50 Words or Less
The Cobra KING SPEEDZONE irons send the golf ball far and straight. Great forgiveness. Fresh looks highlighted by a strikingly new topline.
Introduction
After many years of F series clubs, the “0” of 2020 required Cobra to end with F9 and begin new branding –SPEEDZONE. Officially KING SPEEDZONE, the new irons show some family resemblance to the F9s and some performance features sound familiar. There’s one feature that’s completely new however – the carbon fiber topline. Keep reading to learn more about this “first ever” for Cobra.
Check out the new Cobra LTDx irons HERE
Looks
Let’s start with the carbon fiber insert on the topline, which is only on the 4 thru 7 irons. For me it gives a high tech look, but it’s a bit distracting at address. I showed it to several golfers and the responses ran the full range from love to hate. Like many things that are different from the norm, time is often all that’s needed to get comfortable with it.
The soles of the SPEEDZONE irons are nearly identical to the F9’s with the elevated chrome center surrounded with the matte finish that blends into the PWRSHELL. The cavity of the new irons is fairly typical of the category with bold branding located on an insert/medallion. The face displays the fine details of Cobra’s milling in the hitting zone, but the polished chrome on the toe can be blinding when the sun hits it right.
Sound & Feel
Cobra designers did a great job with the co-molded medallion in the cavity to produce a sound that’s a pleasant crack. The overall sound is of moderate volume with the pitch slightly higher from the 7 iron up.
Similarly, the materials of the medallion (aluminum, TPU and acrylic) dampened the vibrations that my hands felt. I could sense when I flushed one, but otherwise it was hard to discern exact strike location. Club head stability on mishits was great. From wedge through 8 iron, the face feel was crisp, while from 7 iron up, the feel was softer.
Performance
In a similar fashion to the SPEEDZONE drivers (reviews HERE), Cobra has broken down performance into four ‘zones.’ The medallion I described above constitutes the Feel Zone. The carbon fiber on the topline comprises the Light Zone, which refers to the 3 grams of metal weight the inserts (there’s actually two strips on each iron) saved which was repositioned to lower the center of gravity [CG] of the heads. Lower CG is also integral to the Stability Zone where, combined with the high MOI achieved with extreme heel and toe weighting, the irons exhibit great stability – even on mishits.
The fourth and final zone is the Power Zone, where the design goal for SPEEDZONE was enhanced ball speed across the face. By utilizing their patented PWRSHELL technology, where the forged face wraps around the leading edge, Cobra was able to increase the sweet spot area by 35%. Based on the consistently strong distances I observed, I’d say Cobra achieved their goal.
When I say strong distances, I’m talking about 10-20 yards more across the set. Most of that can be attributed to stronger lofts – a full 2° more than the F9 7 iron as an example. The low CG Cobra designed into the SPEEDZONE irons helped keep trajectories high, but landing angles were still a bit low. Not surprisingly, spin was also on the low side.
Conclusion
Strong lofts and low spin attributes make the Cobra KING SPEEDZONE irons great for golfers looking to maximize distance. The enhanced forgiveness will also benefit players who struggle with consistent contact. The distinctive topline may be off-putting for traditionalists. Like all the clubs in the SPEEDZONE family, the irons come with embedded Arccos sensors in the stock Lamkin grips.
Cobra KING SPEEDZONE Irons Price & Specs
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Great summary and review!
Here the problems with club manufacturers I been playing cobra club for a long time my set of fitted king cobra they were about 80 dollars a club about a year ago I purchase a set of f8 irons do not like them at all costs around 600 dollars us them maybe ten times went back to my old king cobra not the new cobra king speedzone lrons now they are 800dollars they sound great I can’t afford them and now I have the f8irons that I do not like spent over 600 dollars on that I don’t even play with club manufacturers have to find some way to make it more affordable for people like me to by them..
The problem with these super strong lofted sets is that you are going to have to carry 2 gap wedges, because the clubs are essentially mislabeled. 6 degree gaps in scoring clubs is too much. I guess saying that you hit a pitching wedge 160 yards is good for the ego.
I have Titleist AP1 716, and carry a 47 and 52 gap wedges, seems dumb but its jut semantic. My longest iron is a 6 and then hybrids
Brandon, I carry one gap wedge because my LW is 58. So either way I’m good. And on days when I know my 4 and 5 irons will be my go-to clubs off the tee, only needing a 3 hybrid is a bonus.
Always been a Cobra fan down through the years and have played their irons in the past and still use Cobra driver, 3w and rescue, but surely the strengthening of lofts is going too far now.
Anymore, when I tee off on a par 3 and my buddy asks “What did you hit there?” he’ll also have to start asking the supplementary question “And in what year did you purchase those irons so I can work out the loft of the club too!”.
Wouldn’t be a massive fan of the topline on 4-7i but at least it would let you know if you accidentally pulled 8i when you meant to grab 7i… I’m clutching at straws with that though.
Actually a 50 or 48 degrees gap wedge is plenty for me. Even pros play with 6 or 7 degree gaps. No need for concern…and playing the MiM 50 degree wedge, knowing I can adjust it to 48 gives me 5.5 degrees from my pitching wedge and 6 degrees from my 54 sand wedge. 5-6 degrees between wedges. I’m good with that.
Thanks, Matt. I enjoyed your review. I have been interested learning more about these irons and I appreciate reading your comments.
Tried these a few weeks ago but didn’t like them. The carbon strip is very distracting and they weren’t going any further than my Callaway Rogue gamers. Good luck if you buy them when courses firm up as that combination of low landing angles and low spin should make approach shots challenging.
