Cobra Bio Cell Irons Review Thread

[mikedean441]

Forgiving toe...I'm interested. Great initial thoughts, looking forward to trying this one out soon.

 

[Barberakb]

Again, I'll chime in here on this, not calling anyone out, but having first hand info on this I think its worth mentioning again. While this is sometimes the case, with the Cell to the Bio Cell having talked directly to the man who designed them and having held both irons cut in half in hand its more than just a little difference in tech and design here. These are to an extreme Cobra has never gone before with the undercut and bio-cell technology to manipulate the weight through the set.

I would hope Cobra is going to the extreme on every club they design. If not, they should be...

 

[Jman]

While I havent spent time with other irons from the new line, after swinging the 6i for a good bit today, I believe they would be tough to beat for a spot in my bag if I were a Cobra staffer.

Like I said, the small size surprised me...a lot. A good bit more compact than I was expecting, and the looks of these in hand are much better than what pictures show.

I'm looking forward to the show and getting to see both of the Bio irons next to eachother for sure, can't help but think these in the long irons at least could be weapons come MC time for me.

 

[TNTCigarguy]

Ryan thanks for the pictures. I cannot believe they are basically the same size. The other photos do not do it justice after seeing yours. I was thinking huge sole like a Ping g15 or such.

 

[War Eagle]

Ryan thanks for the pictures. I cannot believe they are basically the same size. The other photos do not do it justice after seeing yours. I was thinking huge sole like a Ping g15 or such.

It sure did surprise me too, Trevor. Like I said, pics dont do these justice, definitely an iron you need to get in hand and check out.

 

[Golferbest]

It sure did surprise me too, Trevor. Like I said, pics dont do these justice, definitely an iron you need to get in hand and check out.

Im with you as well. I was thinking kinda nike slingshot from pics. In hand they are so much better in looks. Ill have so more info wednesday when I actually get to play.

 

[ironcondor]

I put this club to the test on both the range and course on Friday. Some interesting results....I will post a full write-up tomorrow. Asahrts will probably chime in as well, since he hit it a few times too.

I still can't believe how thin these things are relative to what I was expecting.


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[AMart]

While I havent spent time with other irons from the new line, after swinging the 6i for a good bit today, I believe they would be tough to beat for a spot in my bag if I were a Cobra staffer.

Like I said, the small size surprised me...a lot. A good bit more compact than I was expecting, and the looks of these in hand are much better than what pictures show.

Thanks for the comparison to the apex, really puts the size into perspective with a iron I've spent a little time with. Your picture of the back of the bio cell gives it an almost 3d look to the design. I'm sure this is due to a glossy finish but I thought it looked really nice!

 

[Paladin]

Really interesting so far. Love that Cobra has been able to pack so much technology and precision weighting while still keeping the head as compact as it is. While I'm not a huge fan of the design in terms of the back, the pics at address give it a great look, and a lighter swing weight seems very appealing. The aesthetics of the club, from the Cobra branding on the neck to the placement of the iron #'s looks very classy, makes me think of the Vokey SM4 wedges.

Overall, it really looks like Cobra has hit all the marks with this guy. I can't imagine turning this guy down just based on how it looks in the parts you don't see when you're over the ball. Gonna be very interesting to see how it stacks up with some other brands come Summer, but for now it really looks like Cobra has a winner on their hands.

 

[Barberakb]

Is the shaft in these the same type (true temper dynalite) as the amp cells just 85 grams instead of 90?

 

[baldguy]

Is the shaft in these the same type (true temper dynalite) as the amp cells just 85 grams instead of 90?

yessir, that is correct.

 

[lopsta5]

Those photos you guys have posted are way better than the marketing pictures, they look so much better. Like a lot of you I was expecting them to have a larger head and quite a wide sole but that's not the case.

 

[rallo]

Those photos you guys have posted are way better than the marketing pictures, they look so much better. Like a lot of you I was expecting them to have a larger head and quite a wide sole but that's not the case.

agreed... the marketing picture looks like a big bulky iron with a dual car exhaust on the back... side by side pictures against the ping and titleist really opened my eyes, and dare I say... these look kinda sexy

 

[#Cookie]

Great initial review post War Eagle! I've been reading about the looks in hand but that comparison to the Apex really showed me well how the size stacks up. Nice thoughts on the stock steel shaft also, Cobra seems to have done a great job with this design of this iron line!

