Once in a while on our site we like to let one of our readers put together a review on a new driver that has hit the market. TCT of our forums recently got the chance to take the Cobra L5V for a demo session and here is his review.
I love that smell in the air that we get this time of year. It doesn’t matter what part of the world you call home, the smell is there if you are paying attention. The lovely smell I am referring to is that “New Driver Smell” that starts to emerge come November.
Well, it’s mid December and we got our hands on the L5V to review, the newest addition to the Cobra family of drivers. While I know you can’t wait to read what I think about it, let’s see what the manufacturer says first:
The King Cobra L5V is the longest and most accurate Cobra driver so far. The club face, made from titanium with carbon inserts in the sole and crown, has a low centre of gravity allowing the majority of the effective hitting area to lie above the centre of gravity. Combined with the incredibly high moment of inertia value this allows all golfers to enjoy the higher launch trajectory and reduced spin that translates into long, straight drives. The L5V boasts the largest club face in world golf and this combines perfectly with Cobra’s hugely effective Dual Rhombus Face insert to increase the ball speed across the whole club face. A brand new and exclusive hosel design allows golfers to adjust the ball flight from the standard setting to a setting that favors the draw. The King Cobra L5V also allows golfers to change the shaft of their driver using an L5V torque wrench that fits the hosel screw port. A new swingweight screw for each of the three Diamana Red Board Shafts allows the club to be perfectly balanced with each shaft. All these elements combine to produce a club that ideally fits the unique nature of every golfer’s game and provides the greatest distance and accuracy of any Cobra driver to date.
Wow that sounds great doesn’t it? So what does it all mean and how does it affect the average golfer? Basically, Cobra took last year’s L4V that was the winner in Golf Magazine’s club test and made it a whole bunch better.
I am not JB Holmes by any means but I can tell you that this driver produced results. I gave it a test drive and was amazed with the outcome. Hitting range balls into a lake makes it difficult for me to attest to any distance improvements in my game but I can attest to the amazing ball flight I was able to produce with this driver. I hit it in both the neutral position and the draw bias position. The difference between the two was about a 5-10 yard draw. Not every ball I hit was a picturesque baby draw that would have landed perfectly on a tight fairway, some didn’t draw at all, but that was swing related not equipment related. With the forgiveness of the Cobra my swing was not really an issue like it can be with some of the equipment I have used the last few seasons. This is a great, forgivable driver that has a hot face and the flexibility to manipulate your ball flight as needed.
As you have already probably figured out, the Cobra L5V comes with interchangeable shaft technology with two install positions. Cobra offers 3 stock and 25 custom order shafts that is sure to accommodate any and all golfer. The first of the two available shaft positions is labeled with a “0” which represents the “neutral” position. The second position is “1” position which allows you to set the driver up 1 degree closed from the neutral position. The club is set up differently based on the loft of the driver. Per Cobra’s website the 8.5* driver is 1.0* open in the neutral position, the 9.5* driver is .5* closed in the neutral position, the 10.5* driver is 1* closed in the neutral position, and finally, the 11.5* driver is 2* closed in the neutral position. I hit it in both the neutral position and the draw bias position on a 9.5* driver. The difference between the two was about a 5-10 yard draw.
Like most drivers, there were some things I didn’t like about this club. Most of my gripes are personal preference. First, the appearance, I like a more traditional club head. I understand it is designed this way to take more weight from the top of the club and re-allocate it towards the bottom, but it just doesn’t strike my eye like I would prefer. Secondly, I wasn’t crazy about the feel the club produced. It seemed somewhat dull and numbed to me. I like to be able to feel the ball compress on the face of the driver when I hit. With this driver, it just wasn’t there. I think when they dampened the feel of the new L5V, as a result they dampened the impact sound of it as well. Remember how the older models had the classic Cobra composite sound? Well this club still has it; it’s just not as obtuse as it used to be so it is definitely more tolerable than previous models.
So the question of the day is, “Would I put this club in my bag?”, Absolutely. Why? Because it produces. I think I could probably live with the things I don’t like about this club if I were playing from the fairway all day. Overall it was quite an experience being able to test this from some of the others I have hit this past year. It ranks right up near the top. Thanks to The Hackers Paradise for letting me get my hands on this club and writing the review. To read more about the L5V check them out at Cobra L5V.
Adam
