I agree with Gord...LOL...and the debate goes on....If nothing else can we agree, that a beginner, should NOT use a blade iron, any off center hit or closed/open face is going to be met with some serious consequencies. So until a person is at the level of understanding of his/her swing to know what causes a certain shot, they really need all the help they can get, and a cavity back gives them that help. Hope this answers the OP original question. Fair analogy would be a regular car vs a nascar, they both do the same thing, and look similar, but your going to hurt yourself in the nascar if you don't know what you doing. Blade irons are just a more precise instrument in my opinion, for some one who know how to use them.