Soft Focus vs Soft Anode?

[plastic cannon]

Gateway is known for not having the most consistent plastic around, coincidentally MVP is lol. Anode is a solid choice for sure.

 

[tbird888]

What I'm looking for is something that's floppier in the middle, if that makes sense? I just can't do something quite as floppy as like a Gumbputt, so I guess a floppy middle and a stiff rim?

What I meant about neither of your options working is that the Focus will act more stable than your Warlock on your approaches and so will the Anode if you don't get enough spin on it. I would almost recommend something like a PnA Aviar in R-Pro, but I don't think the rim will be stiff enough. Gateway seems to be the only company that's really doing that. Unfortunately you use the putter that gets the least of their attention so finding a run like you want wouldn't be easy.

I don't want to make it seem that I'm slamming either of your choices either. They're both great options (they don't work for me, but they work for many others). If you try an Anode and don't like it, you can easily get rid of it in the Marketplace. The Focus has its crowd too.

If you're looking at a Focus, which was supposed to be Discraft's Wizard, why not consider the Wizard as well? You can find many SSSS and RFF versions that should suffice in the floppy flightplate, stiff rim category. The Warlock is pretty close to a seasoned Wizard anyway. I've thrown BB Avairs and Foci which are very close in wing shape, and the Wizard fit like a glove. Not trying to sway you to the putter that I use but just trying to help expand your search.

Gateway is consistent by color. Their molds generally all come out firm, and you won't find the differences until they start to season. Most people don't use the same putter long enough to see that though. Keep throwing both the medium and SSS, and you'll notice your flightplate never changes firmness, but your husband's will.

 

[Um...]

...got it narrowed down between the Anode and the Focus.

People have previously asked, but I never really saw an answer. How did you narrow it down to these 2 choices if you've never had hands on MVP plastic? Please know that I'm not trying to be attacking, but seriously asking because these are 2 very different styles of putter and both FEEL very different. Maybe you could help us all better understand what you're looking for?

With the information you have already provided, I would say that you should check out a Latitude 64 Pure in EZE plastic. It's a solid upshot putter with good glide and a reliable amount of penetrating forward fade at the end of its flight. It's a little more shallow in the depth, making it a good fit in smaller hands, and in the EZE plastic it should give you that bit of soft flex in the flightplate you're looking for, but still be stiffer overall.

Keep in mind that the Anode is a very slick feeling putter and the plastic is very different than your more traditional putters. Think Champion, Z, Opto, type feel. Also, I've found that MVP discs really shine when you're snapping them out, so keep that in mind if you have a tendency to pitch your upshots/putts more than snapping them out toward your target.

 

[who-dat]

Focus.

/thread.

(I putt, approach, and drive with foci in diff plastic types....had an ion, 2nd run, and gave it to a friends son who really liked it and was draining putts with it....the ion and I just never clicked)
Pro-D ace race stamp as putter
Beat soft elite-X as turnover
ESP ace race stamp as driving/approach

 

[DanJon]

have you ever used a champion/z type plastic disc for putting?

do you like the grip of the putter you're using now?

chances are if you're using baseline plastic, then it might be a little odd for you at first to switch to a slippery champ type plastic.

i tried to like ions for putting (great for drives) but the slick plastic on the inner mold just never felt right. i know that the outer mold can grab the chains pretty well. but for most people putters are all about grip and i have huge hands so baseline plastic feels way better.

i now await all the MVP fanboys inevitable backlash.

 

[SaralaAnne]

Thanks guys! I will keep an eye on my husbands and if it gets too bendy for him I might be able to snag that one lol.

As for how I narrowed it down, I basically just went to Disc Golf Center and looked at all the putters and singled out the "soft" ones, skipping over Gateway models, and the Anode, APX, Banger, Challenger, Focus, Ion, Magnet, and Omega all came up. I ruled out the APX, Challenger, Magnet, and Omega from being able to handle them in the store. While I like the feel of the Banger, the divot thingy/ring on the top made me nervous because I'm not very good and my brain and hands don't always communicate the best and that could make things worse when it comes to release. Plus they only have orange, and I hate orange with a passion. That brought me down to the Anode, Focus, and Ion. Knowing nothing more than I've seen from lurking on here, I've heard more about the Anode than the Ion, and the Anode had a 0 for low speed stability vs the Ion had a 1. To go between the Anode and Focus in that, the Focus has a 2 vs the Anode 0, however the Focus has a difficulty rating of 1 vs the Anode 2.

I do on occasion use my Coyote as a putter, which is a champion plastic, and when we first started playing I used my husband's spare disc of the time, which was a champion Ape (that was shelved by both of us LONG ago) so I'm used to the slicker feel while attempting to putt. While the Warlock I have has been in my bag since July-ish, I've only recently started actually throwing it on almost every hole.

As for the grip of the one I have now's grip, it's okay. Sometimes I can't tell if I don't like the putter or if I just suck at putting. I bounce between each a lot. I've just realized it's easier for me to putt with my floppier discs when I can kind of bend them a bit to fit my grip.

 

[SaralaAnne]

For looking at a different Gateway there also aren't any stores that stock those around here either. I got the two we have on a trade on here. Pretty much the brands that I can find in the Ames/Des Moines area are Innova, Discraft, Disc Mania, Vibrum, and once upon a time Millenium. Oh, and Aerobie. :/

 

[Um...]

Sometimes I can't tell if I don't like the putter or if I just suck at putting.

Welcome to the nightmare of almost every player here!! While its good to try different putters out to see what really works, most will say that time, practice, and repetition with the same putter will trump playing putter roulette. That's not to say you shouldn't try different styles that FEEL and FLY well for your style of putting, but eventually it comes down to consistency in your putting approach and style. Practice, practice, practice!

As for your choices, your response really helps out a lot and should help others narrow down a recommendation for you. I still vote for the EZE Pure as it fly similar to the Anode, but in a softer, more supple feeling plastic, and it won't be as overstable as the Focus. The Warlock is a good recommendation too and I would also throw the Voodoo into the suggestion box for something that has good glide and will go straight with just a little bit of fade at the end of its flight. Lots of choices out there so you might have to cycle a few different putters before you really find the one that feels good in the hand and that you feel confident with every time you throw it.

 

[SaralaAnne]

Welcome to the nightmare of almost every player here!!

Yeah, a solid 75-90% of the shots I make are pure luck, and practicing at home I make 9/10. Bah. Well, I ordered the Anode, and if it feels goofy I'll figure something else out and make that and the Warlock work. Either that or just get used to lay ups lol.

 

[Frigobar]

I use (and love) the anode for putting.

There are two main reason why I like the anode for putting:

1: it has almost no fade...dead nuts straight, right into the chains

2: the grip isn't as deep as other putters (such as the Ion). I prefer a putter without a huge/deep grip. It may be a mental thing for me, because when I first started playing, I putted with a midrange disc. So I got used to putting with a disc with a shallow grip.

^^^^^^^
Seconded and thirded.

The Anode is just a straight, trustworthy, consistent slice of buttery heaven. I used to use a Wizard, but I (eventually) traded it for a Challenger, after one round with the Anode, I was hooked. The gyro technology (read: "over my head sparkly space magic") makes the thing incredibly true in flight from 3ft to 100ft and I, for one, have never found anything I've liked more.

This is mostly the ramblings and personal opinion of an average player/night owl, but it really did change my game for the better.