What year was the Cobra King F Driver released?
The F8 and F8+ series of drivers were released into the USA on 12 January 2018 and had some very distinct differences from the F7 range.
King Cobra F8 V Cobra F7 Golf Driver
Cobra has been working on what became the F8 range for two-and-a-half years before release, and all that preparation has certainly paid off!
The first fundamental difference on the F8 is the CNC milled face. Up until the F8, most titanium driver faces have been hand-finished. Not being absolutely flat and having a vertical or horizontal bulge and roll, helps keep off-center hits straighter.
The CNC milling process has made the 3% thinner and a staggering 10% lighter, and this weight saving moves it lower and further back than previous models. In addition, the ‘air-tripping’ device known as Aero 360 makes the head more aerodynamic.
Aero 360 delivers less drag with a smaller wake than other standard drivers giving you more clubhead speed and distance off the tee.
As many other manufacturers use, Cobra’s use of a polymer on the raised section instead of titanium is there specifically to save weight.
The second half of the Aero 360 feature is on the sole and IS made of titanium, as carbon fiber would not withstand the impact of ground strikes for very long.
From a tech standpoint, Cobra’s Connect paired with Arccos is still present, and the success of this smartphone paired app has ensured its continuation on the new range.
Cobra’s commitment to improving the technology on their drivers is that they have ditched the color schemes seen on the F6 and F7 ranges and gone with either plain black or the grey nardo coloring on this range.
Another difference in the F8 range is that there are only two CG slots instead of the three seen on the F7. Cobra has removed the front weight slot and now only has the rear and heel CG positions for more forgiveness, higher trajectory, and draw bias on the F8.
The F8+ only has the front and rear CG slots.
8 Loft settings on each option with a 1° difference in settings between the two provide around 16 different setting positions with the F8 range with the now-standard SmartPad keeping the face square at impact.
Taking spin off for a lower trajectory means adjusting the loft or moving the weight to the draw position.
Are the Cobra King F7 Drivers adjustable?
The F7 drivers are fully adjustable depending on how you move the weights around and what you want from your shot.
There is a single 12-gram weight that you can move into the three different slots to affect the result of the shot.
The other two 2gm weights simply fit into the empty slots left.
The MyFly8 SmartPad, as seen on the earlier F6 range, F7 offers a fantastic range of adjustments.
The shorter 44.25″ option ships with two 12gm weights, and while this does limit the adjustability, it does offer more fairways with greater control.
Cobra King F8 Driver specs
The F8 is a standard 460cc head, but the F8+ is more compact than even the F7+ coming in at 440cc. This makes the F8+ a lower spinning version, and it only has the back and front CG positions and not the heel option.
|
F8 driver |
F8+ |
F7 |
F7+ |
|
|
RH/LH |
Right and Left Hand |
RH and LH |
RH and LH |
RH |
|
Body |
Cast 8-1-1 Titanium |
Cast 8-1-1 Titanium |
Cast 8-1-1 Titanium |
Cast 8-1-1 Titanium |
|
Face |
Machined 8-1-1 Titanium |
Machined 8-1-1 Titanium |
Forged 8-1-1 Titanium |
Forged 8-1-1 Titanium |
|
Crown |
Carbon Fiber |
Carbon Fiber |
TeXtreme Carbon Fiber |
TeXtreme Carbon Fiber |
|
Length |
45.75” |
45.25” |
45.25” |
45.25” |
|
Swing Weight |
D1 |
D2 |
D2 |
D2 |
|
Grip |
Lamkin REL 360 (Tour Taper) Connect – Black &Nardo |
Lamkin Crossline 360 (Plus) Connect – Black &Nardo |
Lamkin R.E.L (Connect) Black |
Lamkin R.E.L (Connect) Black |
|
Shaft |
MRC Tensei CK Blue 50 Aldila NV 2KXV BLUE 60 Aldila NV 2KXV GREEN 65 |
Aldila NV 2KXV BLUE 60 Aldila NV 2KXV GREEN 65 Project X HZRDUS Yellow 75 |
Graphite : Fujikura Pro 60 |
Graphite : Fujikura Pro XL R8 61 |
|
Head Volume |
460cc |
440cc |
460cc |
455cc |
|
Stock Flex |
S / R / Lite |
X / S / R |
X / S / R |
X / S / R |
|
Loft / Trajectory Settings |
9.0° / 9.5° / 9.5°D / 10.5 / 10.5°D / 11.5° / 11.5°D / 12.0° |
8.0°/8.5°/ 8.5°D/9.5°/ 9.5°D/10.5°/ 10.5°D/11.0° |
9.0° / 9.5° / 9.5°D / 10.5° / 10.5°D / 11.5° / 11.5°D / 12.0° |
8.0° / 8.5° / 8.5°D / 9.0° / 9.5°D / 10.0° / 10.5°D / 11.0° |
|
Adjustability |
Back, Heel |
Back, Front |
Front, Back, Heel |
Front, Back, Heel |
Is the Cobra King F7 Driver forgiving?
