Cobra are introducing another 10K driver to their lineup this year, with the new Optm Max-K following on from last year’s DS-Adapt Max-K.
As you may already know, 10K drivers are all about providing high levels of MOI, which translates to more stability in the head and therefore more forgiveness.
This year Cobra are combining that with an all-new focus on something called POI, to create what they are calling their straightest ever drivers.
Who Is It Aimed At?
With 10K MOI, this driver is really aimed at golfers looking for ultimate forgiveness. It’s designed to provide more stability across the face, giving you better results if and when you don’t strike it out of the middle.
There are four different models in the new Optm range, including low-spin and draw-bias heads, providing options for a wide range of golfers.
If you’re someone who can generate a bit of speed, but you struggle with strike, this driver could be worth trying. It’s designed to get you hitting it straighter, and to minimise the damage from your bad shots. Happy. Days.
The Tech
Cobra claim the new Optm drivers can tighten shot dispersion by up to 23% versus earlier models. This comes from blending proven Cobra driver tech with a fresh emphasis on POI performance.
MOI measures how much the clubhead twists vertically or horizontally on off-centre hits. POI, by contrast, looks at how the head rotates diagonally, across multiple axes at the same time.
The goal is a high MOI to protect ball speed on mishits, paired with a low POI to limit gear effect and keep shots straighter. This lets the head move more in sync with the swing, resulting in tighter dispersion overall.
Each model features its own AI-driven POI shaping, designed to improve rotational stability. Adjustable POI weighting is also used to fine-tune CG positioning.
Compared to the DS-Adapt line, the Optm heads are more rounded, helping pull the CG closer to the centre of the clubhead. Weight ports have also been repositioned to help achieve the lowest possible POI.
Cobra have retained the FutureFit33 hosel system, offering 33 loft and lie combinations. That gives more fitting flexibility than any other driver on the market.
A forged face insert with H.O.T Face technology is also included. Fifteen strategic hot zones help preserve ball speed and distance across more of the face.
As the most forgiving model in the range, the Max-K features an ‘oversized profile’ as well as a fixed 11 gram rear weight.
Cobra Optm Max-K Driver Review
Looks
When I first saw the Max-K driver I was a bit surprised to see that it looked different to the Optm X and Optm LS. The head features much more grey on the sole compared to mostly black on the other models.
Personally I preferred the all-black look as I thought it was a bit cleaner, there’s something about great on driver heads that just doesn’t really do anything for me – it’s kind of a nothing colour. But at least it makes this model more recognisable and differentiates between the different heads in the lineup, so there is method in meekness.
Down by the ball there’s a large footprint. This stretches back much further than the standard Optm X so there’s a lot of surface area which should give some golfers extra confidence. This drawn-out pear shape looks huge, at first I wasn’t sure but after a little while you get used to it.
You can see the two-tone design with the gloss finish head, and more matte topline. I prefer a matte finish because it avoids any glare, but the glossy look does show off the carbon design towards the back of the crown so it looks pretty modern.
Feel
With a large head like this, the Max-K feels more solid than fast when you swing it. It’s really reassuring and there’s very little twisting even when struck from the heel and the toe, which helps to add to the consistency levels.
Thankfully despite the larger head shape, this driver still sounds great like the Optm X.
Performance
I headed down to Clubhouse Golf to test the Optm Max-K on the GC Quad and see how it performed.
As you’d probably expect from a 10K driver, the ball speeds produced were not quite as high as I’d ideally like. Usually I’m looking at ball speeds heading towards the mid-150s (mph). The Max-K was less than 151mph, which is around a mile an our slower than the Optm X.
The spin rates were pretty similar too, although I was a bit surprised to see that my launch and peak height were lower with the Max-K, I assumed the launch would be high! As a result, unfortunately I was 6 yards down on carry distance compared to the Optm X.
Having said that, I was really impressed with the overall consistency of the driver. There was just a 3mph gap between my lowest and highest ball speeds during testing, which is really consistent! This shows that there is really good levels of consistency even on mis-hits: exactly what you’d want to see from a 10K driver.
I did see quite a clear left tendency from this driver too, with eight of the ten shots from the testing section finishing left of target.
Obviously another benefit of the Cobra drivers is that they come with the FutureFit33 technology (once you’ve learnt how to use it). This means I could tweak the loft and lie to try and produce a straighter ball flight, and actually generate a little bit more launch too.
Cobra Optm Max-K Driver Verdict
Cobra’s Optm Max-K provided solid overall performance, and I was impressed by how consistent the numbers were. Even when not struck from the middle of the face, you could feel the technology helping you out.
It’s not a huge change from the previous Darkspeed and DS-Adapt ranges, but it is still one of the cheapest 10K drivers on the market (especially for the latest model) which does make it appealing.
Overall I can’t look past the 3mph gap between my lowest and highest ball speeds – this is super impressive and could be difference that some golfers needs to add that little bit more consistency to their long game.
This type of driver setup isn’t quite right for me as I felt like I was sacrificing distance, but if you do want stability and consistency then it’s great option.
Would I Use It?
I’d be more inclined to use the Optm X as I produced better results with that one. I would rather gain a bit of extra distance than the stability from the Max-K, especially when I found the X to be very straight anyway!
