Rival is one that I researched a bit as a less stable Teebird. I also thought about the Explorer as another Teebird knockoff option. Explorer has the added benefit of beating in quick, so in theory it could cover that neutral flight path faster.
-
Discover new ways to elevate your game with the updated DGCourseReview app!
It's entirely free and enhanced with features shaped by user feedback to ensure your best experience on the course. (App Store or Google Play)
[Help] Another Workhorse Fairway Driver Thread
- Thread starter aphilso1
- Start date
Rival is one that I researched a bit as a less stable Teebird. I also thought about the Explorer as another Teebird knockoff option. Explorer has the added benefit of beating in quick, so in theory it could cover that neutral flight path faster.
Looks like you and seedlings are going to sample every speed 7-9 disc available by the end of spring. I spend enough on discs that I know I like.
Haha, well the reason I read about them, watch videos on them, and crowd source answers to specific questions is specifically so that I DON'T have to try every one. Thus far I've borrowed a couple molds and ordered one. I think that is squarely within the realm of of "reasonable."
klodkrawler05
Birdie Member
This jives with my experience so far (limited as it is) A luster FD was my workhorse fairway last year with a Color glow NS2 as the more stable workhorse. I tried out a 166g and 175g S-line centurion recently and for the last 3 rounds I haven't touched the luster FD. the 166g centurion flies like my luster fd, some good flex if thrown flat hard, but just enough stability to get back to the middle or pan out of an anny shot. the 175g centurion has been a touch more useful than the FD for gap hitting, I can throw it flat and it just pushes forward straight without the turn of an FD before finishing with a small FD like fade. I'm still keeping the night strike in my bag for those harder finishing shots or light head winds, but I think after another round or 3 I'll likely wind up shelving the luster FD for now.
BuzzzChief
Double Eagle Member
I bagged Teebirds for many years and have been mostly bagging Rivals for the last 5 or so. They're pretty much interchangeable for me. To greatly oversimplify the variety available out there: both tend to come in two general flavors- hard and domey (more overstable) or softer and flatter (less overstable).
My special blend (early honey bee run) Rivals are just as overstable as any Teebird out there. But a stock Icon Rival will probably be significantly less stable.
Last couple months I am really liking a lighter weight (mid 160's) hard/domey Teebird for my workable fairway slot. The lighter weight takes a little bit of the bite off it, but it will still hold up to a headwind.
seedlings
* Ace Member *
Hey, whoa there buddy. I only sampled all the 7 speeds.
Thanks. Sounds like a nice disc, but probably more stable than what I want. For whatever reason I had it in my brain that all Rivals were a less stable Teebird (more like a TL) and that Icon Rivals were even less stable than that. So basically a TL to FD, depending on plastic type. Clearly they are not that disc.
I'm sure this will disappoint Discerdoo, but that's one more mold that I won't be trying out :thmbup:
Nah, you do you bruh. Maybe get back to us when you pick a winner though.
BuzzzChief
Double Eagle Member
Probably you're thinking of the Legacy Patriot, not the Rival.
Patriot is in TL/FD territory. It's a fantastic disc. Icon Patriots are pretty consistent in my experience.
dehaas
* Ace Member *
Those early gummy pinnacle patriots were insanely awesome discs.
Now I'm sad I got rid of the handful that I had.
Now I'm sad I got rid of the handful that I had.
Yeah the Insanity is definitely a different disc from the Tesla and Virus. The Virus is a roller-only disc for me and though I really like Teslas, they can be a mixed bag depending on dome (flat ones have mediocre glide). Tesla and Insanity are my workhorse control drivers when I go gyro.
Teslas are huge for me, it's my workhorse beside a relay.. 155 fission tesla for two/three disc total workhorse for everything especially my home course, 157ish neutron SE for bag, with a 162-4? fission for full bag specifically FH. Plasmas are awful.. A few grams makes a difference for me with them. Any will OH hammer. But not the droid he's looking for.
Last edited:
I have made a decision! (well...kind of)
After pouring over countless youtube videos, looking up PDGA approval specs for every single mold recommended here, and reading through individual DGCR threads for most of them, I have arrived at a semi-official list of competitors.
1. Stags+Getaway. They aren't officially out of the bag yet. There's always the chance that I keep throwing Stags as my workhorse fairway mold, and then continue to slide a single Getaway into the bag as a gap-filler between Felons and Stags.
2. Pipeline. I've got a heavy SP Pipeline and light PL Pipeline in transit and arriving Monday or Tuesday next week. The PL Pipeline looks like a an exact replica of a Stag flight. Really, the test will be to see if a SP Pipeline adds just enough extra stability to allow me to pull that gap-filling Getaway out of the bag. If I can swap two Pipelines in and take three discs out (across two molds), then I think we have a winner.
