Cobra KING Utility Black One Length Iron Review
A few months ago I purchased a slightly shop-worn Single Length Cobra King Utility Black 4-iron with the hope that I'd be getting a do-it-all club. As a 22 handicapper, I tend to end up in a wide variety of lie/angle situations. After a few rounds under my belt I feel confident in saying that this is indeed a game-changer for anyone looking for more consistency. Here's my review:
The Decision
I have a pretty decent swing for my level of handicap. At 6'1†190lbs, I can hit the ball decently straight and far. My problem is consistency. For every 165 yard 7-iron baby draw I hit, I tend to mix-in a few 3-inches-behind-the-ball chunkers that leave my left wrist throbbing for the rest of the afternoon. This is why I have been obsessing over the One Length concept for the past year, especially for longer irons.
For those who haven't been keeping-up, the big knock on the original F7 one length irons was that the gapping was a bit too tight in the longer clubs. So, when Cobra brought out the single length utility irons this year… I knew I had to try them.
I decided to go with the 4-iron, which has an adjustable loft of 21-24 degrees.
My expectations:
I wanted a consistent 200-yard club that I could hit from a variety of lies I wanted it to be iron-like, as I have trouble hitting fairway woods and hybrids I wanted a reason to try the single length concept
The club
(You gotta admit, she's a handsome lady)
Look & feel
The black looks really nice, especially outdoors. I really dig the stock blue grips, too.
At address, it looks a bit chunky, which is unsurprising, but the black color tends to mask the size.
The head feels heavy for an iron. Coupled with a light (86g) UST Mamiya recoil shaft and the result is feeling like you're swinging a hammer. This is an obviously intentional strategy to address the gap issues for these longer (haha, get it?) clubs.
I feel confident during the downswing and it's one of the few clubs in my bag that I don't mind “stepping on†when I need a little more distance. The face is hot, but not driver hot. It's hollow and forged, so you barely feel the ball on the face no matter where you hit it. The sound is a sort of a muted click, not like anything I've ever heard before. It's not unpleasant, just different.
Performance
If given the choice between consistency and length, any prudent golfer should choose the former. This is exactly what you get with this club. A couple of things jump out when you hit it.
First, it is very easy to hit. I suspect part of this is the length but a lot of it is also the large, hollow head. You don't get a ton of feedback, but that's okay because honestly, the large head really mitigates any problems created by less-than-perfect strikes.
My typical mistake is a heavy/fat shot. The turf interaction for this club head is good for me as it does not dig as much as my other irons.
The ball flight is pretty low and penetrating. At 21 degrees of loft it carries around 190 yards. The surprising part is that it doesn't roll-out that much. Based on the ball flight I would expect it to roll a bit but it tends to stop on the fairway after 5-10 yards, depending on the conditions. I don't have access to a launch monitor, but I'm willing to bet the spin numbers are between 3500 and 4500.
Durability
This is how she looks after 3 full rounds + about 5 range sessions. The black color is holding-up pretty well, in my opinion. Notice the slight scratching on the face from where I hit it off the toe. Mhy impression is that as long as you keep it on the face, the scratching is minimal. For comparison's sake, my JPX EZ forged irons started showing similar wear after 1 (sandy) range session.
Grade
Based on my expectations, I would give this club an A-.
Pros:
Very easy to hit
Tight dispersion for an inconsistent striker
Consistent distance
Surprisingly good spin
Cons:
The sound is a little clicky due to the hollow head
Surprisingly good spin… with a 190 carry you'd think I could hit this club over 200, but it's very rare that I do that. For now, it would appear that the 3 wood will stay in the bag.
Summary
I love this damn club. As someone who plays once or twice a month, it does everything I need it for. I use it off the tee, for long approach shots, and especially to get out of jail. Hell, it even works as a chipper from the fringe. Using this club definitely reinforces my belief in the One Length concept for inconsistent ball strikers. I would gladly give away 10 yards on any club just the keep it in the fairway.
As for the viability of Single Length irons, I think it could be great as a combo option for people looking for confidence in their 6-3 irons.