Cobra King F8+ Driver Review

Cobra King F8+ Driver

Cobra‘s been on a killer run. Absolutely KILLER run these past few years. With great gems like the King LTD and F7+ drivers, it had to be tough for them to figure out what’s next. So what does Cobra do? They introduce some clutch technology by way of their first ever CNC milled face and 360 Aero head in the Cobra King F8+ driver. This technology is found in both new Cobra drivers, but the King F8+ is geared for players from Tour through 15 handicap with high swing speeds that are looking for lower spin and trajectory.

First Impressions

Aside from the head shape and footprint, that’s about all that looks familiar in the Cobra King F8+ driver. First, the King F8+ comes in two different colors – all black and the silky Nardo grey. There are officially no bright and bold color options in this Cobra lineup. The head shape on the King F8+ driver is more compact and closer to a traditional shape.

Cobra King F8 Aero Trips

Looking down at the crown you’ll notice “aero trips” which are designed to optimize the aerodynamics of the head. Take a look at the sole and you’ll see more of these aero trips as well. These aero trips make up the 360 Aero head which is designed to increase club speed and total distance.

Of course you can’t forget the CNC milled milled face. Drivers traditionally go through a hand-polishing process that results in inconsistencies in the face thickness. The CNC process Cobra used on the F8 drivers not only has a sweet twilight zone look, but it also allows Cobra to push the face thickness to the legal limit and maintain consistency in thickness across the whole face.

How Does it Feel?

If you happen to consistently find the center of the face, the Cobra King F8+ driver doesn’t feel light years different from the previous F7+ driver. The King F8+ feels very solid and has lots of life and response to it. Where I felt the King F8+ separated itself from previous generations in regards to feel was in the mishits. Cobra’s E9 face is designed to create forgiveness but the King F8+ seems to have more life in those mishits than I’ve seen from Cobra previously. Typically when this happens, there’s a sacrifice in response and you think you’re hitting the ball better than you are, but in the case of the F8+, you still know where you caught it but the shot seems to suffer less.

Short version: the King F8 CNC milled face may be the hottest feeling face Cobra has made to date.

How Does it Sound?

The Cobra King F8+ is a very well balanced and solid driver that produces an excellent tone. I had previously thought the King F7+ driver may have been Cobra’s best sounding driver of all time, but I’d have to say the F8+ has taken over that spot. Like the King F7+, the King F8+ has the same solid cracking “whack” sound. The difference is that the King F8+ has a slightly deeper and more powerful tone to it. This doesn’t mean a change in volume by any means so don’t worry about being the obnoxious guy on the range. The King F8+ just has more beef to it and leaves you feeling more satisfied with the output.

On-Course Performance

Weight Forward

Club Speed	Ball Speed	Launch Angle	Spin	Carry (Yds)	Total (Yds)
110.8	166.3	9.8º	2016	274	305

Weight Back

Club Speed	Ball Speed	Launch Angle	Spin	Carry (Yds)	Total (Yds)
110.4	164	12º	2820	277.1	295.8

I’m not going to try and lie to you, there are a lot of subtle features in the Cobra King F8+ driver that genuinely make notable impacts to its performance. It’s worth having a look on their product page to get the finer details. To simplify it from a performance perspective, I’m just going to cover it from a “need to know” perspective.

As found in previous Cobra models, the key performance functions come in the adjustability. You can change loft via the MyFly 8 adapter and move the center of gravity (CG) forward or backward via the moveable weights. Moving the CG to the front should lower the launch and spin while moving it back should raise it. By moving the CG back, you also increase the forgiveness of the driver. My numbers above support that functionality and I would argue the forgiveness statement is true to some degree. With the weight in the rear position, I found I was just as capable of a miss, but the misses were less punishing. The key is figuring out if the compromise between weight positions is worth it for you via proper fitting and testing.

It’s also worth noting that the stock shaft offerings are billed as “real deal” aftermarket shafts. The three options available are the Aldila NA 2KXV Blue and Green as well as the Project X HZRDUS Yellow.

Cobra Connect Powered by Arccos

Cobra continues to utilize the Cobra Connect technology that works with the Arccos 360 mobile app. The Arccos sensor is built into the stock grip and is tracked via the app so you can track your distance, analyze your driver performance, and even get driver optimization tips such as weight and loft settings. As the game continues to modernize, I suspect you’ll see more and more brands follow Cobra with similar implementations.

Final Thoughts

The Cobra King F8+ driver is a finely tuned golf club that packs a lot of punch. Though the details may be small, they result in a big time product. Great feel and a new face make the King F8+ a contender in maybe the best driver market in history. I believe as more players seek professional fittings, you’ll see quite a few 2018 Cobra drivers on the course. Who knows, I might be one of them…