King Forged MB iron review

Of all the new better-player irons on the market, the new Cobra King Forged MB could turn the most heads.

Designed for very good players through to Tour players, the King Forged MB features a five-stage forging process for a more precise shape and tighter weight tolerance – all of which combines for one of the softest-feeling player irons you will experience.

A tungsten toe weight also positions the centre of gravity behind the centre of the face for greater shot making, while Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) milled faces and grooves allow for better spin and trajectory control.

TESTED: Best player irons 2015

Looks

It probably comes as no surprise to learn Cobra Puma staff player Rickie Fowler had some say in the new colour black and orange scheme of the King Forged irons.

And quite frankly, the newly crowned Deutsche Bank champion has done a fantastic job with the diamonised black finish. A real looker. Plus, Cobra claim it is much more durable than a PVD finish, so you are technically getting much more life out of this iron.  

On the flip side, the darkened finish divided opinion at address, making this already compact iron look even smaller. Scratch players, however, might well appreciate that.  

Feel

One of the softest feeling irons for both testers.

The overall feel is just about perfect with a nicely weighted head and stock shaft combination, and the sound is as sweet as any blade out there.

Centre hits felt remarkably crisp and there was no dreaded vibration through the hands on squiffy strikes.

Very hard to fault.

Performance

Although this iron was not quite as long as several others in our "Best better-player irons test 2015", the important to thing to note is Cobra’s lofts are not quite as cranked. For example, the six iron is 30 degrees as opposed to 27 or 27.5 degrees with some of its rivals, and the seven iron is 34 degrees as opposed to 31 or 31.5 degrees.

Nevertheless, the carry distance was still in the middle of the pack and the distance control was particularly consistent which certainly appeals. 

While not the most forgiving iron in our test, there was enough accuracy to get excited about, but the iron’s ability to shape shots is certainly where it excels the most. 

Verdict

There may be more forgiving and longer player irons out there, but professionals and better players will likely adore the looks, feel and workability of this iron.

PGA pro David Aitchison, who was helping us test the latest player irons, said: “I feel as though I can do anything with this iron. Flight it up or down and swing it left or right. Throw in the compact, darkened looks, and this is one superb player iron.”

The £749 tag, which believe it or not is cheap for a premium set of irons in 2015, looks a fair price indeed.