Cobra is one of the last companies to throw their hat into the hollow iron category, with their new Cobra King Forged Tec irons. Released in the fall of 2019, Cobra uses the tagline, “Classic Look and Crazy Distance,” to describe their hot new iron. Here’s our honest review.
Appearance
The Cobra King Forged Tec iron set will appeal to low and mid-range handicappers. Low handicappers will appreciate how simple the iron looks while mid-range handicappers should feel confident they can hit the iron.
Forged Tec is a light chrome finish with black logos and accents while the One-Length Forged Tec head has a black, blue and red accent One-Length logo. The Forged Tec is a classic blade appearance with a slighter larger top line and sole, almost identical size to the Cleveland UHX, TaylorMade P790 and slightly larger than the Ping i500.
Upon examination of the club face, you can see a slight milled pattern across the hitting area. Visually, you can see the face and Tungsten weight below the grooves on the sole. There is a minimal off-set in the appearance of the irons, and even less in the longer irons. The 5-iron looks very linear at address with more straight lines and minimal curves.
Overall, the design looks solid and is a smooth transition from 4 iron through gap wedge.
Technology
Cobra designed a more forgiving club face (PWRSHELL Face) for higher launch and faster speed in a forged players iron. The classic MB player iron shape hides the Hollow Core for a lower center of gravity, controlled distance and playability. Cobra placed Tungsten Weighting behind the hitting area for improved precision and forgiveness on hits across the clubface.
Every Cobra Forged Tec iron includes the stock Cobra Connect Arccos Grip that syncs up with the Arcos App. The Arccos Caddie App is an ideal way to track what is really going on with your game. Arccos measures Automatic Shot Tracking, True Club Averages, Advanced Analytics and Golf Smart Caddy.
The App lets you know real time data for your game, how far you really hit the shot with the Smart Distance insight, best strategies tee to green and much more. The full benefit of the Arccos App probably deserves a review that shows all the features and benefits and how it can help improve your game.
Specifications
Cobra King Forged Tec is available in 19* 3-iron through 49* Gap Wedge. Standard length 7-iron measures 37.25” with a regular grip and 37.50” with the stock Cobra Connect Grip. The 7-iron offers 29.5* loft and 63* lie angle. Standard swing weight is D2 in steel 3-9 and D3 in PW and GW while graphite weighs C9 in 3-9 irons and D0 in PW and GW. Forged Tec is available 3-PW, GW in right and left handed options.
The stock steel shaft is KBS $ Taper Lite (115 gram stiff / 110 gram regular) designed for a mid/high launch and mid/low spin. Project X Catalyst 80 is the graphite stock shaft available in regular (68 grams / mid launch / mid spin), stiff (85 grams / low launch / low spin) and x-stiff (85 grams / low launch / low spin).
Cobra offers Lamkin Crossline Cobra Connect as the stock grip option.
Although these are the listed stock options, Cobra also offers several other shafts and grips as no upcharge options.
Performance
I tested the King Cobra Forged Tec 7-iron with stock $ Taper Lite stiff shaft, standard length, lie angle and Lamkin Cobra Connect grip. All testing uses TaylorMade TP5 golf ball and Foresight GC2-HMT to reduce additional variables.
The Forged Tec produce fast ball speeds and exceptional distance. The irons launched the lowest (average 18.8* launch) and created the lowest spin rate of the all the irons tested. In addition, the Forged Tec displayed the lowest peak height among the irons tested.
Impact produces a muted sound and a firm feel across the entire face. Ball flight was very consistent with a slight left to right movement. Low and mid-range handicap players should really enjoy the controlled distance and forgiveness of the Forged Tec irons.
King Forged Tec is also available in One-Length options, placing all irons the standard 37.25” 7-iron length (37.50” with Cobra Connect Grip). In an effort to increase launch, spin or descent angles, players can always experience a custom fitting for optimal performance.
Lower Priced, Similar Option
There’s no debating that Cobra King Forged Tec irons are a great set of clubs for a better golfer. However, not everyone can afford a $1,000 set of club, let alone a set of irons. Truthfully, there hasn’t been enough innovation to justify the huge price difference between the older model of forged irons, the Cobra King Forged Tour. As a result, we’d recommend sticking with the older model if you can find a set in good condition.
Conclusion
In my opinion, the Cobra Tec Forged is easily in the same category as Taylormade P790. The retail value is $157 per iron with steel, $1099 for a set of 7 irons in stock steel and $1199 for a set of 7 irons in graphite.
If you have the option, go through a fitting process, Cobra offers several shaft options without an additional upcharge. The irons have a fantastic look, perform great and offer a lower price point than many of the competitors. Make sure to put the King Cobra Forged Tec on your list of clubs to try.