3. Undertaker. These flew under the radar. I read back through all the recommendations one more time, and noticed that I missed a reference to the Undertaker. And that jogged my memory, because I remember wanting to try them before. While listed as a Speed 9 (slightly worrisome), it seems that quite a few people think they are really a tick slower than that. Lightweight ESP Undys are out of stock everywhere, but I did manage to snag a heavy Elite Z and mid-weight Big Z.
4. TL/TL3. The TL was really nice. I would have liked to see more distance out of it, and the limited plastic options aren't ideal. I will keep this mold on the back burner for now. If neither the Pipeline or Undertaker work out, then I will probably keep my eyes open for a run of lightweight G* TL3 to see how those compare to the Champs that I already borrowed from a buddy.
And that's it! Thanks for everyone's recommendations. I really did look into all of them, but was able to whittle down the list via additional research. Not saying I won't consider anything else at this point...but I would probably need to receive a free tester disc in the mail if you want me to consider an additional mold
After pouring over countless youtube videos, looking up PDGA approval specs for every single mold recommended here, and reading through individual DGCR threads for most of them, I have arrived at a semi-official list of competitors.
1. Stags+Getaway. They aren't officially out of the bag yet. There's always the chance that I keep throwing Stags as my workhorse fairway mold, and then continue to slide a single Getaway into the bag as a gap-filler between Felons and Stags.
2. Pipeline. I've got a heavy SP Pipeline and light PL Pipeline in transit and arriving Monday or Tuesday next week. The PL Pipeline looks like a an exact replica of a Stag flight. Really, the test will be to see if a SP Pipeline adds just enough extra stability to allow me to pull that gap-filling Getaway out of the bag. If I can swap two Pipelines in and take three discs out (across two molds), then I think we have a winner.
3. Undertaker. These flew under the radar. I read back through all the recommendations one more time, and noticed that I missed a reference to the Undertaker. And that jogged my memory, because I remember wanting to try them before. While listed as a Speed 9 (slightly worrisome), it seems that quite a few people think they are really a tick slower than that. Lightweight ESP Undys are out of stock everywhere, but I did manage to snag a heavy Elite Z and mid-weight Big Z.
4. TL/TL3. The TL was really nice. I would have liked to see more distance out of it, and the limited plastic options aren't ideal. I will keep this mold on the back burner for now. If neither the Pipeline or Undertaker work out, then I will probably keep my eyes open for a run of lightweight G* TL3 to see how those compare to the Champs that I already borrowed from a buddy.
And that's it! Thanks for everyone's recommendations. I really did look into all of them, but was able to whittle down the list via additional research. Not saying I won't consider anything else at this point...but I would probably need to receive a free tester disc in the mail if you want me to consider an additional mold
Pipelines came yesterday. Got to try a couple out, and honestly they are the closest thing to a fresh Stag that I've ever thrown. I had a 3-month old Stag in the bag too for comparison (just old enough to no longer fly with its out of the box stability) and the Stag was flipping to flat just a tad easier. It will take a couple rounds to dial in release angles with the Pipelines, but clearly they are an easy replacement for a Stag.
I do still have Undertakers arriving in the next few days. I remain curious to see how the Undertaker flies. If it is every bit as workable as a Pipeline but starting a tick more stable, then I will probably just bag both for a month to see which I prefer.
I do still have Undertakers arriving in the next few days. I remain curious to see how the Undertaker flies. If it is every bit as workable as a Pipeline but starting a tick more stable, then I will probably just bag both for a month to see which I prefer.
Emoney
* Ace Member *
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2010
- Messages
- 2,889
Sunking has 4 of these in stock. I got one when they had like 6. I prefer finding these milky non-seethrough SP Pipelines that are stuffed with glitter. They tend to fly more OS to start i found. These Pipelines are a placeholder til i can get the Mantis back.
I love it that people leave me the pinkish or purple discs. Some of my favorite colors to throw in fairways and up speeds.
Ps... Im guessing the Undy will be more OS. Especially in Z plastic. Also, its faster, so at your distances it should have more fade too.
Good luck
I love it that people leave me the pinkish or purple discs. Some of my favorite colors to throw in fairways and up speeds.
Ps... Im guessing the Undy will be more OS. Especially in Z plastic. Also, its faster, so at your distances it should have more fade too.
Good luck
Attachments
Last edited:
zontar
Double Eagle Member
put that TL on the front burner again. you won't regret it.
