REVIEW: Cobra King F8+ Driver
A New Way of Gaining Precision by Milling the Face
Every new driver needs new tech to survive in the highly competitive driver market. It seems like every year we get new revolutionary technology, only to see it go away the next year. If this new tech it so great, you’d think it should stick around at least for a couple generations of drivers. I believe Cobra has found a tech that is legitimately good, that will stick around for numerous generations of drivers. They have created a new way to improve the accuracy, forgiveness and speed of the club by CNC milling the driver face. The new process mean precision in the club building process, but also on the course.
We all know that the distance chase isn’t really as significant as we’d want to believe if we have been fit for a driver. If you hit the center of the face on a club that gives you good numbers, you probably are going to have a hard time beating it with huge gains. That said, there are ways to add some distance, especially when you don’t hit the sweet spot. This seems to be where the Cobra King F8+ CNC milled face really shines. The E9 technology has remained in Cobra’s drivers now for many seasons appears to be even bigger and better. Cobra has designed an oval shaped area set at the angle of most missed shots; high toe and low heel. Now that can be done with even more precision with the milled face. It’s actually on the miss hits that this driver really shines. An added side bonus of the CNC milled face is that you can see where your ball hit the face too. It is almost like impact tape which also helps track how center shots compare to off-center hits.
The CNC milled face of the Cobra King F8+ driver is the big talking point, but the other new features shouldn’t be overlooked. The new 360 Aero design is all about reducing drag and creating more speed. Cobra put polymer trips on the crown and titanium trips on the bottom to improve wind flow during the swing, without altering the CGs of the head. These trips are ridges on the top and bottom of the club that disrupt the turbulence to actually create a smoother/tighter air flow. Just about every driver has this tech in some form, so it must work and it seems like Cobra did it in a way that looks good and didn’t alter the CG. All these trips blend into the club for a cool look. Cobra has went away from bright colors and now you can get Nardo Grey or Black. The contrast with the carbon crown makes for a nice looking package.
The Cobra King F8+ allows for maximum adjustability in the Cobra lineup with weight forward or back as well as the MyFly8 adjustable hosel. These adjustments can get you dialed in to exactly what you need. I started with the weight back and had really good results, but moving the weight forward made it even better for me. The flatter flight, lower spin and still really good feel surprised me with how much I liked the weight in the front. I’ve been gravitating more to weights in the back for more forgiveness and better feel, but in the F8+ I didn’t lose either so the gains were worth the switch.
The Cobra King F8+ isn’t going to bomb it 30 yards past your normal driver, unless you play something completely not fit for you, there aren’t huge gains to be had, but you will find you “bad” hits longer and your circle of dispersion smaller. This is really what the CNC milled face is all about. More precision in the design and build of the club translates into more precision on the course. With higher ball speeds on off-center hits and great bulge and roll for help getting them to center, you should hit with more accuracy with the Cobra King F8+. The great feel and cool looks are just bonus.
The Cobra King F8+ shaft options are real deals too so you can get a number of off-the-rack shafts that are really good as well as numerous no-up-charge shafts to get your dialed in. The other really great feature that is included again with Cobra Drivers (actually all their clubs) is the Arccos shot tracking sensor that connects to the app. It is my favorite tech in golf right now because it works and helps golfers improve if they use the information. Cobra has it built into the club’s grip and is included for free with the driver. This just adds to the value of this driver.
FlightScope Xi Tour Launch Monitor
Cobra King F8+ Driver
- Spin: 1977 rpms
- Launch Angle: 13.6*
- Dispersion: 7.4 yds
- Club Head Speed: 107.1 mph
- Ball Speed: 157.8 mph
- Total Distance: 289.1 yds
- Carry Distance: 269.7 yds
Cobra designed a new way to bring precision to your driver, by milling the face. This is real tech that I expect will be part of Cobra’s drivers for generations to come. It looks cool, but also functions to create precision, forgiveness and weight savings for increased speeds in the swing and in off-center hits. The multi-material head feels great and looks really cool with adjustability to fit numerous better golfers swings. The Cobra King F8+ driver is a real contender for 2018 with precision and performance.
For more information: www.cobragolf.com
Quick Hits:
+CNC Milled face is new and legit tech
+Amazing feel
+Cool looks
+Great forgiveness
+Real deal shafts
+Impact indicator