Cobra King F8+ Fairway Wood Review

The Cobra King F8+ fairway wood has updated Baffler rails to increase playability from any lie with a compact tour-preferred head shape. A forward center of gravity (CG) and that smaller head shape make the F8+ fairway wood a good candidate for lower handicaps.

The Looks

My first look at the Cobra King F8+ fairway wood actually came at the esteemed fitting establishment, Club Champion. After not having a “+ model” in the previous lineup, I was pretty jacked to see the return of the compact fairway wood head in the Cobra lineup. Often times (not always), the better player prefers the look of a smaller head in their fairway wood heads. To appeal to that group, Cobra made the F8+ nice and compact with a clean pear shape and a shallower face. After years of different colorful options, the King F8+ comes in black as well as a Nardo grey finish. I’m a big fan of the look of the Nardo grey and the visible carbon crown (pictured). I genuinely think it’s one of the better looking fairway woods on the market.

Like the drivers, the King F8+ fairway utilizes the polymer aero trips on the head and titanium trips on the sole. These “trips” are designed to make the head more aerodynamic, and therefore faster. While noticeable by sight, these trips are very smoothly integrated into the look of the club.

How Does it Feel?

Solid and in control. These two characteristics are what I feel best describe the Cobra King F8+ fairway wood. The forged 455 stainless E9 face has a very responsive and energetic feel to it that holds up well behind the ball. The biggest impact to feel, however, comes from the Baffler Dual Rail system on the sole of the club. These rails are designed to make the club glide through the turf better and improve your contact with the ball. What these rails also do is minimize the amount of twist the club head will do through the turf and through impact. The end result is that you can literally feel the F8+ fairway tracking through the turf and staying square through your swing path. Though this creates more of a performance benefit, I genuinely felt I could feel the Baffler rails at work through impact.

How Does it Sound?

Like the feel, the Cobra King F8+ fairway wood has a very solid sound to it. Since going with carbon crowns, the Cobra fairway woods have taken on more of “crack” like a baseball bat sound and less of a metallic ping. The fairway woods, especially the F8+, are a lot more muted. Shots closer off the heel and toe sound more hollow with a touch of “ting” and are a good indicator of a bad shot.

On-Course Performance

Club Speed	Ball Speed	Launch Angle	Spin	Carry (Yds)	Total (Yds)
102.3	150	10º	2495	249.1	278.1

From a distance perspective, the Cobra King F8+ fairway wood was pretty good. I got ok distance but would like a little more carry for my 3 wood. That said, I think I could find both of those things through extensive fitting. The biggest performance advantage the F8+ comes from the Baffler rails which make the club more stable through the turf. I figured the Baffler system would be helpful but not necessarily all that noticeable during the swing. What I found was that the Bafflers really stabilized the club head and helped me hit a much straighter shot. My usual fairway wood shot is prone to leaking…or a terrible snap hook. I won’t try and convince you that I can’t still snap hook the F8+ with the best of them, but the rails really helped keep the face square on its path.

It’s worth pointing out that the King F8+ is designed to have a lower trajectory with less spin. By placing the CG forward in the head, Cobra keeps the ball down and gives you some good roll. Better players often look for their fairway wood to have a piercing flight and the F8+ does this well.

Final Thoughts

My ~~professional~~ experienced opinion is that the Cobra King F8+ fairway wood is a great option for the above average player that needs a little help controlling their fairway wood. You’ll still need to be a decent stick to get the ball in the air with the forward CG. The Baffler rails, however, will greatly help players that typically find their fairway wood to be a little slippery. Having that extra control from the Baffler rails makes hitting a dialed-in straight shot a much easier task. In other words, consistently hitting accurate shots into Par 5’s from 250 yards just became more of a reality.