Plastics question

[jaredbrumbelow]

So I've played for a few months and I've been buying a disc here and there to try out mostly from disc golf center. They have a wide variety of plastics in each mold and I just had a general question.

I know each plastic is good for different things like some are more durable than others and some have better grip etc. But when I think about plastics, I generally think in terms of beginner plastic or advanced plastics. For example, for Innova, I tend to view DX as a beginners plastic and champion or star as a more advanced plastic. Is this a fallacy or is there some truth to it?

 

[mgamache8]

There is in terms that the pros have to use the more durable plastic because they play so much more than we do and baseline plastic would get chewed up

 

[Noill]

some folks use baseline plastic on water holes in case of loss...

some folks use baseline b/c it flies the way they want... and they just cycle that so they never have an overly beat-in disc...

the right answer is that you should use whatever you prefer for whatever reason that you find out here (or elsewhere) and makes sense to you...

the only reason why baseline could be considered a beginner plastic blend is because it is cheapest and new players don't want to shell out upwards of $20 for a frisbee disc...

 

[MarkDSM]

Fallacy totally.

Let it go before you ask that about 'base' on the course and get 'Whuutt' looks on the course.

 

[armiller]

It's probably a fallacy but with some truth to it. In the "Discs" and "General" forums, there are some threads going on about "baseline plastic lovers" and "how many DX discs" are in people's bags. You can drop by and see what people are saying.

DX tends to have the advantage of being "more understable" or "less overstable," which makes them somewhat beginner friendly, and many say they fly farther. I'd say advanced players don't have a problem throwing DX, but they realize that they might wear in more quickly. (Of course that's great for some, like Philo, who have a "cycle" of one mold.) I suspect that pros throw premium plastics more because they maintain flight characteristics longer. So it's a personal preference for everyone, taking grip preference, wear time, "bag cycling," and cost into consideration.

 

[INTP]

Cost differences are irrelevant. Discs of any plastic last a loooooong time.
Even if you bought rare out-of-production discs at say, $40 a pop, you'd still be set to play the game with 2-3 discs that are still going to be cheaper than getting into many other sports, and those discs will still work long after you've forgotten what you paid.

Buy discs based on how they fly for you and how they feel to you. Don't think about it in terms of 'beginner' to 'advanced' plastic. The differences in plastic are much smaller than differences in molds, and there are a buttload of molds to choose from.

That is to say, there is no such thing as an Innova Speed 13 Ape in 'beginner plastic'. It comes in DX, but by no means is it a beginner disc.

 

[captain jack]

Pre 2000, there was really only baseline plastic. Pros and beginners all threw the same.
The idea of premium plastic was to provide a more durable disc, not one that was harder to throw.
A better analogy is "Understable discs are for beginners, overstable discs are for those more qualified to use them"

 

[jaredbrumbelow]

All good points. Thank you all. Especially INTP's about the 13 speed ape in DX. That's a very true point. Thanks for the clarification.

I think the main thing that made this arise was I started with DX and loved them and them bought a champion teebird and couldn't control it.

 

[sumo21]

I got my 150 Star Leopard after 3-4 months of playing and has been a staple in my bag ever since.

Pick a starting point with whatever disc floats your boat and go from there. If you're lucky to try discs at your local pro shop, do it. Ask your friends to try their discs and know that the premium plastic will take longer to beat in, so a Champ/Star Leopard might be more stable than a DX Leopard, but they'll last longer.