 

[salisboss]

Thanks for the comparison to the apex, really puts the size into perspective with a iron I've spent a little time with. Your picture of the back of the bio cell gives it an almost 3d look to the design. I'm sure this is due to a glossy finish but I thought it looked really nice!

The four cell weight ports give it a deeper, more 3d back using perspective but like has been already stated the cells aren't particularly deep.

 

[Kutros]

I made it out yesterday to the range to try the Cobra Bio-Cell 6 iron versus my Ping G-20 6 iron. I always begin my range sessions starting with the wedge and work my way to the driver and did no different yesterday. Unfortunately, the weather isn't good enough to be hitting off of grass yet, so this was off mats. I haven't been to the range in a few weeks and was definitely not hitting well, but I had a few decent swings. The Bio Cell felt very good in my hands. I definitely like the Lamkin REL 3Gen grips that come stock on the club. Nice and tacky even in the 40 degree weather that we had when I was at the range.

With the 40 degree weather, every range ball felt like a rock, but when I hit the club flush, it felt great. If you recall from my initial comments, the Cobra is 2.5 degrees stronger on loft, so I would have expected the flight to be a little lower, but that is not what I saw. In general, ball flight was a little higher than my G-20, which definitely surprised me. Distance between the clubs was pretty similar, although at my range it is difficult to figure out because it is very flat.

Overall, a promising first trial with the Bio Cell. I'm going to try to get out to a grass tees, or play in the very near future to see how turf interaction is.

 

[adamw238]

I received my Bio Cell iron over the weekend, and wanted to share my initial impressesions along with my first thoughts after a range session.

First off, when I first had this in hand, I was surprised at the size of the Bio Cell. Pictures make it appear clunky and large, where as in hand, it is right on par in terms of size as to a number of sets I have gamed recently (comparison photo to follow). This kind of took be by surprise, as I did not expect it to be such a small package based on pics I had seen of the cavity.

In hand, the iron is noticeable light, mainly due to the light weight dynalite 85 shaft that it is paired with in the iron that I have. Lightweight, but not light in flex. Felt good to hold and waggle. The cavity on this one has a lot going on, and while it is an iron I do not particular find attractive, it does not really bother me as the cavity is not something I spend a lot of time staring at, nor is it noticeable at address. If the club works, and works well, I honestly dont care what kind of graphics/styling/etc that it has going on.

Now, some pictures...

The picture just above, is the Bio Cell (left) held side by side the Callaway Apex (right). Quite similar in size, which is what really surprised when I first got my hands on this iron. I expected it to be larger, but was happy to see the size of this one.

Performance form the range;

I warmed up and hit through my wedges and what not. Then hit a few mid irons and was feeling my swing out. Let me say this, a 6i is not a club I really rely on a ton, but
have no issue hitting my current 6i decently, so I was curious as how well I would be working with this one. My first few swings with the Bio Cell 6i impressed me. Distance was right on what I was seeing out of my current irons, but what caught be by surprise most of all was the launch and trajectory I was seeing. The ball was hot off the face and just went right up in the air. My distance was all carry, thanks to the wet range, but the trajectory of the ball was high and was giving me my distance all on the fly.

Obviously, the shaft pairing is one that I like, as I am a fan of lightweight iron shafts. But I believe the pairing here is phenomenal. The Bio Cell tech they have in this iron, paired with that shaft to optimize launch is fantastic. My misses were out off the toe, and they were not penal at all. I believe I hit about 20 balls with the 6i, and I really cant think back on a single shot that was not good.

I have 3 rounds coming up this weekend, and I plan on putting this one through its paces to see how it treats me in a real round situation.

Nice initial write up. I've liked hitting this ls club and it is very very much like the Apex fir me in terms of feel. It definitely has some pop to it and the cell cavity is growing on me.

