King Cobra Inertia 3400 I/XH irons
'Each iron
Cobra’s early season demo blitz around the UK with its latest irons seems to have paid off. They’ve got off to a flier! The company claims a massive upturn in the number of custom fit orders and has already doubled last year’s figures for the same period. The momentum they have built up in ‘made to measure’ clubs augurs well for the Inertia series, which is aimed at a range of abilities. Its King Cobra 3100 I/H clubs are designed for the established golfer with a handicap of five to ten and features an ‘undercut design’ cavity and urethane insert extending behind the face to dampen vibration and improve feel. They’re built to for better players to work the ball in different conditions. Though I did not go through the process of custom fitting, I reviewed the graphite-shafted King Cobra 3400I/XH irons, asking for personal specification of a regular flex and low kick point. The first thing that struck me was the easy identification of each club. None of the subtleties of, say, Mizuno, TaylorMade and Callaway with their understated numbering which at times has led to miss-clubbing. Each iron’s number is etched distinctly into the sole. This gives a positive feeling about club selection while giving an obvious clue to an opposing player who’s undecided on what club to use. Equally distinct is the thick top line, which I personally find most appealing, especially in the long irons, where the cavity protrudes into the eyeline at address, adopting the appearance of a wide-soled driving iron. Indeed the sole of the set of Inertia’s I tested are wider than your standard iron, to help avoid the sole digging in at impact. And this weight at the bottom of the club combined with the unique ‘transition’ (hollow back in 3- to 7-iron, cavity back in 8-iron to sand wedge) helped to get the ball airborne with more consistency. Apparently XH in the club’s title stands for ‘Xtra height’. Cobra claims the main point of difference with the Inertia irons, is the ‘high inertia value’ (resistance to twisting) built into their design which in turn claims to create a bigger than ever ‘Sweet Zone’ across the clubface. I can testify to the comforting feedback delivered through the fingertips on most strikes during the four competitive rounds in which I used the clubs. The urethane coating behind the face also helped to soften feel. In two rounds I played to my ten handicap, one a couple under and in another I was six over in cold, windy conditions. | |
Verdict | |
Quite how much better I might have played if the clubs had been custom-fitted in line with Cobra’s policy, I’ll never know. But the these Inertia’s are a testimony to their instant playability. I struck the ball well over 72 holes and in practice and enjoyed the control I got from the scoring clubs (8- to pitching wedge) and particularly when hooding the face of the sand iron to play delicate chips from the fringe. I got bite and control. The mid-irons delivered solid feel and the long irons (3- and 4-iron) towering results especially from semi-rough. | |
Golfmagic rating: 8.5/10 | |
