[Drivers] DD3 vs. Zeus

[Twmccoy]

For the first time I had a DD3 and Zeus in the field head to head (along with a few other drivers). I hadn't thrown my Zeus in Several months, so I figured it was time to pull it out again.

Zeus is ESP 174g. DD3 is S line 175g.

Going into this I expected the DD3 to outfly the Zeus. I hadn't ever been super impressed with the Zeus to this point. I found it a little glideless and beefy.

To make a long story short, the DD3 and Zeus had exactly the same flight. I was throwing them a little high and purposely trying to turn them a bit. Both discs would S curve gracefully and have very similar flights. They were literally within 5' of each other on almost every throw. I really enjoyed throwing both the DD3 and Zeus. I found that I could make the discs turn if I wanted, but they weren't going to flip randomly. Average distance was about 425', but a couple Zeus throws were probably 450'. These aren't the longest drivers I've ever thrown, but the consistency and overall flight was awesome. I feel like I could use the DD3 or Zeus on the course with confidence and get all the distance I need. Full power rips without any flips.

Final thoughts: The DD3 and Zeus are both excellent speed 12 workhorse drivers. They can be thrown really hard without worrying about flipping. I was able to get the -1 high speed turn out of both discs, and they were flexing out well for impressive yardage. The Zeus actually impressed me a lot because I didn't think it would hang with the DD3. If anything the Zeus went slightly further.

DD3 and Zeus: 12, 5, -1, 3: Basic Destroyer numbers.

Next thing I'm going to try is pulling out one of my proto Kongs and compare it to the Zeus. I think the Zeus is less stable, but I haven't thrown a proto Kong in a while.

 

[Moose33]

I did a similar thing with Destroyers and Zeus and included the Proto Kong and for FH distance it was my favorite.

If I was throwing 80% just trying to throw 400-450 and hit a target it was basically the same between a 4x Destroyer and the first run Zeus. On Max D FH I was getting that beefier Kong out to 500+ where as the others were not getting past 470.

 

[Twmccoy]

I did a similar thing with Destroyers and Zeus and included the Proto Kong and for FH distance it was my favorite.

If I was throwing 80% just trying to throw 400-450 and hit a target it was basically the same between a 4x Destroyer and the first run Zeus. On Max D FH I was getting that beefier Kong out to 500+ where as the others were not getting past 470.

Yeah, I might have to do an "all speed 12" trip to the field and see what I like best. I have all sorts of Destroyers. We all know you can find a ton of variance there.

I also have Legacy Outlaws and a couple Enigmas to add to the mix.

The Zeus and DD3 were really crisp today though. I was throwing them so well. Perfect discs for long drives on the course where accuracy is needed.

 

[ray1970]

I'm a noodle arm that maxes out around 350. I've tried three DD3's (two of them Cloudbreaker swirlys) and a proto Zeus and a first run Zeus.

I found the Zeus to be easier to throw and closer to what I would expect out of the flight numbers. All of the DD3's were beefy by comparison.

While I don't have any business throwing either of them, if I had to pick one it would probably be the Zeus.

 

[rusch_bag]

I haven't had good luck with Zeus' myself. I think I have tried 4 now and I just couldn't get them to go anywhere. The ones I threw had 0 glide at all and I could barely get them to 350 whereas my destroyers go another 50-75 feet. I'm pretty sure the DD3 is a destroyer. They are also inconsistent as I had a few that were really nice and flipped a little, and a few that were super overstable. I don't have it in me to keep buying zeus' until I get one that flies how it is supposed to so I will just stick with destroyers/wraiths.

 

[twistedraven]

No surprises there seeing as mcbeth's line seems like a bunch of Innova clones. I'm willing to bet any differences comes down to inconsistencies in runs.

I have a couple Zeus's, but only as collectors items, because I found their swirl patterns very appealing. I have one DD3 that is not quite a pop top, but has a large and gradual dome to it, and it has a great combination of stability and glide. Currently running with GL Ballista Pros in favor of it, but will keep that DD3 in my collection regardless if I ever think of changing from the Ballista Pros some day.

 

[Emoney]

No surprises there seeing as mcbeth's line seems like a bunch of Innova clones. I'm willing to bet any differences comes down to inconsistencies in runs.

At this point, what discs can be made that arent clones? That are actually useful for Mcbeth? Any company he went to would do the same.

I think the plastic blends are the main differences now with all the big companies. Discraft is absolutely killing it in that department.

 

[Twmccoy]

I'm a noodle arm that maxes out around 350. I've tried three DD3's (two of them Cloudbreaker swirlys) and a proto Zeus and a first run Zeus.

I found the Zeus to be easier to throw and closer to what I would expect out of the flight numbers. All of the DD3's were beefy by comparison.

While I don't have any business throwing either of them, if I had to pick one it would probably be the Zeus.

I have 1 Cloudbreaker, 175g. Beautiful disc, but the thing is an overstable pig. Pretty flat and glideless. Of the 7 or so DD3s I've tried it was by far the most overstable.

I thought the Proto Zeus/Kong was really beefy too.

 

[Twmccoy]

I haven't had good luck with Zeus' myself. I think I have tried 4 now and I just couldn't get them to go anywhere. The ones I threw had 0 glide at all and I could barely get them to 350 whereas my destroyers go another 50-75 feet. I'm pretty sure the DD3 is a destroyer. They are also inconsistent as I had a few that were really nice and flipped a little, and a few that were super overstable. I don't have it in me to keep buying zeus' until I get one that flies how it is supposed to so I will just stick with destroyers/wraiths.

