Midrange advice needed!

[kmunt09]

My main midrange disc for two years has been an Innova Spider (170g). Lately I haven't been throwing it as well as I used to, and am VERY frustrated and uncomfortable with it. I just can't execute a 150ft-250ft straight tunnel shot to save my life, and lately am not always getting up and down from wide open 150ft-250ft shots which I want to be able to do almost every time like I used to do. My Spider has been anhyzering no matter what I do, and I'm thinking it may be to light and beat for me now that I'm more experienced and throwing farther. I plan on getting a new midrange disc and am thinking about a Gateway Element X in S plastic because it sounds right for me after doing some research. What weight should I get it in so that I can hold a straight line for tight shots thrown at both slow and fast speeds? I think 180g might be too much for me right now, so I am considering 175g. I'm looking for suggestions on selecting a weight for midrange discs and would like comments on the Element X if anybody has any.

If this matters my 170g Avenger goes straight and accurate for me on 300ft-330ft drives

Thank you so much for any help!

 

[disc-o maniac]

for mid ranges i perfer 171-175 the element is a great choice of midrange it flies just like the roc but slightly overstable for me and the rim isn't big so its better to grip the best part about it is you could throw it as hard as you can and it flies so straight very very little fade. i'd give it a 5 out of 5

 

[Usher]

I use 2 midranges:

180 Coyote
180 Roc

For me, the heavier they are, the easier they are to control.

 

[cmy0001]

if you are looking to get strait long mid range shots get a 180g glow flat top roc. at first it will be a little overstable. stick with it and once it is broken in it hold that long line that you are looking for. if you dont have a big arm you could go down to a 175 with no problem.

 

[ShaZaun]

I'd hafta say most people are going to say Roc......

 

[Lewis]

My Roc isn't as straight as my Buzzz, but that could be a weight thing.

 

[tamahawk]

i don't have one (yet!), but a lot of people seem to like the innova "skeeter". it is a small diameter disc that is just a touch understable and very little fade. i've read a lot of positive comments on that disc. just a thought?!

 

[CaptainAnhyzer]

my 177 Pro Roc and a 175 XD are my go-to discs for those shots

 

[YonderScott]

I love my Rocs and my Skeeters. I have them from 167g to 172g. I haven't tried much discraft, though I have an older MRX that is pretty straight and the hawk which I don't care much for. I would like to try a Buzzz though, since I hear so much about them.

 

[taxman]

it sounds like he's already picked the disc. he's getting a gateway element X. i think the advice he's looking for is weight.

most people lean towards a heavier disc for there mids. i'd have to agree. my mids are 5-10 grams heavier than all my other discs. except maybe my putters.

 

[SimonCarr]

Gateway Element is a great disc! It is very similar to a Buzzz. I would say get the heaviest weight you can (180). Anything between 175-180 is a good weight.

 

[AdamE]

I have three different Rocs in my bag, but I pull out my Z Buzzz for long straight shots every time. For hyzer approaches, I use either my Champ Roc or my DGA Sparkle Shockwave (which I think is meaner than a Roc). For anhyzer approaches, I use my beat KC Roc or my Q Aurora (QMS). All my midrange discs are 175-180g, I hope this helps.

 

[thatguy]

try a 173-175 roc, it works great for me. I carry 2 different styles, a classic roc and a kc roc.

 

[crouchingwombat]

I started with a lite shark 150 then got a heavier shark and coyote 175-180, then a roc 175, now I have two buzzzes 175 and 178. I like the buzzzes the best then the coyote. I use my xd or an avair for anything under 200ft. Buzzzzzzz!

 

[giles]

My midrange advise, completely ignoring the specific question about the Gateway mid. Unless they are popular where you live, you want something easily replaced. Something everyone throws, like a Roc or Buzzz.

Rocs are great but with the flat tops, KC, Ontario, San Marino, Rancho, you have too many molds coming and going out of production. They are also costly in premium plastic. Many people I know buy rocs 10 at a time in DX because you will eventually beat it to the point where it is trash.
Go buy 4 Z Buzzz as heavy as you can find. You want to find ones with flat tops on them, no dome. Heavy because they will be more forgiving to a bad shot and they should hit the ground and stop better than a light weight. The idea is you want one to be over stable, one straight flyer, and one turn-over. If they are all stable, use one primarily until it is a straight flyer then rotate in a different one that is stable. Great things about the Z Buzzz: readily available because of its popularity, consistent mold, good plastic at a normal price.

 

[BENFTS]

i carry 3 midrange discs, 172 DGA Squall, for shorter straight shots or short snap turnover shots. a Discraft z buzzz for almost every midrange shot, this disc will hold any line you want. finally i DGA Shock wave for short flick and over stable hyzer approaches. all three discs are eaisly thron 300' but i use them for shots 250' and less just to ensure i get the shot i want. but it is reallt all about the Roc and the z buzzz, they are the best midranges out there.

 

[Three Putt]

I plan on getting a new midrange disc and am thinking about a Gateway Element X in S plastic because it sounds right for me after doing some research. What weight should I get it in so that I can hold a straight line for tight shots thrown at both slow and fast speeds? I think 180g might be too much for me right now, so I am considering 175g. I'm looking for suggestions on selecting a weight for midrange discs and would like comments on the Element X if anybody has any.

The Element X went out of production this Summer. It has been replaced by a disc called the Warrior. I won a couple S Warriors at our Ice Bowl. They fly fairly straight with a consistent fade, but like the Element X they have a big wing and feel kinda driver-like in the hand for me. Some people actually prefer that, but I hate drivers so it makes them kinda a no-go for me.

The Element is a completely different disc form the Element X/Warrior. It's a less stable midrange. It was also retooled this fall, and I have not thrown the new Element.

As for weight, I say on mid-ranges go for the whole enchilada. On drivers a lighter disc often will be less stable and fly farther. On mid ranges the heavier disc will still be more overstable, but if you throw it right a heavier mid should actually go farther. I go for heavy weights on putters and mids and lighter weights on drivers.

 

[garublador]

try a 173-175 roc, it works great for me.

This is my advice, too.

From what I understand, the Element-X is going out of production. It's being replaced by a more overstable mid called the Warrior and the Element is being (or already has been) retooled to be a bit more overstable as well. The Element-X is a great midrange that doesn't quite resist turn as well as a Roc. I've found they're more difficult to get pure hyzers out of in S, especally once they beat up a bit than a Roc, which is why I gave them up.

I do fear that most mids will give you the same problem as your Shark given what you said about the Avenger. There's a thread about "off-axis torque" on here somewhere that goes into more detail. In short, there's a chance that the mid is flipping because of a technique flaw, not because it's too beat or light.

 

[sidewinding]

I bought my daughter a pink 150 Roc. The other day I was on the football field throwing drives and I saw her Roc in her bag and decided to throw it with everything I had just to test it's limits. It went exactly 100 yards in a dead straight line with no turn or fade.

In other words, I don't think weight is as big a factor with a disc like the Roc. I threw my wife's 144 gram Cobra the same way and it turned into a bad roller.

 

[Fore]

I like my mids to be in the 178g-180g range for control purposes.