[Innova] Premium plastic replacement for DX Eagle

[bholy08]

I dont think a river would be a good Eagle replacement.

Get a champ EL and never look back

I am the biggest eagle fan out there, but if he wants a beat dx equiv right away then a river is a good option.

 

[Matt O]

I want a new DX equivalent right away. I've seen my buddy throw his Star Eagle every weekend for a few months since it was new. It's been beat in pretty good and it's still not the same as a new DX. That's what raised my concern with buying a premium plastic Eagle.

 

[onemilemore]

Yeah, premium plastic Eagle is going to be a good deal more stable than the DX at the same weight. I would recommend a TL or River, or go premium Eagle at a lighter weight.

 

[buzzz killington]

I would say maybe an opto river same weight as your previous dx eagle. At low speeds it will fade back a little when new. I dig the opto saint about as much as any fairway driver I've ever thrown for whatever that's worth. The saint will fade at low speeds like your eagle but the best thing players are learning is with a little powere the saint is a nice hss disc with tons of glide and very little lss. It flies for me a lot like a faster, longer buzzz with more glide. I rec getting an opto saint and you may forget about all about your eagle. Not to mention the opto plastic (Especially the pink opaque) is about the sweetest stuff on earth.

 

[b-mart]

I loooove the River, but I'm going to vote against it. You want a slight S-curve in a similar speed, which does sound like the River. But it's so nose sensitive that someone new to it won't see much similarity with an Eagle. It took me a while to learn my River. It either turned over and never came back or did the exact opposite and flew super OS. For slight S-curve I would think Valkyrie, but that's around the same speed as a Saint (and nowhere near as amazing). Have you thrown a Leopard? I have a beat Champ one that flies with a lot more turn before fading, but it's the best S-curve fairway disc I have. The River is absolutely worth a look, but you have to be willing to put some time in with it to learn it because throwing it nose down is so key.

 

[steve a]

Millennium EXP1 with no run numbers. Trust me on that one or ask brother dave for more feedback (he use to throw em). Pro plastic and an eagle x bottom wing make it a good substitute. Stay away from 1.6 and 1.7 runs as they are wicked overstable. The "no runs" are not that beefy out of the box and get good distance.

 

[steve a]

Something a bit faster and longer would be the Orion LF. In millennium plastic it will have a turn and fade like an eagle x. It also comes in sirius and quantum plastic which will both start out more overstable and more durable as well.

 

[JTdisc]

I find my Discraft ESP Cyclone flies fairly similar to my DX Eagle. The Eagle is still a bit more overstable, but it hasn't fully beat in yet. I throw both of them similarly and find the Cyclone very workable, easy to get some nice S curves.

 

[yearofrolling]

I throw a lot of Eagles, Max weight Star Eagle X (SEX), light SEX and a DX.
I've got some Champ 11x, too but don't throw them that much.
I've also got a few rounds in with a light weight GL Saint.
The similarities were very apparent.
The 168 GL Saint to turns quite a bit and it always fades, too.
We'll have to see how it breaks in (slowly I'm sure), though.
http://www.dgcoursereview.com/forums/group.php?groupid=393

 

[emerica1842]

I want a new DX equivalent right away. I've seen my buddy throw his Star Eagle every weekend for a few months since it was new. It's been beat in pretty good and it's still not the same as a new DX. That's what raised my concern with buying a premium plastic Eagle.

Why not just rotate in a new dx eagle every now and then?

 

[cjowo]

Just get a Teebird!

 

[curveball4]

I think the L mold would be the right answer. Although they are still easy to get, I think they are pretty much oop. From DGC:

About the Eagle-L: The Eagle is our original, professional level fairway driver. It ushered in a new era for distance and reliability. The Eagle's superior speed and predictable flight characteristics let you make confident and accurate long range power shots. The Eagle-L's high speed turn is excellent for power turn over shots.
This mold was used for a time in DX, Pro, and Champion plastics. Innova has gone back to the regular Eagle mold for those plastics now

 

[Jkosk]

I have thrown Eagles for years now. Honestly, I think it would be worth it for you to grab 1 or 2 new DX's and a Star. You can then cycle the DX's new -> beat while you slowly season that Star one.

