Where to begin? I have thrown almost everything, but the problem is is that in the seven years I have been doing that, my game has always been evolving. What actually might have been good for my game now was likely what I was not looking for at the time. So, while my list will include discs that I was greatly disappointed with, that does not mean that they are bad discs.
Opto Vision - I wanted something that could be powered down and fly flat. Instead it immediately flipped up, over, and was lost on its first throw.
2nd Run Opto Strikers - Once I dialed it in, my first run Opto Striker was the understable control driver I was looking for. The 2nd runs along with the production run Gold Lines were like Orcs or Wraiths. Good in their own right, not what I was looking for.
Nuke OS - Bought it strictly for the purpose of maximum distance on thumbers. Ended up being too wide rimmed to get enough flick on it for distance. My Opto XXX is working tremendously better.
Pro Wraith - Fliptastic when you have no idea what OAT is, but the Champion Wraiths were flying just fine. Why did I spend good money on a dyed Pro Wraith?
Z XS - Glideless crap. Early in my career I was throwing the X XS with great success. I thought it was a symbol of being a great player to throw Champion/ Z plastic.
SSS Wizard - Really? I thought this was supposed to be a magical putter that solved all my putting problems. Then I discovered it was my fault the putter was not going into the basket. It did not help that I then made several long putts with a S Voodoo.
Gold Line Pain - I so wanted it to be like the Hornet, or anything just a step under a Drone. I was going for an almost all Latitude bag with the exception of a River and Axis. Instead it was more like a Star Rancho Roc. Great disc, but not what I needed in my bag at the time.
Firm Ascent - I am in on the Vibram testing program. As a contest winner I receive a prototype weeks before it is released to the general public (so a tester in name only). The first week the Firm Ascent was a meathook, the second week it was the straightest thing I ever thrown and I was positive I was going to put it in my bag, the third week it flew like an Archangel and became incredibly uncontrollable.
TeeDevil - A longer TeeBird? Awesome. The Sword actually almost is a longer TeeBird, but I have had on again/ off again love/hate relationships with wide rimmed drivers. During those down periods I do not get more than 10-15 feet with a warp speed driver compared to my TeeBirds. It is a grip thing. I wanted to give the TeeDevil a chance because they have more potential plastic options than Westside, maybe I can find one that feels comfortable in my grip. Three weeks later that experiment was over.
Gold Line Flow - I learned a lot about how important nose angle REALLY is when trying to keep a disc low but still get tremendous distance.
S-Line FD Jackal - I wanted a longer mid, a true control driver that could hold lines without fade but also not be squirrelly. The FD held fantastic anhyzer lines, but that was about it; a one trick pony for me.
Blizzard Destroyers - Basically a flippy Pro Destroyer right out of the box that because it is lighter it will cause less fatigue? Wow, sounds like another magical disc that I had to try. Three of them later I discovered I still get better distance (in relation to the basket) with discs I have better grip on and therefore send on cleaner lines.
Any Star San Marino Roc that is not my original dyed 173g - For whatever reason I hit a homerun with that first Roc. It has tremendous glide, equal-to-none accuracy, and just feels great in my hand. Every Star San Marino I have tried since is a glideless piece of plastic that is incredibly difficult to aim. At least the Star Ranchos were more controllable until I switched over to Icon Ghosts (which fly almost identical to this original Roc).
Pigs - Titanics - Summits - Darts - Challengers - JuJus - Pures - Each for their own reason. I hate putters because of how they always break my heart. The first few weeks I keep feeling I have found the putter that I can use to the end of time. And then, my putting woes start back in. I have no illusions that it is me causing all the problems, not the putters. The only putters I have mildly tolerated are the Neutron Anodes, Neutron Ions, Eclipse Ions, and S Voodoos.
