Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Vs Cobra Darkspeed Irons

Check out the differences between the new Cobra Darkspeed and Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke irons.

Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Irons Overview

Ai Smoke Irons

“These irons feature a pre-worn leading edge, AI-designed face and hollow-body construction.”

The “smoke” graphics in the cavity look a bit awkward but I liked the shallow face profile and longer blade length.

The soles and top lines are moderate while the mid and long irons are ¼” longer than standard. There’s also pronounced offset in the long irons that shrinks up as you get to the mid and scoring irons.

Overall the Smoke Ai irons were very forgiving but they may be difficult for higher handicappers to get in the air.

Cobra Darkspeed Irons Overview

“The Cobra Darkspeed irons feature soft polymer inserts, HOT face design and hollow-body construction.”

The matte gunmetal finish looks really cool and the Cobra Darkspeed irons have thinner soles and face profile than previous Cobra models.

While the Ai Smoke irons gave better turf interaction, the Cobra Darkspeed irons launched a bit higher and yielded longer carry distances.

“Both are great GI irons but I think high handicappers will gravitate towards the more favorable launch and distance of the Cobra Darkspeed irons.”

Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke First Impressions

“My first impression of the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke irons was that they were familiar.”

I love it when Callaway plays to their strengths and right away, I could tell the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke irons had classic Callaway design.

The face depth is about medium as is the width of the top line and the sole width. Again, very reminiscent of the size and shape of the Edge irons.

They look like they’re going to be forgiving at first glance and they live up to their initial appearance.

It took me just a couple of swings to get past the 170 yard carry mark with the 7-iron and I was also pretty pleased with the dispersion. Even on my toe-side mis-hits, I wasn’t over-drawing the ball.

Yes, I landed a little too right of the target, but the divergence was never greater than 9 yards.

Cobra Darkspeed First Impressions

“I was immediately drawn to the dark, gunmetal finish.”

But once I started taking swings with the 7-iron, I was enamored with the feel. The Cobra Darkspeed irons feature a layer of soft polymer which is made possible by the hollow body design.

And if you don’t like the feel of hollow body irons because they feel unstable and thin, the Cobra Darkspeed irons will change your mind.

Instead of a thin, unwieldy feel at impact, they yield a solid, powerful impact. They feel hot off the face. You can feel them react as a result of the hollow body design; but the soft polymer insert gives them a more substantial sensation.

And I was really impressed with the control dynamic numbers. Yes, the Cobra Darkspeed irons play long. But distance is only part of the equation.

You have to be able to get the ball up with spin and have it come down at a favorable angle in order to hold greens and get looks at birdie.

My average launch angle with the Cobra Darkspeed 7-iron was 18.6 degrees which resulted in an average descent angle of 48 degrees.

That’s a great combination for sticking the green. Still, my carry distance stayed in the 180’s so the height, angles and spin didn’t affect distance negatively.

Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Selling Points

Smart Face Technology
Extra ¼ “ of length in the mid and long irons
True Temper Elevate and Project X Cypher shafts available
Hollow-body design
AI-designed face architecture
Strong lofts

Cobra Darkspeed Selling Points

PWR-Bridge weigh system
Gunmetal finish
AI-designed face
PWRSHELL insert
Hollow-body construction

Who Are the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Irons for?

In my humble opinion, I think the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke irons would be great for handicappers in the 17-23 range.

This is the area where you’re still going to need a good bit of distance and help staying on the fairway – two things that the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke irons do exceedingly well.

But if you have problems hitting the ball low, the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke irons are not for you.

For the naturally low hitter I would recommend the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke HL irons which, as you can probably guess, have weaker loft profiles which means higher launch.

The Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Irons Family

Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Irons6

In addition to the standard Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke irons, Callaway has released the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke HL and the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max Fast iron sets.

As already discussed the HL version is a weaker-lofted, higher-launching set. The 7-iron HL checks in at 30° in comparison to the 28° lofted 7-iron of the standard Paradym Ai Smoke set.

The Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke HL irons also have deeper cavity backs and are generally a bit more forgiving.

Then there are the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max Fast irons which also feature a deep cavity back and even weaker lofts – the 7-iron is 31°.

The Max Fast irons boast a lighter design than the standard Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke irons so they would be better for slower swing speed players.

Distance: 98/100

Accuracy: 97/100

Forgiveness: 97/100

Feel & Control: 95/100

Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Irons

Overall Score: 97/100

Who Are the Cobra Darkspeed Irons for?

The Cobra Darkspeed irons would be a great choice for beginners and high handicappers.

The strong lofts help to ensure you get the distance you need; but the improved launch and spin characteristics will address those equally important control dynamics such as launch and descent angles.

There is also enough forgiveness and accuracy in these irons to make them viable for inexperienced golfers.

Bottom line: the Cobra Darkspeed irons will help you score. For high handicappers, they strike a very favorable balance of distance, spin and launch. The Cobra Darkspeed irons currently retail for $1,000.