Martin Hopley
By

Well, we all want more distance from our driver, but of equal importance is also more accuracy and that is something Cobra has focussed on with the Cobra King F8 driver.

This is not a short term thing for them, as they have been working on what became the King F8 and F8+ drivers for the last two and a half years.

Cobra King F8 Driver

At the launch I was shown video of their factory where after welding the faces to the T-8-1-1 titanium body, the driver heads were then hand ground to remove the evidence of the weld and make the faces flat.

Except they are not flat as they have bulge and roll, or horizontal and vertical curvature that creates the gear effect to keep off centre hits straight.

Whilst Cobra has been finishing their drivers to extremely high tolerances over the years, there can be slight variances in face thickness as it is done by hand and that is the same for every make of driver.

It does seem odd that in this day and age someone spends all day every day finishing driver faces, but that is the unseen world of club manufacturing. What you will no doubt be seeing more of is Cobra's new milled face process that removes the person from the process to create a more exact face that is 3% thinner and 10% lighter than before.

Cobra King F8 Driver

The pattern created by the process is distinctive and gives the F8 face a technical look that hides a tilted axis to match the impact pattern and the improved three word tech (TWT) called Dual Roll Technology that has a different level of face curvature at the top and bottom to get the right launch.

The carbon fibre crown is lighter than before to help save weight and move it lower and further back and on top of it is one half of the 360 Aero feature that is an air tripping device to make the head more aerodynamic.

Cobra King F8 Driver

Other manufacturers have done this using titanium, but on the Cobra F8 the raised section is made from a lighter polymer in order to save more weight.

The other half of the Aero 360 is on the sole and this time it is made of titanium as it needs to be stronger to survive contact with the ground. Better not roof your drives then...

Cobra King F8 Driver

I am just about out of tech breath, but one more to go and that is the Cobra Connect Arccos sensor in the grip that pairs with the app of the same name on your smartphone so you can track you drives and you can read a separate review of Cobra Connect here.

Cobra Connect

So as you can see, those two and a half years have been well spent in getting the head technically up to speed and compared to the previous Cobra King F7 driver the head shape is a little more pear shaped than before and I prefer the new look.

Cobra King F8 Driver

As you may have spotted by now, Cobra has ditched the bright colours for either an all black or shown here is the latest, greatest colour that is about to hit everything in high end fashion called...Nardo.

Cobra King F8 Driver

It's not really my thing, but as the father of teenagers I know that everything I say or do is inherently not cool, so it probably means that it is.

Cobra has done this because they felt that the coloured heads were distracting from their technology stories and I buy that. Nardo is not going to be as polarising as red or blue, so it will probably do OK, so get used to it as it is going to be everywhere, including probably Rickie Fowler.

The other main difference from the F7 is on the sole where the three weight positions have become two thanks to the front position being given the heave ho.

Cobra King F8 Driver

This makes sense in some ways as the King F8 is about high launch and more forgiveness so you don't need the front position to reduce spin for that.

However if you want to take some spin off then you will have to move the heavier 12g weight into the Draw position or reduce the loft using the adjustable hosel.

Cobra King F8 Driver

Compared to the F7 the King F8 not only sounded lower pitched and more solid, it did also perform better in the Draw and High weight settings.

Cobra King F8 Driver

Adjusting the MyFly hosel through the same range of 9° to 12° also varied the performance a little but not in a linear way for me.

Cobra King F8 Driver

The spin and launch should increase as the loft does and the 12° was the highest in this regard, but remember the lie is also changing as you move the loft, even despite the SmartPad on the sole keeping the face straight and that will have an influence too.

Cobra King F8 Driver

As it was, the lower lofts were best for my 106mph swing speed and therefore it is just a question of which launch I preferred to see as the distances were very similar.

Cobra King F8 Driver

You could play around for ages with the 16 different combinations of loft (lie) and weight position and most of them will end up around the same so it will probably come down to personal preference for how the face angle looks and the feel of the club depending on where the weight is located.

Or if you still can't get it right then you can try the King F8+ driver.

Cobra King F8+ Driver Review

The Cobra King F8+ driver is the lower spinning version of the F8 driver and comes in a more compact 440cc head.

Cobra King F8+ Driver

The face looks a little steeper and squarer at address but the overall shape is still very pleasing to the eye.

Cobra King F8+ Driver

It is one swing weight heavier at D2 and the Aldila NV 2KXV Green 65 shaft is a touch heavier and half an inch shorter at 45.25 inches to give it that better player feel.

The adjustable hosel is 1° down on the standard model and ranges from 8° to 11°.

The shorter head front to back brings the CG forward to reduce spin and on the sole the two weight ports are now in line with a single rear 'High' port at the back and a central 'Low' port at the front for heavier 12g weight to go into.

Cobra King F8+ Driver

For me the 12g weight in the front 'Low' position was best at the mid-range loft of 10°, but I am sure maybe upping the loft to 10.5° would increase the launch without changing the spin too much and hopefully get a few more yards.

Cobra King F8 Driver

Cobra say that the difference should be about 500rpm spin and 0.5° launch between the two weight positions so my actual swing was outperforming the robot there and shows that you just can't trust actual golfers.

It's all small margins with the F8 adjustability, but that is not to say that it has no effect, because it does. It just seems that there are possibly several combinations that will deliver the best results and the one you choose will be the one that also fits your eye the best too and there is nothing wrong with that.

Cobra King F8 Driver Summary

Clearly Cobra has put a lot of thought, time and energy into the King F8 driver and it is probably more of a step change in design than we have been used to from them in recent years.

