SirShanksAlot
There comes a point where the search for forgiveness in a golf club goes too far. Companies are always looking for new ways to make an iron forgiving but they have to be careful not to make the club too ugly.
Ugly clubs don’t sell… a golfer still wants to look down on something that is easy on the eyes. The Cobra 3400 I/XH was developed with forgiveness in mind. Cobra calls them their “most technical irons ever”. They might be really technical but consumers think they are “technically ugly”.
Despite their unappealing look, the 3400’s do employ some really interesting technologies. The most interesting is the transitional cavity design. The 3-7 irons feature a large hollow cavity while the 8-LW feature a more traditional cavity back design. This is Cobra’s way of moving the center of gravity… thus changing the ball flight from iron to iron. Cobra has also used a couple of different “feel” technologies in the 3400 irons. The 3-7 irons use an injected urethane insert and the 8-LW use a molded urethane insert. These two inserts make the two “sets” of irons feel different. The offset of the 3400 is slightly greater than the Cobra 3100 irons and would be considered “maximum” compared to most irons in the same class. The top line and sole are huge and they really hurt the overall look of the iron. The iron is very big and bulky. The stock shafts in the 3400 are good enough for the higher handicapper and I sell most 3400’s with graphite shafts.
We got really mixed reviews of the 3400. Some people really liked them… comparing them to a hybrid style iron. They were easy to hit and they hit the ball just as high as a hybrid. Most testers didn’t like them. They are really bulky and almost hard to handle because of their size. We had our testers hit the 3100 and 3400 at the same time and most felt the 3100 were just as good and not nearly as ugly. The 3400 are a good example of forgiveness overkill… forgiveness that has gone too far. Make a club forgiving but don’t make it so ugly that no one wil hit it. Try the 3100… you’ll like it a lot better.
Overall Rating – 50%
Target Handicap – 15 +
Ball Flight – High… you might want to call your local airport before hitting these
Offset – Maximum… more than the 3100 irons
Construction – 431 stainless steel
Stock Shafts – Nippon 900XH steel, Graphite Design YS-5.1 graphite