Cobra introduces King Black Edition irons with special finish

Chrome remains the most common iron finish, but that doesn’t mean everyone embraces the look. It’s good to have options. In recent years, black has become a popular secondary finish option. Along with reducing glare, adding black to an iron head can make it look visually smaller in the address position.

But more than anything, the irons look cool.

Cobra’s current King Tour, CB and MB irons will soon be offered in a sleek black satin DBM (Diamondized Black Metal) finish with the King Black Edition designed to do all of the above. Even better? The DBM is touted as an ultra-durable finish that’s built to withstand usual wear and tear and not change its appearance after a few swings. This is without question the biggest knock on recent black iron finishes — but not DBM.

Cobra 2023 KING Tour Custom Irons

$186

A 5-step forged construction, a compact tour cavity back shape, and a TPU insert deliver soft feel with excellent feedback that skilled players demand.
ELEGANT SHAPING
A compact address profile inspires precision and workability with a touch of forgiveness provided by the cavity back design.
5-STEP FORGED
Crafted and 5-step forged from 1025 carbon steel for exceptional feel and compact shaping.
TPU INSERT FOR ENHACED FEE
A TPU insert behind the sweet spot creates a satisfying soft feel
ALUMINUM MEDALLION
An aluminum medallion enables better weight distribution for added forgiveness when you need it.

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“Cobra was on a mission to create the most durable black finish on the market,” said Jose Miraflor, Cobra’s VP of product architecture and consumer connections. “These are not just irons; they are a statement. Proof of our intent to not only create the highest performing technologies in the game, but the most visually and aesthetically pleasing.”

Outside of the cosmetic change, the King Tour, MB and CB irons still possess the same materials and technology as the current retail offerings. Each head undergoes a five-step forging process that begins with heating carbon steel billets to 1,200 degrees, which are then rough forged three times (this is steps 1 through 3) to form the base shape of the iron.

Step 4 involves 1,200 tons of pressure at 800 degrees to refine the shapes and apply details and shapeliness. In step 5, each iron is subjected to 2,000 tons of pressure — which if you need a visual, that’s the weight of 80 full-sized firetrucks — at 700 degrees to form the steel into a more uniform and isotropic internal grain structure.

After cooling, each head is polished and made ready for the face and grooves to be precision milled using a CNC machine. The net result is precision shaping and flatter clubfaces, tighter weight tolerances, better face thickness consistency and improved feel across the face.

The King Tour is made for players who want the benefits that come from the aforementioned forging process with the feel-good benefit of an aluminum medallion and a TPU insert. Each iron has a CNC-milled undercut cavity within the back cavity, which repositions weight from high-center to low-center as well as more towards the heel and toe. The undercut cavities are deeper in long irons for more forgiveness and become progressively shallower in the shorter clubs for better shotmaking maneuverability.

To enhance feel, the cavity on each iron is filled with soft TPU material and is then topped with an aluminum medallion. Combined, the TPU and medallion work together to produce a softer feel and pleasing sound at impact.

The sleekest and most compact irons in the King iron family, the CB (cavity-back) and MB (muscle-back) irons have thin toplines, reduced offset, thin soles and shorter blade lengths for maximum shot-shaping. The CB irons have a cavity-back shape with slight offset for more forgiveness, whereas the muscle-back MB irons are traditional, non-offset blades through and through.

All three King Black Editions irons retail for $1399 (7-piece set) and are eligible to receive complimentary Arccos Smart Sensors and a free trial of the Arccos App. 

Want to overhaul your bag for 2024? Find a fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.

Jonathan Wall

Golf.com Editor

Jonathan Wall is GOLF Magazine and GOLF.com’s Managing Editor for Equipment. Prior to joining the staff at the end of 2018, he spent 6 years covering equipment for the PGA Tour. He can be reached at jonathan.wall@golf.com.