Cobra Amp Cell Irons Forum Member Reviews!

[SMRT]

hckymeyer's unboxing...

 

 

I think we should replace the phrase “it's like watching paint dry” with “It's like waiting for a package to arrive in the mail”. After 3 weeks of running downstairs to look out the front door every time the dog barks, only to be disappointed by several gifts for a baby shower arriving (well played honey), the new sticks have arrived. Let me just start by saying it was worth the wait!!

 

Having the patience of a 2yr old I immediately brought the box into my office and this was the aftermath of tearing it open. The club heads were all wrapped in bubble wrap and secured in the box with individual cardboard dividers.

 

 

My first though was WOW, these are the Blair O'Neal of GI clubs. The blue just pops and while it's very hard to capture in a picture, there is almost a three dimensional quality to the graphics on the back of the clubs.

 

 

I haven't gotten a chance to hit these yet, but just walking around the house holding them, which I've been doing for 3 days, they inspire confidence. Sure they have a little thicker topline, a wider sole and a bit more offset than my gamers, but all of those things are making me very excited that they will perform well. It's almost like they're whispering “don't worry about that miss towards the toe, I've got your back

 

 

 

My only complaint from my initial impressions are the ferrules. Cobra went to a lot of lengths to make these clubs visually appealing and they have a lot of pop. The cavity color and graphics are amazing, the grips tie in perfectly to the color scheme. Then they install some rather boring looking black with silver ring ferrules. These are just screaming for some white ferrules with blue rings. It's such a small detail, but one that could have really tied the whole club together for me.

 

And much like most guys fascinations with girls in yoga pants, I can't get enough of looking at the back side of these clubs. So here they are one more time for your viewing pleasure, then I'm off to finally get these things dirty and hit some balls!!

 

 

 

 

That is a good point about the ferrules. I did not even think about it but you are correct. They could have easily used a little more fitting option to tie it all together.

[Highlander]

The Barbajo UnBoxing, Or....

...Now I know how little Ronny Howard felt…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaT0s6Gx2FI&feature=youtu.be&t=51s

 

It was more Fedex van than Wells Fargo wagon (raise your hand if you're old enough to get the reference!), but after 3+ long weeks staring out the window, something special came from Cobra, just for me….

 

 

The Fedex man left wondering what he had done to deserve a bear-hug, while my long-suffering wife rolled her eyes at my glee, wondering what she had done to marry a man who goes all shrieking-9-year-old-girl-at-a-Justin-Beiber-concert at the arrival of long, skinny packages. She locked herself in her office, leaving me alone in the family room. She did not want to watch what was about to unfold…

 

 

I opened the box and BAM, was hit with a double-shot of orange that could wipe the pie off Anita Bryant's Florida sunshine tree (raise a glass if you're old enough to get that reference!). My first thought was “wow, sexy…” (The clubs, not Anita Bryant – that would be weird).

 

The packaging was minimal – with club heads wrapped in bubblewrap and bundled in packing paper.

 

 

My Mizuno's came with the heads packed in foam – but since these arrived intact, I guess it's a non-issue.

 

Each club was wrapped head to toe, which made the unwrapping all the more fun…

 

 

All unwrapped and ready for action – gotta say, these are purdy, purdy clubs. The color accents are bold, but tasteful – they kinda wink at you from across the room and say “is that a divot tool in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?”

 

So now they're unwrapped and bagged – and ready for whacking! Since hckymeyer and PaulS are also Minnesotans, we're going to try to get together for a group session. My teaching pro and fitter, Brad Pluth, is letting us use his Flightscope Launch Monitor and JC Video Cart for testing, so we can get some real numbers comparing the Cobras to our gamers.

 

Have several sets of irons to compare the Cobras with, including a great set of Hogan Apex Plus irons, a homemade set of Weszty Zt-C's and the current gamers – Mizuno MP-59's. All three of those are more player's cavity back irons, but as a solid 11 handicap from the blues, the GI characteristics of the Cobra Amp Cells will make for an interesting comparison, especially with the longer irons. Also have an assortment of demo blades lying around, just to add to the fun.

 

Hope to get a couple of rounds and range sessions in before then. As we say in Minnesota, this is gonna be hoot!

Very nice opener. I got the references, Anita did have nice oranges back in the day. You set the bar pretty high for an opener,this is going to be fun. Have fun testing.

[Super Tuna]

There are some snappy look sticks running amuck in this thread!

[xxio]

side by side pics with different clubs please.

[Paul S]

side by side pics with different clubs please.

En route. I got mine today and snapped some side-by-sides with my W/S irons.

