COBRA DARKSPEED X Driver - An Unofficial Review by GolfSpy_KFT

[GolfSpy_KFT]

Greetings fellow spies, and welcome to the unofficial review of the COBRA DARKSPEED X Driver. I won this driver in an Instagram giveaway, and will be covering my thoughts on the club in this thread throughout the 2024 golf season. It's main competitor will be my Titleist TSi3. Both drivers will be equipped with the Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 6X shaft and Golf Pride MCC Midsize grip. I will also compare it against my AEROJET Max driver, which admittedly is a better comparison to the DARKSPEED Max, but will give a year to year product comparison.

The TSi has been a very good driver for me when I strike it well. My biggest weakness is off the tee, so I will be curious to see if the DARKSPEED X provides any more forgiveness than TSi, which is good in its own right. I have hit the X one time at Golf Galaxy prior to testing, and got some positive results which are displayed below. This was probably the second best strike with the club during the limited time I was demoing it.

From COBRA:

"The DARKSPEED X Driver blends extraordinary speed and forgiveness for players seeking maximum distance with higher launch and added stability."

• Out Of This World Speed
  • DARKSPEED is the culmination of meticulous attention to detail and precise integration of our most advanced technologies, using space-grade materials and the expertise of aerospace engineers to develop the fastest driver we have ever built.
• Ultimate Energy Transfer
  • A lower and more forward positioning of the suspended PWR-BRIDGE unleashes even faster ball speeds and minimizes spin for improved energy transfer through the ball
• Dynamic Speed
  • A 10% larger PWRSHELL L-cup face creates more robust distance, while an updated H.O.T. Face design delivers more efficient speed & spin across the clubface.

As you can see, and what we have grown accustom to with COBRA's woods, is a never ending quest to produce the fastest drivers possible. Will I see a noticeable gain in ball speed and distance, without giving up much forgiveness? Time will tell, and I am looking forward to seeing what it can do!

I will be collecting data primarily on the driving range, utilizing my MEVO for basic metrics, and am hopeful I'll be able to book a sim session or two on Trackman for as accurate of data as possible. It'll also go head to head on the course, which is the ultimate test of how a driver performs.

For now, please enjoy some additional photos of the driver before it hits the course with me this afternoon!

Aesthetics 10/10

This driver is an easy perfect score on looks. Last year's AEROJET line was a good looking club, but DARKSPEED blows it out of the water. I love the muted matte black finish. The crown has a subtle fade to carbon fiber as well, which is hard to see in artificial light but will pop on the course. I will be sure to get a photo of that to show it off in its true glory.

[Josh Parker]

Looking forward to following along!  Here's to hoping for center cuts all season long. 

[TJ Hall]

Early results seem promising…looking forward to following along with this!

[russtopherb]

Those are some SICK pics. Well done. 

[Shrek74]

I'll be curious to follow along with your season-long eval of the Cobra. I'm in need of something myself for that top end of the bag, so this will be interesting.

[berkeleybob]

Congrats on winning the driver!

It’s funny, I remember initial comments on the internets put the Darkspeed as an unforgiving driver. But bit by bit, reviews seem to have turned to it being one of the best Cobra offerings (not sure if I’m exaggerating). I’m interested to hear how it plays for you.

Great pics!

[GolfSpy_KFT]

Just finished 9 holes over lunch with my youngest son and the DARKSPEED performed well. First few notes, the club just feels FAST. I’m not sure what it is, or if I am swinging it any faster than my TSi3, but it felt quick. Good strikes feel amazing, and from what I experienced, a toe-y miss wasn’t too punishing. I used it four times today and had one good drive, one so-so (that ended up in the fairway with a slight draw), and two that I didn’t put good swings on.

The first drive was about 260s total and just missed the fairway by about 3 yards to the right. The so-so drive was a toe miss, and I still managed to draw it slightly and it went 244. I’ll take that ALL DAY. @berkeleybob very early, but I’d say forgiveness isn’t going to be a big issue. Also hit a couple absolute bombs on the range before the round. 

Things were really clicking today which led to a 41. One birdie, four pars, two bogeys and end cap double bogeys on 1 and 9. Had 3 one putts and two of those were from 25+ feet. Golf is fun on those days. 

As promised, a photo of the driver at address in natural light. You can really see the fade to carbon on the crown which I love. It looks great behind the ball, I should have gotten one of those but was too exited to hit it. @sirchunksalot, the KING TEC’s big brother!

[arodrig29]

Golf is hard, but all things are made better when clubs look this good. Congrats on winning, I will definitely be watching this thread. 

Edited May 8 by arodrig29
Grammar

[TSauer]

In terms of aesthetics, Cobra absolutely knocked it out of the park with the Darkspeed. Great job on the photos, that top down look is just... perfect.

