Callaway Apex DCB Vs. Cobra LTDx Irons Comparison Overview
Mid handicappers have a lot to be thankful for these days. It seems that every golf club manufacturer is trying to cater to this often overlooked category of players. Case in point: the Cobra LTDx and the Callaway Apex DCB irons.
Now more than ever, there are options for players looking for a blend of performance and forgiveness. The Cobra LTDx irons are the new kids on the block though, so we wanted to put them through their paces against a more established set, the Apex DCB’s. Take a look at what our comparison revealed.
Callaway Apex DCB Irons Overview
The Callaway Apex DCB irons made waves when they first debuted by combining game-improvement features with a 100% forged body.
And they are still in high-demand today. The best thing about this set is the sound and feel. It’s hard to match the sound and feel you get with fully-forged construction. We also really love how well the Apex DCB irons perform in the rough.
The enhanced sole of these irons lets them cut through tough turf with ease. The Apex DCB’s also sport the most offset of any other Apex iron set so holding onto your line with them is also a breeze. The Apex DCB’s also launch very high.
However, the landing angles are a little too steep for our liking in the short irons. The result is minimal roll control – a big problem on fast greens.
Cobra LTDx Irons Overview
We were really surprised when we discovered that apex height with these irons was almost identical to the Apex DCB’s.
The similarities didn’t stop there. These two iron sets look almost identical at point of address as well. Offset is pretty much the same and so is blade length. Like the Apex DCB’s, the Cobra LTDx irons also sport a deep cavity back.
However, the Cobra LTDx irons outshined the Apex DCB’s around the pin. With their milled face grooves, we were able to control landing angles and spin more acutely. The long irons in the Cobra LTDx set also played longer than those of the Apex DCB set.
The Cobra LTDx irons certainly give the Callaway Apex DCB’s a run for their money. While they lacked the feel and turf interaction of the Apex irons, overall we liked the overall performance of the Cobra LTDx irons a bit more and we think mid handicappers will too.
Cobra LTDx Irons
Category: Game-Improvement Irons
Callaway Apex DCB Irons
Category: Game Improvement Irons
Cobra LTDx Irons – First Impressions
Even though these irons are new, they sport the same chunky sole that we have seen in previous Cobra models.
This was a comforting site for all the testers in our party. There’s no doubt that Cobra looked to make a stronger foray into the game-improvement iron market than they ever have before with the Cobra LTDx irons.
They launch high, increase forgiveness on low face misses and they flex to a high degree. What we were most impressed with though was that these irons still give you that Cobra players iron short game performance.
The grooves in the faces of the short irons are incredibly tight so you get an exceptional amount of short-game control from irons that fall into the game-improvement category.
Callaway Apex DCB First Impressions
We knew that the Callaway Apex DCB irons targeted mid to high handicappers but they don’t feel like it.
Right from the gate, we were blown away with the feel of these irons. The feel of the forged 1025 carbon steel is amazing. It allows for a solid feel at contact with feedback you would expect from tour-grade irons.
Assisting with the soft feel of these irons is the layer of urethane microspheres included in the head. We also liked that the sole had a substantial footprint.
This will play well with high handicappers at it just looks more comforting at point of address.
The Callaway Apex DCB irons are available with graphite UST Mamiya Recoil Dart shafts and steel True Temper Elevate ETS 85 shafts.
The graphite shafts will certainly be more beneficial for high handicap players so those were the ones we tested.
The 4 and 5 irons are what we tested first and we were impressed with the distance and launch. The set starts with a 4 iron at a considerable 20 degrees of loft then jumps up to 23 degrees in the 5 iron.
The Callaway Apex DCB irons certainly impressed with their feel, distance and launch.
Cobra LTDx Irons Selling Points
- An expansive milled face area
- Tightly-etched and milled grooves
- New face cup design
- Beefy sole to promote higher launch
- New steel bar placed behind the sweet spot
Callaway Apex DCB Selling Points
- They feel amazing
- They have a larger head shape than any other Apex iron
- Good amount of offset for beginners and mid handicappers
- Good for both mid and high handicappers
- 50 grams of internal tungsten weighting in the long irons
- Forged design
Who are the Cobra LTDx Irons for?
The new Cobra LTDx irons are some of the most complete game-improvement irons we have seen from Cobra in a long time.
As such, they would fit well in the bags of mid to high handicappers; but they have a little bit to offer low handicap players as well.
The Cobra Family of Irons
If you are looking for a pure player’s performance iron, you may want to check out the Cobra Forged Tec irons. The Forged Tec irons feature a muscle back design and of course, forged faces. The Forged Tec irons also feature a hollow-body design that allows room for foam microspheres that sweeten the feel of the forged faces. To top it all off, the Forged Tec irons feature a tungsten tow weight that positions the center of gravity closer to where most players mis-hit.
Distance: 93/100
Accuracy: 93/100
Forgiveness: 94/100
Feel & Control: 94/100
Overall Score: 94/100
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Who are the Callaway Apex DCB Irons For?
The Callaway Apex DCB irons were designed for players with a handicap of 10 and higher.
The Callaway Apex DCB irons clearly have something to offer both mid and high handicap players. However, for high handicap players, the DCB’s will mostly be beneficial for distance, feel and launch. They don’t offer much help with off-center shots.
The Callaway Apex DCB irons could certainly stand to be a little more forgiving but they would still be a solid choice for beginners ready to break through to the mid handicap range.
Callaway Apex DCB Final Assessment
Distance: 94/100
Accuracy: 95/100
Forgiveness: 92/100
Feel and Control: 93/100
Overall Score: 94/100
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