I read this thread twice because the Stud sounded like a good candidate for my slightly OS putter slot. So I finally got a couple of Studs. One 175g DX and 1 175g XT.
Here are my initial thoughts after a few throws in the field:
Plastic:
DX feels good, its a little soft without being too soft. The firmness is just about perfect IMO. I'm not a fan of really soft discs like Discraft's Soft putter plastic, Gateway's SS or floppier, or R-Pro putters. Those are all too soft for me. This DX is firmer but not rock hard. The flight plate has some give and the rim will flex and absorb some impact. This is all I need.
The XT is GREAT. This is my first XT. I like the idea of it and the descriptions of it so I thought I'd give it a go. Definitely not disappointed in the feel. It feels like Gateway SS grip but stiffer. The center of the flight plate is smooth but the amount of texture increases as you get closer to the rim. By the time you get to the wing it feels like Gateway SSS texture. This really is a fantastic balance of grippiness and stiffness. LOVE IT.
The two different plastics' geometries look identical with the exception of the dome. The dome is very slightly higher on the XT bu tonly by a millimeter or less; barely perceptible. Neither of these discs are domey but they aren't flat either. However, any less dome and they would start tickling the "flat" category.
In the hand:
It is a low profile putter beaded putter. Some people like low profile, some like beaded, some like both and some like neither. I like the low profile and the bead doesn't annoy me. I jump back and forth between the Aviar P&A and the Rhyno so I'm used to both beaded and beadless. The Stud's bead is there but it doesn't hinder throwing with my modified fan grip and it definitely doesn't annoy me.
The rim depth is measured at 1.3cm which is the same as my Rhyno but the stud feels thinner to me. I'm blaming the Thumtrac.
The rim is 1.1cm thick and fills out my hand less than Rhynos and Aviars but it isn't uncomfortably small. It's noticeable but I don't think it affects anything.
There is a decent radius where the inside of the rim meets the bottom of the flight plate. Even though the radius is average/slightly larger than average I still wish it were just a little bigger. I like a big radius for my forehand grip.
Some discs feel heavier than others. For instance, the Warlock feels heavier than the Aviar even though they are essentially the same disc. I think this is because of the weight distribution; the Warlock has more weight in the rim and less in the flight plate so when I am gripping the disc with my putt grip it feels heavier than an Aviar. These Studs feel light for being 175g. I think the flight plates are on the thick side.
Stamps:
XT? Blech. No thanks. I'm pretty sure the XT material will hold Sharpie better than any DX soooooo... I'm already daydreaming tattoos for her
DX: I know alot of people don't like the little pony. I think it's a good start but they could have made it a lot cooler. Personal pref.
Throwing:
It was cold, wet, snowy and starting to get dark outside so I didn't get to throw as much or as hard as I wanted. But I had enough flight-time to notice a few things of interest to me.
The XT felt better in the cold, wet snow. Big surprise. Neither felt bad, its just that the XT felt noticeably better.
The studs have a tendency to release low just like my Rhynos. That's fine because they are candidates for replacing the Rhynos and I'm already used to compensating on those types of throws. No biggie.
The stability seemed pretty good to me. The HSS was usually 0 but on some of the harder throws I think I started to notice the faintest bit of turn… like -0.25 or less. Is anyone else seeing this? There was a gusty 5-10 mph wind and of course I was seeing the turn when I was throwing into a headwind. The Rhynos wouldn't have flinched in these winds. The studs handled the crosswinds and tailwinds just fine, no concerns there. I don't have the best wind game and even I was able to hit my targets. But then again 5-10 mph shouldn't interfere too much anyway.
The fade was a nice surprise. If you have given your throw enough height then you'll see a gradual pull to the left (RHBH) as the disc fades forward. It doesn't do one of those hard flares, just a modestly strong but gradual pull to the left. It's very similar to a brand new Aviar P&A's gradual fade but with more kick to the left. If you don't have the height then the fade is barely noticeable. I regularly rely on my disc's fade to keep me away from trouble so it's nice to see that the Stud will be a reliable performer in this regard.
The Studs have some glide but less than I thought they would. More than the Rhyno but less than the Aviar. These seemed more ballistic than glidey. I was instantly comfortable with the glide and had no troubles hitting my landing zones with these, even when I was picking spots more than 200' away. Range control was not an issue for me today. I didn't notice any difference in the way the two different plastics skipped/didn't skip. Wet ground isn't the best time to test this.
Distance?
Well it was cold, wet, snowy and getting dark. I'm a wuss so my hands were hurting a little. I wasn't seeing my normal putter distances… but then again, I wasn't expecting to. I had no trouble getting over 200'. 250-260' was about average. I had a few that were at (or slightly over) 300' but it was hurting my fingers to throw that hard and the ground was all muddy so footing was less-than-ideal. My educated guess is that I will see an average of 300' in the summer. I think I will be able to push them out to 350' but that's not a shot that I would use at the course; if I'm counting strokes then that shot would get a midrange for 350' shots.
Both plastics flew identically as far as I could tell.
Putting:
For putts inside the circle, it's like putting with a Rhyno. You can't aim directly at the link you want to hit because of the fade. Aim slightly to the right and let the fade take it into the chains. The XT plastic grips the chains better than the DX. This seems like a big plus to me.
I haven't gotten to try any putts from outside the circle. More on that later.
Conclusion:
Overall I like the disc. A lot. But I need more time before I can say whether it will kick the Rhyno out of the bag. My two main concerns are:
1- If my observations today were correct then these Studs *might not* have the HSS I want. I need to test this more because I will be driving these 100% guaranteed. I like the HSS of the Rhynos... if these Studs are appreciably less HSS than the Rhynos then that will be the deal breaker for me.
2- These do not have the Thumtrac. I like the Thumtrac.