[hckymeyer]

side by side pics with different clubs please.

 

Will do, was planning on including some compare shots in the review, but I think a teaser shot or two could happen for you

[xxio]

Thanks guys.

 

I really want a (3rd) set that is slightly more forgiving than my current 2 sets. I play fine with my irons (Its off the tee that I have issues) but I want my 3rd-"guest" set to be just forgiving enough for the days that i just get back from vacation. I was in KL/Bali for 13 days last month, then catching up work after=20+ days not swinging....smooth 89 first day out with maybe 3-4 shanks. Took me 3 rounds/10 days to feel comfortable again.

[hckymeyer]

OK, I've got a bunch of different angles taken comparing the Amp cell with the other sets of irons I have. Adams CMB, Maxfli Revolution Black Dots and Scratch AR/SB combo. I just picked the 7 iron for the compare shots so the Scratch iron is the SB blade model. I'm just posting the top line view here for now, waiting to hear if I should put these all in the unboxing thread or if I should just post them here in the general conversation

 

.

 

From left to right - Adams CMB, Cobra Amp Cell, Maxfli Revolution, Scratch SB-1

[hckymeyer]

All righty, here is the rest of the side-by-side pictures. All 7 irons, the order in all pictures from left to right is Adams CMB, Cobra Amp Cell, Maxfli Revolution, Scratch SB-1...

 

[Aotearoa_Brad]

Wow, those Amp ferrules really are quite stumpy - at least compared to the others you have there Hckymeyer!

[SMRT]

I guess I am the true Rookie here because I only have 1 set of irons to compare the Cobra Amp Cell's against. I have the Pitching Wedge, 7 Iron, and 4 Iron in the photos. Pretty big difference in appearance for sure. The Cobra's are so pretty! I will let you know about the performance difference later in the review.

[Paul S]

bump for a new unboxing up!

[GolfSpy Barbajo]

Paul has unboxed his AMP Cells!

 

Well folks, I tried to game the system while I was out of town, so to speak, and got burned! So, after a slightly longer wait, my Cobras arrived yesterday! I chose to order them in red to match basically every other piece of equipment that I own, and they look great!

 

As barbajo mentioned, there was no foam slots in the packaging; though, while I wouldn't ship something particularly fragile in the packaging from Cobra, it was definitely sufficient for a set of irons. Each club was wrapped at the top and the bottom, as well as wrapped top TO bottom, which spun the cat into a total state of excitement during which he thought he'd jump right in and help.

 

 

Upon getting everything unwrapped, and with some good-hearted (I think) teasing from my girlfriend about my golf "problem," I was immediately interested in comparing the Cobras to my current Wilson Staff FG Tour V2s. As expected, the Cobras are larger, with a thicker top line and sole, and a heck of a lot more offset. I wouldn't say that the Cobras are the largest or chunkiest game-improvement irons on the market. They are very attractive clubs and the color in the cavity looks better than I was expecting. I almost chose to get the silver ones, but I'm glad that I didn't.

 

 

I took the clubs out to the course today, and played 9... It started out rough (literally), and then I played the last four holes at even. I don't feel more confident over the Cobras, but that's a personal thing that I understand puts me among a minority. I can definitely understand how some people would feel more confident with them though.

 

 

Last year, at my first fitting ever, the fitter told me that after seeing the new 2013 gear from all of the manufacturers, he seemed certain that Cobra would be making some serious waves in the industry with their clubs. Naturally, I was interested to give some new Cobras a try for myself. I still need more time, of course, though the AMP Cells feel very good on purely struck shots, and are minimally punishing on off-center contact (as could be expected).

 

 

More to come!

 

Diggin' the red Paul. Cobra really did the colors well - but hckeymeyer was right, matching ferrules would have sent these things into orbit!

[Paul S]

Diggin' the red Paul. Cobra really did the colors well - but hckeymeyer was right, matching ferrules would have sent these things into orbit!

I don't know how I feel about colored ferrules. I think they're kind of polarizing. People seem to either love them or hate them, and I'm closer to hating them.

[GolfSpy Barbajo]

I don't know how I feel about colored ferrules. I think they're kind of polarizing. People seem to either love them or hate them, and I'm closer to hating them.

 

I've never had colored ferrules, so I'm looking at it from a standpoint of ferrule envy

 

...maybe they'd look different in real life.

 

Either way, gotta say these are sharp looking irons!

[GolfSpy WD]

Highlander unboxing is also up!

 

http://forum.mygolfspy.com/topic/9172-in-for-review-cobra-amp-cell-irons/page__view__findpost__p__107115%3Cbr%20/%3E

 

I'll update the title page when I get home later today.

