[Westside] Tell me about your Stag...

[aphilso1]

Snagged a 169 VIP Stag for no good reason. My fairways are pretty set and are a strength of my game, but sometimes it's just fun to try a new mold. Hoping it's a slightly slower Escape, since there are some days that throwing slower fairways is appealing. If it is, then I could see it eventually replacing both Escapes and Hatchets. If not, then at least it's got a sweet, sweet stamp to go on the shelf.

 

[Moose33]

Snagged a 169 VIP Stag for no good reason. My fairways are pretty set and are a strength of my game, but sometimes it's just fun to try a new mold. Hoping it's a slightly slower Escape, since there are some days that throwing slower fairways is appealing. If it is, then I could see it eventually replacing both Escapes and Hatchets. If not, then at least it's got a sweet, sweet stamp to go on the shelf.

Most of the Stags I've got are slower and a bit more stable than the Escapes I've tried, but can be manipulated on many lines.

It's a funny disc. It's faster than it seems at first and goes pretty darn far when thrown on the right lines.

I threw my 174 RTP Stag on Golden Gate Park #16 which is only about 300, but i didn't like my midrange on that line. Put just a bit too much on it and it ended up more than 150 past/right of the pin. Really nice dude got it back to me though.

For me it's one of those discs that always clicked well, but it's in the spot where some long throwers find it a bit squirrelly and noodle arms can't get everything out of it.

Hope you like it.

 

[aphilso1]

Most of the Stags I've got are slower and a bit more stable than the Escapes I've tried, but can be manipulated on many lines.

It's a funny disc. It's faster than it seems at first and goes pretty darn far when thrown on the right lines.

I threw my 174 RTP Stag on Golden Gate Park #16 which is only about 300, but i didn't like my midrange on that line. Put just a bit too much on it and it ended up more than 150 past/right of the pin. Really nice dude got it back to me though.

For me it's one of those discs that always clicked well, but it's in the spot where some long throwers find it a bit squirrelly and noodle arms can't get everything out of it.

Hope you like it.

Thanks for the info. My neutral mid (Evidence) is sneaky long too, so I need my workhorse fairway mold to chew up a lot of ground or it just becomes redundant with my Evidences. That's probably why I like Escapes, since they're really long fairway drivers. Something a touch slower would be nice though. Some days Escapes are a little unwieldy for me, but most of the time I love 'em.

 

[Streets]

This is a mold I've always wanted to throw but never have...what's a good starting place?

 

[Moose33]

I throw max weight Recycled most of the time, but also have some VIP, and the plastic seems to affect the flight less than wether or not it has any dome.

The flatter ones typically have a lower wing and fly less stable, but if it's got a smooth even some it should have a little more stability and insane glide.

 

[SaROCaM]

I throw max weight Recycled most of the time, but also have some VIP, and the plastic seems to affect the flight less than wether or not it has any dome.

The flatter ones typically have a lower wing and fly less stable, but if it's got a smooth even some it should have a little more stability and insane glide.

+1 to this. My favorite Stags are VIP with some dome. The two I had thrown reminded me of a DX Teebird with how they flew.

 

[aphilso1]

Got my VIP 169g Stag in the mail yesterday. Didn't throw it a ton yesterday since I've got a tourney coming up tomorrow and I'm not going to bag an unfamiliar disc, but did chuck it around enough to get an idea of what it can do.

It flew very similar to my super beatup 166g Biofuzion Getaway, just a touch slower. Lots of glide, a significant amount of turn, and a healthy fade. It seems like a disc that can be called "workable" if you like it or "unpredictable" if you don't. Will take time to dial it in, but it's promising.

Compared to an average fresh Escape I'd say the Stag has both more turn and more fade. The positive of an Escape is that, when thrown well, it is just about the straightest disc possible for its speed class; very little turn or fade. BUT, if you turn an Escape over then that lack of LSS means it probably is not going to come back. So it's a little bit of a risk/reward disc. Having bagged them basically since I started playing, I'm comfortable throwing Escapes in a variety of situations but I know its limits. My Stag on the other hand has the LSS to fight out at the end, so it's a disc I'd be more likely to throw if I want a controllable S-flight rather than a true straight shot.

