TaylorMade Stealth 2 vs Cobra Aerojet Max Driver: Read Our Head-To-Head Verdict

TaylorMade Stealth 2 vs Cobra Aerojet Max Driver: Read Our Head-To-Head Verdict

The original TaylorMade Stealth range of drivers caused quite the stir in 2022 with its carbon technology and it featured prominently in our best golf driver category. A year later came the Stealth 2 which built on the success of the original and ranks as one of the best drivers we tested in 2023.

Cobra on the other hand have lacked some of the fanfare of TaylorMade but they have consistently been making some of the best budget golf drivers for several years without compromising on quality. 

Whether you are seeking the most forgiving drivers or the best golf drivers for distance these two brands have something for everyone, with the Stealth 2 and Cobra Aerojet Max two of the most popular drivers this year. But which one would be best for your game?

Having been rigorously tested by Golf Monthly, we take a look at the performance head-to-head, with both certainly making an impact when it comes to distance, accuracy and forgiveness off the tee.

Technology

We start with the technology which, last year, we thought TaylorMade edged with its Stealth drivers as it introduced golfers to the 'Carbonwood Age'. For the first time in the brand’s history, we saw a carbon face and the Stealth 2 sees refinements made to the original technology that promises to improve the driver, particularly when it comes to forgiveness. 

Firstly, TaylorMade has lightened the 60X Carbon Twist Face by 2g and expanded the COR to allow for a larger sweet spot and better performance from strikes across the face. This boost also comes from a new face design, which includes an advanced version of Inverted Cone Technology (ICT), again to help ball speed and forgiveness on off-centre strikes.

The last notable point is the Carbon Reinforced Composite Ring, which has allowed TaylorMade to relocate the weight to optimize the Centre of Gravity and increase the Moment of Inertia. Essentially, it unites the driver head into a singular force and frees up additional mass, thus delivering even more forgiveness.

The main technology story with the Aerojet Max concerns the shape of the clubhead. As the name would suggest, speed has been a focus, with Cobra creating a more aerodynamic design to give golfers more speed. There’s also a bigger sweet spot to help improve performance, especially when the strike point is not in the centre of the clubface. 

Looks

The most notable feature of the original Stealth was the red face and matte black crown. The dark, 'stealthy' look created a compact appearance at address which we thought was aspirational but perhaps wasn't the most confidence-inspiring. In the Stealth 2, it's a different story, as the red face has been made brighter.

In addition to that, the black crown now has a gloss finish. These two elements combine to offer something more generous at address. There is also a red ring running around the back of the head, which highlights the Carbon Composite Ring technology, which we loved. These may be more eye-catching than the somewhat understated Cobra Aerojet Max, but it will, ultimately, come down to personal preference. 

The Aerojet Max has a really generous profile down behind the ball. For those golfers in search of a confidence-inspiring clubhead, this is one to try; it’s nicely stretched back, and has that same gloss finish to the crown with a grey carbon effect underneath, which gives it a premium look. Among the best drivers for slicers, in terms of aesthetics, it strikes a nice balance between being aspirational whilst also looking user-friendly at address.

The Aerojet Max is also slightly offset down behind the ball – so a fraction toed in, a look that will most likely suit those whose common miss is right. As a comparison, to me this looked a little more offset than the Callaway Paradygm X driver.

Feel

Both of these drivers sound and feel great at impact anywhere on the face too, which is testament to the forgiveness both of these two drivers offer.

The Stealth 2 has a powerful feel off the face with a nice muted sound at impact. The good thing is that this feeling is also shared when hitting it from all over the face, whereas in the previous model you sometimes didn't get that powerful feeling when not striking it clean out of the middle.

The Aerojet sits in a very similar ball-park to what we saw in last year's Cobra LTDx driver. It offers a powerful, satisfying ‘smack’ through impact that is, if anything, a fraction louder than last year’s LTDx. Any differences however, are small - which is a good thing as last year’s was excellent.

Performance

It's worth saying the Stealth 2 was longer than its previous models, the Stealth and SIM2. As mentioned, it did spin a little more than the original, but it is by no means drastic. One thing that came across clearly during testing though was the consistency of the ball flight. On off-centre strikes, the flight of the ball remained impressively consistent and, if you were to look at the data, the spin rates for all the shots struck only fluctuated in the Stealth 2 by about 700rpm. In previous models, they fluctuated by around 1,000rpm.

One of the main points of difference between the Aerojet Max model and the Stealth 2 is the draw bias and weight in the heel, something we were keen to test.

My miss is definitely right and even though Max versions usually aren’t for me, I was very interested to see what, if anything, would happen to my shot pattern. I hit it on a GC Quad launch monitor at Foresight Sports HQ. For testing, I used the Titleist Pro V1x golf ball and I also took it out onto the course at Prince’s Golf Club to see how it performed. 

Overall, the results were positive. My average dispersion was eight yards further left than usual, which to me, proves the design of the head works. It did spin more and, as a result, I lost a bit of distance. However, those with slower swings may well benefit from the extra flight, helping the ball stay in the air for longer. 

Which one should you choose?

Choose the Stealth 2 if..
- You want more distance
- You want more adjustability in loft
- You like a more compact head

Choose the Aerojet Max if..
- You need to straighten a slice
- You want an offset design
- Forgiveness is your priority