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This is my full review of the Cobra KING Pro iron, which consists of KING forged CB (cavity back) mid and long irons and KING forged MB (muscle back) short irons optimized for tour-proven feel and precision performance.
The Pro irons were developed with the help of pro golfer Rickie Fowler.
Is this set a must-try for skilled players? Read on to what out what you need to know to make an informed purchase decision.
Note: Unless otherwise stated, stock shafts and stock grips are used when evaluating this club. In most cases, the golf clubs reviewed on Golfstead are acquired temporarily for testing purposes and are not purchased. The review that follows is based on the personal experience and research of the author. Because everyone’s swing and body are different, results with a particular club may differ from person to person.
What are the reviews like?
The KING Pro irons have a very positive rating: on Global Golf, 5/5 ratings on the official Cobra website, and generally positive verdicts from most of the professional critic reviewers.
What People Like
- beautiful compact look
- soft yet solid feel off the clubface
- flexible workability
- great trajectory throughout the set
What People Don’t Like
- limited left-handed availability (many locations do not offer fittings for certain left-handed Pro clubs)
- unfriendly mis-hit feedback — this is not an iron for forgiveness-seeking golfers
What are the features?
CB & MB Combination
The KING Pro iron set offers a combination of cavity (CB) long and mid irons and muscle back (MB) short irons that work to deliver a high degree of accuracy, precision, control and feel for the skilled golfer.
The cavity back irons are designed to be forgiving and easy to hit, while the muscle back irons are designed for precision, accuracy and workability for attacking the pin.
Tungsten Toe Inserts
The center of gravity (CG) is moved to the center of the club with the help of strategically-placed tungsten toe inserts; this enables greatly improved shot-making and precision.
Refined Grain Structure
Soft yet solid feel on every shot is provided by a refined grain structure in a 10-25 Carbon Steel head that is forged five times.
Wedge-style grooves and CNC milled faces maximize spin and deliver more consistent launch trajectories throughout the set.
Stock Info
The stock set, called the “flow set”, consists of 8 clubs (3-6 CB, 7-PW MB) with the KBS C-Taper 120 stock shaft.
The stock grip is the Lamkin UTX/KING LTD.
Full information on the shaft, grip and their specs can be found on the Cobra website. The KING Pro irons specs are tabulated below:
| Model | Loft | Lie | Offset (CB/MB) (mm) | Length (steel) | Swing Weight (steel) | CB RH/LH | MB RH/LH |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 19° | 60° | 2.8 / 2.5 | 39.75" | D2 | RH/LH | RH |
| 3 | 21° | 60.5° | 2.5 / 2.3 | 39.25" | D2 | RH/LH | RH |
| 4 | 24° | 61° | 2.3 / 2.0 | 38.75" | D2 | RH/LH | RH |
| 5 | 27° | 61.5° | 2.0 / 1.8 | 38.25" | D2 | RH/LH | RH |
| 6 | 30° | 62° | 1.8 / 1.5 | 37.75" | D2 | RH/LH | RH |
| 7 | 34° | 62.5° | 1.5 / 1.3 | 37.25" | D2 | RH/LH | RH/LH |
| 8 | 38° | 63° | 1.3 / 1.3 | 36.75" | D2 | RH/LH | RH/LH |
| 9 | 42° | 63.5° | 1.3 / 1.3 | 36.25" | D2 | RH/LH | RH/LH |
| PW | 46° | 64° | 1.3 / 1.3 | 36" | D3 | RH/LH | RH/LH |
| GW | 50° | 64° | 1.3 / 1.3 | 35.75" | D3 | RH/LH | RH/LH |
How do these irons perform?
Distance Control
Top-notch. The KING Pro irons are among the best when it comes to consistent flights and carries, even more so than you might expect from a typical players iron.
I would consider myself a low-mid handicapper myself, and even I experienced pretty tight dispersion despite some slight deviation from the center of the face.
Forgiveness
It’s important to keep in mind that the KING Pro irons won’t save your moderate and bad misses. Large enough misses will more or less yield the result you deserve: an off-line shot with lost distance.
With that said, you shouldn’t worry about the forgiveness being especially bad — it’s not the case.
Forgiveness, particularly in the cavity back irons (long and mid), is actually pretty good for a players iron. Overall, I have nothing to complain about here.
Ball Flight/Playability
This is one of the areas where the KING Pro irons really shine.
Workability is terrific. Despite my rather limited ability to shape the ball, I was able to work within my capabilities really easily during my testing.
These can really be shaped in every way: high, low, fade or cut.
When you hit a solid shot, you will be rewarded handsomely with these irons.
They are a shotmaker’s club that can be counted on to deliver the outcome expected when struck properly; that’s really the job of a players iron, and the KING Pro irons pass with flying colours.
What about look, sound and feel?
The Look
In my opinion, the KING Pros are some of the best-looking players irons I have ever seen.
