Cobra King Tec Hybrid Review

Cobra King Tec Hybrid

Hybrid/rescue/utility clubs are a touchy area of the bag for better players. The requirements they are expected to meet vary significantly from player to player at that skill level, whereas higher handicaps are usually just looking for something that’s forgiving and goes a long way. Well what we have in the Cobra King Tec hybrid is a club designed to give better players a combination of long distance with workability, forgiveness, and plenty of adjustability.

The Looks

Though most people associate hybrids for better players with small profiles, the Cobra King Tec has an oversized footprint. In my opinion, the King Tec falls more into that “mini fairway wood” category where maybe you don’t want the bigger size of a fairway wood, but still aren’t looking to get into tiny hybrid looks. That said, the silhouette is closer to a clean pear shape of a good hybrid with a straighter leading edge, and avoids having a round a bulky profile.

Let’s give some credit to the overall aesthetics of the King Tec hybrid. Cobra went with a matte finish utilizing a gunmetal grey on the top line that contrasts nicely with the black carbon fiber crown. The branding on the sole is similar, and quite a bit different from what we’ve seen from Cobra for quite awhile. It’s reminiscent of the black/dark grey stylings of the King F8 line from a few years ago. I would go so far as to call it tastefully reserved and minimal. Overall, the King Tec is a nice looking hybrid and Cobra did a really good job making an oversize hybrid look clean.

How Does it Feel?

Honestly, I can’t think of any club I’ve ever hit that feels like the Cobra King Tec hybrid. It’s super clean through the turf and the ball really jumps off of the face. It’s interesting because it doesn’t feel like a “big solid trampoline smash” at impact, but more like the ball propels off like a jet launching off an aircraft carrier. I don’t know if that makes any sense, but that’s how I’d describe the feel of this club. It feels smooth, fast, and super clean.

I would assume one of the factors really contributing to that feeling is the forged PWRSHELL face. This face is a thin steel face that wraps around into the sole of the club to provide more flex in face. In turn, this helps create more of an energy transfer into the ball for more speed and launch. Like I said above, you can certainly feel the ball shoot off of the face at impact.

The King Tec hybrid is extremely well balanced. This is achieved by optimizing the center of gravity (CG) via the carbon crown, steel sole/body, and three adjustable weights. First, the carbon crown reduces weight in the top of the club so the CG is lower in the head, which will help get the ball in the air. It also makes the club feel a little more forgiving and just easier to swing smoothly. Then by adjusting the three weights, you can alter the CG to influence the ball flight you’re looking to achieve. BUT it also influences the feel quite a bit. I had the heavy weights in the toe and heel which made the King Tec feel well balanced and easy to square the face at impact.

How Does it Sound?

The sound of the Cobra King Tec hybrid blends the steel and carbon components of the club. There’s a hint of a metallic “tick” from the steel face at impact, but the overall tone is fairly muted and dampened by the carbon crown. Frankly, the sound is impressively unassuming, quiet, and clean. Rip a good shot and you get a nice quiet “whip” as you watch the ball soar.

On-Course Performance

Adjustability is the big performance advantage in the Cobra King Tec hybrid. Like I said earlier, the location of the sole weights will influence the “stock” ball flight. With the heavier weights forward (installed in the toe and heel positions), you will have the most neutral setup for a straighter and lower flight with the least amount of spin. This is where I had the weights set and was able to hit some absolute bullets. I also liked this weight position because I felt its neutrality gave me the ability to shape the shot both directions when needed.

To move the CG toward the toe or heel, you will need to put a heavy weight in the back and the other heavy weight in your desired location. By moving the CG toward the heel, the club will now have a natural draw bias. Should you want a natural fade bias, put the second heavy weight in the toe position instead. For players that find hybrids to be a little too easy to over draw or hook, that fade setting is a REALLY nice feature. What I will say from my testing experience is that the adjustability works and really allows you to dial in the shot shape you’re looking for.

Let’s not forget about the MyFly adapter in the hosel. This allows you to tweak loft by 1.5º up or down. (Note, the Radspeed hybrid does not have this same adjustability.) So if you want to lower or raise your flight a bit, or open or close the face a touch, you can do that here. For me, weights forward, loft knocked down a degree and a half…monster. That was the ticket for me.

COBRA CONNECT – Powered by Arccos

Cobra continues to implement its COBRA CONNECT technology in stock grips across its club lineup. This technology gives you seamless integration with Arccos platforms throughout the entire bag to automatically track your stats on a mobile device during a round of golf. With this data, you’ll be able to better understand the strengths and weaknesses of your game making your practice sessions more efficient. Not only that, the same data will help you make better decisions when it comes to equipment selection or setup. I’ve found COBRA CONNECT to be very useful and a nice added bonus to Cobra equipment since they’ve rolled it out across the board.

If you want to learn more details about COBRA CONNECT, you can check it out here on Cobra’s website.

Final Thoughts – Cobra King Tec Hybrid

If you’re looking for a hybrid that will go a long way and you can dial in to get a precise ball flight, the Cobra King Tec certainly gets that job done. In my opinion, this is going to be a great option for players looking for a “mini fairway wood” with the ability to shape and flight shots on demand. Aka shot control with a lot of distance. I imagine this will be a popular tee box option for players that put it in the bag. Once I got my settings dialed in, I was hitting straight ropes that went for days. So if you’re looking for a versatile, long, larger-profile hybrid, then you should definitely take the King Tec hybrid for a test spin.