Two release cycles ago, Cobra came out with a head unlike others we have seen. Their technology advanced to the point where they could eliminate large amounts of headweight by wrapping carbon around the traditional ‘edges’ and provided extreme weight saving opportunities alongside a milled face that promoted consistency. They took it a step further in their next release by sending that milled face through the hard edges of the crown and sole to promote better aerodynamics (and let’s be honest, less chance of skymarking), with a brilliantly designed metal exoskeleton that further promoted weight efficiencies. It is simply hard to fathom how you can build off that kind of design. Enter the Cobra RADSPEED Drivers.
A name that absolutely begs to be explained because it is somewhat out of left field after “F9 Speedback” and “Speedzone” by comparison. Where does it originate? A concept we as basic consumers are probably unfamiliar; “Radius of Gyration.”
If you ask Cobra what that means (I thought about Googling but decided to commit to their smart people definition), “The distance away from an object’s geometric center that an engineer or designer can position mass or a technology. The further away from the center it is, the better the performance gain.” In short, locating weight away from the CG offers different benefits. The more forward, the higher the ball speed. Going lower promotes the lowest spin. It seems like that critical give and take between forgiveness (MOI), spin, and speed.
Now that we have mentally unlocked what radius of gyration is, and can only assume based on “RAD” that it is a big part of this release, where does it come into play? For Cobra, it came down to their engineers finding the perfect blend using extreme weighting to maximize the critical elements of performance for all types of players, continuing their trend of low back weighting but also taking into consideration extra weight low and forward to gain on that ball speed metric. And, for the benefit of our golf swings, have three heads to deliver performance where we need it.
First, RADSPEED- the primary source for ball speed and low spin workability. This head is designed for the better player hunting for maximum performance with extra weight forward by comparison. Taking full advantage of their TBar Speed Chassis, they were able to save enough weight to get apply 16g of locked weight in the front of the head, with 8g locked into the back. Weight ports of 12g in the front and 2g in the back (that can be changed out) produce in total, 28g forward and 10g in the very back of the head. It will be available in 9.0 and 10.5 degree heads.
For RADSPEED XB (or ‘xtreme back”), the design lends itself more to forgiveness while maintaining solid speed. In this head, the near-to-face weighting is dropped to 8g and a whopping 14g of secured weighting in the back, with a 6g movable weight. This is definitely looking like the next generation of the Xtreme lineup for those who enjoyed the forgiveness and support of the last offering. It will be available in 9.0, 10.5, and 12.0 degree heads.
Finally, RADSPEED XD (or ‘xtreme draw”) – built on the same basic platform as the XB but have moved 10g of radial weight to the heel side halfway between the hosel and the back of the head to promote a draw bias. There are still 8g of weight locked into the front and 8g in the back, with a 6g movable weight. It will be available in 10.5 and 12.0 degree heads.
It is an awful lot to take in, but the basic reality is, Cobra has taken radial weight placement with their new driver head, and allocated weight to places that promote benefits for all levels of golfers. They were able to do this because of new carbon wrap technology that saved six grams of weight from the crown, and continue to promote consistent performance with their infinity face, which is a 25 minute milling process that results in a level or precision that greatly exceeds hand polishing. Continuing from previous models, the dual roll tech (where the face operates slightly different when hit high vs low), and their tri bulge face (basically autocorrect for golf balls) are still very much present. Slight improvements to the face milling came from solid tour feedback and additional research, which include the decision to introduce a horizontal milling pattern in the central location for moisture management, and a new laser etching of the central circle and infinity logo to further support that moisture control.
It would not be a Cobra driver release, however, without discussing color. To continue with their last couple models, they have added a fresh version of the yellow using what they call “turbo yellow” as an option, offering a matte black in the RADSPEED head, and gloss black in the XB and XD offerings. While this type of discussion will be a totally personal perspective, I believe the yellow they selected was a great transition from former offerings. A little livelier, more ‘current’ so to speak.
Additionally (and from my perspective the greatest thing ever), they have brought in their ever popular peacoat blue color for the RADSPEED and RADSPEED XB heads. A perfect combination of blue, white, and red accents compliment the overall presentation and present two outstanding cosmetic choices for consumers looking for variety in the RADSPEED and RADSPEED XB heads. Anyone who is familiar with Puma knows that Peacoat is a popular color throughout their apparel, and it makes perfect sense to bring that subtle yet solid presentation onto a driver. For the first time, I am not totally for one color and indifferent on the other. This is about two great choices, and it would not surprise me to see people feel the same way (although the right answer is of course, blue).
Each setup comes with a couple popular shaft options, Cobra connect in the grip, and tour length will return with the RADSPEED head. On the junior head, Cobra is still honoring the free shaft upgrade which is a great feature. MAP for all three heads is $449.
I for one am incredibly excited to give RADSPEED a try. F9 came in with a bang, redefining what could be done with carbon fiber, and showcasing that there are numerous ways to achieve consistent performance off the face of the head. They doubled down on Aerodynamics for Speedzone, and are now going another direction to make sure that we as golfers make only the concessions we need to promote the performance we seek.
The Details
Available: January 29, 2021
Price: $449
Website: www.cobragolf.com
I think the MMT is counterbalanced as well. I may be wrong though…
Do you have the regular Rad? I thought about it because of the B21, but I think the XB might be the same low spin as the B21. I would imagine the regular RAD is ultra low spin. I don’t think I could control that.
