You asked for it. And here it is. The new Cobra 3DP MB irons vs. the new Titleist T100 irons. A head-to-head bottom line review comparing performance (and appearance and feel) in five categories I've highlighted below. All numbers were recorded from Trackman, the same Pro V1x ball was used during testing, and both 3DP MB and T100 irons had SteelFiber i95 shafts installed.
There are some comparative performance aspects that probably won't surprise you, others that definitely will. And in my opinion one really big difference at the end that's not necessarily a shocker as much as it is how much of a shocker.
Appearance and Feel
The Cobra 3DP MB is a shorter blade heel to toe than Titleist T100. 3DP MB has a slightly narrower sole and taller, boxier face. T100 has a slightly thinner topline and slightly less offset. Both 3DP and T100 have a deep, soft, forged feel at impact, very similar. However with T100 this feeling resonates more, like it's more dense.
Note: In the next four categories of performance metrics I'm going to be talking about shots hit pretty well. Call it a center impact area roughly the size of a thumbprint. In the last section on forgiveness we'll revisit these categories for mishits further out in all directions.
Ball Speed and Distance Metrics
With both swing speed and smash factor within decimal points of each other for both irons, Cobra 3DP MB had 2.6 mph better ball speed, 7 yards more carry, and 10 yards more total distance than Titleist T100 on average. It's worth noting here that 3DP lofts are 1 degree weaker than T100 (so you don't have to necessarily jack up lofts to get more distance).
Launch and Height Metrics
Cobra 3DP MB launched the ball 1.3 degrees higher than Titleist T100 on average. 3DP MB reached a peak height 12 feet higher than T100 on average.
Spin and Descent Metrics
Titleist T100 spun 300+ rpm more than Cobra 3DP MB. 3DP MB had a 1.5 degree steeper descent than T100.
Dispersion Metrics
Titleist T100 had slightly tighter downrange dispersion than Cobra 3DP MB by an average of 2+ yards. 3DP MB had slightly tighter left-to-right dispersion than T100 by an average of less than 2 yards. More shots were grouped slightly left of center with 3DP while shots were grouped more equally left and right with T100.
The Road So Far
I think you can draw some general conclusions about Cobra 3DP and Titleist T100 on shots hit pretty well. First, 3DP MB is almost one club longer and ball speed is faster. T100 has the edge in control for downrange dispersion but 3DP MB has the edge in left-to-right dispersion. T100 spins more which gave it slightly more consistent peak heights than 3DP MB. Ultimately I'd say at this point these similarly performing irons and a choice between the would boil down to wanting a bit more distance (3DP MB) or a bit more control (T100).
But the entire landscape changes when we start talking forgiveness. And this is where 3DP MB plants its flag.
Forgiveness
Let's revisit the categories of performance metrics now for misses outside the center thumbprint impact area (in all directions up, down, toe, and heel). I'll break this down in two forgiveness sub-categories: downrange (vertical) forgiveness, and left-to-tight (horizontal) forgiveness. I'm not going to give specific impact millimeter misses for each performance metric other than to say I'm talking about 10 mm misses in any direction (think a second thumbprint area away from center in all directions).
Vertical Forgiveness
On misses up, toe, and heel Cobra 3DP MB lost 5 yards total on average and never more than 9 yards total at worst. These same misses with Titleist T100 resulted in dramatic drops in ball speed and distance routinely losing 14+ total yards and sometimes losing more than 20 total yards. T100 launch and peak height on low misses was manageable but resulted in lower, flatter trajectories with significantly less carry than these same low misses with 3DP MB. 3DP MB launch and peak height retention was also consistently better on high misses and again retained faster ball speeds compared to T100.
Horizontal Forgiveness
On toe and heel misses Cobra 3DP MB were 10 yards closer to center on average than the same misses with T100. And the worst left-to-right misses with T100 veered off target more than 15 yards with significantly more sidespin than 3DP MB. On toe misses 3DP MB held their line more consistently and more predictably than T100. On both toe and heel misses 3DP MB also maintained start lines more consistently than T100. 3DP MB also lost less total (vertical) distance compared to the same toe misses with T100.
Final Thoughts
If the Titleist T100 can be called precision irons, then the Cobra 3DP MB have to be called precision plus irons. Precision, plus distance. Precision, plus forgiveness. Precision, plus playability. Both irons deliver compact shaping, responsive feel, and control that skilled ball strikers will appreciate. But unlike T100 where the slightest mistakes are punished, with 3DP MB even your average swings produce exceptional outcomes.
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