[Latitude] Latitude 64 Macana

[Snaques]

I got to hold a Macana in my hand after a long while and still feel excited to get one on 25th.

Based on the design of the wing, I'd almost call it the VShield as in Vtech Shield.
It had a convex wing that looked quite similar to the VRoc one except in putter dimensions.

Immediately picked up two once the store opened and went out to a nearby field to throw few shots. Not very conclusive obviously, but it really seems to be exactly what I thought it would be. A straighter Shield in the best baseline plastic on the market.

I'd say that the top half of the mold is the same one as in the Shield. Bottom half could be from Dagger, though I never threw it due to such a deep rim. Height and rim depth feel exactly like the Shield. Bead is not that pronounced like someone claimed. I think that the convex wing really hides the bead well when it comes to the feel.

Macana also seems to benefit from a slightly increased glide compared to the Shield, which really helps with putting as you don't have to put quite as much oomph into it. I also threw few drives and it held the line nicely with a very mild fade at the end. I'm sure it will start turning a bit at some point, but that is just a further plus.

I'll have to see how it works on the rounds, but the first impression is really promising. :thmbup:

 

[Reniger]

Damn... Infinite has the updated pages, pictures, and today is the release date, but it won't allow you to order yet...

 

[kw83028]

Damn... Infinite has the updated pages, pictures, and today is the release date, but it won't allow you to order yet...

12PM ET is launch time. Couple more hours! I'm ready!

 

[kuubik]

so is it more stable than a Judge? Somewhere between Judge and Wizard?

 

[Streets]

so is it more stable than a Judge? Somewhere between Judge and Wizard?

I would say yes. To me this is the closest a Trilogy disc has come to a Wizard. Shield's too OS and less glide, Judge too straight with tons of glide. The Macana fits right in there.

 

[Reniger]

Yes, the Westside MacNCheese is very similar to a Wiz, but slightly slower/less glide. Very straight flight path with minor fade. I'd say it was a Wizard with about 10% of the glide shaved off.

 

[Snaques]

Yes, the Westside MacNCheese is very similar to a Wiz, but slightly slower/less glide. Very straight flight path with minor fade. I'd say it was a Wizard with about 10% of the glide shaved off.

I'd have to agree with this statement.

I've noticed that Macana does turn in the wind so pairing it with a Shield is definitely a good choice. This also makes me think that in time I can beat it into a very nice turnover putter as well.

For reference, in calm weather and flat field I managed to put the Macana out to 290ft (gps distance) without any turn or fade.

 

[MonkeyGrass]

Other than the "feel' in the hand, what did you not like about the Macana flight wise? Did it just go left instead of going straight?

It just kept coming out of my hand all funky, like my ring and pinky fingers kept getting hung up on the edge on that pronounced bead and dragging - it was just all wobbly and *wrong* lol :thmbdown: It was honestly hard to tell what it's flight was at first, but I knew right away this was a driving putter and not a "putting" putter. When it did hit chains, it just spit right back out on 2 or 3 longer putts. For me, it was the combo of that stiff, unforgiving plastic and the inner rim and bead felt terrible in my hand. Couldn't give that disc away fast enough. :gross: Same with my card mates - we all started putting with the evidence about halfway thru our TC round. The flight was not terrible (a bit more stable than I cared for but it was brand spanking new), but it didn't have the glide and smooth easy release of my 'melon proxy and that disc is firmly in the bag. I am mostly a push putter and I like the soft grippy plastics for my "in the circle" discs. I had no need for a new putter (switched to shields and proxys this season) and the Macana gave me no reason whatsoever to doubt my choices when it comes to putters.

Different strokes for different folks!

 

[Snaques]

For me, it was the combo of that stiff, unforgiving plastic and the inner rim and bead felt terrible in my hand. Couldn't give that disc away fast enough. :gross:

Different strokes for different folks!

I can completely appreciate that not all discs work for everyone. It just sounds like most of the people who hated Macana did that mainly due to "toy-ish" / klonky / stiff plastic, which the Retro plastic is. The Zero Medium is a different story.

To me it almost seems like Trilogy messed up this year's TC discs with the plastic choices. The Sampo has been labeled as a meathook and was largely unused during TC. The production run VIP is completely different and will probably be a dissapointment to most who are expecting that Elasto meathook.

With the Macana it's a similar story. Retro is the cheapest plastic they offer and it really feels that way. Many have given up on the Macana already before it was ever made in a proper blend.

It is just a pity if they messed up the reputation of two molds just by creating expectations that are not very close to what they ended up producing. :\

 

[AzteC]

I got my two black medium macanas in. In the hand they feel they have a slightly smaller profile that the Retro. Brand new its not the best feel, but my medium shields feel great and I think that it just from using them for quite some time. At a local tourney I was using my medium shield for ultra straight 250' shots and it was great for me, so the Macana is going to have to be an easier turning disc for me to add it. The Shield/Harp combo has been great for me, and when I need a disc to turn quick off the tee I just use one of my two putting judges to do that. So its uncertain if the Macana is going to find a slot in my bag. Going to throw my VIP Sampo tomorrow and see how that works out.

