It's been a while since Cobra brought out a new wedge to succeed the revamp of the Trusty Rusty model that was the 2013 Tour Trusty.
The replacement Cobra King Wedge has been 2 years in the making and incorporates some of the same design features.
The most noticeable is the notch in the centre of the trailing edge on the sole, which is there to make opening up the face easier.
It enables the leading edge to sit lower to the ground when you do this and was one of the features on the original Trusty Rusty wedge that made it stand out in the 1990s. It does the job well and gives all Cobra wedges that have it a distinctive look.
The King wedge is a slightly fuller design than the Tour Trusty and when you put it down at address you will see a very pleasing head size and rounded shape that will appeal to all levels of players.
As is usual these days, the face features variable sized CNC milled grooves depending on loft, with the higher lofts having fewer wider grooves and the lower lofts using shallower grooves that are closer together to optimise spin and trajectory.
There is also some roughing up of the face between the grooves using a circular milling pattern to increase spin as well as giving it a machined look.
Cobra say they have worked on the feel using 'Vibration Flow' to modify the sound so that it gives the sound of soft yet solid feel.
The sound was indeed nice and crisp on fuller shots and with shots around the green it felt and sounded pretty soft. The feel was not surprisingly very similar to their irons and is a little different to other cast wedges in the market.
It's hard to describe, but the feel of the Cobra King wedge maybe doesn't 'envelope' you as much as some other makes, but that is neither good nor bad. It is just going to depend on your personal preference, so take them out for a spin and decide yourself.
Grinds are always news in wedges and with the King, Cobra has created 3 different grinds for most of the lofts within their range.
The Classic grind defines itself and is the highest bounce varying between 11° to 12° with a little trailing edge relief.
The Versatile grind features a lot of heel and toe relief in a classic C grind shape and will feature a medium level of bounce from 8° to 10°
Finally, the WideLow grind has the widest sole and the lowest level of bounce of 4° to 7°.
Each of the grinds offers a different type of shot depending on your swing and the key is to try them all out on grass and see which one makes your chipping seem the easiest, because bounce is your friend, as our Guide To Bounce explains.
As you can see below, you don't get every grind with every loft, which is a little concerning as I would have thought a lot of golfers would like the highest bounce Classic grind in lofts like 50°, 54° and 58°.
This is quite important as the King Wedges felt as though they played with marginally less bounce than the number on the hosel and that could be as a result of the notch. This again is not a good or bad thing, just make sure it is right for you.
It does mean that most players may find that the Classic grind is the best for them and therefore they may need to go with the lofts that the Classic is available in.
The Versatile grind is certainly that and gives you the option to manipulate the face open or closed at address to get the shot you want, which more creative wedge players will appreciate.
The WideLow grind played with very low effective bounce and slipped under the ball very easily indeed, but it will require practice and confidence to master and may be best left to highly skilled players.
The King wedge comes with an S200 Dynamic Gold shaft and a Lamkin UTX grip with orange trim to round out a quality wedge with premium looks for a very competitive price.
For Cobra die-hards this will be the wedge of choice as the King brings together the best bits of their recent models in a good looking wedge that will deliver solid performance with a decent choice of grinds.