[Question] Rebranded Molds

[jenb]

There are so many new (to me) discs and disc manufacturers now I've really gotten lost. Are some of these rebranded, like Discmania was rebranded Innova discs (I think)?

 

[Golden Tuna]

Great thread!
I'll start with Starfire->Invictus

 

[ray1970]

If you're talking about manufacturers making discs for other companies there's plenty of that going around these days. Gateway and MVP seems like they've really been getting into producing discs for smaller companies lately.

 

[DiscJunkie]

DM FD->Innova Fairway Driver/Dark Rebel/Hawkeye(?)
DM PD->Innova Phantom Sword/Power Disc
DM PD2->Innova Elixer(sic)
Discraft Cyclone->Fierce(?)
DM MD3->Innova Mid-Disc3/Metal Warrior
DM Sea Serpent->Mentor
DM Sun Bird->Genius
DM Fox Spirit->Magician
DM Spring Ox->Maestro
A few off the top of my head…

 

[VictorB]

Discraft Cyclone->Fierce(?)

I had never bothered to check until the last few weeks, but I think this is accurate. Maybe the cyclone had a microbead at the bottom of the wing? But the 'notch' on the wing is a dead giveaway that it was borrowed from the cyclone mold

 

[BillFleming]

There are so many new (to me) discs and disc manufacturers now I've really gotten lost. Are some of these rebranded, like Discmania was rebranded Innova discs (I think)?

Innova made discs for Discmania using Innova molds (they mixed uppers and lowers to make a Discmania disc). When Discmania when their own way, Innova kept the molds and Discmania kept the names. So Innova used the 'Discmania' mold combinations to make the same discs with an Innova name.

Latitude 64 is now making discs for Kastaplast.

Innova makes discs for Infinite Discs.

 

[@CD-]

There are so many new (to me) discs and disc manufacturers now I've really gotten lost. Are some of these rebranded, like Discmania was rebranded Innova discs (I think)?

A number of new brands have been established over the last decade which rely on the main manufacturers to produce their discs. Some reuse or mix & match mold pieces to produce new but similar flying discs. Others reuse the entire mold but change the manufacturing process (plastic blend, weight, heating/cooling parameters) to achieve a slightly different disc characteristics & flight pattern.

Innova, Discraft, Latitude64, Gateway, Yikun, and MVP are the major manufacturers of discs that publicly perform contract manufacturing. Some other brands like Prodigy, Discmania, Legacy, RPM, Lone Star, Clash, and Prodiscus are doing their own manufacturing but not openly contracting capacity out. Brands that are contracting manufacturers have varying levels of transparency as to who is manufacturing for them. Some of these relationships are more like sibling/offshoots (DGA -> Discraft, Infinite/Millennium -> Innova, Dynamic Discs/Westside -> Lat64) and others aren't really associated apart from the common manufacturing/mold pieces/plastic blends being used (AGL/Reptilian -> Gateway, Mint/Thought Space Athletics -> MVP/Streamline).

Discmania notably moved away from a single manufacturer (Innova) to fulfill their manufacturing needs and started up the Active and Evolution brand lines with Yikun and Lat64 contract manufacturing. The Originals line has now transitioned to Discmania molding with Lat64 assistance in reproducing like for like molds/discs as what Innova had been producing.

With Discmania's manufacturing leaving Innova with more capacity, Innova has shared some of the former DM Originals line molds with their other contract brands of Infinite Discs and Millennium/Hyzerbomb and re-branded/received PDGA approval for some of them under the Innova Factory Store brand. Historically, the mold pieces are owned by the manufacturer (Innova) and not the contracting brand (Discmania). The manufacturer can do what they want with the mold pieces but not reuse the exact disc name for approval since the name got claimed by the contracting brand. A small portion of disc names have been trademarked but a majority have not and are only claimed via the PDGA approval.

 

[Serious-OLD]

I assume no one cares about Innova -> Millennium molds since that all happened ages ago.

DM MD4 -> Millennium Solstice
DM P2 -> Firefly

The Omega4 seems to be almost a P2, but it seems to have a more angular shoulder on the dome of the flight plate.

Anyone have info on Infinite molds from Innova or Thought Space discs?

Also, are any of these made-by-innova brands producing a Star Dart or Mako (not Mako3)?

 

[Alexplz]

Seems like a great way for underrated molds or at least under selling molds to make their way into our hands. Nobody gives a **** about the beadless gator, but the Mortar was cool as **** for a while and I was able to stock up.

