Cobra King RADSPEED Drivers Review

Name: Cobra King RADSPEED Drivers Review
Brand: Cobra
Price: 369 GBP

Last updated: 02 February 2024

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Cobra Golf’s three model King RADSPEED driver family takes Radial Weighting to the extreme. Here we explain whether the RADSPEED, RADSPEED XB, RADSPEED XD or will best suit your game.

At times it feels like golfers need a physics degree and PHD in quantum mathematics to work out which driver best suits them. And the confusion usually stems from contradicting marketing messages.

While some drivers promise more ball speed from forward weighting, and say that less backspin equals more distance, others swear a higher MOI, higher spin, more forgiving model will actually go further for more golfers more often. Which is true? Well, both actually.

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Simply, there’s more than one way to approach driver design. And today the only thing driver brands can agree upon is that one driver model just isn’t enough to best fit all golfers. And now Cobra have joined the three-model driver club for 2021 – which is the best Cobra driver for you?

Break golfers down into categories of what they want from a driver and there’s actually three distinct groups of players who need to be catered for – golfers who want distance, golfers who want forgiveness, and those who need help correcting a slice.

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According to Cobra, we all fall into one of these three categories. Get your head selection right and combine it with a great fitting shaft and we all unlock our own personal code of ball speed, forgiveness, distance and accuracy.

With those three types of golfers in mind, Cobra have created the RADSPEED family for 2021, and they reckon they’re better tailored to real golfers than ever before.

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Each benefits from a new radial mass positioning idea which locates discretionary weight at extremities of the head to optimise each model for individual players.

So where the RADSPEED driver targets pure distance, RADSPEED XB attacks forgiveness and RADSPEED XD is tooled up to eliminate a slice.

WATCH: Best 2021 Driver video

What you need to know about the Cobra King RADSPEED driver

Cobra-King-RAD-Speed-Driver

RRP: £369

Lofts: 9° / 10.5°

It’s no secret that low-spin drivers with weight stacked towards the front increase ball speed and lower spin; it’s a set-up that leads to more distance. This style of weighting adds less dynamic loft at impact which means you get a lower, more penetrating ball flight, too. But what’s less talked about is how this type of weight set up also lowers MOI and forgiveness.

The RADSPEED has a compact, traditional 460cc head, Cobra say it delivers the fastest ball speeds, lowest spin rates and most workability of all three new models. There’s 32g of front radial weight (low in the sole close behind the face), and a further 14g at the back to ensure vertical impact stability and a degree of playability, which hasn’t always been the case with low-spin models.

RELATED: Best Driver 2020

What you need to know about the Cobra King RADSPEED XB driver

Cobra-King-RAD-Speed-XB-Driver

RRP: £369

Lofts: 9° / 10.5° / 12°

Cobra has taken the holistic view of a golfer’s overall driving game, by offering a “forgiving” option which doesn’t just focus on being the fastest or longest driver on the market. The XB has 24g of radial back weight (with 8g at the front to ensure stability) positioned within its modern, wide head.

The combination of the shape and rear-biased weighting means there’s a slight draw bias over the RADSPEED, too. The weight set-up gives extra dynamic lofting at impact which equates to a higher launch, a little extra backspin and of course more forgiveness.

Cobra King RAD Speed Driver

View that forgiveness as extra ball speed protection when shots are sprayed around the face, and you really won’t go too far wrong. Cobra are so convinced of the XB’s efficiency they say it will be the most forgiving driver on the market in 2021.

What you need to know about the Cobra King RADSPEED XD driver

Cobra-King-RAD-Speed-XD-Driver

RRP: £369

Lofts: 10.5° / 12°

Heel-weighted drivers are nothing new. Ping have been producing three-model driver families since the G30 launch back in 2014. TaylorMade have had a draw model since 2017 and Callaway headed down this route last year with the Mavrik Max. The fact that Cobra are now joining the party with the RADSPEED XD proves Ping were onto something all those years ago.

The XD has weight split between three areas to maximise stability, but also offer the 80% of golfers who slice the ball, the most amount of slice-busting tech out there. 10g of weight is located in the heel to create a draw shaped ball flight (or at least a reduction in distance robbing sidespin), there’s also 18g at the back and 8g up front.

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What is radial weighting?

‘Radius of gyration’ is a term Cobra use to explain how the more weight that’s positioned further from the centre of gravity, the easier it is to create the launch conditions a designer wants.

Cobra King RAD Speed Driver

Stack mass at the back and you get a low back CG, high MOI, more spin and slower ball speeds. Stack it at the front and you get a forward CG, high ball speeds and low spin, but also a lower MOI.

Cobra King RAD Speed Driver

By splitting weight radially between front and back Cobra say the RADSPEED models are extremely stable but also either forgiving, low spin or draw biased too.

How much is too much?

It’s all very well throwing around impressive numbers, but how much difference does all that mass being located in different areas actually make?

Cobra say because the standard RADSPEED driver has a front and back weight port it’s possible to position 74% of the mass at the front of the head (or split it 47% front and 53% back), which increases ball speed and lowers spin.

Cobra King RAD Speed Driver

Compare that to 71% of fixed mass located at the back of the RADSPEED XB (Extreme Back) and you get an instant picture of how much difference radial weighting can really offer.

RELATED: Most Forgiving Driver 2020

Where has all the weight come from?

Cobra are batting about some big numbers (46g in the RADSPEED driver) of discretionary mass that’s positioned within the RADSPEED heads, and the only way to free up that mass is to shave it from other areas.

A new Thin-Ply carbon crown is 30% lighter than its predecessor, it saves 6g. A further 7g has been cut from the drivers titanium T-Bar chassis.

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Don’t forget the RADSPEED’s CNC Milled Infinity face

Cobra are the only brand to CNC Mill their driver faces, and they do so because the process is more accurate and more consistent. Each Infinity face takes 25 minutes to create, but Cobra say they do it because it allows them to make the most precise driver face in golf, which is five times more precise than traditional hand polishing.

Cobra King RAD Speed Driver

The RADSPEED Infinity Face also has different degrees of vertical roll and horizontal bulge to help keep shots hit above centre in the air for longer. There’s also a new centred and horizontal face milling pattern which helps with moisture management (consistency in different conditions), too.

Turbo yellow

Cobra have never been afraid to push boundaries when it’s comes to colours. Turbo Yellow is this year’s choice, but unlike the orange, blue, white and grey models of yesteryear, Cobra reckon they don’t need much to have an impact. Essentially Turbo Yellow will highlight the differing weight set ups between the three RADSPEED driver models.

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Tour length

You may have heard how tour players often use shorter shafted drivers than those consumers buy in the shops. Well, if you feel a shorter shaft will help you hit shots on centre more often, Cobra are offering the RADSPEED driver models in both ‘tour length’ (which is 44.5” – 1” shorter than a modern driver) and ‘modern length’ options.

Take your pick – RADSPEED driver shaft options

To ensure golfers get their perfect set up Cobra have offered several stock shafts for a few years, but for 2021 there’s a brand new line-up. Fujikura’s Motore XF1 gives the lowest launch and spin for the fastest hardest swing speeds.

Cobra King RAD Speed Driver

A Project X HZRDUS RDX Blue is mid-low launch with low spin. Fujikura’s Motore XF3 is a mid-launch and spin option where a Project X Evenflow Rip Tide gives maximum launch with mid spin.

WATCH: Should you use a 47″ driver shaft?

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