I just bought these Speedzones in the 4-PW and there is nothing distracting about them. If distance is distracting…I will take it. They have the same look and feel as my F9s.
Interesting that there was no mention of the grooves Cobra is using on the SZ irons (not on the website either). Cobra has been using U grooves on the short irons and V “distance” grooves on the 7 iron and longer. Irons are designed to be played from point A to point B. However, with “distance” grooves, while you can get used to the extra carry distance, getting the ball to stop on the green becomes an issue with the 7 iron or longer.
Have been playing Cobra F7 one length irons since they came out and am absolutely sold on the one length concept-it truly makes the iron game easier (if “easier” can be used in golf), but I dumped my 6 and 7 irons after 2 rounds. Couldn’t keep the ball on the greens-had to sub different model Cobra one length 6 & 7 irons. (Am 73, single digit my whole adult life)
Matt-what are the grooves on the various model Cobra irons?
I can’t speak for other Cobra irons, but the SZs have V grooves 4-6 and U on 7-PW.
– Meeks
To me, this club looks hard to hit. Especially for someone who comes over the top . Especially on a hitting mat.
But it’s probably easier on lawn , while allowing it to dig.
My guess
I realize that lofts have been jacked up for years now, but a 21* loft on a five iron is ridiculous.
Joe, I can see the time coming when 5 irons are 19 degrees. I can’t see anything higher than a 5 iron in most players’ golf bags, but that should also mean that newer sets will be 6-SW. Ideally I would love to see Cobra go back to the F9 lofts…and just continue their redesigns from there. No wonder more LTDX irons are on the demo market. Maybe all golf club manufacturers need to return to their roots. I’m more about traditional lofts myself, but the Speedzones are the limit as far as lofts go for me, personally.
Hi Matt,
My question is how much better are the Speedzone irons vs the F-9 irons? Second question is how does the Speedzone iron compare to the Callaway Mavrik urons all steel shafts.
Look forward to your opinions.
Regards,
Garry
Great inquiry Garry, I can tell you are trying to figure out what to purchase. The only definitive answer would have to come from you testing all options. Knowing that’s tough to do with stores and fitting studios closed, I’ll give you my simplified opinion. The new SZ irons are better than the F9, but not drastically. That said, I always recommend getting the most current model if you plan to keep them for a while. I haven’t hit the Mavrik irons so I won’t be able to offer any comparison.
Let us know what you end up playing.
– Meeks
The lofts are crazy ! So what I did was I use 5 wedges from Scor Golf and one of them is 42 degrees that is my 9 iron , I ordered a 9 iron and an 8 iron of these Speed Zones I dropped one degree on the 8 and left the 9 as is that way they gap 4 degrees and become my 8 and 7 iron :0) I want to test them I might order another but TBH I don’t like what I am hearing about the grooves on the 7 iron then again for me that 7 iron will be my 6 iron and I should not be hitting into greens from that far out !
Sorry I dropped one degree on the 9 to bring it to 38 so it is 4 degrees from my 42 degree wedge and left the 8 at 32 so my clubs are gapped 4 degrees , 58 54 50 46 42 38 32 , then I go hybrids and wood to driver
I picked up the Cobra F9 hybrid irons, so with my longest iron being a 6 iron, I will game the Speedzone 4 and 5 irons. I really like how similar the Speedzones are to my F9 irons, and playing a 19 degree 4 iron is fine with me! Kudos to Cobra Golf and their amazing R&D team!
I just received a set of One Length Speedzone irons, and they look and feel great. Since we are in the final stage of winter I have not been able to take these to the range yet, But I have hit them using an inside virtual golf simulator. I do not find the top inserts a problem to look at. They blend right into the club. I will admit that is does take time to get used to your new set up, but the more that you hit the clubs the easier the set up is. I found that if I thought each club was a 7 iron instead of say a 5 or pw the set up was easier to get used to. I am looking forward to playing this season, and hoping they help improve my game?
I am getting back into the game after a long hiatus because of baseball. Technology and the game has changed based on the technology changes.I played with Ping IST and Big Bertha metal woods. I’m going to get back to playing andI need some help. The King Cobra one length sounds interesting. My favorite club was always my 7 iron. Is this a difficult change to make since I haven’t played in a long time? Secondly, my son was a college baseball player and I discourage him from playing golf for fear that it would interfere with his baseball swing. Now that he’s done with baseball, I’m wondering if those one length shafts would be a good place to start for him. Conceptually, it seems to simplify the swing and allows the golfer to focus on the repetition which is similar to what a baseball player does. Any thoughts? As always with golf, this is a big investment.
I’ve never tried a set of one length, so I can’t offer any personal insight. Type “one length” into our search and you’ll find a couple reviews that Matt Saternus performed on Cobra One Length clubs. He also has a piece on Edel’s Single Length clubs – LINK.
That said, I do think its a great concept – especially for new golfers.
– Meeks
Bought these clubs and LOVE them.
Been playing Ping eye2’s (and struggling) with distance for years. Am 56 and lost a bit on my swing speed, but the stronger lofts on these clubs put me back to my 20’s,in distance, making the game fun again.👍
Just ordered my second cobra SZ irons 9-pw gw this time custom made upgraded grips one length i1 degree stronger and 1 up lie angle have been playing the same set up but not customized i think they are more forgiving then taylormade sim 2 model as I played them earlier in the year