Lightning Prostyle Drivers

[Triplebogey1]

Does Lightning make a 180+ prostyle driver that DOESN'T flip like a Clinton in a scandal??

I tried the D-3 and it rollered the first time I threw it. I traded for an F-2 which is better, but it needs a ton of hyzer just to "S" curve with no wind. Am I wasting my time with Lighning discs here??

 

[black udder]

duh?

I haven't had much experience with them actually. I've stuck to the primary two and some Gateway. Unless there's some reason you need Lightning discs, I'd stick with those that have proven themselves on the pro circuit if you want consistency.

 

[Blake_T1]

most lightning discs are slow.

the HX-2 (#2 helix) is probably their best driver.
the K-2 (#2 hookshot) is probably their best midrange.


lightning discs are slow, old school designs. most of their discs are either flippy or way overstable with only a handful in between.

imo, they have the best beginner discs on the market.

 

[Working Stiff]

The Z-1 was overstable, but I have not seen one in a long time. It would have been legal up to 180 g.

I threw a B-2 Stealth for awhile back in the day. That is the F-2 mold. It was big and slow with some nice glide, but even brand new at max weight it was stable at best and flippy into the wind. As I recall the # 3 Driver was fairly understable as well. The Z-1 or K-2 would be a better bet if you are looking for 180 g and overstable. The HX-2 is also overstable, but I don't think they go up to 180 g.

 

[Crossed Reality]

Why did they stop making new molds?

 

[adamschneider]

I used a Lightning #2 Upshot as my putter for a while, then tried using a "real" putter for a few months (peer pressure, you know), but now I've ended up going back to the U-2...

 

[Working Stiff]

There was a lot of behind-the-scenes plastic politics involving Lightning Discs. Depending on who you talked to, Lightning did not support PDGA tournaments or Innova prevented them from sponsoring tournaments by not sponsoring events that Lightning also sponsored. It all went back to the fact that Lightning fought the Innova patent on golf discs in court and did not have to pay the licensing fee to Innova that all the other manufacturers did. So there was a lot of bad blood between those companies. The PDGA was under Innova's thumb even worse then than they are now, so they sided with Innova and even turned down Lightning as a sponsor for the World Championships one year.

At some point, Lightning decided that they sold enough discs to casual players and 150 class discs in Japan that they could turn their back on the organized disc golf scene. They dropped off the map so far as the PDGA world goes, but they still make discs. There is no need to spend $40,000 on new molds for high-speed drivers that the players they target can't throw anyway. So they pump out the old discs, and it must be working because from what I can tell they are still in business.

 

[mf100forever]

I saw an ad in DGWN that they will introduce a new plastic soon, Max-line.

 

[Crossed Reality]

Thanks for the info. I only got into this sport in '05, so I've missed a lot of the history of it. I'd love for their to be a comprehensive history of molds/manufacturers and stuff like that. Hell, I'd even write it if I can get the materials. I'm a professional historian

As for lightning, I use their small bag, but I've never even seen any of their discs around.

 

[TeeRexJJ]

i don't like their drivers and stuff but the rubber putter is the most comfortable putter i've held

 

[Roy]

I liked the little ridges they put inside the rim on the prostyles.

 

[Glock231]

I liked the little ridges they put inside the rim on the prostyles.

Me too. First disc I ever had was a #1 driver somebody left on the course. Ahhh, good times.

 

[twmccoy1]

Does Lightning make a 180+ prostyle driver that DOESN'T flip like a Clinton in a scandal??

I tried the D-3 and it rollered the first time I threw it. I traded for an F-2 which is better, but it needs a ton of hyzer just to "S" curve with no wind. Am I wasting my time with Lighning discs here??

Pretty much yeah. Every one of their discs I've thrown has been flippy and made of junk plastic.

 

[black udder]

The only disc I remember was a driver that got pretty beat. I was throwing under 200' and I could throw it almost vertical hyzer angle and it would flip up and over for a deep S turn. It was comical. It might throw a little differently now with my new form, but the plastic is rubbery and doesn't hold up for long in regular play compared to the other companies plastic.

I have a rubber putter and a driver (a P-2 I think) if anybody wants them - cost of packing/shipping only. They came with my basket (which does rock).

 

[Working Stiff]

As for lightning, I use their small bag, but I've never even seen any of their discs around.

Lightning got real aggressive in the mid-90's about sending reps around to stores to get golf discs in places. They were the first to give their reps racks to set up in stores to display disc and such. They put together a pretty good network of odd places (7-11's, head shops, liquor stores. etc.) near disc golf courses to sell their discs. Dave McCormack set them up in a bunch of places in St. Louis back when Gateway was a wholesale distributor. I'll still drop in to a store near a course from time to time and find a display of Lightning discs.

I sold a ton of Lightning Discs back in the 90's, and the company was easy to work with. They would do custom stamps for no set-up fee and send me pretty much any combination of stuff I needed. Some of the other companies liked to force me to take stuff I didn't want or need.

And I'll second Blake's comment. For a beginner the understable discs are very forgiving, and the stamp tells you how you ought to be able to throw it. They make a very nice line of discs for new or casual players.