Disc life expectancy

[joshualicari]

for me discs are good until they break. I always cry a little when that happens.

Cracked a Polecat that I've had FOREVER and used just for practicing puts. Broke my heart.

 

[teamtexas]

My beasts have not lasted too long. I've only been playing for about 3 months and already on my third (well I lost one, but it was beat up bad when it went in the drink!). The champion beast is holding up well, but the dx has alot of scuffs and road burns on it. It seems to be turning over on me now, I'm guessing that means it's worn out??

Dan

 

[Countchunkula]

Good question. My favorite champ teebird was retired after 2+ years. This was due to two separate collisions with solid metal objects though. It was still in the sweet spot before it got shredded on separate occasions weeks apart. The damage looked like something that would happen to a speed 11+ dx.

My current goto roc has been used extensively for 2+ seasons and is still going strong.

I think the answer is that it depends. It depends on where you play, how often you play, dumb luck, how often you loose discs, how fast you throw, etc.

 

[GLong]

I keep track of birdies and retire my putters after 100 strokes under par. They seem to be pretty much beat after this. I haven't met anyone that does this, but it's system that works for me...

personally i think that's crazy but whatever works for you.

what about the par putts that you miss and become bogies? do you count those against the birdies? how much do you play?

 

[UncleSweat]

I haven't been playing that long, but I have a soft wizard in my bag that looks like roller coaster and I'll use it til it breaks.

 

[keltik]

Cracked a Polecat that I've had FOREVER and used just for practicing puts. Broke my heart.

That story breaks my heart. I love Polecats.

 

[kevinmzane]

I guess it really depends on the mold... I do have a 4 year old total flip machine pro leopard that is not leaving the bag anytime soon if I can help it. I think a lot of people underestimate the power of a ridiculously flippy disc.
That being said, I could definitely see some very high speed drivers becoming too beat up to be very effective within a couple of years. I don't usually take anything out of the bag unless I lose it or break it. My trashed Ontario roc and pro leopard are still very reliable and useful to me.
Some molds just break in poorly, some just work well through the whole break in and break down process... And some never seem to break in much at all? I have an esp cyclone that has some serious tree hits and about 2 solid years of use. It flies pretty much exactly the same.

 

[mattc]

being a newb, my game has changed so quickly that i have been changing discs very rapidly

 

[Jkosk]

My workhorse Star Eagle (That sees 10+ throws per round) has been the same disc for just over 3 years now. She's got some HSS, but I wouldn't call her flippy. Yet.

It's pretty savagely beat up, but I think it's got some more stability to lose, yet. And I am looking forward to it so I can start beating in a new one!

 

[hendryxdisc]

I have a 2 Z forces that over the last 2-3 years have taken a lot of abuse but not changed drastically they have not lost any hss just a bit of lss which is actually nice. I had a super beat 5+ year old magnet that didnt change at all and I used it for everything upshots, short drives and putts. Poor guy broke hitting the pole on an upshot a few weeks ago.

 

[swed]

Still throwing my 1st run red ce eagle, teebird, firebird. I take them out of the bag for winter. They have been with me since 2001. All three fly straight.

 

[jswoods1984]

I've got some old pearly beasts that I've had for a LOOONG time, and I love em. They aren't as stable as they used to be, but that just means that they fill a different spot in my bag. Just out of curiosity, has anyone actually seen the old Innova pearly grippy plastic break? I mean physically break? Because I have yet to see that...

 

[RnROutlaw]

I only have two premium plastic discs that I've beat in enough to change their flight, a star valk (pre sandstrom) that has lost it's fade, but when thrown flat still flies far, just has a consistent turn to it, took about two years for that to happen. The other is a z wildcat that was stupid overstable when I got it (noodle arm then, still am but not as much) but now when thrown flat it flies straight and has a soft fade at the end. That took about 3 years to happen, couple more knicks in it than the valk. So I guess I'm thinking about 2-3 years of using the discs regularly. But who am I but a noodle arm on the interwebs

 

[VictorB]

How long does it take for a premium plastic disc to change it's characteristics. I know there's a normal initial break in period but how long does it take to become too flippy to use for normal shots.

I'm talking about a frequently used (4+ times per round) fairway or distance driver playing pretty regularly.

I have a z predator that's been in my bag for at least 4 years that is still beefy enough for pretty much all wind fighting duties. It's seen a ton of spike hyzers and some thumbers over the years, and it's still a workhorse.

 

[DISCenchanted]

It really depends on the consistency of the plastic. IME, most of the gummy plastic holds up almost indefinitely since it deflects hits so well. I had a gummy champ Spider that never changed it's flight characteristics over the course of several years. My gummy Cryztal Buzzz is the same way, although I've only had it a year. Gummy star plastic doesn't quite have the same qualities as champ, but it still holds up really well. Harder plastics seem to hold up well from nicks and scrapes, but deforms when it takes a big hit(like a tree trunk at full power).

So it's tough to say how long plastic holds up when it depends on several factors, such as terrain and how hard you throw. It also depends on the mold. I've had primo plastic loose it's stability almost instantly after taking a huge tree hit at point blank range. I'd say on average, it should hold it's stability fairly well up to a year, and after a couple it should have lost quite a bit. Unless you throw the nice gummy plastic...

 

[KniceZ]

Interesting responses so far - I fully expected the "it depends" responses.

My primary reason for asking was my experience with a roughly one year old Vibram Trak that recently went flippy. I bought another just to see if it was me - it wasn't.

I'll divert a little from my original question and ask what typically changes first HSS or LSS. Remember again I'm interested in the more durable plastics, I've got DX that lost it all and just turns forever. But a couple Star drivers I've been using are still holding their original line but have lost most of their fade.