After the tournament is over I will place the Stag in my bag and put it through the ringer. I'll pair it with a Felon for Firebird things, a fresh Fuzion Getaway for Thunderbird things, and Hatchet for long turnovers. The Stag will audition as my workhorse fairway, which right now is split between the aforementioned beat up Getaway and a moderately beat Escape.

 

[aphilso1]

For those of you with experience throwing a Stag through it's full life cycle, how does it season? Does it lose HSS or LSS first? Or a little of both? Does it ever get to the point that it can be a true flippy turnover disc?

 

[Moose33]

For those of you with experience throwing a Stag through it's full life cycle, how does it season? Does it lose HSS or LSS first? Or a little of both? Does it ever get to the point that it can be a true flippy turnover disc?

I've been throwing as Stag since 2013 and they season well. I'd say it loses its fade before it gains crazy turn. I've been throwing this pink TPR Stag for about 4 years and it doesn't really fade hard anymore but can go on just about whatever line you like and it doesn't flip hard unless you throw it harder on an anhyzer.

My most beat old VIP eventually became a roller, but it was one of the old flatter ones that are a bit less stable anyway.

It's funny, as my BH games has progressed from only throwing fairways 275 in 2012 to now where I count on them up to 400ft, it's the only disc that has stayed in the bag for Bh shots. It's a funny disc because I think a lot of people bought it expecting one thing and getting another, the flight numbers being so off is part of the issue. 8/5/-1.5/2 is probably right for a max weight fresh one.

So if you throw it thinking that a Teebird throw is the best way to approach it, it might be disappointing. Especially if you throw harder.

But if you spend some time with it and learn the release angles, it's probably one of the more versatile fairway drivers on the market.

Last week I was traveling and took just the Slab/Stag/RA/Swan2 and at Creekside in UT and Golden Gate in CA the 2 year old TP Stag I had did serious work. Being able to throw skippy Hyzers, spikes, turnovers, and S curves with one disc was very valuable. Especially since the distance driver I had only really does a couple of shots really well.

Pretty sure I'm one of very few players who vocally love it's, but I've tried many discs in that slot and to me it's my favorite.

 

[aphilso1]

Played the tourney Saturday with my old reliable discs, but then I went out yesterday with the kiddo for a round with a slimmed down bag. Threw the Stag for basically every hole between 260'-330'. My kid played on the playground afterwards, which gave me more time to just chuck the Stag around nearby.

I'm impressed. For a disc that gets very little fanfare, the Stag sure did go where I wanted pretty consistently. It doesn't like headwinds, but it actually did OK with crosswinds and absolutely crushes in tailwinds. It is exceptionally responsive to release angle, and seemed to read my mind with how much flip I wanted to put on it. Flip to flat, flat to turn, flat to high turn and fade out, steep long hyzer.....I feel like I tried just about every type of release/flight combo in my arsenal and it handled them all. The obvious counterppoint to that is that a disc that is a jack of all trades is likely a master of none. Will need more time with it in my standard bag to see if that holds true. But for now at least, I will pull out both my well worn Bio Getaway and my moderately worn Lucid Escape and replace them with the Stag. I think the Stag should be able to handle all those shots, but I might miss the Escape for true straight shots that basically fly like a super long putter flight. The Stag definitely has more lateral wriggle (both directions) than any of my Escapes.

Fun disc, I look forward to continuing to get to know it better. Best case scenario is a year from now I'm bagging a lineup of Felon/Getaway/Stag/beat Stag. Worst case scenario is I now know what "do everything" disc I pack in my carryon if I can only bring 2-3 discs with me on vacation. Even if the Stag doesn't become a fixture in my regular bag, it is still a ton of fun and was absolutely worth the purchase.

 

[aphilso1]

Update: the original 169g now has the 'new' beat out of it after extensively using it for a month. However, I've acquired a small stack of other Stags and the original one is the flattest, so not surprising that it acquired flip pretty quick. Still a really nice disc. It doesn't hold any angle like it did when fresh, but it hyzerflips really nicely and can be thrown on long turnovers that fight out at the end. Still love it.

I've acquired 4 other Stags in a variety of weight/dome/plastic combos, and I agree with everyone else that dome seems to be the best indicator of stability. Weight seems to matter more than plastic type too, but not nearly as much as dome. I have a 174 Lucid and 166 Fuzion with tons of dome, and they both fly way more stable than the other three.