Eagle-L? SNOOOOZE. Dust it off and rebrand it and they sell. And they are actually available!!

 

[jenb]

I'm thinking this information could be helpful for newer and returning players who want to try everything without unintentionally buying a rebranded disc that's the same mold as one they already own.

If players stick with Innova, Discraft, Latitude64, Gateway, Yikun, and MVP discs while building bags, are there any notable things they would miss out on, like maybe some discs made with mix and match top and bottom molds or a useful plastic option (eg, gummier or better grip in wet/humid conditions)?

 

[jcassidy1990]

I'm thinking this information could be helpful for newer and returning players who want to try everything without unintentionally buying a rebranded disc that's the same mold as one they already own.

If players stick with Innova, Discraft, Latitude64, Gateway, Yikun, and MVP discs while building bags, are there any notable things they would miss out on, like maybe some discs made with mix and match top and bottom molds or a useful plastic option (eg, gummier or better grip in wet/humid conditions)?

I would say players WOULD miss out on some good stuff...but nothing that is technically a "can't miss"

Every company has basically built a full arsenal that is pretty competitive.

That said, at least with Gateway, they produce our (Reptilian Disc Golf) and they don't have a mid that performs as well as the Gila (Warrior top/Prophecy bottom) . The Warrior is close but not nearly as reliable in terms of HSS.

So unfortunately there really isn't a good resource for all of the various permutations, but there is a good chunk of molds that are very worth checking out.

 

[GripEnemy]

Are we including things such as a DGA Titanic is a Discraft Magnet with a spacer?

Or just 1:1

 

[F. Howl]

DM FD->Innova Fairway Driver/Dark Rebel/Hawkeye(?)
DM PD->Innova Phantom Sword/Power Disc
DM PD2->Innova Elixer(sic)
Discraft Cyclone->Fierce(?)
DM MD3->Innova Mid-Disc3/Metal Warrior
DM Sea Serpent->Mentor
DM Sun Bird->Genius
DM Fox Spirit->Magician
DM Spring Ox->Maestro
A few off the top of my head…

I had never bothered to check until the last few weeks, but I think this is accurate. Maybe the cyclone had a microbead at the bottom of the wing? But the 'notch' on the wing is a dead giveaway that it was borrowed from the cyclone mold

Do y'all mean the Passion? Fierce is the Roach/Magic like putter.

 

[jenb]

I would say players WOULD miss out on some good stuff...but nothing that is technically a "can't miss"

Every company has basically built a full arsenal that is pretty competitive.

That said, at least with Gateway, they produce our (Reptilian Disc Golf) and they don't have a mid that performs as well as the Gila (Warrior top/Prophecy bottom) . The Warrior is close but not nearly as reliable in terms of HSS.

So unfortunately there really isn't a good resource for all of the various permutations, but there is a good chunk of molds that are very worth checking out.

Perhaps variations like this one are best captured in the many flight charts already available, and bag builders would do well consulting one or more of those as needed.

 

[acrosley]

Anyone have info on Infinite molds from Innova or Thought Space Discs?

Alexplz alluded to it but the Exodus is just an Eagle-L. Also the Dynasty is a CD2. I think the Chariot is a Mako3 with a micro bead too?

Thought space is manufactured by MVP but I believe they are all unique molds

 

[VictorB]

Do y'all mean the Passion? Fierce is the Roach/Magic like putter.

Yep. Long day at work. Thanks for the correction

 

[ray1970]

Thought space is manufactured by MVP but I believe they are all unique molds

I recently started bagging a TSA Pathfinder. I'm probably wrong but it really looks like an Axiom Hex without the overmold. If that is the case, I wonder if some of their other discs are standard MVP or Axiom molds without the overmold?

 

[MANhyzerDG]

The vast majority of Thought Space Athletics disc and MINT Discs are the same.

Mantra = Freetail
Animus = Longhorn
Pathfinder = Mustang
Praxis = Bullet
Synapse = Goat

 

[MANhyzerDG]

I have zero doubts about the above molds.
The below molds are speculation because I haven't personally compared them.

Votum = Grackle
Omen or Coalesce = Alpha
Mana = Lobster

 

[ray1970]

The vast majority of Thought Space Athletics disc and MINT Discs are the same.

Mantra = Freetail
Animus = Longhorn
Pathfinder = Mustang
Praxis = Bullet
Synapse = Goat

As I recently bought one of each I can definitely say that the Mustang and Pathfinder are not the same disc. Not sure I have time this evening but I could post pictures of them side by side and they don't even look similar.