I am really curious if this is going to be the TSi killer for you!

[BreakfastBall15]

Cobra killed it from the looks department this year. Looking forward to how it does for ya!

[GolfSpy_KFT]

18 minutes ago, TSauer said:

In terms of aesthetics, Cobra absolutely knocked it out of the park with the Darkspeed. Great job on the photos, that top down look is just... perfect.

I am really curious if this is going to be the TSi killer for you!

Early returns are absolutely positive. If I can miss and hit a 244 yard draw, that's all dang day. I can say it for sure feels faster in the swing than the AJ Max which is also a very solid driver. I love the TSi, so it should be a really fun battle. But man, the couple I caught that were middled on the range....amazing feel and just rocketed off the face.

It does just look so dang good, too. Hands down best looking driver of the year for me, for sure.

[sirchunksalot]

1 hour ago, GolfSpy_KFT said:

Just finished 9 holes over lunch with my youngest son and the DARKSPEED performed well. First few notes, the club just feels FAST. I’m not sure what it is, or if I am swinging it any faster than my TSi3, but it felt quick. Good strikes feel amazing, and from what I experienced, a toe-y miss wasn’t too punishing. I used it four times today and had one good drive, one so-so (that ended up in the fairway with a slight draw), and two that I didn’t put good swings on.

The first drive was about 260s total and just missed the fairway by about 3 yards to the right. The so-so drive was a toe miss, and I still managed to draw it slightly and it went 244. I’ll take that ALL DAY. @berkeleybob very early, but I’d say forgiveness isn’t going to be a big issue. Also hit a couple absolute bombs on the range before the round. 

Things were really clicking today which led to a 41. One birdie, four pars, two bogeys and end cap double bogeys on 1 and 9. Had 3 one putts and two of those were from 25+ feet. Golf is fun on those days. 

As promised, a photo of the driver at address in natural light. You can really see the fade to carbon on the crown which I love. It looks great behind the ball, I should have gotten one of those but was too exited to hit it. @sirchunksalot, the KING TEC’s big brother!

I'm drooling over that picture. I love the gloss crown of the AJ Max, but I love my King Tec 4 hybrid and just get so many positive vibes off that crown. 

It sounds like you're getting positive early results from the Darkspeed and I'm in the camp of wondering if it'll be a Titleist killer. 

[Shankster]

When is the cobra connect challenge this year?

[Erin B]

I am tracking @GolfSpy_KFT I am interested in this driver for sure.

[cksurfdude]

Dude too bad you don't play the Ventus Black

Haha but sounds like you're on a really good driver track here .. wishing you continued good hits with it!!

Imo Cobra engineering underrated...

[Preeway]

Glad to see your early results are so positive with the DarkSpeed. Can't say I'm surprised after comparing it head to head with my AeroJet a few months ago. Only reason I didn't pull the trigger was my AJ was really close overall in the numbers and couldn't justify the expense. On looks alone I was close to doing it though.

[Zgrabby11]

On 5/8/2024 at 9:47 AM, GolfSpy_KFT said:

 

Pairing this with a Venus black and blacked out grip would be an elite combo. I’ve heard super good things about this driver just don’t have the right spending that money

[GolfSpy_KFT]

6 minutes ago, Zgrabby11 said:

Pairing this with a Venus black and blacked out grip would be an elite combo. I’ve heard super good things about this driver just don’t have the right spending that money

Ventus black would be just fantastic. I don't have the chops for that one though! 

[cburins]

That is a nice looking driver, love the fade to carbon. I game the tsi3, so I'm definitely curious about the comparison. 

[GolfSpy_KFT]

11 minutes ago, cburins said:

That is a nice looking driver, love the fade to carbon. I game the tsi3, so I'm definitely curious about the comparison. 

I will be getting out again this Saturday to play and if time allows I'll hit two drives on each hole to do some head to head that way, then am planning a range session with my Mevo for some data tracking this coming Monday. Haven't gotten out since last week when I put it into play, schedule has been crazy! Some updates to come soon, though.

[GolfSpy_KFT]

Got to the range, albeit very briefly, yesterday with both boys in tow to hit some golf shots. Hard to get too much accomplished when trying to keep my youngest from wandering  but hit some balls with the Darkspeed X and the TSi3 using the Mevo for some data collection. Have to take it with a grain of salt as it was range balls with no magnetic dot, but the DS X was consistently 1-2 mph faster than TSi, spun less, and was longer carry. To be fair, my swing with woods is a mess right now so need to get that straightened out.

Best ball with the DS X was 254 carry, 152 ball speed, 108.5 clubhead, 2283 spin. (not sure I buy the clubhead speed as I have yet to crack 104 on Trackman when I've hit clubs at GG and at my PING fitting)

Best ball with TSi3 was 239 carry, 150 ball speed, 107.2 clubhead, 3964 spin. 

