Paxton, great question and thanks a lot for your interest.
I'll start by saying that you really can't go wrong with either wedge. Cleveland has quickly become one of the premier wedge makers in the business, and
Bob Vokey is of course, a legend. Both wedges are extremely versatile and should be able to handle anything you can throw at them: sand, both hard and soft surfaces, deep grass, etc.
The
Vokey is going to offer you a bit of a more sole-heavy wedge, a feature preferred by many players, with weight concentrated in the sole of the club to help you stay down on partial swings and chipping. Also, in the past, the Vokey wedges were priced more expensive than its competitors. It's only been recently that their price has dropped to match Cleveland and other manufacturers.
On the other hand, the
CG12's Zip Grooves should offer you a bit more spin as opposed to the milled face of the Vokey's (and, for me, the
Black Pearls are a thing of beauty). I'll direct you
here for an in depth look into what Cleveland has to say about the technology of their Zip Grooves.
Lastly, if you're a fan of Golf Digest's Hot List, I'll tell you that both wedges were given Gold status by the testers, with the Vokey wedges receiving the highest marks in all tested categories: Performance, Innovation, Look/Sound/Feel, and Demand. Check out both write-ups
on this page.
With all that said, and as much as I love the Black Pearls, I think I would personally go with the classic Vokey, but that's not to take anything away from what Cleveland is doing. I hope this helps you with your decision, and if you have any other questions, don't hesitate to hit us up again.