I'm really glad I gave Stags a chance. Since their stability when fresh is very similar to beat up Getaways, it makes a seemless pairing in my bag. And given how I've already been able to see a loss in HSS in my first Stag, I'm encouraged that they can eventually beat enough enough to kick out my one token Hatchet. Really nice mold!

 

[aphilso1]

*Oops, just realized I used DD plastic nomenclature rather than Westside. Obviously I meant Tournament and VIP rather than Fuzion and Lucid.

 

[aphilso1]

End of season update: Stags are awesome. The flat one that I bought in May has really beat in for me. I definitely accelerated the break in period though, since I used it quite a bit for rollers. It is now almost to fresh Hatchet territory. I also bag the domey 166g TP Stag that I got a month later, and it has held its stability well. But I also never use that one for rollers.

I will be seriously sad if Westside OOP's this mold.

 

[Moose33]

Found an old stamp Stag in the back of my van while cleaning this weekend. It's one I bought used and forgot I had. Like finding money!

Also took my two newest Stags a TP Burst and a really pretty Glitter VIP put for a walk today, and it was really funny. I'd throw the VIP really well and be psyched about the throw, and then on several threw the TP and thought that I didn't quite hit the line right or was a bit disappointed with it, only to discover that it went 15-20 ft further on all but one throw. It is probably the domiest Stag I have and glides for days, but it hits a little different.

 

[PMantle]

Those who throw them a lot, what numbers would you assign the mold?

 

[aphilso1]

Those who throw them a lot, what numbers would you assign the mold?

domey, max weight: 8/6/-0.75/2
flattish, mid-160's weight: 8/5/-1.5/2

Basically, the more dome you have the more stable it will fly and the more glide you get. I *love* the domey Stags.
The flatter ones are good too, but in a different way. The flatter ones lay down on roller lines much easier for me than the domey ones. Flat Stags are one of only two discs that I'm comfortable rolling. When I throw rollers, I roll a flat Stag if I want it to cut left at the end or a Hatchet if I want it to finish right.

I think Stags are in the same general stability level as Escapes and Saints, but are a tick slower and much easier for me to control.

Edit: my post inadvertently makes it sound like Stags are roller discs. While they can absolutely be a stable rolling disc, they are so much more than that. They're a fantastic workhorse fairway driver.

 

[Moose33]

Those who throw them a lot, what numbers would you assign the mold?

8/5/-1/2.5 for a good domey one, and for the more flat ones are more like 8/4/-2/2

 

[Moose33]

Found a mildly used old stamp VIP Stag at play it again today. I mainly dropped in to use the restroom, but ended up finding the Stag, and a barely used Bard and Flare. Basically three of the key discs in my bag for $27.50 I'll take that all day.

 

[aphilso1]

Found a mildly used old stamp VIP Stag at play it again today. I mainly dropped in to use the restroom, but ended up finding the Stag, and a barely used Bard and Flare. Basically three of the key discs in my bag for $27.50 I'll take that all day.

Solid find! I grabbed a couple more Stag backups a little over a week ago. Ordered some misprints directly from Dynamic Discs, with instructions to ship me the two domiest misprint Stags they had. I haven't thrown either yet, but they both feel like nice, domey, stable Stags. And for only $10.99 each.

As always, great customer service by DD. They are always willing to handpick discs for you if you have a preference.

 

[adventurous penguin]

Those who throw them a lot, what numbers would you assign the mold?

I'd say fresh market weight:
Domey- 8/5/-1/2
Flatter-: 8/3.5/-2/1.5

Pretty to very beaten in:
Domey-: 8/6/-2.25/1
Flatter-: 8/4/-3/1.5

The domey one was my first, and the main driver for most holes 300'+ for about three and a half years of 3-7 rounds a week 40 weeks a year. The flatter one was bought as a replacement, but overlapped with the domey one in stability too much. I then just shelved the domey one, even though it flew better, because the finish stamp was too cool to lose. The flatter one then seasoned much faster, getting fully retired in just one season.

Love the stag still for low ceiling hyzer flips, glidey, sweeping hyzers, and huge, slow-panning anhyzers, but it isn't in the bag anymore, as I started cycling Thunderbirds.