COBRA S3 PRO IRONS Review and In Hand Pics

[craz-e]

First experience of the S3 pros today, boy these are good irons. Getting the guys to price me up a set with a few trade ins, I might even prefer these over my MP68's

[whip21]

these might be perfect...

I never buy new clubs, i have been playing my 83' titleist tour models for a couple years now because i can't stand any offset and i couldn't find a modern blade that i could look down at. I've always liked cobra but these are special blades. the finish in person is outstanding it doesn't do it justice online. I preferred only the mb the cbs seemed too chunky but i am not into the combo sets. which is why it's great you can order any combo of mb/cb u want. From the address position these are perfect, blade length, topline, offset, shape are all perfect. they put a lot of thought into the sole grind and it is probably the best grind out there. the satin finish really makes these look good from address, when you look down at a club that looks this good its all confidence. I am excited to be playing modern lofts and fresh grooves. just ordered 4-gw all mb 1* strong kbs tour x-stiff

looking for new irons i had a lot of wants and nothing but these cobras nailed every one.

here was my criteria...

-new conforming grooves (that aren't spin milled or super close together)
-very minimal or no offset
-soft lines
-medium top-line not too thick or too thin
-traditional blade with no badges, plastic, rubber or weight screws
-has to look good in the bag
-stronger lofts
-sweet sole grind

[Gooth]

Good looking set of clubs and a good review. Thanks!

[Timmay_MO]

I was at a Golfsmith killing some time and decided to try out a few "players" irons since I've always used GI. The only blade they had was the Cobra S3. I was hitting the snot out of that thing, 10 yards further than my normal distance. I tried the MP53, Callaway Razor forged, MP63, and honeslty I hit the Cobra better and further, and it felt better.


I know it was just in the simulator but I'm seriously considering these.



For those with combo sets how much more forgiving is the cavity back in comparison to the muscle back? The 7 iron was really easy to hit and since they're a club longer than my normal distance I won't need a 3 or 4 iron. I guess I should have them check the loft on the demo first though, huh?

[Floratine]

For the first time in 5 years I'm heading into winter and could care less what new irons are on the horizon. I'm still madly in love with these S3 Pro's, lol, and don't see a divorce coming anytime soon!

[pitbull808]

[quote name='Floratine' timestamp='1320778774' post='3775665']
For the first time in 5 years I'm heading into winter and could care less what new irons are on the horizon. I'm still madly in love with these S3 Pro's, lol, and don't see a divorce coming anytime soon!
[/quote]


Nice to hear. I feel REALLY odd playing the same iron for so long. Heck..this set is the first set I've ever had to change grips on because I wore them out!

[dagul28]

S3's hands down!!

[Floratine]

[quote name='pitbull808' timestamp='1320822346' post='3778133']
[quote name='Floratine' timestamp='1320778774' post='3775665']
For the first time in 5 years I'm heading into winter and could care less what new irons are on the horizon. I'm still madly in love with these S3 Pro's, lol, and don't see a divorce coming anytime soon!
[/quote]


Nice to hear. I feel REALLY odd playing the same iron for so long. Heck..this set is the first set I've ever had to change grips on because I wore them out!
[/quote]


I had never played a mb iron before these so I initially got the setup as 5-6 cb and 7-gw mb. After playing 20 or so rounds I decided I wanted the 5-6 in mb and I couldn't be happier with that decision. I honestly can't tell a difference in forgiveness between the 5-6 cb or mb and I love the look of the mb. With the custom paint, white numbers and yellow cobra emblem, they look fantastic. I got a call from a good friend of mine and Mizuno loyalist, last week and he told me he hit a S3 Pro 7 at his course and bought a set on the spot. If that doesn't say something about these nothing does.

[MARC 34]

im a 17 handicap but cant stand the look of SGI Irons. I hit these at a Demo Day and they were excellent. Im a high ball hitter and these irons gave me the trajectory i need and felt awesome. Can a guy like me hit these and improve his game?
i play ping g15 irons and im not diggin them

[dagul28]

practice...........................................................................................[quote name='MARC 34' timestamp='1321503257' post='3811495']
im a 17 handicap but cant stand the look of SGI Irons. I hit these at a Demo Day and they were excellent. Im a high ball hitter and these irons gave me the trajectory i need and felt awesome. Can a guy like me hit these and improve his game?
i play ping g15 irons and im not diggin them
[/quote]

[Hogan's Cardy]

How do the S3 blades compare to the 2008 Pro MBs? Markedly easier to hit or just very similar?

Both sets interest me and I love the looks of the MBs and probably prefer the 2008 model but wouldn't trade looks for performance. Any help would be really useful, cheers.