I agree with you about the Zeus/Kong. I have 1 Zeus and 4 proto Kongs. I always found them to be really overstable, glideless, and short. Today was the first time I really felt like I was throwing the Zeus hard enough to flex it out at all. The disc was flat out impressing me. One thing I will say, you have to absolutely MURDER a Zeus to make it turn. If you throw it too lightly the disc won't really do anything. Today vs an ESP Nuke my Zeus was actually beating it by 20' consistently. I have no explanation there.

I've actually had better luck with DD3s than Destroyers. IDK, for me DD3's seem just a touch less overstable than Destroyers, with more dome. I have an easier time flexing them out and getting them to glide. That said, I'll agree that not all DD3s fly the same.

 

[Twmccoy]

No surprises there seeing as mcbeth's line seems like a bunch of Innova clones. I'm willing to bet any differences comes down to inconsistencies in runs.

I have a couple Zeus's, but only as collectors items, because I found their swirl patterns very appealing. I have one DD3 that is not quite a pop top, but has a large and gradual dome to it, and it has a great combination of stability and glide. Currently running with GL Ballista Pros in favor of it, but will keep that DD3 in my collection regardless if I ever think of changing from the Ballista Pros some day.

I haven't thrown gold line Ballista Pros, but I've thrown several Optos. They actually seem to fly pretty similarly to DD3s. Same general stability. I get a little better distance out of the Ballista Pro, and I also find them a tiny bit flippier than DD3s. Ballista Pros actually will turn and burn if you get too assertive with them, especially into a headwind. DD3s won't for me. I like both drivers though, and would bag either of them.

I agree about most discs being "clones" these days too. Destroyer = DD3 = Outlaw = Zeus = Enigma.... the list probably goes on.

 

[wims]

At this point, what discs can be made that arent clones? That are actually useful for Mcbeth? Any company he went to would do the same.

I think the plastic blends are the main differences now with all the big companies. Discraft is absolutely killing it in that department.

What are the best Discraft plastic blends in your opinion? Personally I think Star > ESP and DX > Pro-D, but I dont have that much experience with Discraft.

 

[discerdoo]

What are the best Discraft plastic blends in your opinion? Personally I think Star > ESP and DX > Pro-D, but I dont have that much experience with Discraft.

Personally I don't love the newer ESP. It's beautiful but it's a lot stiffer than older ESP. Old ESP > Star > new ESP. Z > Champion for the most part. Some of the lustery Champion runs are sweet. Pro > X, X takes awhile to get some tackiness. DX > pro D probably. Though I have some D Roaches that feel nice, durability is an issue.

Discraft has lots of special blends that are great too.

One man's opinion....

 

[twistedraven]

Yeah I have a bunch of newer ESP discs. People have always raved over ESP's excellent grip, but none of my ESP discs have better grip than my Star discs. Star has some variance in grip too (I mean what plastic doesn't). By far my grippiest star disc is a 165 Star TL3. I wouldn't trade that thing for the world.

None of that compares to the champ color glow Sexybirds though. If only every disc Innova made was with that champ color glow blend. The grip is absurd.


Also, to be fair on the new McBeth line being Innova clones, I will say that I really can't put a finger on what the Anax is supposed to be. It's definitely straighter/glidier/flippier than a Thunderbird, which is the closest comparison I can make. To this day I still don't know whether to rate it 10/6/0/3 or 10/5/-1/3.

 

[Twmccoy]

Yeah I have a bunch of newer ESP discs. People have always raved over ESP's excellent grip, but none of my ESP discs have better grip than my Star discs. Star has some variance in grip too (I mean what plastic doesn't). By far my grippiest star disc is a 165 Star TL3. I wouldn't trade that thing for the world.

None of that compares to the champ color glow Sexybirds though. If only every disc Innova made was with that champ color glow blend. The grip is absurd.


Also, to be fair on the new McBeth line being Innova clones, I will say that I really can't put a finger on what the Anax is supposed to be. It's definitely straighter/glidier/flippier than a Thunderbird, which is the closest comparison I can make. To this day I still don't know whether to rate it 10/6/0/3 or 10/5/-1/3.

I agree about the Anax. Weird disc. Its definitely longer and glidier than a Thunderbird. Flippier too.

I've never thrown another disc like it.

My Anax is something like 10, 6, -1, 2. Floaty with some high speed turn and a soft late fade.

 

[Jolt]

The Zeus and Anax seams to be in a very weird ESP plastic, much stiffer than my other ESP discs.

Just got a ESP Flick and a Zeus today and the Flick is very soft and grippy ...Zeus is stiff and slippery, feels more like Big-Z

 

[Twmccoy]

The Zeus and Anax seams to be in a very weird ESP plastic, much stiffer than my other ESP discs.

Just got a ESP Flick and a Zeus today and the Flick is very soft and grippy ...Zeus is stiff and slippery, feels more like Big-Z

I'd say my Zeus falls into the "stiff/slippery" group. I love the plastic, but it is fairly rigid stuff. Seems really durable too.

That said, I'd rather have the current ESP than some of the older stuff that was rubbery/gummy. It warped easily and wasn't durable.