Undertakers came early! Max Weight Z and Low 170's Big Z. I kept the Big Z at home and threw the heavy Z against a heavy SP Pipeline and mid 160's Proline Pipeline. 22 holes, and threw all three discs on nearly every hole to see what they can do. Moderate (10ish MPH) winds. Here are my thoughts:
Light PL Pipeline: The lighter weight was immediately noticeable. Definitely a tad squirelly, which is OK. I like workable discs. In a tailwind when throw flat this disc crushes. Holds a panning turn for a long time when forced. I am still learning angles with it, so had some really big misses both left and right. Seemed like every time I thought I knew how much turn and fade it would give me, I got double crossed and it either turned way more or faded out earlier than expected. Need more time to dial it in. My flight rating: 8/5/-1.5/2
Heavy SP Pipeline: Very much like a fresh Stag. Just enough lateral wriggle to be workable but generally speaking it did what I wanted (other than when throwing into a headwind). A little more reliable than the light PL. Longer and held turnovers easier than the Undertaker. If I were to only carry three fairway drivers, I could see this being the middle/workhorse disc with a Felon and Hatchet bookending it. 8/5/-1/2
Heavy Z Undertaker: Slightly wider rim than the Pipelines and higher PLH, but also a flatter wing shape compared to the convex Pipeline wing. The discs feel noticeably different in hand from each other. The Pipelines feel more natural to me but I'm sure I could adjust to the Undertaker's hand feel. As for flight, its stability was halfway between a TL and Pipeline. I do wish its rim was a *tad* bit narrower, as I really felt like I had to exaggerate an anhyzer release to get it to work angles for me. Of course the flipside of that is that it was noticeably more reliable than either Pipeline, and had just enough teeth to fly into a headwind with confidence. 8.5/5/-0.25/2.
Ideally, I'd like to just pick one of these two molds. For the time being I will bag both, and see what I naturally gravitate toward over the next month or so. I am curious to see how that lightweight Proline Pipeline beats in. If it can beat into my hyzerflip-to-turn (and roller) slot and replace Hatchets, then I could see making room for the Undy in the bag too.
Light PL Pipeline: The lighter weight was immediately noticeable. Definitely a tad squirelly, which is OK. I like workable discs. In a tailwind when throw flat this disc crushes. Holds a panning turn for a long time when forced. I am still learning angles with it, so had some really big misses both left and right. Seemed like every time I thought I knew how much turn and fade it would give me, I got double crossed and it either turned way more or faded out earlier than expected. Need more time to dial it in. My flight rating: 8/5/-1.5/2
Heavy SP Pipeline: Very much like a fresh Stag. Just enough lateral wriggle to be workable but generally speaking it did what I wanted (other than when throwing into a headwind). A little more reliable than the light PL. Longer and held turnovers easier than the Undertaker. If I were to only carry three fairway drivers, I could see this being the middle/workhorse disc with a Felon and Hatchet bookending it. 8/5/-1/2
Heavy Z Undertaker: Slightly wider rim than the Pipelines and higher PLH, but also a flatter wing shape compared to the convex Pipeline wing. The discs feel noticeably different in hand from each other. The Pipelines feel more natural to me but I'm sure I could adjust to the Undertaker's hand feel. As for flight, its stability was halfway between a TL and Pipeline. I do wish its rim was a *tad* bit narrower, as I really felt like I had to exaggerate an anhyzer release to get it to work angles for me. Of course the flipside of that is that it was noticeably more reliable than either Pipeline, and had just enough teeth to fly into a headwind with confidence. 8.5/5/-0.25/2.
Ideally, I'd like to just pick one of these two molds. For the time being I will bag both, and see what I naturally gravitate toward over the next month or so. I am curious to see how that lightweight Proline Pipeline beats in. If it can beat into my hyzerflip-to-turn (and roller) slot and replace Hatchets, then I could see making room for the Undy in the bag too.
Just wanted to chime in one last time and say thanks again for all the suggestions and feedback. I've been working with the Undertaker and Pipeline quite a bit and have steadily been gravitating more and more toward the Pipeline. I like how quickly the lightweight PL Pipeline has been beating in compared to the heavier SP. After less than a month, I feel like I already have a nice 1-2 punch just with that combo of two Pipelines (and a few more for fieldwork). And after spending time in the field getting reps with the discs, the Pipeline is absolutely that workable mid-stability fairway I was looking for. The Undy is a nice disc too, but I can't manipulate angles with it quite as easy and it's just a touch faster than what I'd prefer. For me it flies like a more HSS Escape. The Pipeline is more like a Stag or FD.
New fairway lineup: 2-3 Felons / 2 Pipelines / Hatchet.
The Pipeline to Hatchet gap is seamless. There is a little more space between my Felons and a fresh Pipeline, but the gap isn't enormous. I do still have a stack of Getaways and can easily throw one in the bag for courses/conditions that call for it.
New fairway lineup: 2-3 Felons / 2 Pipelines / Hatchet.
The Pipeline to Hatchet gap is seamless. There is a little more space between my Felons and a fresh Pipeline, but the gap isn't enormous. I do still have a stack of Getaways and can easily throw one in the bag for courses/conditions that call for it.
