Callaway Big Bertha B21 Vs. Cobra LTDx Driver Comparison & Review
To start off 2022, Cobra has launched the Cobra LTDx driver: a driver that promises to do a little bit of everything for a wide array of golfers. We have tested and re-tested the Cobra LTDx driver and know it to be something of a “jack of all trades” driver.
Indeed, it does do a variety of things including increasing distance for most players. But in the arena of distance, we still know the Big Bertha to be the queen. Every reign must end though, so we wanted to see how well the Cobra LTDx held up against the Big Bertha in terms of distance.
Callaway Big Bertha B21 Driver Overview
The Big Bertha sports a massive footprint which is the engine that drives the distance and forgiveness of this driver.
Apart from playing long for our high handicap testers, the Callaway Big Bertha was increasing the average drive length of our fast swing speed testers by an average of 3 yards. That doesn’t seem like much, but our slow swing speed testers were seeing average distance increases of 11 yards.
The average overall distance for all of our testers hovered around 226 yards which was impressive considering the fact that our test party was split evenly between single and double-digit handicappers. The Big Bertha also has internal draw bias so it was great for correcting rightward misses.
Cobra LTDx Driver Overview
The Cobra LTDx gets most of its distance from a 19 gram front weight that effectively neutralizes ball spin for long, penetrating flight.
The front weight even outweighs the obligatory rear weight (used to lower CG and increase Moment of Inertia) which is 15 grams. While not the highest launching driver, it did produce fast ball speed and a mid, penetrating flight.
Overall, the Big Bertha was still longer. The average drive distance for the Cobra LTDx driver was 223 yards using the same group of testers. However, the Cobra LTDx did more than provide distance. It was also much more workable than the Big Bertha.
The CNC milled face also produced a richer sound at impact and helped reduce side spin.
The Big Bertha is still the queen of pure distance. It would be the best choice if all you are after is distance, in fact. But if you are seeking a more well-rounded performance from your driver, the Cobra LTDx would be a great fit for you.
Cobra LTDx Driver
In 20 Words or Less
The Cobra LTDx driver features a cool combination of some of our favorite Cobra design elements as well as offering enhanced ball speeds.
Callaway Big Bertha B21
In 20 Words or Less
If straighter, longer shots are what you’re after then you would do quite well with the Callaway Big Bertha B21.
Cobra LTDx Driver – First Impressions
Needless to say, we were pretty excited to get our hands on this new Cobra driver.
And while it wasn’t quite what we were expecting, it still smacked of that same old Cobra innovation. We weren’t quite expecting the Cobra LTDx to be such a “game-improvement” driver. But the higher handicap testers in our group were pleasantly surprised. Plus, the Cobra LTDx isn’t the only release in this model…
The LTD Family
Included in this new line of LTD drivers is the LTDx LS and the LTDx Max. The LS has the most forward-positioned weight so as you can imagine, it has the lowest spin rates. Of course, that means detracting a bit from MOI so it is not quite as forgiving as the Cobra LTDx. But if max forgiveness is what you’re after then you should be looking at the LTDx Max. It produces the highest launch and has an extra rear-weight to increase forgiveness.
Callaway Big Bertha B21 First Impressions
At first glance, the Big Bertha B21 will look inviting to high handicappers thanks to it’s oversized head.
The Driver is absolutely massive and it has a huge sweet spot which stretches in every direction on the drivers ultra thin steel face.
The weighting is low and deep in the head which leads to a low CG and high MOI, meaning long, high and straight shots.
The driver has all the stability you would expect from a Callaway too with it’s internal jailbreak bars.
The driver has considerably offset too, so if you suffer from a slice, this one is going to be an excellent choice.
It’s pretty easy to start upping your drive distance with the first few swings of the Big Bertha B21 due to it’s massive head and deep weighting.
This can be considered a super game improvement driver that will help you take your game to the next level.
Big Bertha Family
The Big Bertha rides solo but their are plenty of other options from Callaway for players looking for a different type of driver like the Mavrik and Epic Ranges.
Cobra LTDx Driver Selling Points
- New H.O.T. face design
- Carbon fiber composite sole
- Titanium chassis
- Front-back weighting
- Low long-game spin
- Medium launch angles
Callaway Big Bertha B21 Selling Points
- Draw bias weighting helps correct slices
- Adjustable hosel
- SS21 Flash Face
- A.I. designed
- Internal Jailbreak bars
- Lightweight Triaxial carbon crown
Who is the Cobra LTDx Driver for?
With the Cobra LTDx driver, Cobra went straight down the middle of the road – and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
That phrase usually has a bad connotation attached to it for mediocrity but that is not what we mean here. The Cobra LTDx does a good job of straddling the line between forgiveness and fast ball speed. It features a new H.O.T. face which separates the face into 15 different sections. The 15 different sections represent different thicknesses to accommodate for common mis-hit areas.
It also features a titanium chassis that helps increase stability in the mid section without significantly increasing weight.
For beginners and high handicappers though, the real star of the show is the rear tungsten weighting. While we have to admit, this is a common and rather basic feature in game-improvement drivers, it still makes a low-spin driver more accessible to higher handicap players.
Distance: 94/100
Accuracy: 91/100
Forgiveness: 94/100
Feel & Control: 92/100
Overall Rating: 93/100
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Callaway Big Bertha B21 – Who is it for?
The Callaway Big Bertha B21 would be most beneficial for high handicappers who are looking for a driver that will help them produce straighter shots that actually make it onto the fairway.
The performance of the Callaway Big Bertha B21 is pretty straightforward – literally. It produces long, straight shots.
In fact, the Big Bertha was yielding an increase of distance for us by an average of 6 yards. Compare that to the average distance increase of 3 yards in the Titleist Tsi2.
Big Bertha B21 Drivers
The Callaway Big Bertha B21 is the only one in the family.
However, you can take a look at older models which have a different footprint and head shape than the B21.
In fact, older versions may be even more congenial to beginners and high handicappers.
Accuracy: 94/100
Distance: 95/100
Forgiveness: 94/100
Feel & Control: 92/100
Overall Rating: 94/100
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