[Discraft] P McB Proto- THE KONG...er, um...THE ZEUS!

[JeCroisQue]

I do agree they're shorter than my D2s as well. But respond better on days Im not throwing as well.

Maybe I got a weird one because I feel like mine doesn't know whether it's under or overstable. Feels kind of touchy and doesn't respond well to a hard rip. Cool disc either way and I'll still mess around with it.

The D2 is a 13 speed isn't it?

Not sure on speed, DGC.com has them listed as speed 13, but other charts have them listed with destroyers or as a speed 12 disc. I'm inclined to say they may be 13, but really don't feel larger in the hand than anything else speed 12.

 

[ChefKoolaid]

https://imgur.com/a/dTMvc11

I cant get the insert img feature to work but heres pics of the possible ti blend kong,
Plastic has a slight metallic sheen to it and metalflakes. I have a purple one too. Both are more translucent when held to a light source than my other 6 non ti kongs.

And I think imgur compressed the pics so you can't see the metal flake. Sigh...


As for the D2 its definitely a speed 13, rim is wider than destroyers and Kongs. Same size as the Boss.

 

[Jkosk]

Received my Kongs that I had ordered from Infinite's restock.

Worth noting that I think Discraft was pushing hard to fill these orders, because there are a few malformations in these discs. 1 has about a 1mm dent in the middle of the wing with a "cut" at the center of it, almost like someone hit it with their fingernail while it was still cooling. Another has a shallow little pockmarks along the top of the wing near where the wing/flight plate meet. All 3 had strands of plastic hanging off the PLH that could be pulled off (This one in particular is obviously not problematic in the least, just indicates that the "finishing" touch they usually put on discs was hastily done or missed on some).

Feel like one or two should have been caught at the factory and marked as X-outs. Discraft may have been scrambling to restock merchants and meet demand for these proto kongs.

 

[in4d]

Im sure they would be happy to replace it if you kindly emailed them pictures of the defects.

Most companies i have dealt with are more than happy to replace things like that.

 

[mball1684]

Im sure they would be happy to replace it if you kindly emailed them pictures of the defects.

Most companies i have dealt with are more than happy to replace things like that.

Yeah I'm positive they would.

 

[Jkosk]

You are probably right, but the 2 effected were the prettiest and swirliest of the 3. So I'll probably keep em

To be 100% honest, I don't mind throwing factory 2nd, and I doubt it will really impact the flight at all. I was just commenting on the fact that discraft may be leaking out some slightly imperfect product in an effort to get these in circulation.

I also wanted people to be aware that defects are out there in this latest run, and if it does bother you, make sure you inspect before you buy!

 

[Titan037]

You are probably right, but the 2 effected were the prettiest and swirliest of the 3. So I'll probably keep em

To be 100% honest, I don't mind throwing factory 2nd, and I doubt it will really impact the flight at all. I was just commenting on the fact that discraft may be leaking out some slightly imperfect product in an effort to get these in circulation.

I also wanted people to be aware that defects are out there in this latest run, and if it does bother you, make sure you inspect before you buy!

From others experiences, they allow you to keep the defective ones at the same time sending you new ones.

 

[bigmatt17073]

From others experiences, they allow you to keep the defective ones at the same time sending you new ones.

This is my experience as well. I had a messed up Big Z heat from a misprint box. I sent an email and the next day a new Big Z heat was in the mail and email said to keep the other.

Discraft doesn't do factory seconds. If a disc has flaws they get recycled back into the another disc. They do that check before the hot stamping. And, with all companies mistakes do make it through the QC check, but they will make it right.

 

[Twmccoy]

This is my experience as well. I had a messed up Big Z heat from a misprint box. I sent an email and the next day a new Big Z heat was in the mail and email said to keep the other.

Discraft doesn't do factory seconds. If a disc has flaws they get recycled back into the another disc. They do that check before the hot stamping. And, with all companies mistakes do make it through the QC check, but they will make it right.

Discraft used to sell all sorts of factory seconds. I have quite a few of them.

 

[Titan037]

This is my experience as well. I had a messed up Big Z heat from a misprint box. I sent an email and the next day a new Big Z heat was in the mail and email said to keep the other.

