Cobra Darkspeed X Fairway Wood Review

The Cobra dark Speed X is the intermediate fairway wood in the stunning matte black Darkspeed series. We see how it performs.

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Cobra Darkspeed X Fairway Wood Review: NCG Summary

 

Cobra Dark Speed X Fairway Wood Review: First Impressions

It would not be unreasonable to buy a Cobra Darkspeed wood, put it in your living room, and just stare at its stunning looks. This series has something for everyone, and the X is their intermediate club. I would guess this will be the most popular as it will appeal to low and mid-handicap golfers and potentially higher-handicappers, too (although check out the Cobra Darkspeed Max for their most forgiving fairway wood).

I say this will appeal to most golfers as it has some more forgiveness than the Darkspeed LS with an 8g weight in the rear of the sole, giving a higher launching ball flight. In my opinion, fairway woods are the hardest clubs to hit consistently, and anything that helps has got to be good. The Darkspeed X uses the Cobra PWR-BRIDGE and PWRSHELL H.O.T. face technology, which is used across the board in this range.

This provides increased ball speed through a low forward CG location. The crown is a carbon shell that removes weight from the clubhead’s upper part, contributing to the low CG and a better sound/feel. The technology in the face uses machine learning to provide a multitude of hotspots across the face, leading to even greater forgiveness with a mid-launch and mid-spin.

NCG Verdict

I tested this on a GC3 indoors to get the data. The stock shafts from Cobra are the UST Mamiya LIN-Q M40X. I was not fitted for this shaft, and it was possibly a little harder to launch than my current 3-wood, although the overall distance was similar. The standard loft is 15°, and this is the same as my current 3-wood. It has an adjustable hosel (see below) to allow for significant loft tweaking. The golf club looks great behind the golf ball and has a lovely shape that I found very easy to square up.

The distances I achieved were commensurate with my similarly lofted 3-wood. The off-centre hits were, as would be expected with the technology, pretty forgiving, and there was not a card-destroying amount of distance loss, which really gets me excited.

At the address, it does not look any more than 15° of loft, while my current 3-wood looks more lofted than 15°, which can help with confidence in my view. Off the tee, I achieved my usual extra 5 yards or so compared with off the deck, making this an excellent fairway-finding option for the tight tee shots at my home club in Leeds.

In summary, the Cobra Darkspeed X achieves its aim of playability and forgiveness with absolutely spectacular looks. It is their intermediate fairway wood, but I would check out both the Darkspeed LS and the Darkspeed Max as well, whatever your handicap. I suspect that this will be the go-to model for those choosing the Cobra Darkspeed, and I would highly recommend getting fitted.

With the correct shaft and loft, it can transform your fairway woods. I love my current woods, but the Cobra Darkspeed series are great, and I would definitely recommend checking them out if you are in the market for new fairway woods.

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Cobra Darkspeed X Fairway Wood Review: The Details

Available: Now

RRP: £279

Loft: 3W 15˚ (13.5°-16.5°), 5W 18˚ (16.5°-19.5°), 7W 21° (19.5°-22.5°)

Shafts (Stock): UST MAMIYA LIN-Q M40X Blue R, S and X Flexes.

More information: Cobra Website