Yessir, the regular Rad. I just preferred the shape when I got to see both in the THP Club Lab
It’s low. Not C721 low, but low, ESPECIALLY heavy forward.
So looking at both shafts online and their profiles, the RDX is low spin/low launch in the 60 6.0 (Stiff) and the MMT 60x is low spin/mid launch. Torque is almost identical. I also read that the RDX plays a little stiffer than what reads on the shaft, so it may work out. Overall weight of the MMT is a tad heavier than the PX, but don’t think it’s enough to make that big of a difference. We will see though. Thoughts?
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9, with as stout as the ACCRA is I’ve got it heavy back and turned up, still flat bullets ?
I was hoping to find some of that magic everyone else found but couldn’t keep it on the driving range let alone the fairway.
And this wasn’t even a problem before. I was just hoping for an easier swinging club… I’m the outlier though I realize that, just really interesting I have better results with the mavrik than this.
1800-2000
Had a chance to get both the XB and Xtreme on the course today for some side by side testing. Didn’t have my best swing this morning. Also the course was cart path only after some major rain so it was pretty much hop and stop with not much rollout. So not all that ideal conditions. I used a Graphite Design YS Nano Reloaded 5R shaft as that is the gamer shaft in my Xtreme driver. Plays at 45".
Hitting them side by side:
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Sounds awesome. Hit em well ?
The stability of the club out on the toe has been a huge benefit for me as I tend to miss out there. High slight draw with some roll out is what I see out on that toe. If that is a players miss they will love the RADSPEED lineup I think.
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So glad you like it. Man it is an absolutely money setup. So neutral with regards to any bias, but powerful, stable, and forgiving on a lot of the face.
It’s my favorite part! I think this shaft and the blue crown could be a cool combo to see. I’m leaning towards putting it in play tomorrow at the toughest course in my rotation… fairway wood or 3h is a good backup plan there because driver isn’t really needed on many of the holes.
I’ll be honest. I didn’t think my Max LS could be beat. But I want a few more rounds with it to get some overall averages. I’m a hardcore Callaway guy but I want what’s best for my game and the RadSpeed XB is knocking at the door for the spot in my bag. I loved how smooth the shaft was as well. It felt stiffer than a stiff as I had hoped and was just smooth!
I missed there this morning and my group was saying how I just hit a bomb. I didn’t bother to correct them ?
Very pleased with this club!
I struggle with a really high ball flight even when the shot goes as planned. High spin guy regardless of what I have tried. I do know that when I don’t leave the face open (new swing issue) my distance with the standard Radspeed is far better that I was with the Ping G410 Plus. I’d bet 15 yards carry. I’m thinking I may just go with the low runners. When I play it I get around 275 without much issue.
It’s a beast! I was super shocked by the results from my first round with it. I don’t say that to discredit it, but I was just shocked at how much I liked it.
I’m just thinking, coming from G400 it seems like a pretty logical option.
I have been gaming the EPIC Max LS and it is so good, but first round out with the XB, my avg drive was 9 yards further and beat my longest drive by 24 yards. This is all per ShotScope. I started out a little rough on the day, but that was due to not warming up and it took me about 6-7 holes to finally get in a rhythm, but hit 5/6 fairways on the back 9 and the course I had played I saw spots in the fairways (distance wise) that have not seen before. Now, I have not taken the Max LS to the course I played in these temps yet, so I can’t say that it would not have put me there, but I want some more time with the XB to make sure I can control it like I thought I was before it officially takes that spot in my bag.
I came from the G400 and have been very impressed
It can definitely do the work. I just need to stay out of the way LOL!
My XB is lower launching than my B21 so I imagine the regular head is quite low spin, especially with the weight forward. Based on all that I have seen probably the lowest spinning driver on the market.
The high ball flight is something I have noticed as well, but like you said, not ballooning. It just looks like it takes off like a rocket, lol. Since my swing change, putting smooth swing vs a beast mode swing, I have gained distance and accuracy. Looking forward to getting the XB out again this Friday to see if it’s going to be my gamer or if my EPIC Max LS stays in the bag.
That’s awesome to hear! Interesting about the ball change as well. I played a Titleist AVX for the first time last week, and was noticeably longer off the driver and woods so I’m with you on that. I went back and forth deciding on the XB or regular because I played the Epic Flash Sub Zero previously and my Speedzone Xtreme was just too high and spinny for me to control – although that is 100% my swing and not the club! My flight is super high with the XB, but just seems to go and go. Very happy boy over here…
Great to hear that you are happy with the XB. Looking forward to hearing more about your success with it in the bag.
Cheers John, just glad to have a driver in the bag that I trust 100% now. If I get a bad result then I know for a fact it’s the swing not the club, is a huge confidence boost!
So glad to see that switching the weights helped so much. I wish I would have tried that mid-round the first time out, but I try not to do that. Going to have to get to the course early Saturday and try again with the weights swapped.
I’ll give mine another go at the range before my round tomorrow and then decide if it or the Speed gets the call during my round. I’m actually cautiously optimistic that the change will be very beneficial.
Sits perfectly to my eye. I’ve mentioned before that the Speedzone seemed to sit very open to me, and I just couldn’t get past that but this couldn’t be any squarer. Flight for me is probably a little more cut than I would like still, but I now at least have 100% confidence that this is due to the swing and not the club. About the first time I’m standing on the tee box completely confident that if I put a semi decent swing on the ball then I’m going to have a playable second. Has taken a few weeks courtship, but we’re in business!