[Big Ben]

I had to pick up a set of these, the ProMB's where so underrated and I could tell Cobra worked on subtle improvements. Comparing the two sets I would suggest they softened the lines including the toe and added some bounce, both refinements a plus in my book. This set of irons is just about perfect to my eye and a HUGE value at the $500-$600 price range...BB

[Big Ben]

[quote name='dagul28' timestamp='1321511934' post='3812327']
practice...........................................................................................[quote name='MARC 34' timestamp='1321503257' post='3811495']
im a 17 handicap but cant stand the look of SGI Irons. I hit these at a Demo Day and they were excellent. Im a high ball hitter and these irons gave me the trajectory i need and felt awesome. Can a guy like me hit these and improve his game?
i play ping g15 irons and im not diggin them
[/quote]
[/quote]YES! Don't buy into the GI vs Players iron conspiracy, I can offer you just as many advantages with these as the GI advocates can regarding forgiveness if not more. If you felt comfortable hitting them and they felt correct to YOUR EYE then by all means give them a try. Remember, you can order them in any combination you prefer including all cavity backs....BB

[Mr.Rob]

Would love some more detail on the grind and especially how it relates to sweeper/slider/picker type of swing. Pros/cons? My local stores don't carry it so have to get as much info here as possible. Big Ben mentioned the Pro MB's had less bounce so wondering if these S3's added bounce would cause the problems. How sharp is the leading edge?

[Big Ben]

[quote name='chiromikey' timestamp='1312091488' post='3438155']
[quote name='FredWomble' timestamp='1311989213' post='3434904']
Almost exactly how I found the S3 Pros. Today, I puuuured three out of three 4 iron shots, which is a big deal for me. Incredible irons, feel better than they look. Which is saying something.[/quote]

they definitely do feel incredible...i've never enjoyed hitting long irons until these and the cb's feel better than some of the mb's i've hit recently. what i can't figure out is why they're easier to hit than my ping i15's by a good margin!
[/quote]
I bet you a buck its the grinds, they are very well done. If I head to place them in a category they would be digger/slider...BB

[whip21]

fell in love with these at first, but now im over them, too clunky forged club with the feel of cast, no good. they are just clunky big disappointment i have moved on to the buttery mp69

[hound25]

"Comparing the two sets I would suggest they softened the lines including the toe and added some bounce, both refinements a plus in my book."

I would have thought the opposite. To me, it seems they have less bounce than the Pro MB's. I have played both and I am finding the S3's much less forgiving and more difficult to hit. I am a digger and these aren't working out that great. I would say they are better for a sweeper/slider IMO. Great looking set of clubs, but not fitting my swing. Disappointed because I love the Pro CB/MB's and thought these would be even better!

[pitbull808]

[quote name='whip21' timestamp='1329726610' post='4330079']
fell in love with these at first, but now im over them, too clunky forged club with the feel of cast, no good. they are just clunky big disappointment i have moved on to the buttery mp69
[/quote]


I'm surprised to read that. I wanted to get the MP69's as well. After playing with a demo set of 69's, I liked the forgiveness of my S3 combos and feel better. Needless to say I still am playing my S3's after a year...which is a record for me with any set.

[Big Ben]

I agree, I have played many many sets of forged players cavity backs including plenty of exotic J-spec (PRGR, Yamaha, Tourstage etc etc) and can't imagine describing the S3 Pros as clunky and harsh feeling, everyone is entitled to there opinion but doubt that experience would be the norm...BB

[philippewilmotte]

[quote name='jffmart99' timestamp='1305519611' post='3237348']
[quote name='Ezgolfer' timestamp='1305375078' post='3232929']
8, 9 ,PW backordered until end of june per my rep.
[/quote]

if that is the case i will be very unhappy.


I went to the Golf Digest Demo day at Cog Hill today. I set out to try 2 sets of irons. The Callaway razr muscle backs and the Cobra S3 pro combo's. I was totally going in thinking the Cally's were going to win for sure. After hitting the Cobra's first and really liking them i went to the Cally table. Got up and hit the crap out of them. The same thing kept popping in to my head "i think i like the Cobras better". So i went back to hit the Cobra's again and confirmed it, they are better for me. The are just as soft as the musclebacks and my control was better. I also really liked cavity back play and feel as well. I'm debating on going PW-7 in Blade and 6- 3 in the Cavity back.


The Cobra S3 pro combo's are the real deal.

Funny thing is the Cobra table had the least amount of people stopping by it. Cally and TaylorMade had the most. I wanted to tell everyone what they were missing but figured i should get my order in before i start telling people about them!!! hahahaa
[/quote]
i have hit a cobra s3 pro 6 iron; but it was a muscle back iron and according to the cobra golf website the 6 iron is a cavity back iron...do they also make a 6 iron in mb? and do the cb irons( 3 4 5 -irons) look chunkyer at adress then the true mb irons( 6 7 8 9 PW -irons)?

[philippewilmotte]

[quote name='whip21' timestamp='1313075518' post='3473367']
these might be perfect...