It truly takes a lot of air time to season a premium plastic disc... But I think it rewards you ten fold by holding that sweet sweet seasoned flight for a looong time. DX discs hit that sweet spot much sooner, but you can lose it pretty quickly.

I picked up a Star Eagle about 3 years ago, and it hit the sweet spot about a year and a half ago.. It flies absolutely beautifully. It will hold any line I put on it, and it has held that sweet spot for over a year. In another year (maybe longer depending on the amount of hard contact it experiences) it will probably reach beat status and will primarily be used as an understable / turnover driver. By that time my other Star Eagle should be nearing it's sweet spot. I also always carry a Champ that I only throw when I need extra stability that is near brand new condition.

The advantage of premium plastics is that it allows you to cycle discs new -> beat on a much slower time frame, because they hold their flight for longer periods of time. You can do this with DX plastic, but you should expect to go through plastic much more quickly, and the sweet spot will be touchier, since the disc is then only a handful of solid contacts from nearing the beat stage of its life span.

It's completely up to you. But don't rule out premium plastic disc rotations in the future!

 

[teebob]

Just get a Vibram Ascent. The grip and durability is way better than dx. The Ascent is similar to an Eagle X.

 

[who-dat]

I really liked how my DX Eagle flew when it was new, a subtle turn, and a predictable subtle fade. It's starting to get beat up now, and I'd like to get something more durable to replace it. My buddy has a Star Eagle and he says it's a lot different than his DX. I recently purchased a Star FL, it seems to fly identical to my DX Firebird. Would a Star or Champ TL be close to a DX Eagle? Should I just beat up a Star or Champ Eagle? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Why not just rotate in a new dx eagle every now and then?

Answer to the OP that seems to be the most suiting.

 

[JoshEpoo]

I really liked how my DX Eagle flew when it was new, a subtle turn, and a predictable subtle fade.

A champ Eagle-L will be the most similar in terms of flight pattern and profile/grip, and will hold the flight properties for a long, long time. All Star Eagles are the X mold, while Champ Eagles come in both X and L molds, so make sure you get an L if you want it to have less fade.

Here is a pic of the two next to each other:

You can see the Eagle-X has a notch on the edge of the wing which makes it fly more overstable than the flatter winged Eagle-L. A fresh Eagle-X, a seasoned Eagle-L, and a beat DX Eagle-X cover a whole buttload of potential line shaping options. I carry one of each sometimes.

 

[Matt O]

Wow, thanks for all of the feedback. My buddy forgot to bring his trade discs today, so I didn't get the River. I'm worried the River would turn too much. I do have a champ Leopard that's relatively new. Right now it's a good straight and upwind disc. My Ace Race ESP Hornet took the place of my Eagle at the heavily wooded course I played today. It doesn't quite shape the line as nice as the Eagle does however. I get paid on Tuesday, I'll see if any of the Champ Eagles are Ls where I buy discs. I don't want to keep buying DX Eagles. I just want one disc that will last a while, be able to survive a few tree hits, and fade predictably.

 

[Matt O]

Also, is the difference in the rim the only way to tell if it's an X or an L?

 

[JoshEpoo]

Also, is the difference in the rim the only way to tell if it's an X or an L?

Yea, they are not marked. It's kind of dumb, but it's the way Innova does things. I believe DX and Star Eagles are all X mold, so when you pick up your champ, you can feel for the notch (or lack thereof) and compare it to the Star Eagles to be sure.

 

[neckface9000]

Also, is the difference in the rim the only way to tell if it's an X or an L?

Yes. That's the only way to tell.