Why The COBRA DS-ADAPT DRIVERS Have Changed Club Fitting Forever

One of Galt's most innovative brands, Cobra

has just dropped an entirely new family. We've got DS Adapt, and in this video

we're going to take a look at the four, yes, four new drivers and one big twist

Right, so what are these four models? Well, first of all, we've got the LS model

Now, this is the more compact, low-spinning model, and it's got these three adjustable weights on the sole

so you can really fine-tune your spin. Next up, we've got the DS Adapt X

Now this is probably going to have the broadest appeal up across the range. It's kind of a mid spin, mid launch profile

And once again, we've got these two interchangeable weights to help you really dial in your requirements

Next up, we've got the DS Adapt Max D. And as the name would suggest, this is about maximum draw

So everything's set up here, lie angle, head weighting, this fixed weight in the heel is designed to help you

get that kind of anti slice feel. And finally, this intriguing new model, the Max K

I think this one's come out in response to the success of drivers like the TaylorMade QI10 Max

and the Ping G430 Max 10K. And this one is all about MOI and forgiveness. So what's new in terms

of the tech story? Well, Cobra are telling us we've got some really improved aerodynamics and

a much more advanced hot phase. And here comes the twist. So Cobra has introduced what it's

calling FutureFit 33, which essentially is a new loft sleeve adapter, whatever you want to call that

For the first time with a Cobra adapter, it offers you the ability to decouple loft and lie

As the name would suggest, it's got a whopping 33 settings. To put that into context, Titleist

have 16 available settings, TaylorMade have 12, and Callaway only have eight. When I first heard

about this sleeve, I was intrigued, but I was immediately a little bit concerned as to whether

the average consumer might find it simply too confusing or too much to want to wrap their head

around. Clearly, Cobra thought that too. They've produced a really simple and easy to follow chart

if you are looking to fit yourself into this product that they're referring to as the mandala

Now, this chart or mandala is available in a card printed form, but what is very Cobra is that on

each of these heads, there's a QR code laser etched into the head, which if you scan that will take

you to a really simple to follow and intuitive app that will guide you through the various loft

settings and lie settings that are available and that to me is very very Cobra. Always pushing the

boundaries and looking for something new. So basically if you're trying to fit yourself using

this new loft sleeve what Cobra are saying is you need to find out on that chart or mandala where

your ball flight sits and then go over to the opposite side and find the corresponding setting

and that will provide you with the optimal flight correction from there. So that's how they're

helping you fit yourself, but a lot of you looking to purchase new drivers out here

will probably go down the custom fit route, so you don't even have to think about that

So think of it as a bonus that your fitter now has so many more options to get you dialed in correctly

As I mentioned earlier the FutureFit 33 sleeve allows you to decouple loft and lie but what do I mean by that Well on a lot of manufacturers sleeves when you start to move the loft around you actually start

to alter the lie angle, which can have a significant effect on the start line and curvature. But Cobra's

two-cog system here allows you to do that independently of one another. So around the

sleeve, another thing that Cobra have done to address what you can do with the head is they've

invented what they call their smart pad technology. Now again on a lot of other manufacturer sleeves

once you start to alter loft not only are you altering light you can also alter the face angle

by which I mean how open or closed it sits at a dress. But what Cobra have done is they've

introduced some really clever sole contouring that allows whatever setting you put this driver

in or these drivers in to sit perfectly square at a dress still. So this is all very clever stuff

and that's what Cobra is saying about their drivers but what do I think of them? So visually, in truth, when I first put this whole DS Adapt range in behind the ball, I wasn't

totally blown away by the aesthetic. Now, this is all purely subjective, but I tend to prefer

a much more rounded, almost circular driver nowadays. And what you get with a DS Adapt range

much like you did with Dark Speed, is a more angular or even triangular head shape. Now

whilst that's not necessarily a look that I love, it is all subjective. I know there's loads of you

out there who really like that angular look, including double senior major champion Richard

Bland, who I recently did a What's in the Bag with, and he absolutely loves that about his older

dark speed driver. One other final thing that I'm going to pick up on the appearance is in the

address position, these little banner strips at the front where you get these multi-material crowns

I think you've got to be careful with those. For this one, for me, it just pinches in a little bit

too much on the heel. There's too much intrusion from that strip there, and all that does is just

draw your eye to it. It does affect the profile. It's something small, but it's something that I

noticed. However, in the bag position or in the Pro Shop shelf position, the retail, the shelf

appeal is absolutely still exceptional as it was in the Dark Speed range. I love how clean it is. I

love the use of carbon and the graphics are just perfect. I also really like the clever color

coding system that Cobra used throughout their range to differentiate the models. So the more

compact, low spinning LS has a little black accent color when you go into the more core or

standard X model that's got a blue accent the Max D the draw model has a red accent color and in the

new Max K it's a silver so it really helps to differentiate the range. Well two things stuck

out massively for me about the performance of this entire range and the first of those is the feel

and the acoustics. For some time now driver technology in terms of ball speed has had

limitations so we are limiting the amount of COR or trampoline effect we can have on faces so

So, manufacturers are looking for little victories in different areas and one of the areas they

are trying to do that and have been doing so for the last couple of years is in the

feel and the acoustics. And I think that Cobra have done an absolutely brilliant job this year

