[Compare] Beast vs. Valkyrie

[JuanA]

My Beast was replaced by an Orc, but my Valkyrie still makes it into the bag from time to time.

So I guess I'm Team Valk.

 

[Monkeypaws]

I love the slow turn of the Beast. I have other discs in the Valk slot I like better.

 

[slowplastic]

Beasts seem way less HSS to me...not sure of the X vs. L thing but all of the half dozen or so that have been handed to me to throw have turned over from any hyzer pretty quick. And they flip faster and less predictably to me than a Sidewinder. I have no doubt they can bomb, but I don't think I would ever bag one because they seem unnecessarily unpredictable.

Valks seem to be way more neutral and workable, like a speed 9 style FD. Again not a spot I need since if I want more control I will throw an FD and if I want more distance with consistency I can go up in speed and stability. But I can see the Valk working for a lot more lines and for a wider arm speed variation. Definitely a disc I would recommend to someone who wants a driver that won't do them harm.

 

[JuanA]

Beasts seem way less HSS to me...not sure of the X vs. L thing .

That's why my Beast lost it's spot to the Orc. It couldn't handle much headwind at all. Mine is old though, so maybe I have an L? How does one tell the difference?

 

[slowplastic]

That's why my Beast lost it's spot to the Orc. It couldn't handle much headwind at all. Mine is old though, so maybe I have an L? How does one tell the difference?

This pic seems to be reliable with X on left and L on right.

I know how to tell the difference between X/L but I just threw what was handed to me and people didn't know which they had. They would flip too much for me so I never really looked into the wing shape much since I knew it wasn't a reliable disc for me.

Generally L molds have a straighter bottom wing, and X molds have a more concave or dip to the wing, especially at the bottom.

 

[armiller]

Beasts seem way less HSS to me...not sure of the X vs. L thing but all of the half dozen or so that have been handed to me to throw have turned over from any hyzer pretty quick. And they flip faster and less predictably to me than a Sidewinder. I have no doubt they can bomb, but I don't think I would ever bag one because they seem unnecessarily unpredictable.

Which Beasts have you tried? There are a plethora of DX's out there that are flip machines. I've also thrown at least one champ that seemed like a dud as far as glide. But get a good, heavy Star and I suspect it could be good even for a 400' thrower. Granted, a good Star Valk wouldn't be much worse... but I'd love to see a good Beast throw from slowplastic. The glide is really nice, and it's a mold I use forehand and backhand. (maybe I do have an X after all? who knows...) It's really not a turnover disc for me, and excels at forehand and backhand hyzers that need to go way left or way right, in addition to straight tunnels. Very impressive glide as well! Valks are solid but I definitely get some extra D from my Beast.

 

[slowplastic]

Which Beasts have you tried? There are a plethora of DX's out there that are flip machines. I've also thrown at least one champ that seemed like a dud as far as glide. But get a good, heavy Star and I suspect it could be good even for a 400' thrower. Granted, a good Star Valk wouldn't be much worse... but I'd love to see a good Beast throw from slowplastic. The glide is really nice, and it's a mold I use forehand and backhand. (maybe I do have an X after all? who knows...) It's really not a turnover disc for me, and excels at forehand and backhand hyzers that need to go way left or way right, in addition to straight tunnels. Very impressive glide as well! Valks are solid but I definitely get some extra D from my Beast.

All Beasts I've tried have been champ. Oh I definitely love throwing the speed 9 Innova stuff and the Beast is basically in that realm...unfortunately they don't fit my bag other than the stable ones like Thundy/FB. But RR, SW, Valks all crush and Beast is no different. Slower drivers that are flippy are my favourite to throw, but at the same time they don't fit my bag super well which tends to be the flat to fade BH and FH laser shots.

The ones I tried must have been L molds because they wouldn't work for drifting hyzers unless they were released on spike angles. But I know what you mean about using discs with that bit of turn and not much fade to get the farthest carrying hyzers possible.

 

[Casey 1988]

Which is better, the Beast or the Valkyrie?

The Beast is 10,5,-2,2; the Valk is 9,4,-2,2. If you had to bag one or the other, which would you choose?

Valkyrie, the Beast has an odd rim that I never liked compared to the Valkyrieas well as a bunch of the Beast having more dome in Champion then Valkyrie to keep the glide so I stuck with the Valkyrie. The Archon is one I have been thinking about getting as the 12 speed disc in same flight is the Whaoo and is in R-Pro so it gets ruined quick, as fast as the Dragon if not faster when hitting trees because you can put power easier on the disc.

 

[JuanA]

Generally L molds have a straighter bottom wing, and X molds have a more concave or dip to the wing, especially at the bottom.

Thanks for the explanation. I just got home and it appears I have the L. I have a DX Beast with the regular Beast stamp (not Beast-X) and it has the same rim as my Champion, and they both look like the L.

