Cobra Darkspeed Vs Taylormade Qi Irons

Today we cover a head-to-head comparison of the latest irons from Cobra and Taylormade.

Cobra Darkspeed Irons Overview

“The Cobra Darkspeed irons feature AI-designed HOT face, hol;low body construction and PWR-BRIDGE weighting.”

The new gunmetal matte finish looks fantastic and Cobra has elected to shrink the sole down from the Aerojet irons.

The result is a refined, fast and cool-looking iron. My fat shots weren’t cutting right as much as normal and the overall dispersion was really tight.

I also liked the solid feel at impact thanks to the soft polymer layer in the hollow heads of these irons. The Cobra Darkspeed irons currently run for $1,000.

Taylormade Qi Irons Overview

Taylormade Qi Irons

“The Qi irons feature progressive center of gravity and hollow cap-back design.”

The Qi irons have a cap back design which essentially fills the cavity with a solidifying material.

The lower face profile gives it a longer blade which looks really forgiving at address.

My rightward miss was all but eliminated with the Qi irons; but the 7-iron didn’t carry as long as the Cobra Darkspeed 7-iron. The Qi irons are currently $1,100.

“The Cobra Darkspeed irons played longer than the Taylormade Qi’s and were every bit as straight so they’re the winner in today’s comparison.”

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.

Taylormade Qi First Impressions

“I really liked the clean looks of these irons right away.”

There is nothing busy or flashy about them. And they look plenty forgiving too. They strike a good balance of face depth and blade length but they aren’t bulky and cumbersome.

After a couple of warm-up swings, I was finding the right tempo for these irons which usually takes me longer to do.

I attribute this to the moderate blade and head shape. And of course, the Taylormade Qi irons feature the Speed Pocket which covers your low-face mis-hits.

And as a player who hits the ball thin more often than I like to admit, this is a game-changer for me.

I was also impressed with the effortless stability of these irons. Without much of an adjustment period, I was seeing lower than average side-spin rates and my cut spin was all but eliminated.

So I was getting straighter than normal flight with almost no adjustment to my swing.

The progressive CG (lower in the long irons and higher in the short irons) allowed for excellent stopping power on approaches and at least adequate distance off the tee.

Cobra Darkspeed Selling Points

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

Taylormade Qi Selling Points

Speed Pocket
Progressive CG
Variable face thickness
Bonded badge design
Hollow cap-back system
Strong-lofted

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.

Distance: 97/100

Accuracy: 97/100

Forgiveness: 96/100

Feel & Control: 94/100

Overall Score: 96/100

Who Are the Taylormade Qi Irons for?

The Taylormade Qi irons are excellent for high handicap players who typically find themselves 20 yards or more to the right of the target.

They were designed to correct possibly the most common type of mis-hit among high handicappers and beginners and they do a great job of it.

By helping to dampen the effects of high, toe-side misses, the Taylormade Qi will also help players who are losing out on total distance because they are diverging too far to the right.

The progressive CG and the hollow cap back design will also help you squeeze more distance out of the long and mid irons.

This means that the Taylormade Qi irons would also be good for players who are struggling to get adequate distance out of their longer irons.

The Qi irons are the latest from Taylormade so they currently retail for $1,100 for a complete set.

The Taylormade Qi Irons Family

Keeping with the modern trend of offering higher-lofted versions of new irons, the Taylormade Qi irons also have an HL version.

The standard Taylormade Qi irons are strong-lofted while the Taylormade Qi HL’s have weaker lofts to help the kinds of players that struggle to get the ball in the air.

They may also be more forgiving for players who have slower swing speeds.