rather than a full game-improvement club, resulting in a compact, blade-like cavity back forged from 1030 carbon steel with a thin topline and round toe. Reviewers describe pure strikes feeling 'as soft and silky as anything Mizuno is producing,' with a sweet spot appreciably larger than the blade it was paired with.

GolfWRX's retrospective on the greatest Ben Hogan irons names the Apex Plus alongside the 1999 Apex Blade as 'perhaps the last great iron sets released by the original Hogan Co,' and a MyGolfSpy piece on budget forged cavity-backs states it 'remains the standard against which modern forged cavity-backs are measured.'

Better players and low-to-mid handicappers who want the look and forged feel of a blade with a modest forgiveness cushion on mis-hits, per period reviews and forum discussion.

• Designed by Jeff Sheets and billet-forged in 1030 carbon steel with nickel/chrome plating by Endo Manufacturing in Japan, the same forging house used by Titleist and Mizuno for their tour-level irons.
• Period retrospectives and the designer's own account place its release in 2000, conflicting with older secondary listings that cite the mid-1990s.
• GolfWRX's 'greatest Ben Hogan irons of all time' feature names it alongside the 1999 Apex Blade as one of the last great sets from the original, pre-Callaway Hogan company.
• Used 3-PW steel sets currently sell for roughly $175-$255 at 2nd Swing, down from an original retail near $700.
• GolfWRX's classic-clubs forum has a dedicated thread ('Hogan Apex Plus (forged) - Deal or No Deal?') where posters weigh in on used pricing for the model specifically.

Designed by Jeff Sheets and forged by Endo Manufacturing in Niigata, Japan during Spalding's 1997-2003 ownership of Ben Hogan Golf, immediately after the 1999 Apex Blade and before Callaway's 2003 acquisition of the brand.

2nd Swing lists used 3-PW sets from about $176 to $253 (below-average to average condition, steel shafts), down from an original retail cited around $700, with individual clubs and other online marketplaces (eBay, Golf Avenue) showing similar depreciation for a 25-year-old forged set.