Composite cannon.
Written: Aug 04 '05 (Updated Aug 05 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Above average performance, tremendous distance and solid feel, and forgiving on top of all.
Cons: The performance doesnt match the price. And thatīs a shame.
The Bottom Line: A fine driver that has everything the average golfer wants, but the price is wrong. Nice for showing off!
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| lirubis's Full Review: King Cobra Golf 454 Comp Driver |
In the never ending quest for the ultimate in distance and forgiveness, the bus HAS to make a stop at Cobra station, eventually. I have never been a fan of Cobra drivers and even with that new snappy TV Ad campaign my preferences have not changed a bit. But I must say in all fairness that the new Cobra 454 Comp is one heck of a great driver.
While there are 3 models (the 414, 414 Tour and the subject of this Epinion), the one getting the most ink is, BY FAR, the larger version known as the 454 Comp. As much as I have gone trough most of the composite offerings in the market up to this day, my feeling is that they do not offer enough improvement to justify a spike of $100 or more in price. They ALL are more or less likeable, depending on your personal preferences and expectations, but to say the 454 Cobra is no good is a big, fat lie.
The TECH STUFF
Armed with a somewhat un-exciting Graphite Design YS 5.5 (the OLD model, in case you were wondering), or an extremely light Mitsubishi Rayon that weights only 45 grams (the best option for slower swingers), this driver promises one of the BIGGEST sweet spot err...excuse me: SWEET ZONES in the Cobra arsenal (yes, even bigger than the 460 SZ, apparently), a dual weight area that keeps the CG low and way back for a "high draw ball", and obviously 2 tons and a half of pure forgiveness. That is quite a bunch of tasty promises!
A big dissapointment comes when you find out that the 454 only offers 3 lofts: 7.5°, 9° and 10.5°, and I am sure they have their reasons, but that leaves slow swingers wanting more than 11° of loft quite out of the picture.
In the custom shaft department we have the usual assortment of Aldila NVīs, Fuji Speeders, and the NEW line of Graphite Design YS series and Grafalloy Prolites, but still a bit short in offerings compared to Callaway, Taylor Made, Cleveland andmany others. BTW: these custom shafts dont come cheap: the least expensive of the upgrades cost $50 a pop.
I have tried both the ALdila NV65 and YS-6 options, and both are REALLY good.
The milled titanium and composite crown blend togheter quite nicely, perhaps not among the fanciest finishes but quite close. This club look powerful, not intimidating, and squares up to a slightly closed face (Cobra claims that the "natural" shot shape of the 454 is a slight draw), which may cause a bit of displease for those golfers who prefer a straight face setup.
DELIVERING THE PROMISE
For a guy who has been playing a Titleist 983K for such a long time and then switched to a SMT 455, it is difficult to find any option with more sense of power. The 454 falls short for me, in the sense that it DOES feel very powerful but NOT QUITE as my current drivers. But do not be mislead by this personal comment: the 454 has more kick than a Colt .45, and sound that is not quite the Cobra trademark, but is close.
Compared to the older ZS440, the Comp does feel lighter and somewhat easier to swing in full. The head loves to accelerate at your command and attack the ball with impressive speed. but I see no traces of a "draw" bias: pretty much the opposite. The 10.5° plays more like it has 2° more, because the ball really flies high (I still have to find a 9° head to try). Keeping up with the comparison, I found that the 454 Comp does not go farther than the 440SZ. but it is quite more forgiving indeed. Perhaps this is the biggest difference I found among the 2.
The 454 Comp hits LONG balls. Those who say it has no power have a perception problem: the ball TRAVELS far, but it feels like it didnīt. It seems to have a tendency to fly to the right a bit, but if you struggle with a big slice today then my advice would be: stay away. Otherwise, this driver offers a high dose of forgiveness, and a ball trajectory that produces maximum carry on good-to-perfect shots. On shots close to the heel the distance loss is more severe, and dicertion also gets hurt. Toe shots tend to be less punitive.
Now, if you take the new 460 SZ driver into the scene, then the 454 Comp has not a chance: The former is easier to hit, offers more distance and power feeling, and also costs about $1OO LESS.
BOTTOM LINE
Cobra really made a hefty bet on the Comp driver market (3 models!), but in the end I expect the obvious: demand will die, prices will go rock-bottom, and then some adventurous souls will buy cheap (Callaway knows a bit about it). The sad thing is that this is a REALLY GOOD Driver in its own right, but the price and competition makes it a tough call when it comes to lay down the dough. It is a question of value, not of performance. The 454 Comp is among the best drivers you can play with these days, and if you like the way it feels at crunchtime, then you will be one happy golfer indeed.
This will come as a surprise for some, but the 454 Comp is best suited to mid and low handicappers, this is NOT a driver designed for novices or slow swingers.
Recommended:
Yes
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lirubis
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