Cobra King Forged TEC (2022), Forged TEC X irons

Cobra King Forged TEC and Cobra King Forged TEC One Length (Cobra)

The first Cobra King Forged TEC iron was a cavity-back design that appealed to a wide range of players who wanted something that looked like a better-player’s club but delivered game-improvement performance. Refinements were made over the years, and now for 2022 as the iron market divides into more categories, Cobra has split the King Forged TEC into two offerings, the standard Forged TEC and the Forged TEC X. 

Compared to the 2020 version, the fourth generation Forged TEC has a shorter blade length, thinner topline, less offset and narrower sole to make it visually more appealing to low-handicap players. 

However, while it may look like a muscleback blade in the address position, it is hollow and fits squarely in the better-player’s distance category. The 1020 carbon steel body is forged five times to create its final shape, and it has an inner chamber filled with soft, vibration-absorbing foam. While the material enhances sound and feel, it does not inhibit the variable-thickness face from flexing, so golfers with a repeatable swing can expect more ball speed and distance. 

The King Forged TEC has foam inside the head and a tungsten bar to lower the center of gravity. (Cobra Golf)

Cobra also gave the Forged TEC 3-iron through 7-iron a 20-gram tungsten weight positioned low, behind the center of the face. This helps lower the center of gravity and create a higher launch angle in the long and mid-irons. It also helps counteract the weight of the hosel and pulls the ideal hitting area into the center of the face. 

While the standard Forged TEC has been updated to appeal to better players, the new Forged TEC X is for mid-handicap golfers (10-20) who need more forgiveness. 

The materials are different than the standard model, but the construction used to make the Forged TEC X is the same. It has a cast 431 stainless steel body attached to a forged, variable-thickness face that is L-shaped and extends below the leading edge. This pulls the sweet spot down and helps improve performance on thin shots. 

Inside the head, Cobra added a soft foam material that enhances sound and feel but does not impede the face from flexing at impact, so it can deliver higher ball speeds and more distance. 

The internal tungsten bar in the Forged TEC X 4-iron through 7-iron is larger than the one in the Forged TEC, averaging 65 grams, so the Forged TEC X has a lower center of gravity that should make it easier to hit higher-flying shots. 

The Forged TEC X has a shallower look in the address position, and golfers will also see it has a slightly more offset and a wider sole. It also has a moderately thin topline.