Black finish and bright orange accents aside, the thin top lines, thin sole widths and small offsets make for a compact look that is tremendously appealing to professionals and low-handicappers alike.
These specs naturally increase as you move from the short to the long irons, but on the average, it’s just an awesome better-player profile.
The black finish, back logo and badge labeling is something you’re going to have to make your own judgement on. I personally like the simplicity of the aesthetic, which I’m sure was influenced somewhat by Fowler.
The Sound & Feel
True to its description, the KING Pro irons have a stable, firm feel at impact with a side of softness and responsiveness.
The sound at impact can be described as a solid “whack”. The short iron MBs feel and sound a little softer than the cavity backs, which is great for developing the touch needed around the greens.
Sound and feel on center hits is another strong point of these irons.
As expected for a forged iron, mis-hits sound and feel dead and a little jarring; the upside to this is very helpful feedback and an incentive to make good ball contact.
Where should you buy these irons online?
Currently, the best place to find new and used KING Pro irons in all sorts of configurations at the lowest prices is eBay.
At the time of writing, they are out of stock on Global Golf, but this may change in the near future. Check their current coupon codes to see what you can knock off the price.
These irons have dropped substantially in price since their initial release a few years ago. Now is a really great time to pick up a set!
Conclusion
Rating: 4.8/5 (a must-try for skilled golfers!)
Classification: Better-Player
Best Suited For
- shot-makers
- skilled golfers who hit the ball solid consistently
- less skilled golfers who want to challenge themselves to improve their game
Pros
- top-notch distance control and accuracy
- exceptional playability, workability, and repeatability
- very reliable
- slick aesthetic and compact profile
- sound and feel of solid strikes is primo
Cons
- MB long irons are not normally available for lefties
- doesn’t sugarcoat the result and the deadrock sound/feel of mishits
The Cobra KING Pro MB/CB irons are best friends to even the most demanding of skilled golfers.
They deliver what you would expect from players irons — workability, feel and a thin head profile — and throw in some extra too. They remain a top players iron choice on the market today.
Are you interested in Cobra’s KING Pro irons? Have you played them yet? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
I’m really torn between a full set (3-PW) of the Cobra King Pro MB’s versus Mizuno MP-4’s.
Can anyone weight in? Thanks!
It’s hard to say without knowing more about you. I personally would recommend trying both sets if you can and seeing which one produces better results; check the golf retail stores and pro shops in your area to see if you can find test models to try out, whether in a fitting session or not. If you don’t want to do that, you can always choose a set under a playability guarantee or return policy (please check out the links in the review for some of the best online deals) and return it if you don’t like the performance. Be aware that used sets, which the MP-4s are mostly available in these days, are usually non-returnable. The MP-4 irons are a few years old now so their local availability might be limited. Remember to also take into account price if your budget is an issue for you. Good luck. You’re welcome to provide more info so we can try to help you better.
In the market for new irons.
Recently spent a few hours testing all of the current “player’s irons”.
Narrowed it down to:
– Cobra King Pro MB’s
– Mizuno MP-4’s
Would appreciate any thoughts, as I’m stuck between these two beauts! Thanks all.
Daniel,
Did you see my previous reply to this? Which gives you better results, the MBs or the MP-4s? If they’re about equal, perhaps you should go for whichever you can get for cheaper. If you want new MP-4s but can’t find them, I would suggest possibly getting the MBs. I have not tested the MP-4s myself. I encourage anyone reading this who has an opinion on the matter to comment. If you’re really having trouble deciding, I would just pick one or go with whatever you’re leaning a little bit more towards. Hope this helps in some way.
Paul-
Sorry for the double post. Thanks a mill for your advice. I’ll see if I can “demo” a set of each.
Already hit them side by side in a simulator and Trackman had the results as pretty equivocal…
Can’t help but love the look and feel of the Cobras.
They’re a pleasant surprise as I’ve had my mind on the MP-4’s for so long.
Thanks again,
Daniel
Hi-
I tested out the King Pro irons and I absolutely love the CB’s, but I’m not sure my game is ready for the MB irons yet. Do you know if there is a possibility of ordering a complete set (4-Gap) of all CB irons, and if so, where would be the best place to order the set?
Thanks!
Glad to hear it. That is indeed a bit of a tough one since the stock set has the 7-PW in MB. Did you test the 7-PW in MB or CB? If buying online, probably the safest thing to do is to order a set directly through the Cobra website — as I’m writing this they’re offering full cavity (CB) 4-GW sets with custom shaft, grip, loft, lie options as well. Could you get a better price for this particular set somewhere else? Maybe, but there’s also the convenience and reliability factors to take into account. If you haven’t already, I would recommend checking out the King Pro CB irons currently on offer on eBay (it might have what you want) as well as the links in my review. Do make sure you compare your online options (can also do a Google search for 7-PW CB irons) with any local options you might have. Good luck!