Discraft doesn't do factory seconds. If a disc has flaws they get recycled back into the another disc. They do that check before the hot stamping. And, with all companies mistakes do make it through the QC check, but they will make it right.

they definitely do factory seconds. i see misprints all the time up on the site. They also don't have a recycled plastic lineup so is all plastic ultimately recycled plastic even though there isn't a specific plastic line up for recycled?

 

[Bogey B.O.B.]

There's a difference between misprints and factory seconds. Misprints are just flawed stamps. Seconds are flaws in the plastic. I haven't seen a Discraft factory second for a long time but they may still be out there.

 

[Twmccoy]

Initial impression of the Kong

Threw one of the new proto ESP Kongs for the first time today. Disc is 171g. Here are my thoughts:

I love the plastic. This is probably the nicest looking and feeling ESP I've ever seen. Very smooth, shiny, yet very slightly gummy and grippy. This plastic has a bit of gumminess to it, but isn't floppy or rubbery. I like the 2 tone color pattern. Mine is a gentle yellow/orange mixture.

The disc itself has a good dome. IDK how other Kongs are, but this one has a big dome. The rim doesn't really seem shallow or deep to me. Just normal.

As a source of comparison, I threw the Kong against a 168g McBeth star Destroyer and a 171g Big Z Punisher. I figure I threw each disc about 10 times. Conditions were very nice and calm. No wind to deal with.

I know 10 throws probably isn't enough to come to any sort of hard conclusion, but this Kong simply didn't impress me. I found it to be a stubborn flier. Its a pretty beefy disc, and I had a hard time making it ride flat for any length. The Kong would even fight out of an anny pretty quickly and fade hard. I also found this disc a little clunky compared to the Destroyer and Punisher. IDK if it was the tall dome, but I felt like the Kong was slower than the others. It didn't seem to penetrate that well and flew short of where I expected it to. In all honesty, I preferred the McBeth Destroyer. It was a little flatter and sleeker. I felt like it penetrated better and got slightly better distance than the Kong. IDK, maybe its just me, but the Kong felt tall in my hand. Like it has a deep rim. In the hand it actually reminds me of a Force.

The Kong reminded me a lot of a Legacy Outlaw in flight. The Outlaw is another stubborn speed 12 disc with a deep rim.

Surprise of the 3 discs was the Big Z Punisher. I had never thrown one of them before. Nice flier. Just a tick flippier than the Kong and Destroyer, and it held a flat line longer. The Punisher has a narrower, yet shallower, rim. I'm honestly surprised Paul McBeth didn't bag a Punisher. I'll go as far as to call that disc underrated. It glides and penetrates well.

Anyway, back to the Kong. As far as distance drivers go, there's nothing wrong with it. Despite my thinking it felt clunky, I was still able to get it a touch over 400'. The Kong responds well to being thrown hard, and will not flip over. I got the tiniest hint of high speed turn out of it at times, but the Kong would fight out of it very quickly. The disc has a prolonged fade, which added distance. It wasn't a super dumpy, abrupt fade.

This Kong is not some magical wonder disc in terms of distance. You'll need a pretty big arm to flex it out and make it go. I found the glide to be average at best. The Kong didn't flex out well and actually got most of its distance during its prolonged fade. Would I bag this over a star Destroyer? No. Honestly, if I had to pick between the two I'd probably take the Destroyer. For whatever reason the Destroyer feels better in my hand and doesn't seem as tall. To me the Kong feels closer to a Force than a Destroyer.

Overall, I think the plastic is the best part of the Kong (its outstanding). The mold itself doesn't really do much for me, and it doesn't stand out amongst an already very crowded field of similar drivers. I feel like the Kong is very power hungry and a little clunky. It will fly for decent yardage, but your arm will have to earn every one of those yards. I felt like I absolutely smashed it a couple times, only to see it listlessly hyzer out late and finish short of where I would have liked.

NOT a disc for beginners or noodle arms. More testing is needed. I will probably post here again at some point after I've thrown the Kong more. I don't hate the disc, but so far I'm not in love with it either.

Kong: 12, 4, -0.5, 3. Glide is marginal. Just a touch of high speed turn on very hard throws. Fade is prolonged and fairly harsh.

 

[Enrico]

...

Kong: 12, 4, -0.5, 3. Glide is marginal. Just a touch of high speed turn on very hard throws. Fade is prolonged and fairly harsh.

My domiest Kong is exactly like this, flatter ones have much mellower fade and more turn.

