COBRA KING Forged TEC Black Golf Irons – Key Takeaways
- Second-year refresh for COBRA’s player’s distance irons
- DBM (Diamondized Black Metal) finish for Forged TEC
- QPQ (Quench-Polish-Quench) finish for more forgiving Forged TEC X
- $1,299 steel, $1,399 graphite
- Available now at retail and online
The new COBRA KING Forged TEC black irons are a page out of the latest “Golf OEM Irons Release Playbook.”
It says, in part, that any OEM worth its weight in microspheres must give a popular iron set a mid-life refresh in black.
You could look it up. It’s right there after the section marked, “Use a Buttload of Tungsten.”
So, yeah, the 2022 COBRA KING Forged TEC irons are getting a new suit of clothes for a second-year sales boost. That, by itself, is marginally interesting. But there are a couple of twists that might very well make you look twice.
COBRA KING Forged TEC Black Irons: The Basics
If you want to talk about underrated and underappreciated irons, the conversation probably should start with COBRA. We tried the newly released KING TOUR irons at the PGA Show and came away highly impressed. The KING Forged TEC, meanwhile, finished sixth overall in last year’s Most Wanted Player’s Distance iron shootout. And its more forgiving brother, the Forged TEC X, was second overall in our Game Improvement testing.
In fact, noted cynic and caller of bullshit Tony Covey has gone so far as to call the KING Forged TEC series “the best COBRA irons ever.”
The KING Forged TEC falls on the better player side of Player’s Distance, as evidenced by its relatively low forgiveness score in last year’s Most Wanted testing. COBRA includes the Forged TEC X in the Player’s Distance irons category but its larger head, thicker topline, greater offset and stronger lofts blur the line somewhat between Player’s Distance and Game Improvement.
Both irons feature hollow-body construction and a foam filling that COBRA calls “Expancel Microspheres.” Both also feature COBRA’s super-thin and flexible PWRSHELL face to provide the better ball striker some more pop while fighting off Father Time.
As is common in the Player’s Distance category, both irons are loaded with tungsten. The KING Forged TEC irons have 20 grams’ worth to shift the center of gravity toward the middle of the club face. The more forgiving KING Forged TEC X irons have 65 grams of tungsten that move the CG as low as possible for easier launch.
Two Kinds of Black and One Kind of Length
COBRA is giving the KING Forged TEC a Diamondized Black Metal, or DBM, finish. DBM is actually chemically implanted into the club head and face, making it part of the material rather than just a coating.
Because the body of the KING Forged TEC X is cast instead of forged (the face is the forged part), DBM is off the table. Instead, COBRA is using the equally durable Quench-Polish-Quench (QPQ) process. QPQ is a heat treatment that actually oxidizes the substrate of the stainless steel. That oxidation gives the club its highly durable black color.
Noticeably absent from the mid-life refresh is any mention of a ONE Length option. COBRA originally released the KING Forged TEC in ONE Length last year. This update features only the standard variable-length models. COBRA went down the ONE Length rabbit hole with and, presumably, for Bryson when it signed him to an equipment deal several years ago. Bryson was the ONE Length poster boy but his contract ended earlier this year.
What that means for COBRA’s ONE Length commitment going forward is anyone’s guess.
COBRA KING Forged TEC Black Irons: Specs, Price and Availability
The limited-edition KING Forged TEC and Forged TEC X Black irons are available in seven-piece sets (4-PW). Sorry lefties, the black sets are for righties only.
COBRA is using the KBS $-Taper Lite as the stock steel shaft for the KING Forged TEC. The KBS TGI is the stock graphite. The KBS Tour Lite is stock steel in the more forgiving Forged TEC X while the KBS TGI is stock graphite.
The Lamkin Crossline is the stock grip. COBRA’s full catalog of no-charge and upcharge shaft and grip options is also available.
Both iron sets sell for $1,299 in steel and $1,399 in graphite.
They’re available now at retail and online.
For more information, visit cobragolf.com.
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