The Speed and Iron Cobra pedals are two of the most popular bass drum pedals in the drumming world. Particularly loved by metal drummers, these pedals offer a huge amount of comfort and customization.
The Iron Cobra has been a staple in the pedal world for many years while the Speed Cobra is a solid option for drummers who are looking to play fast. While these pedals share the Cobra name, they’re fairly different from each other regarding a few key aspects. Let’s get into them!
Table of Contents
Iron Cobra
Vs.
Speed Cobra
Footboards
Tama Iron Cobra & Speed Cobra - you can see the differences in the footboards quite easily.
The biggest and most obvious difference between these two pedals is the fact that the Iron Cobra has a standard footboard while the Speed Cobra has a longboard. The longboard pedal is arguably the biggest selling point of the Speed Cobra.
Personally, longboard pedals have taken me a long time to get used to in the past. When I played on a Speed Cobra pedal it felt pretty uncomfortable from the get-go. However, once I got used to it, I started relying heavily on that extra length at the bottom to play certain patterns.
I found myself using the leverage in ways that I wouldn’t be able to on a standard pedal. The standard footboard on the Iron Cobra is what most drummers are used to. It’s a tried and tested design that has stood the test of time.
Not everyone is a fan of longboard pedals, so the standard pedal is the better option to go with if you fall into that category.
Playing Feel
Both pedals are double chain-driven, meaning they have an excellent response, and they feel very solid to play on. The difference in feel comes from the pedal lengths. I found that the Speed Cobra is a bit harder to play as you’re pressing more of a surface down with your foot than the Iron Cobra.
Typically, drummers will position their feet near the back of the longboard pedals and use a good amount of technique to swivel and play the pedals. I realized that the Speed Cobra caters incredibly well if you use the heel-toe technique. It’s the better pedal for fast metal drummers as they can get more speed from the bass.
As someone who uses the slide technique instead of the heel-toe to play fast notes on the bass drum, I prefer the action of the Iron Cobra pedals. The Speed Cobra always felt a bit too big for me while the Iron Cobra seemed to fit my feet perfectly.
However, I’m not a metal drummer, so I rarely need to play blazing fast patterns on the bass drum. I’d say the Speed Cobra feels better for playing fast patterns while the Iron Cobra feels better for all other applications on the kit.
Beaters
The beaters that come with the pedals aren’t the most important things to worry about as you can always swap them out with something else that you prefer. However, I feel that they’re worth mentioning as the quality of the standard beaters is what you’re going to be paying for.
Both of the pedals include your standard two-way beaters that have felt on the one side and a plastic surface on the other. They play and feel mostly the same. However, I found there to be a bit of a durability difference between the beaters from each pedal.
The Speed Cobra beaters seemed to wear out quicker than the ones on the Iron Cobra. I think the reason for this is that the Speed Cobra is mostly intended for fast playing and having a felt beater is not optimal for that.
Tama Speed Cobra Beater
Since I’m talking about the 310 version of the Speed Cobra, it doesn’t come with the popular Tama Accu-Strike beaters like the 900 version does. I’d suggest switching to these if you’re planning on playing hard and fast with this pedal.
Customization Options
Both pedals have the same customization options, so they’re in tight competition when it comes to adjusting all the angles and tightening the tensions. Since the Speed Cobra has longer pedals, you can customize it to feel tighter due to the extra length.
If you’re a drummer who wants your pedals to feel tight as possible, the Speed Cobra will be the better option in this case. Most drummers prefer the tension to sit somewhere in the middle, so the Iron Cobra is still a big contender to go for.
Since both of these pedals are older versions of the Speed and Iron Cobras, they don’t come with the famous Cobra Coil. However, you can buy that separately and attach it very easily under the pedals. So, the customization options are fantastic as you can even add on components if you want to.
Price
The Iron Cobra is slightly more expensive than the Speed Cobra. I feel the higher price is justified as the Iron Cobra is a bit sturdier and it feels more durable. The beaters will also last longer before you need to swap them out with fresh ones.
The specific models that I’m talking about are quite affordable as they’re the 310 Speed Cobra and the 600 Iron Cobra. The current top pedals from Tama are the 900 Iron Cobra and the 910 Speed Cobra. The latter pedals have a few more accessories and higher-quality beaters.
I’ve found that you could save a bit of cash from getting the older models and buying the accessories as upgrades. Getting the older models is arguably a better deal. However, they’ll never feel as sturdy and luxurious as the newer models.
Final Word
These pedals also come in single pedal variants. The feel and mechanics are exactly the same, there’s just no slave pedal to worry about. The Iron Cobra single pedal is one of the most popular single pedals around while the Speed Cobra single pedal isn’t as popular due to most drummers wanting speed from double pedals.
Tama Iron Cobra - Single Pedal Version
Looking back on the double pedals, I’d say the Iron Cobra is the best option when you’re looking for versatility. It feels great to play on and will last you a good amount of time.
The Speed Cobra is mainly ideal for playing metal and anyone who’s looking to play fast patterns on the bass drum. It takes longer to get used to, but it flies when you’ve got your technique nailed down.
As a mostly heels up player who doesn’t have small feet I still go with iron cobra. On any pedal I find my “sweet spot” somewhere around the middle or 2/3 back. Ic to me are just more well built for punishment. But as with anything to each their own and what feels best to you.
Regarding the footboard length, this was _the_ reason I got Speed Cobras. It felt right straight away. Other pedals that I’ve tried are just too small to be comfortable – I’d have the edge of the end plate half way under my heel. I’m surprised that footboards in general are so short…
Oh, and the Speed Cobra isn’t a longboard pedal. If it was, I wouldn’t be interested. It just has a longer footplate than most pedals, and it still has a heel plate, so it’s a standard configuration suitable for people with not-so-small feet.