I never buy new clubs, i have been playing my 83' titleist tour models for a couple years now because i can't stand any offset and i couldn't find a modern blade that i could look down at. I've always liked cobra but these are special blades. the finish in person is outstanding it doesn't do it justice online. I preferred only the mb the cbs seemed too chunky but i am not into the combo sets. which is why it's great you can order any combo of mb/cb u want. From the address position these are perfect, blade length, topline, offset, shape are all perfect. they put a lot of thought into the sole grind and it is probably the best grind out there. the satin finish really makes these look good from address, when you look down at a club that looks this good its all confidence. I am excited to be playing modern lofts and fresh grooves. just ordered 4-gw all mb 1* strong kbs tour x-stiff

looking for new irons i had a lot of wants and nothing but these cobras nailed every one.

here was my criteria...

-new conforming grooves (that aren't spin milled or super close together)
-very minimal or no offset
-soft lines
-medium top-line not too thick or too thin
-traditional blade with no badges, plastic, rubber or weight screws
-has to look good in the bag
-stronger lofts
-sweet sole grind
[/quote]

WOW!!! Are you saying you can order the cobra s3 pro irons ALL IN MB???

[craz-e]

[quote name='craz-e' timestamp='1312315940' post='3445490']
First experience of the S3 pros today, boy these are good irons. Getting the guys to price me up a set with a few trade ins, I might even prefer these over my MP68's
[/quote]

After having both sets since last August (MP68's and S3 Pros) I have decided to let the Cobra's go. Not an easy decision by any means but the MP68's won me over by just being slightly better in mot departments.

[Big Ben]

I've been through three sets since owning my S3 Pro's and they are still the best irons I've gamed in a long time. These irons are officially the most underrated players iron set ever...BB

[pitbull808]

[quote name='philippewilmotte' timestamp='1335105245' post='4767492']
WOW!!! Are you saying you can order the cobra s3 pro irons ALL IN MB???
[/quote]


Yes..you can get them in all MB. It's a thought I actually had after playing this set. The MB's are surprisingly forgiving...which made me think I could have actually ordered the full set MB instead of combo and have been just as pleased with them.

[quote name='Big Ben' timestamp='1337636185' post='4953160']
I've been through three sets since owning my S3 Pro's and they are still the best irons I've gamed in a long time. These irons are officially the most underrated players iron set ever...BB
[/quote]

LOL..I actually tested about 3 sets as well during the last year and a half with my S3 set. Of the US OEM's I feel they are easily the best feeling set made.. I think I said it in another post as well, I think the S3's are much better feeling then the new AMP Forged too. In my opinion they're 10x the lookers as well. Now with the prices of them dropping all over the place, I think the S3's are easily the steal of the year in clubs too.

[Robert Cottingham]

[quote name='Big Ben' timestamp='1324049652' post='3947971']
[quote name='dagul28' timestamp='1321511934' post='3812327']
practice...........................................................................................[quote name='MARC 34' timestamp='1321503257' post='3811495']
im a 17 handicap but cant stand the look of SGI Irons. I hit these at a Demo Day and they were excellent. Im a high ball hitter and these irons gave me the trajectory i need and felt awesome. Can a guy like me hit these and improve his game?
i play ping g15 irons and im not diggin them
[/quote]
[/quote]YES! Don't buy into the GI vs Players iron conspiracy, I can offer you just as many advantages with these as the GI advocates can regarding forgiveness if not more. If you felt comfortable hitting them and they felt correct to YOUR EYE then by all means give them a try. Remember, you can order them in any combination you prefer including all cavity backs....BB
[/quote]

Not if you're a lefty... 7 in a blade may be too much for me, so as much as I like these irons, I'm upset cobra can't offer the same options to us. We're people after all...

[chiromikey]

a little update after recommending these to a fellow ho:

owning several sets of irons there are certain clubs i'll never sell...and these are one of them. in fact, i'll be selling my epon af-tours soon and any jdm club ho knows how incredible those clubs feel and perform. these clubs turned me into the ho that i am and now having owned or hit most of the top jdm boutique brands, these are the standard to which i compare them to. and while other clubs may have a very special feel, there's nothing that i've played that i can say are as soft as the cobra s3 pros (and mine are shafted with kbs c-tapers which many say is NOT a "feel" shaft). i can't believe how cheap these are going for on the used market...i'd easily pay retail again if i ever lost my set.

[quote name='mickeytbones' timestamp='1308772442' post='3327706']
I'm surprised so many on this board are in love with these irons, as they are forged in China.
Not that it makes them bad in any way, but you constantly hear "Endo forged--Japan" being thrown around here like a badge of honor.
[/quote]
oh and btw...these are endo forged...FACT!

[xxzh87]

I want these.

Bah, perhaps in a year or two when I'm looking for a new set.

[Big Ben]

I adore these irons, I could easily see myself buying another new set to stash. Irons will come and go because I'm a HO but only a select rare few will stay in my stable at all times and these DEFINITELY fall into this category...BB

[nomm]

Just picked up a set of these based on WRX feedback. Love them!

[tinman]

The S3's are in the bag again for 2014.Nothing else looks or feels as good to me!!!!