wolfman7207
Bogey Member
- Joined
- Mar 15, 2010
- Messages
- 77
Recently swapped from Soft Magnets to IONs for putting. Couldnt imagine switching back.
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Carry Ion AND Wizard or...
- Thread starter Technohic
- Start date
MVP does plan on doing some research and development in this area. There are a lot of little issues in the overmold process that would need to be worked out to make sure that it flew just as well as it does with the urethane plastics. They also have to use the same general type of plastic on both parts of the disc so that they bond chemically, and they would have to keep the mass differential about the same between the two plastics as well to maintain the gyroscopics.
Carrying two putter molds isn't a bad idea. A lot of putters that work well for driving don't work as well for others for putting.
I'm curious how you came about your preferences though. I'd expect most people to prefer the Ion for putts (Straight flight) and the Wizard for drives and approach (More stability).
If you like the flight of the Ion but prefer the Gateway Plastics (I don't blame you, what company puts out putters in such a huge variety of materials) you should try out the Voodoo, as it's very similar in flight and shape to the Ion. Also, if you've never thrown a Magic, those are nice and straight, though past 250' they start to feel kind of flippy for me...which can be nice for short turnover drives...
Just use what works, as long as you only putt with a single mold it's not a big deal if you carry 2 putter molds.
As a long time Wizard throwing Ion convert I can answer your first question...The Ion is a little better in almost every way when thrown as a driver. As you mentioned, it has a more workable stability out of the box...kind of like a Wizard that has been played with a bit and has lost some LSS, but still has 100% of its HSS. It will hold a longer turn than a Wizard, and at the same time will pull out of a more drastic nose angle better than a Wizard. It also glides further and is better in the wind...And I'm talking about Ions vs. S Wizards. The Ion greatly outperforms all the premium plastic Wizards.
I've been throwing Ions all this year, and when I pull out one of my old Wizards/Warlocks/Voodoos for comparison it feels like I'm pulling out Cheetahs and Gazelles compared to Eagles and Teebirds. It just feels like the Ion does the same jobs better, easier, and more consistently.
On the last point I totally agree. I have grown to love putting with my Ions, but there is no shame in carrying a putting/driving putter because they are two very different shots, with different grips, and different power requirements.
Technohic
* Ace Member *
- Joined
- Jul 27, 2009
- Messages
- 8,517
That's pretty much it. When thrown as hard as I would drive a Wizard, the Ion doest turn any more really and with less fade which helps if I need a light controlled shot to stay straight where the Wizard would fade out. I could put more snap on the Wizard to compensate but that increases the risk of overshooting more than I like.
Friend of mine said a couple weeks ago he though the Ion was causing some blow throughs on my putts and would roll after that or if I missed, it would slide giving me a longer 2nd putt than need be. I first said it was me and that is probably right; but put the Wiz back in and saw several shots where it just stuck in the same place my Ion would have slid
Discspeed, I admit I only threw an Ion for a week (Did play many putter rounds with it) and it was a proto so maybe it flies differently than current ones, but I never agreed with you that they had good glide compared to my other putters. I thought it was a great disc, similar to the Buzz in how they both can take a lot of power and fly real straight without being flippy or prone to unintentional turnovers. It also holds an anny better out of the box than a Wizard. But I throw Evo, Organic and SS Wizards and I have to say each of them felt like they had more glide to them. But then again what we smoke in Ohio must be pretty good because unlike the rest of the internet my evo Wizard flies just as well as my others
If the Ion ever made it's way back into my bag, I'd imagine it'd be for driving and approach and a magic for putts. Close to the basket I felt like the Ion performed like a Wizard with less glide. The straightness of it's flight doesn't come into play in my experience on <40' putts, and it's IMO less glide than the Wizard made it drop a little sooner. Also I didn't find the outer rim particularly sticky when hitting chains.
Not to say it's a bad disc...it isn't. I just feel like you and me have gotten different impressions of certain characteristics of it.
If the Ion ever made it's way back into my bag, I'd imagine it'd be for driving and approach and a magic for putts. Close to the basket I felt like the Ion performed like a Wizard with less glide. The straightness of it's flight doesn't come into play in my experience on <40' putts, and it's IMO less glide than the Wizard made it drop a little sooner. Also I didn't find the outer rim particularly sticky when hitting chains.
Not to say it's a bad disc...it isn't. I just feel like you and me have gotten different impressions of certain characteristics of it.
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Which kind did you throw? Was it one of the lightweight blue/red protos, a soft, or a red medium proto? What was the weight?
It was a 174 flesh colored prototype from when they first started putting them out to retailers, no markings or logos on it except weight from what I recall. Do current ones fly differently? It's a disc I wouldn't mind giving another shot.
You had a soft. The new mediums do fly quite a bit differently and are quite a bit more comparable to a Wizard than the softs. They are the only ones I throw now because it is hot here in FL and the softs feel too floppy.
I'm now carrying a Soft Ion for driving, a Medium Ion for approaching, and a Magic for putting. If I wasn't committed to the Magic for this year though, I'd probably be putting with the Medium Ion.
djjeremiahj
Double Eagle Member
Discspeed, I admit I only threw an Ion for a week (Did play many putter rounds with it) and it was a proto so maybe it flies differently than current ones, but I never agreed with you that they had good glide compared to my other putters. I thought it was a great disc, similar to the Buzz in how they both can take a lot of power and fly real straight without being flippy or prone to unintentional turnovers. It also holds an anny better out of the box than a Wizard. But I throw Evo, Organic and SS Wizards and I have to say each of them felt like they had more glide to them. But then again what we smoke in Ohio must be pretty good because unlike the rest of the internet my evo Wizard flies just as well as my others
If the Ion ever made it's way back into my bag, I'd imagine it'd be for driving and approach and a magic for putts. Close to the basket I felt like the Ion performed like a Wizard with less glide. The straightness of it's flight doesn't come into play in my experience on <40' putts, and it's IMO less glide than the Wizard made it drop a little sooner. Also I didn't find the outer rim particularly sticky when hitting chains.
Not to say it's a bad disc...it isn't. I just feel like you and me have gotten different impressions of certain characteristics of it.
:thmbup: what he said.
IMHO, it makes a great Driver and Approach disc (for me, esp if i could have gotten a lighter one than the 174 i got...)
as a putter my friend (who i loaned it too put it best) - "it wont replace any of my 2 current putters, and i really dont want to learn another disc..."
for me (as a driver and approach) - it didnt do anything (overwhelmingly better) than any disc i already have and use. (it didnt "open up" my approach/short fairway game, as it has for others.)
None-the-less....:thmbup: - still thumbs up and i would recommend it to others. (for some it could really have a positive impact on their game; especially if you are searching for a solution in the 25-150' ranges)