 

[Twmccoy]

My domiest Kong is exactly like this, flatter ones have much mellower fade and more turn.

Yeah, I felt like I was throwing it HARD and it was flying stubbornly. By no means a horrible disc, but it takes all the arm I have to make it fly decent.

 

[Bogey B.O.B.]

I'm honestly surprised Paul McBeth didn't bag a Punisher. I'll go as far as to call that disc underrated. It glides and penetrates well.

Agreed

 

[smarkquart]

I was not honestly expecting anything miraculous with the Kong, but I was kind of hoping. Side by side, it is basically a slightly fresher Tournament World - my main distance driver and the longest disc I have ever thrown. Almost identical flight and identical distance for me (390-410). It did slightly better in a headwind. It is nice to know that I found an identical disc in a different manufacturer if they happen to come out with a beautiful colored swirl that I like. The one I picked up is a pale yellow/white swirl. I would not mind having a stack of those. I see this disc actually becoming really good upon seasoning up a little - which I hope is a really slow process because of the ESP plastic.

 

[Twmccoy]

I was not honestly expecting anything miraculous with the Kong, but I was kind of hoping. Side by side, it is basically a slightly fresher Tournament World - my main distance driver and the longest disc I have ever thrown. Almost identical flight and identical distance for me (390-410). It did slightly better in a headwind. It is nice to know that I found an identical disc in a different manufacturer if they happen to come out with a beautiful colored swirl that I like. The one I picked up is a pale yellow/white swirl. I would not mind having a stack of those. I see this disc actually becoming really good upon seasoning up a little - which I hope is a really slow process because of the ESP plastic.

Yeah, the Kong definitely has less glide and is more beefy than I was expecting. I agree it will take a little seasoning to make it fly straighter longer.

Based on what I saw today, the Kong is NOT what I'd choose for a workhorse speed 12 driver. I'd probably still stick with Destroyers.

 

[Jkosk]

I will say this: There is certainly a noticeable difference between the flat and pop top versions.

I currently have 2 pop tops, 1 in between, and 3 flatter Kongs. It honestly offers up a pretty nice little array of stabilities. Before you write the mold off, you should try a flatter one. I'm not saying to run and out find a flat top right now, but in the future if the opportunity presents to try out a flat top, don't turn it down.

My flat tops fly pretty true to the -1/3 rating and seems to fly about the same distances as my Trespasses, but they seem to get that distance without needing a full flex or risking a bad flip, so as they beat in they may net me a little more usable distance on golf lines. The pop tops are certainly more HSS.

As someone who has bagged Forces for many years in my OS distance slot, the mold definitely does not feel anything like a Force to me. It is certainly shallower (much more noticeably so on the flatter tops) and not nearly as aggressive a wing.

Keep in mind, though, that all of my experiences are coming off some of my first throws of the year and I may not have been nailing my nose angles as consistently as I normally would.

 

[Tmitch008]

I agree with the flat top and pop top comparison based on the 2 I have. If released flat, the flatter one will certainly turn some at high speed and get a consistent fade while the pop top travels straight and hyzers out. I think that is excellent to have in a mold. You can get a pretty good idea of the relative stability based solely on the dome.

I do not find the pop top Kong to be clunky though. It will get some serious controlled distance when thrown on a flex line, where the flatter one won't quite come back. It also gets out there on a pure hyzer. In a field I was getting both of these discs out to 450'+ on a regular basis, and I was capped out at about 425 with a seasoned force.

 

[Ryan C]

I don't get to play as often as I used to, but I used to have actual non-internet 500' of power. I was playing around with a stack of 4 Kongs and was really having a hard time liking them. When I really got on them, I found them to flip up and have a long slow turn that looked great in the air. When I didn't throw them hard, they just rode flat for a while and then dumped pretty quickly.

The thing is, even the ones I thought I threw hard and got pretty looking lines didn't go that far. I was able to throw a Nuke on fairly straight line farther than I was getting the Kongs to fly on long turnovers. My best throws with the Kong were getting me about 425', and my similarly thrown Nukes were getting 20' or 25' past that on straighter lines.

I know it takes work, but seasoning up some Forces is gonna get you a better disc in the end than I think these Kongs are. The Kongs are like a shortcut to a slightly seasoned Force, but without as much glide. Just my take.