Now I'm interested in finding an X. My DX Beast is brand new, so maybe I'll swing by PIAS on the way home tomorrow and see if they have a 172 X.

 

[Sydex]

I think the only X Beasts in production are Champion and GStar, somebody correct me if that has changed.

Beasts, and speed 10 discs in general, just feel comfortable in my hand. 11+ starts to feel a little big. My brother swears by Valkyries, but that's because he had thrown them first.

How many like Beasts and threw Valks first?

 

[krooster]

The Valk goes nearly as far but is more controllable and seems marginally better for slower arms.

As soon as I tried a Tern, though, I no longer saw a use for the Beast. My experience is that the Tern doesn't seem to require more armspeed to throw, seems just as controllable, and adds significant distance compared to the Beast.

 

[Casey 1988]

I've never had a really beefy Valk, but I've sure seen some Vikings that were. I'm talking like Firebird overstable.

If/when I throw Valks (which is super seldom) I want ones with some dome, and heavy. Lightweight Valks are uselessly flippy.

Same goes for Beasts. Make them domey and heavy.

I do not want a Champion Valkyrie domey as then it was Monarch US to me, not what I was looking for. Those Champion Valkyrie need to be low to no more then average dome or the disc is not going to work. Beast is always higher dome as a low dome Beast is then as os as a Wraith/Orc/Destroyer type disc in that category.

 

[jswoods1984]

Old pearly Beasts > any driver out there. Hands down my favorite disc ever produced!!

 

[icebat]

I think the only X Beasts in production are Champion and GStar, somebody correct me if that has changed.

Beasts, and speed 10 discs in general, just feel comfortable in my hand. 11+ starts to feel a little big. My brother swears by Valkyries, but that's because he had thrown them first.

How many like Beasts and threw Valks first?

I threw beasts first, and like valks better. Both have had spots in the bag, but the valkyrie is there to stay.

 

[JuanA]

Just got back from a round with both Beasts and my only Valkyrie...I'm still Team Valk.

I'll grab a Champion Beast the next time I buy. Maybe it will change my mind.

 

[nberthoud]

There are Star Valks out there that were pretty flat and very overstable, especially relative to 'normal' Valks. I know because I got one of them, and could never beat that thing in, despite hot water 'tuning' and throwing it onto asphalt and into brick walls. So watch out for those flat-top Star Valks, and you should get what you're looking for.

Jesus i know what you mean. I picked one up thinking it would be my go-to flippy driver and it ended up being the second most overstable disc in my bag.

 

[gammaxgoblin]

The valk was the first disc I was able to get a full flight out of. I remember that throw so clearly. My form was poor and erratic at best, but that throw lol. I had a pro beast that reliably would hold a turn for long right turning holes....but one day a throwler and goodbye. I was turned off of beasts until I found a "2 time" not "2x" pearlyish champ beast. Nice full flights. I have since picked up a couple more pearlyish 2 time ones and I have found some patent# star beasts which all fly nice for me. I have a factory dyed 2x which is a meathook as well. Having to pick one it would be a 2 time champ or patent# star beast only over a valkyrie.

 

[SD86]

Thanks for the answers; some great replies. My own $0.02 is that the Valk is at the upper end of the true control drivers, thrown more for accuracy than distance, while the Beast was an early distance driver. Like someone said above, high speed discs like the Tern have supplanted the Beast as distance drivers.

The X and L molds of the Beast have screwed things up for that mold, but the inconsistency of the Valk runs offsets that. I have Champion Valks that are relatively understable, Star Valks that are what most people want Thunderbirds to be, and everything in between. My old Echostar Valk is great, except it's the color of Georgia pine straw on the ground.

In some ways it's a shame the Beast is being left behind, as it's a great disc. It has more glide than the Valk, and is a great disc on pitch-and-putt courses with holes that are 300-350 ft. in length. Alas, it's caught up between control drivers and distance drivers.

My own straight-to-understable complimentary disc for my SL (or Pro Thunderbird at times) is the Infinite Discs Sphinx <3, so I'm not bagging either the Valk or Beast. But both are good, so I guess the debate will continue on.

 

[armiller]

How many like Beasts and threw Valks first?

I'm in that boat.

To be fair, I've only thrown one Valk I really loved: 175g Star that had decent glide and enough beef to be useful forehand. At some point I lost it and happened to have found a 175g Star Beast that had better glide and was similarly useful forehand. They were both in the bag for a while, But I fell in love around the time I lost the Beast, and my attempts at replacing the Beast were more successful than replacing the Valk.

Actually, my only complaint about the Beast is how finicky it behaves in even mild headwinds. I also think that speed 10 is simply a sweet spot speed-wise, for me. For others that like 11, or 12, or higher, there are clearly better options.

 

[Discgolfer48]

I have two dx Beasts. A 175g and a 160g. They both go the same distance. I hyzer flip them 318-324 feet. They seem to go as far as any other driver for me.