I didn't like the lighter shaft however. My launch numbers were a bit high (19°) with the 85. I can't see your WITB because I'm in my phone, and I think you have the xp95s in your Apex irons, correct? Is there a big difference in the two stock offerings?

Rap-a-tap Tappin' on my SG4

 

[ROliver]

Kutros, really looking forward to your thoughts as I also play the. G20'S.

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[War Eagle]

Nice initial write up. I've liked hitting this ls club and it is very very much like the Apex fir me in terms of feel. It definitely has some pop to it and the cell cavity is growing on me.

I didn't like the lighter shaft however. My launch numbers were a bit high (19°) with the 85. I can't see your WITB because I'm in my phone, and I think you have the xp95s in your Apex irons, correct? Is there a big difference in the two stock offerings?

Rap-a-tap Tappin' on my SG4

No sir, in my Apex irons I have the KBS V-Tour shafts.

 

[adamw238]

No sir, in my Apex irons I have the KBS V-Tour shafts.

Right on. So no real big difference then with the ultra light shafts? Interesting...


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[ironcondor]

As I mentioned earlier, I got the chance to use the Bio Cell iron both at the range and the course on Friday. Condition details:

Range: Grass
Weather: ~75 F, wind light & variable, clear sky
Course: Tee boxes in decent shape, fairways dormant, greens wet and soft but in decent shape otherwise.

As mentioned earlier, beyond the design, the weight of this club is remarkably light, without feeling flimsy. At address the club is simply gorgeous.

After warming up, I started off by hitting several dozen at the range, comparing my JPX 825 to the Bio Cell. When I hit the ball correctly (something I'm still working on doing consistently, lol) the feeling is awesome and quite satisfying; very similar to the JPX. The ball simply leaps off the face with vigor, and off she goes.

The launch is actually very similar to my JPX 825 (KBS Tour FST R-flex shafts). It's high, and penetrating; but I wasn't surprised at how high the ball launches; maybe because my current clubs have the same type of launch.

The sound is quieter than I expected, but it is a pleasant sound nonetheless. This is one of the quietest irons I've ever hit. Even tee'ing a ball up a bit resulted in the same volume at impact.

Mishits were punished with distance losses, but VERY forgiving laterally. I hit it off the heel, toe, fat, thin, you name it. The ball went in the direction I was intending, just at different distances. Despite the JPX being classed as a GI club, it's definitely not as forgiving laterally as the Bio Cell is. A clear strike on the toe resulted in a loss of about 30 yards. I typically hit my 6i about 160 yards, and most toe mishits resulted in a distance of 120-130 yards in the intended direction. The Bio Cell also doesn't give you stingers on mishits like the JPX does. This may or may not be a good thing depending on your perspective. I will say that with the Bio Cell, you will still know when you mishit it, but the JPX will make you know in, shall we say, a more uncomfortable and "direct" fashion.

On that note, I struggled to get consistent distance out of this club. A perfect-feeling strike got me ~165-170 yards, about the same or slightly longer than my JPX. However, since I don't strike the ball in that perfect spot every time, I usually hit my JPX 6i about ~160, and the Bio Cell was consistently slightly less than that. In other words, when the ball is struck perfectly, it performs well and carries farther than my JPX. However, while most of my shots are not pure mishits but just slightly off center, I feel I lose 5-10 yards compared with the JPX for *slightly* off-center hits. This is probably more a function of my inconsistent ball striking as opposed to anything else, but I don't see the same losses with my current clubs.

On the course, the Bio Cell had no problems with tighter fairway lies and, as at the range, the ball leaps off the face and the flight is nice and high without feeling as if it's ballooning. I also had a slightly errant drive take me to a sloped rough area that required me to punch out. Usually I'll use my Mashies for this, but I wanted to give the Bio Cell a shot in an atypical lie. To my pleasant surprise, the Bio Cell had zero issues gliding down into some tangled dormant grass and, as before, the ball shot off the face and ended up 120 yards down & back into the fairway on a 50% backswing punch-out. Impressive.