The F8 is the more forgiving of the two with the CG slots in the front and heel, while the F8+ does offer some forgiveness for the lower handicap players that still need a little help now and again.
Reviews of this club range rate it as the most forgiving driver yet, with variances between the shortest and longest coming in a lot less on the launch monitor than expected. (https://www.golfmonthly.com/reviews/drivers/145369)
How do I adjust my Cobra King F8 Driver
The adjustment on the F8 series is consistently the same as with the F7 and F6 models.
On the F7, use the supplied tool to unscrew the weight and move it to the desired slot for either the draw bias on the heel or the back slot for higher launch and spin with more forgiveness, and that single locking click tells you that you’re ready to swing.
For the F8+, the same applies just without the heel slot.
Cobra King F8 Driver hosel adjustment chart
Hosel adjustment for the loft is the same as per previous models. Using the supplied tool to loosen the head and select the desired loft or draw position. Then sliding the shaft back into the head and tighten to secure.
The comparative table below shows the differences in backspin and carry with the different positions on the F8 at 10.5 degrees of loft.
|
Degree and position |
F8 10.5 High |
F8 10.5 Draw |
F7 10.5 Draw |
|
Launch Angle (°) |
11.7 |
12.0 |
10.8 |
|
Backspin (RPM) |
3011 |
2454 |
2585 |
|
Carry (yds) |
251 |
253 |
248 |
As you can see, the carry distances have only about a five yd difference between the longest and shortest carry, while the spin variance is about 550 RPM between the 10.5 draw position and the 10.5 high.
The F8+ chart below shows the slight differences achieved in the high/low CG settings.
The launch angle variance of 2° is evident, while the backspin difference is only about 170 RPM between low and high, respectively bearing testimony to the consistency of performance in both the F8 and F8+
|
Degree and position |
F8+ 10 High |
F8+ 10 Low |
|
Launch Angle (°) |
12.8 |
10.8 |
|
Backspin (RPM) |
2756 |
2582 |
|
Carry (yds) |
250 |
252 |
(Source: https://www.golfalot.com/equipment-reviews/cobra-king-f8-plus-driver-review-3912.aspx)
What do the weights do on a Cobra King F8 driver?
As with previous drivers, moving the weights to the different CG positions changes either the ball flight and trajectory with the draw bias on the F8 or simply the trajectory, spin, and roll on the F8+.
The F8 range only has two CG positions for forgiveness/trajectory/roll on the F8+ and forgiveness and draw on the F8.
Moving the weight to the rear CG position will increase spin and trajectory on the F8+ and reduce trajectory and spin when placed in the front position.
On the F8, the rear CG position provides more forgiveness, more spin, higher trajectory, and less roll, and positioning the weight in the draw slot offers around 12 yards of a draw on the shot, also depending on the loft settings.
Cobra King F8 Driver draw setting
Both the F8 and the F8+ have three draw settings.
The F8 has them at 9.5°, 10.5°, and 11.5° settings, and the F8+ has them at 8.5°, 9.5°, and 10.5°. Remember that increase or decrease o these settings will change both the trajectory and spin on the shot.
Looking at the table below, you can see how increased loft settings affect the shot results and the backspin on the higher loft setting.
|
Degree and position |
F8 9 Draw |
F8 10.5 Draw |
F8 12 Draw |
|
Launch Angle (°) |
10.7 |
12.0 |
12.4 |
|
Backspin (RPM) |
2732 |
2454 |
2908 |
|
Carry (yds) |
253 |
253 |
248 |
With Cobra, the Innovation Keeps Coming
Evolving from the F6 through the F8, it’s evident that the team at Cobra is bent on improving their offerings every year, and to date, they have not disappointed! They have set the bar for innovation and design, which will continue for the foreseeable future.