The Cobra King F8 hybrid replaces the King F7 hybrid which was one of my favourite clubs of 2017.
As is always the case when you like a particular club, you hope that they don't mess with it too much when they replace it, so I was crossing my fingers as read through the specs for the F8.
Thankfully they have kept the rails and I like this feature as it seems to help the club through longer grass more easily and the hybrid is where they seem to have more benefit than the fairway.
The King F8 rails are larger and closer together for greater effect and they work well without digging in despite the extra depth.
The shape has been tweaked a little to make it longer and less rounded than before and here you can see the other big change which is the Nardo colour.
This is a steel grey colour to you and me, which all the F8 woods are using this year and apparently it is the luxury car colour of choice and the fashionistas at Cobra want to put it on your driving and fairway machines too.
It's not really my thing, which probably makes it cool, and the crown features the 360 Aero design that also appears on the King F8 driver and King F8 fairway.
Nominally it is there to help aerodynamics, but in this size of head it has little or no effect and it does give some eye candy for the Nardo lovers.
It is attached to your hands via an Aldila Rogue Pro shaft which looks great and is light, stable and firm to give you the control that you need.
On the course, the King F8 hybrid still sounds very good, but without the little zing sound that made the King F7 warm my heart.
Also missing is the MyFly adjustable hosel which has been binned in favour of a fixed hosel. I am in two minds about this as the adjustability was useful, but the firmer feel and lower CG benefits of a fixed hosel also floats my boat so you can't have your cake and eat it.
As a result the King F8 now has four fixed head lofts instead of three adjustable ones at 17°, 19°, 22° and 25°.
Comparing the two models on GC2 with Pro V1x balls and really there is nothing to be concerned about as the performance was almost identical.
Therefore if you have the King F7 and hate the look then the King F8 could be the answer, or if you lean the other way then just hold on to it.
However, if you have never tried a Cobra hybrid then get a King F8 in your hands because this is still one of the best performing, looking and sounding hybrids in the market.
Either way though, before you do anything check out my review of the Cobra King F8 ONE Length hybrid as this is the business and you could be getting two clubs for the price of one.