Product Review: King Cobra OS Irons

Cobra Golf’s "Size Matters" tagline for the new King Cobra Oversize irons is something to discuss another day on another blog. For the purpose of this blog, however, we took a set out for a test.

King Cobra OS on right

First things first ... The size. These aren’t freaky big, like a novelty set or something Fred Flintstone would’ve swung back in the day. Bigger than traditional? Slightly, but nothing that will jump right out at you (see right).

One of the benefits of the size is and increased moment of inertia (MOI). This helps generate more ball speed on a consistent basis. As you can imagine, a larger club can also allow for a larger sweet spot. Along with more ball speed, we’re talking about more forgiveness.

Every amateur would love to create more ball speed, while maintaining control. That’s the idea behind Cobra’s enlarged “sweet zone.” The construction of the face moved the weld out to the topline and down to the sole. This created a sweet zone (see bottom right) that is 12 percent larger than the popular F6 in the mid-irons, 7 percent larger in the long irons and 5 percent larger in the wedges.

Personally, I hit my irons very high. Maybe too high. But for those who struggle getting lift, the King Cobra OS irons are for you. Why? Because the hollow body and lower center of gravity produce a higher launch ... coupled with a buttery soft feel.

Enlarged Sweet Zone

A few years ago, a buddy of mine put a 3-wood in his bag that had a funny name. I won’t go into specifics, but it was made by one of the largest golf manufacturers. The ball would JUMP off the face because of a trampoline effect. Cobra’s PWRSHELL does the same thing. Amazing.

Another terrific feature of these irons ... “Progressive Spin Technology.” King Cobra OS irons have V-grooves on the 4-6 irons to reduce spin, U-grooves on the 7-PW to optimize spin, and wedge-spaced grooves on the GW and SW for extra spin where you need it - around the green.

I took the King Cobra OS irons for a side-by-side comparison with my “gamers” and was impressed with their performance. From 5-iron through pitching wedge, I was seeing an average of 5 mph more ball speed with Cobra and up to 8 additional yards (5-iron).

A thin face, large sweet spot and low CG combine to make the King Cobra OS irons the surprise of the season for me. With easy distance and pin-seeking accuracy, my current gamers will likely be sitting out 2017.

Like anything we review on American Golfer, we suggest you try before you buy. Golf balls are easy - purchase a sleeve of several makes/models and play a few holes with each. The cost of irons and woods make that a bit difficult, of course. Visit your local professional or golf retailer and try them for yourself. Take your irons and conduct your own side-by-side test. I think you'll be impressed.

Find out more about the King Cobra OS irons and other products at cobragolf.com.