[GolfSpy Barbajo]

The unveiling by the Highlander of the new Cobra AMP Cells;

 

Upon opening the box, the packing seems pretty standard with just enough to keep the clubs from getting damaged from any rough housing on the trip. Even before the clubs were unwrapped, the blue jumped out at me like a blue marlin on a deep sea fishing trip. While the club heads were wrapped acceptably, the shafts were so lightly covered they'd make Victoria's Secret blush. Once I got the clubs unwrapped, the blue was screaming to be the center of attention on the tee box. The bright vivid blue called to my heart and soul as much as the Scottish Highlands and thus, I was forced to go and purchase a pair of matching golf shoes and a wee bottle of Scotch.

The club heads have a beautiful mirror finish with striking blue inserts which will grab the attention of the gallery. The shafts exude excitement in their own right. Looking down the grooves, it's like teeth on a hungry wolf waiting to pounce on the ball. The offset appears to be a wee bit more than what I am used to, but I will have to delay judgment until I put these handsome lads in play. The ferrules, however, leave a little bit to be desired. The wider soles do give them a nice end weight when you swing. While the standard set only comes with one wedge, I was quite excited to see that I could customize the set by sacrificing the 3 and 4 irons for 3 wedges. Since I'm in the trees more than a lumberjack, I prefer to carry 5 wedges and a tree wood so I can go over or through anything.

Overall, my initial impression is they are a great looking set of clubs for those that like a wee bit of flair. They have a nice balanced feel and weight. Can't wait to tee up on the local links and see if, like me, there's more to them than just their dapper good looks. I should be able to get in 18 today, hit the range twice and play two more time this week. So, from me, the new clubs, and a dram of the good stuff, to honest men and bonnie lasses: Sláinte!

 

Well done Laddie....

 

Those shafts are quite striking (pardon the pun). If we all get together to play we'll have the largest galleries on the course...

[Highlander]

Well done Laddie....

 

Those shafts are quite striking (pardon the pun). If we all get together to play we'll have the largest galleries on the course...

Thanks, You did set the bar pretty high with your great puns and references.

[The Dansome]

Thanks, You did set the bar pretty high with your great puns and references.

 

Possibly my newest favorite avatar

[The Dansome]

I'm just itching to see a set of these irons show up at our house!

[hckymeyer]

I've been waiting to take these to the range before putting them in play, but I just haven't gotten the chance yet. So decided to jump in cold and just play them in league today. We'll see how it goes...

[hckymeyer]

A little live update at the turn.

 

Don't know that these shafts and I will be getting along

[GolfSpy Barbajo]

Took me a while, too. Starting to get the feel for them though.

[Super Tuna]

A little live update at the turn.

 

Don't know that these shafts and I will be getting along

 

Unsuprising given they're near polar opposites of what you're coming from

[Highlander]

Possibly my newest favorite avatar

It is pretty cool, the guy that made it really knows what he's doing.

[hckymeyer]

After 130 or so holes in the past 6 days I finally feel like I'm getting my distances dialed in. Can't wait to share my results in the review, but once you get a good fit these irons are stupid easy to hit and hit well.

[GolfSpy Barbajo]

I'll second that!

[GolfSpy WD]

I briefly tried barbajo's amp cell last Friday at the range. Compared to the rbladez, I'd say both are fairly easy to hit, though the rbladez are a bit more forgiving IMO. The rbladez hit the ball higher (even with the heavier and lower launch shaft) and feel completely different. The feel of the amp cell is much more traditional.

 

I wasn't loving the light shaft in the amp cell, but I think that's something that takes getting used to. Kind of like the rbladez took a while to get used to the feel at impact.

 

One very obvious point though, the amp cells sure are pretty and much more traditional looking at address.

[Mr_Theoo]

I briefly tried barbajo's amp cell last Friday at the range. Compared to the rbladez, I'd say both are fairly easy to hit, though the rbladez are a bit more forgiving IMO. The rbladez hit the ball higher (even with the heavier and lower launch shaft) and feel completely different. The feel of the amp cell is much more traditional.

 

I wasn't loving the light shaft in the amp cell, but I think that's something that takes getting used to. Kind of like the rbladez took a while to get used to the feel at impact.

 

One very obvious point though, the amp cells sure are pretty and much more traditional looking at address.

 

Did you try the long irons at all?

[GolfSpy WD]

Did you try the long irons at all?

 

I hit the 5 iron. This wasn't really a comprehensive review, just some quick impressions.