Cobra King F8 Driver

The 360 Aero and carbon crown features make sense and the simplified weight design is easy to understand. Knowing that the face is machine milled rather than hand polished may give you a bit more confidence that the loft is what it says it is and certainly the renowned Cobra forgiveness from the E9 face is still there.

Cobra King F8 Driver

It's good to see a manufacturer charging the same price for the regular and low spin versions of the driver and the King F8 is a good value for money driver considering what you are getting.

With the change to Nardo, Cobra show that they are not afraid to keep re-inventing themselves and if you haven't tried their drivers before then the King F8 could be the one to transform your game as well.

Golfalot Rating: 5 stars
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Cobra King F8 Driver

Cobra King F8 Driver - Product Details

UK Launch02 February 2018
UK Launch RRP£329
USA Launch12 January 2018
USA Launch RRP$399
European Launch02 February 2018
European Launch RRP€399
Handicap Range
Low
High
GolferMens
Hand AvailabilityLeft, Right
Left Handed Lofts9°, 9.5°, 10.5°, 11°, 11.5°, 12°
Right Handed Lofts9°, 9.5°, 10.5°, 11°, 11.5°, 12°
MaterialTitanium, Carbon
Colour OptionsGrey, Black
Head Volume460 cc
Club Length45.75 inches
Swing WeightD1
AdjustabilityLoft, Weight
Shaft NameAldila NV 2KXV
Shaft TypesGraphite
Shaft FlexLight, Regular, Stiff
GripLamkin REL 360 Connect
Manufacturer's WebsiteCobra Website

User Reviews

Linda McGuigan
October 2018

I purchased the Cobra F8 driver this June and am having the same problem as a few others. Slices and cuts in my golf ball. At first I thought maybe it was just the ball I was playing but after using a brand new ball several times I realize I have the same issue as several others. Very disappointing😒

Alan
September 2018

I have had same issue as others with the driver cutting the ball. Doesn't just to be from the edge of the driver, but also the grooves on the heel and toe areas. Not from the milling. I think I hit down and across the ball a lot, so this maybe why it has been so bad. The shop I purchased it from are going to replace it with different model. Other than that I liked the club!!

Don
September 2018

Feel is great, shots are more consistent.

Todd B
June 2018

I am very impressed by this driver. I don't have the fastest swing speed, but I can hit this driver further than my F6 and the more I hit it the more I fell for it. I tried to find a reason not to buy it but I own it. Was torn between this and the Wilson Staff D300. That club is incredible also.

Paul reay
June 2018

Same problem as rich. Balls hit high on the face and stray outside of the line of the face insert get cut. If you run your finger over it you will find it is very sharp. Not a problem if you hit the ball centre, but anywhere on the edge of the insert and it will get cut. Have ruined approx 2 balls per round.major design flaw, why wasn't this spotted and rectified during testing

Miroslav
April 2018

I bought the Cobra F8 driver in the Tour Length specification from a limited blue edition. I am fully satisfied with both the quality of the design and the accuracy and length of the drives. Also, forgiveness in an inaccurate strike is very good. I do not see the excessive wear of the ball as Rich mentioned in his review.

Rich
March 2018

Very disappointed. I purchased this F8 king cobra driver and found out its new design February 2018 was cutting a deep gash splitting my golf balls with it’s new design and sharp edge. If you look at the outside edge you will see a razor sharp edge that cuts into the ball if you hit the ball low or high. You’re going to see reviews from all over the world explaining this major design flaw. My clubhouse pro at Naples heritage golf CC in Florida found this hard to believe and called his King Cobra rep. After this report he sent his pro out with my new F8 to see if I in fact was having a problem cutting and ruining my new golf balls. The pro came back and found out I was telling the truth and showed me where he himself put a large cut into the new ball he hit. With this new resolution they offered me my money back. My next round the pro offered me a new King Cobra Demo f8 driver and a new sleeve of three balls. I certainly wasn’t going to hit the new demo King Cobra f8 and ruin three new balls he gave me. At this point I went back to my old driver very disappointed.

Bear
February 2018

I am a junior golfer, is the F8 Junior Driver light than than the F7? My swing speed is less than 80 mph, is it worth the upgrade to the F8?

GOLFALOT: Depends what you mean by light as that can depend on the shaft. I would expect them to be the same, so unless you don't get on with the F7, I would stay with it and use the free shaft upgrades to lengthen club as you get taller.

Dave
November 2017

Hi...I still play the Cobra Bio Cell driver which has the standard 45.75 shaft. Do you think the F7 or F8 are any longer or more forgiving.

GOLFALOT: They might be a little better out of the centre as the faces are thinner and probably more forgiving as the loss of speed on off centre hits should be reduced. Best to go to a fitting with your current driver and see what the difference is and if it is worth the cost.

Nas
November 2017

Excellent write up. Just wondering, is it worth upgrading to the F8+ from the 2017 M1? After watching all these reviews, this driver seems to be more forgiving and a touch longer than the M1. You just have to find the right shaft for it.

GOLFALOT: Thanks. They are similar drivers aimed at high speed, lower spin players so you are right on the shaft and it will best to take the M1 along to a Cobra fitting and see which wins for you.

Alex
November 2017

Great review but if you are a draw bias player can you adjust the weights, as in Titleist. Ping and a lot of manufacturers focus on the slice players, not so many on the draw bias players. Thanks.

GOLFALOT: Hi Alex. There is no fade setting, but you could put the heavy weight in the back and deloft the club using the adjustable hosel to open the face/change the lie and that could have a similar effect. Speak to a fitter as the right shaft could help too.

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