 

[MonkeyGrass]

I can completely appreciate that not all discs work for everyone. It just sounds like most of the people who hated Macana did that mainly due to "toy-ish" / klonky / stiff plastic, which the Retro plastic is. The Zero Medium is a different story.

To me it almost seems like Trilogy messed up this year's TC discs with the plastic choices. The Sampo has been labeled as a meathook and was largely unused during TC. The production run VIP is completely different and will probably be a dissapointment to most who are expecting that Elasto meathook.

With the Macana it's a similar story. Retro is the cheapest plastic they offer and it really feels that way. Many have given up on the Macana already before it was ever made in a proper blend.

It is just a pity if they messed up the reputation of two molds just by creating expectations that are not very close to what they ended up producing. :\

I agree 100%. The Sampo was a totally unusable meathook, especially on the tiny pitch n putt course they held our TC at. There might have been one or two teepad opportunities to actually wind it up, and nowhere else to really let it go.

I will say that I walked out of the TC in love with my evidence, and have since bought 2 more fuzions and just grabbed a lucid at the DD 2 disc challenge this weekend. So they didn't totally screw the pooch, and introduced me to a great trilogy disc. Don't know how realistic it is to expect everyone to like all 3, especially since two were new plastic blends as well as being new molds.

But yeah, 1 outta 3 ain't great lol

 

[kuubik]

would like to hear more about this mold now that it's been out for a while. Anybody cares to share their experience? How does it drive and would you trust it in a mild headwind?

 

[AzteC]

So to me, the mediums feel different in the hand than the retro. The two black mediums I have also have a slight puddle top to them whereas the retro is more flat on top. When practice putting with my stack of judges, mercies, and the macana, the macana has a ton more fade. So much so that at the edge of the circle, my "normal" putts will hyzer out early. The retro macana is actually much straighter. The BT Macanas are good approach discs with a reliable fade on them, slightly more OS than the retro version.

 

[Snaques]

would like to hear more about this mold now that it's been out for a while. Anybody cares to share their experience? How does it drive and would you trust it in a mild headwind?

I bag two, one for putting and one for upshots and shorter drives. Also have a stack for putting practice in my car.

For putting, Macana replaced the Shield and did that mainly due to better glide. I can reach the basket with a lot less effort. The glide will show especially well when making jump put approaches from 70-80ft. The whole jump put approach thing has really saved me some strokes, when I don't have as many 6-8m testers due to poor upshots.

For driving, the Macana starts out really straight. If you give it some power, it will not fade but for a softer throw it still has some fade in it. Again, straighter and glidier than a Shield.

I have carried the Macanas since the day they were released and now my thrower is starting to show some turn. So for headwinds and must fade shots I still go with the Shield. The flight is actually now pretty close to a beat Opto Pure. I throw the Pure when there are trees (BT beats in fast in woods) and Macana when I want it to sit where it lands.

For reference, I max out at 300ft with the Macana on a field.

 

[tu-f-o]

how does the macana compare to a nova in terms of PUTTING and stability?
is macana more overstable (has more finishing fade) at the end of a putt?

which disc requires less effort to get it going towards the basket?
which disc stays afloat longer/easier?

again, talking strictly about putting, not drives.

 

[Nova P]

Hey, a question I can answer. I use Macanas inside the circle and an XT Nova outside. The Nova feels floatier than the Macana, more like a lid and less like a disc golf disc, so I can get it to the basket from farther away without having to power up and sacrifice control. The Macana's more stable than the Nova.

 

[tu-f-o]

Hey, a question I can answer. I use Macanas inside the circle and an XT Nova outside. The Nova feels floatier than the Macana, more like a lid and less like a disc golf disc, so I can get it to the basket from farther away without having to power up and sacrifice control. The Macana's more stable than the Nova.

thanks! i think i'll keep the nova then.

 

[BrotherDave]

I gave away my TC Macana b/c it felt really deep and chunky to me. On a whim I picked up a Zero Medium b/c it felt slimmer and I really liked putting with it. I went head 2 head with it against an AR Roach and I shot 4 strokes better with the Macana. Side by side it looks a lot like a Voodoo, maybe with a slightly larger bead. Really solid beaded putter.

 

[tomte]

I had it in my bag until I decided to use less molds and figured that my beat in Shields fly about the same. Other than that it is a very straight flyer out of the box and I even liked putting with it. I only tried Zero medium...

 

[tomte]

I had it in my bag until I decided to use less molds and figured that my beat in Shields fly about the same. Other than that it is a very straight flyer out of the box and I even liked putting with it. I only tried Zero medium...

Took it out on the field today again and it really is a nice flyer. It felt like "the better Judge". I might give it another chance, maybe even as putting putter...