Are King Cobra FP Irons Still Good? Are They Forgiving for High Handicappers?

King Cobra FP Irons

“The King Cobra FP debuted in 2007 during an era when Cobra was just becoming a force to be reckoned with in the game improvement space.”

When they were released, the golf world took notice. The King Cobra FP won awards from some of the top golf publications and authorities.

I personally don’t have experience with the King Cobra FP irons or any Cobra clubs from that era. Cobra simply wasn’t a company that was on my radar back then.

But I wish they had been. That was a time when I needed quality game improvement clubs the most.

I got my hands on a set of King Cobra FP irons and was able to test them in preparation for this review.

I wanted to find out if the King Cobra FP irons were still good for high handicappers. Let’s take a look.

Are the King Cobra FP Irons Still Good?

“One of the good things about the King Cobra FP irons is that they feature some of the technology that persists in GI irons to this day.”

So if you do end up buying these irons that are over 15 years-old, they won’t be worlds away from modern GI irons.

The King Cobra FP irons bear a timeless design. When you place them next to newer irons, you won’t see a stark difference in shape.

The King Cobra FP irons also have timeless features such as perimeter weighting and a deep cavity back.

The perimeter weighting helps the face to resist twisting on mis-hits. The cavity back increases MOI so the whole head stays more stable on all types of contact.

These are cast 431 stainless steel irons so while they don’t give the same softness of forged irons, they are still moderately soft and very responsive – not to mention more durable.

In fact, the used set I got for testing was still in very good condition.

Helping soften out the feel a bit is a very unique feature: the urethane sole insert. I feel like the urethane insert in the sole actually did a couple of things for me during testing.

Yes, it did give the King Cobra FPs a somewhat soft feel; but it also made the clubs feel light which helped me avoid digging.

To sum it all up, yes, the King Cobra FP irons are still good and hold up to modern GI iron offerings from the major manufacturers.

Are the King Cobra FPs Forgiving for High Handicappers?

“The King Cobra FP irons are loaded with classic forgiveness features.”

During my testing, I found that the King Cobra FP irons were very easy to launch.

Most high handicappers will have trouble getting the ball airborne to increase carry distance – they will have no such trouble with the King Cobra FPs.

Like any good GI iron, the King Cobra FP has a low center of gravity.

The sole is of medium width; but the undercut is pretty deep so you get plenty of mass under the ball helping with launch.

The flight is also naturally straight. While the spin numbers were a bit higher than what I normally like to see, it didn’t seem to affect dispersion very much.

In fact, my off-line divergence never exceeded 11 yards during my testing. I wasn’t able to hit wide fades or draws at will; but the straight flight will be a welcome sight for high handicappers.

King Cobra FP Vs Cobra S9 Irons

“The King Cobra FP and S9 irons are similar in some ways but differ in some key areas.”

For instance, there is slightly less offset in the King Cobra FP irons than there is in the S( irons. The cavity undercut is also tucked up a bit more.

This gives the King Cobra FPs a cleaner look. The King Cobra FPs also lack the polymer insert in the top line that the S9’s have.

I like the King Cobra FP irons more for mid/high handicappers and the S9’s more for straight up high handicappers.

King Cobra FP First Impressions

“I liked the moderate sole width and offset in these irons.”

There is enough offset to promote straight flight; but not enough to make these irons look ugly.

The medium sole width also helps with control in the short irons. Chip shots felt clean and responsive.

King Cobra FP Selling Points

Perimeter weighting
Urethane sole insert
Deep cavity back
431 cast stainless steel
Cavity back plate

King Cobra FP Key Technology

“The features that went into the King Cobra FP irons definitely stand the test of time.”

Perimeter Weighting: This is what helps keep the ball straight when you miss the sweet spot.

Urethane Sole Insert: For me, the urethane sole insert ensured that I leave clean, small divots and helped promote clean ball contact off the turf.

Moderate Offset: It was very easy to turn the club head over. Plus, there isn’t so much offset that I got a crazy draw bias.

King Cobra FP Loft & Lie

Club	Loft (degrees)	Lie (degrees)
3-iron	20	61
4-iron	23	61.5
5-iron	26	62
6-iron	29	62.5
7-iron	32.5	63
8-iron	36.5	63.5
9-iron	40.5	64

Who Should Buy the King Cobra FP Irons?

“The King Cobra FP are indeed forgiving enough for high handicappers; but there is still some playability in them for mid handicappers as well.”

Particularly in the short irons. The short irons have less offset and the mmid-width soles really help you scoop the ball up and land it softly on the green.

For high handicappers, the King Cobra FP irons tick all the boxes: they are forgiving on mis-hits, they launch high and they offer smooth turf interaction.

Some players may have some trouble with ballooning so I would say that the King Cobra FP irons are actually ideal for high handicappers who naturally hit the ball low.