Cobra's L4V driver was a big hit, especially among long hitters like J.B. Holmes and Camilo Villegas, who used the club to great effect in 2008. Now those players are experimenting with the next-generation King Cobra L5V, a composite driver that has additional features.

What has stayed the same is the composite head: Carbon crown and sole inserts allowed Cobra to shift the center of gravity lower and toward the back for higher moment of inertia.

The first difference is a larger clubface, which the company claims is the largest in the industry. But the biggest change is an adjustable face angle. The L5V, which comes in three clubhead-speed models-X for players with 150-plus MPH ball speed, F for those with 125-155 MPH ball speed, M for 110-140 MPH ball speed-has two face-angle settings that players can switch between using a torque wrench.

Our test club was a 9.5-degree F Speed, and even with the lightweight 50-gram Mitsubishi Diamana stock shaft and the face angle adjusted to the draw setting, many of our low-handicap testers found it difficult to hit out-of-control hooks. (The X is only available with an 8.5-degree loft, the F comes in 9.5 or 10.5 degrees, and the M has a loft of 11.5 degrees.)

And the weighting produces low spin numbers for just about every tester, making the club ideal for those players who have high launch angles. When combined with the ball-flight tendency, the L5V is a club that every strong player should seriously consider.

Because when a club can't go left, you know it's right.
$480, cobragolf.com

Testing Grounds: 9.5-degree driver with S-flex Mitsubishi Diamana shaft
Ball speed: 147.5 MPH
Launch angle: 13.7 degrees
Backspin: 2125 RPM
Carry: 236.8 yards