Again, not sure on just how accurate the information is with Mevo, but it's a staggering contrast. Keep in mind, I have hit MUCH better balls with TSi. My swing really was inconsistent at best yesterday.

The DS X feels incredibly fast though, I can say that with certainty.

[TriciaPug]

I got a brand new set last year, complete with the Aerojet Max driver and now I'm drooling over this Dark Speed. 

 

Wonder if I could get Ben to set me up up for fitting  

 

 

Edited May 23 by TriciaPug

[GolfSpy_KFT]

27 minutes ago, TriciaPug said:

I got a brand new set last year, complete with the Aerojet Max driver and now I'm drooling over this Dark Speed. 

 

Wonder if I could get Ben to set me up up for fitting  

 

 

I played the Aerojex Max last year as part of the Cobra Challenge member test, and can safely say, without hesitation, the Darkspeed X is faster, feels more explosive off the face, and looks better at address. 

[TriciaPug]

2 minutes ago, GolfSpy_KFT said:

I played the Aerojex Max last year as part of the Cobra Challenge member test, and can safely say, without hesitation, the Darkspeed X is faster, feels more explosive off the face, and looks better at address. 

And this is why I am almost afraid to give it a try  

But....new stuff...

And in reality, I don't have the refined swing/swing speed  to really appreciate the Darkspeed.

Edited May 23 by TriciaPug

[GolfSpy_KFT]

Just now, TriciaPug said:

And this is why I am almost afraid to give it a try  

But....new stuff...

Part of the clubhead speed difference probably does come down to being the standard vs. more forgiving shape of the AJ Max. But, the X is equally as forgiving as the AJ Max and just so dang sleek. If you hit it, you're gonna want it. I'll throw that out now lol.

[TriciaPug]

5 hours ago, GolfSpy_KFT said:

Part of the clubhead speed difference probably does come down to being the standard vs. more forgiving shape of the AJ Max. But, the X is equally as forgiving as the AJ Max and just so dang sleek. If you hit it, you're gonna want it. I'll throw that out now lol.

I dabbled in golf but only got into it seriously a year ago. I've taken 11 lessons and am continuing to improve. 

Admittedly I'm a gear ***** so I want all the new stuff. Don't we all? 

When I gave away my 20 year old set of box store clubs and upgraded to the Cobra Aerojet Max driver with AirX irons hybrids and woods, King Cobra 3D putter I immediately got 20 more yards out of my drive. 

I'm pretty sure I could get more out of the DarkSpeed but I'd like to refine my swing a bit then go for it. 

When I got back into golf last year I journaled my lessons and drills I was supposed to do, as well as questions I had to take back to the pro for my next lesson after I played a round or practiced. Because of that, I've made progress faster than I thought I would. 

Quote from my golf pro during my 4th lesson last year: As much of a hot mess as you were at your first lesson, I never imagined you'd be hitting the ball that well. I think you're going to be okay. 

*my golf pro and I have a good vibe. 

 

 

 

Edited May 24 by TriciaPug

[Notjackdaniels22]

I absolutely cannot wait to hear more on this one! I am trash off the tee and have a second or third hand cobra fly z I hit. It's got distance for days when it all comes together, but this new cobra line has got me

[TriciaPug]

5 hours ago, cactusboy505 said:

I absolutely cannot wait to hear more on this one! I am trash off the tee and have a second or third hand cobra fly z I hit. It's got distance for days when it all comes together, but this new cobra line has got me

I have not hit it but my husband has and he said it has a really nice sweet spot. 

[GolfSpy_KFT]

7 hours ago, cactusboy505 said:

I absolutely cannot wait to hear more on this one! I am trash off the tee and have a second or third hand cobra fly z I hit. It's got distance for days when it all comes together, but this new cobra line has got me

Still very early for me with having it in play, but off the tee is my weakest spot in my game bar none. For whatever reason my swing just goes to crap lol. I have missed a few out on the toe with the DS X and still have gotten the ball out 240-250 yards. Forgiveness so far seems pretty good, I can only imagine once I get more comfortable swinging it what tee shots will look like.

[Notjackdaniels22]

2 minutes ago, GolfSpy_KFT said:

Still very early for me with having it in play, but off the tee is my weakest spot in my game bar none. For whatever reason my swing just goes to crap lol. I have missed a few out on the toe with the DS X and still have gotten the ball out 240-250 yards. Forgiveness so far seems pretty good, I can only imagine once I get more comfortable swinging it what tee shots will look like.

Sounds like my swing! Albeit I am very new at the game, if I try to keep things square, footwork, tilt my hips, it's almost always a train wrecks on impact. If I just stand over it, maybe 3/4 up in stance and just do whatever happens... it's almost always better. Driver for me is absolutely a swing your swing club for me lol