As for shot-shaping, like most clubs in this GI class, it's not as easy to do (as it's likely designed intentionally). Heavy draw attempts resulted in the ball straightening out and turning into a very slight, barely noticeable draw. Same with fades. Asahrts gave this a whirl too as he has far more skill than I do in this area, and he had similar results. This is a good thing for mid/higher handicappers of course, but the players amongst us will likely miss the ability to make aggressive draws/fades.

In summary, here are my pros & cons so far:

Pros:
-Looks better than it appears in photos. This cannot be emphasized more; the pics really make the mass of the club appear different.
-Very light, good swingweight feeling.
-Ball flies off the face like a bat out of hell on a pure strike.
-VERY laterally forgiving; and distance loss isn't bad with terrible mishits.
-Club still communicates to you on mishits, without being obnoxious about it.
-Sounds great, but muted.

Cons:
-Distance varies measurably for me on a pure strike vs. a "that wasn't bad" strike.
-I'm questioning the durability of the polished finish on the sole: it looks pretty scratched up already. I'll post a follow-up pic on that.

I will be hitting the range again this week and, while my 6i isn't my typical chipping stick, will see how well it does in that area particularly with sole setup, in addition to other experiments I have lined up.

 

[War Eagle]

Right on. So no real big difference then with the ultra light shafts? Interesting...


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6i with the ultra light shaft in the Bio Cell was launching a bit higher.

 

[Barberakb]

yessir, that is correct.

THANKS

 

[POKeefe]

My post wasn't to say that these clubs are bad or don't do what they are supposed to, but rather that I've seen nothing to justify the massive premium over last year's models. I've seen some clubs that look quite impressive, but this seems disappointing to me. For example, I paid the premium for the G25's due to the much thinner topline and overall consistency of Ping over the years. To me personally, these irons remind me of the Nike Machspeed's or SLDR. Very hyped clubs that had a slightly odd look who people wanted to like a lot, but in most cases the launch monitor didn't support the inflated price tag. I hope the testers enjoy it, but I hope as community members we look at clubs objectively and try not to help companies with their own marketing machines. I'd rather reward Callaway for really killing it with their Big Bertha line or Cleveland with their ongoing innovations because in the long run I think this will lead to better products.

 

[salisboss]

My post wasn't to say that these clubs are bad or don't do what they are supposed to, but rather that I've seen nothing to justify the massive premium over last year's models. I've seen some clubs that look quite impressive, but this seems disappointing to me. For example, I paid the premium for the G25's due to the much thinner topline and overall consistency of Ping over the years. To me personally, these irons remind me of the Nike Machspeed's or SLDR. Very hyped clubs that had a slightly odd look who people wanted to like a lot, but in most cases the launch monitor didn't support the inflated price tag. I hope the testers enjoy it, but I hope as community members we look at clubs objectively and try not to help companies with their own marketing machines. I'd rather reward Callaway for really killing it with their Big Bertha line or Cleveland with their ongoing innovations because in the long run I think this will lead to better products.

This is the golf industry and ultimately it is about making money so each year (for most OEMs) they are going to have new sets at full price every year with probably on the whole minimal changes from the year. I for one just bought my Burners (a 2010-11 club) new this year after having the same irons for almost 20 years. That was my personal decision based on a host of reasons. If people were not going to pay the premium every year the clubs wouldn't be offered at that price. In initial swings I have noticed almost identical stats to my Burners but then again they are almost identical spec-wise and from a looks perspective (however other iron sets may be vastly different). Although I hope to stay as objective as possible eventhough am I onboard with what Cobra/Puma is doing it is early in the review process. I would check back in a month or two to check how the reviews have panned out. It is always nice to get something shiny and new and that may lead to some gushing but this is my first time reviewing and I for one was shocked and completely stoked for the opportunity. I think the reasonable person coming here to check out what others have to say about the Bio Cell's know their swing and are going to take what they need and leave the rest behind.

They may not be revolutionary to what you are playing and like I said look, feel, and perform similar to what I play now. However to some they are flat out awesome and they ought to be heard without getting challenged by a cynic whose issue is more with the golf industry at large and not with the reviewers.