Through different cycles we tend to flip about between sounds and feels Sometimes we get these quite harsh tinny high products And then on the other end of the spectrum we can get these dull muted sort of carbon thuddy products

Now, what we've got here and what we had last year from Darkspeed was a really great sounding and feeling product

But I think they've elevated it. Again, some more technology, some more work on the face

This really hits all the right notes for me. It's just that beautiful kind of mid-pitch, mid-tone strike

And it's almost kind of a clicky but soft feel. not too harsh, not too lively

just exactly where I'd want it to be. They've done a great job there. Right, sorry to interrupt, if you're enjoying this review

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Have you tried this new range yet? What do you think? The second standout feature of this range for me

is just how well each model does its specific job. Sometimes in ranges, you get models

that sit a little bit too close to each other in terms of their playing characteristics

and the lines can blur a little bit. and especially with the introduction of a fourth model here

that was a concern that I had. But as it happens, it was very much unfounded

So starting with the LS, and as the name would suggest, this is the low spin model

So what you'd be looking for from this is some really harsh, penetrating, low spinning ball flights

that will hold their own into any headwind. And that is exactly what I got

Much like dark speed from last year, I actually struggled to get this spinning

even above 2,000 revs per minute. and that really produced that very penetrating ball strike

Now, as you would expect from one of these low spin drives that has a very, very forward CG location

miss hits can be just that little bit more volatile. But as with the dark speed from last year

it's far from unplayable. And the profile of player that's gonna go into a head like this

is probably likely to hit the middle enough to be able to manage that

And on a final note, as I will probably say about every model again and reiterate

the feel from this is exquisite. Now onto the X, which is essentially going to be the core or the standard model within the range

Once again, it did exactly what it said on the tin for me. It produced a nice mid-level of spin and launch

and was just a touch more playable in more conditions for me than the LS model

One thing I really love about this X range is the versatility these two little adjustable weights provide

In the neutral setting with the lighter weight forward, you've got a really safe fairway finder with a lot of stability

with 10 grams at the back and three at the front. but flip those over and you really see a genuine change in the spin. I was experiencing about 150

to 200 rpm change which is not insignificant and actually then produces something that sits between

the X and the LS, an LSX if you will, something that's just got a little bit of a lower spin

profile but still keeps a little bit more MOI and I really loved it in that setting. Once again as

As I say, without this entire range, the feel again is superb

Now, onto the Max D model. Now, once again, talk about smashing your brief

This is all about creating an anti-slice product, and everything within this screams that

From the lie angle to this fixed weight in the heel it is so difficult for me as a right to get this ball moving right Now what I would say is that was the case with dark speed last year I put that

down as probably my most anti-slice driver of 2024 and this has certainly not let the side down if not

enhanced that a little bit more. One downside is if you've got this driver and you've got it in the

furthest left setting on the mandala and you're still hitting a slice well then it might be time

to take up pickleball. And this highlights what I'm speaking about this range in general. There is

nothing subtle about the models. Each one of these models does exactly and blatantly what it tells

you it's going to do, which I love. Now the wild card, the new driver, the Max K. Now this has come

off the back of a huge push in 2024 from other manufacturers into this super high MOI or Quest

for 10K moment of inertia and forgiveness. Drivers like the TaylorMade QI10 Max

the Ping G430 Max 10K, and now Cobra have joined the party

With this big fixed weight back here, they pulled that CG right back

and they've arguably created their most forgiving driver of all time, and I can tell you from personal experience

it really, really works. The stability on this thing is absolutely astounding

and believe you me, I tested it. I really hit some poor shots off the toe

and some poor shots off the heel, And over quite a few sessions in a number of different circumstances, my groupings were consistently really, really tight

Now, truth be told, I did find the spin number a little bit high on this for me

So products I've tested like the PING G430 Max 10K do a similar job in terms of stability with a little bit of a lower spin number

which make that model accessible kind of across the ranges from your high handicappers who need that forgiveness

to even some better players who are a bit quicker like me, still being able to play that and keep the spin down

I would say I don't think this will cross over quite as well, but realistically, what Cobra are targeting here

are some slower swing speed players who need just that little bit more forgiveness

And for those type of players, I think it will do an astonishing job. And why not

Let's complete the set. It feels brilliant like all of the other range

That's the real key takeaway for me here. So there you have it. There's my first impressions of the Cobra DS Adapt range

Now, first things first, FutureFit 33, you try saying that, really, really works, but it's never in doubt

To be honest, every loft sleeve in all the manufacturers works to a certain extent

What was in doubt was the complexity of it and whether the average consumer would be able to understand it

Now, Cobra have taken care of that really, really well with the Mandala in a very Cobra way

with that accessible QR code app to explain it to people. And another thing I really loved was the smart pad technology

so when you are in any of those 33 settings you can still get that clubface to sit perfectly square

so overall for me despite my personal preferences on drivers steering me into more rounded heads

the performance on offer here is really difficult to ignore as i said the range does exactly what

it's supposed to do and blatantly between each model plus it's one of the best feeling ranges

of driver i have ever ever tried this is a great start to launch season well done cobra