[Vibram] Vibram advice needed.

[Dr. Steve Brule]

Hi!

Been reading these forums for a good while now and finally decided to register so that I can actually join the conversations with you guys! :hfive:

I've been disc golfing for around 3 years now and at first, like many of us I started out throwing Innova, Discraft and Latitude 64. Last year I wanted to try something else and bought two MVP Anodes(Proton S and M) for driving and putting purposes and been liking them a lot. I have'nt tried their other discs yet though but its hard to ignore the hype so I'm sure they are all good discs.
After realizing how great MVP is I kinda wanted to see what else is there that I'm missing out on. So I got my hands on the Vibram X-link Ibex which I am really starting to like aswell. I find the feel of it + grip pretty damn good and I live in Finland so a lot of the courses are heavily wooded. If I miss that line in a tunnel shot surrounded by evil trees I dont need to worry about the disc doing some random flipper stuff but instead the disc just drops nearby. I've read that they are also good for rainy days / playing during winter and I can see where that is coming from.

Been trying to find some solid valuable information about these discs but mostly the talk is about their putters and the rest is about how they fly like "glidless bricks"(Lace has gotten popular though) which I find confusing since my Ibex performs just as well as other mids that I have tried but at the same time being more comfortable in the hand for me.
I've been thinking about trying the Obex to pair with my Ibex as I need an OS/stable mid but again, there is hardly any talk about it let alone videos on how they fly(except for their own videos ofc but you can not really see the full flight. Maybe someone should send MikeC some Vibrams:clap.
Will the Obex handle winds and can I rely on it to fade every time or should I just go with the Tensor or Pain instead? I also lost my Jokeri a while ago which I really liked and I figured that the VP could do the same thing?

What about their fairway combo? Will I lose significant distance compared to other manufactures if I replaced my PD/Teebird with the Ascent? Is it possible to get any kind of skipping action out of them if needed because sometimes getting a skip is good? What would the Trak and Ascent be best compared to for me(I throw RHBH around 400ft on distance drives but havent really been using high speed drivers). Would Ascent + Volt combo be best of both worlds for fairway duties or should I consider a Shock instead?

The reason for all these questions is that there is only one shop around here that offers their whole line up and I'd most likely have to order them online. I don't see a lot of Vibram discs around here so I can't really try 'em out before buying either.
I still like some Latitude discs like the XXX, Fuse and the Striker but some of the Lat discs are really hard to range. That insane glide can be good and bad at the same time but I like how durable their plastic is and it is easy distance aswell which makes them accurate. I've seen some talk about Westside and Latitude performing bad in winds though.

Lat,Westside, Prodiscus, Innova/Discmania and Discraft are rather common in stores here. A bag full of MVP and Vibram could be mui grande awesome but losing discs would suck a wee bit more as I'd have to order them online so help me out here!

For your discs!

 

[Nasty Nate]

I love Doctor Steve Brule! For your health! :thmbup:

That's all.

 

[Qikly]

Dr. Steve Brule is *not* Finnish.



In general I've found the opinions by some that Vibram are "glideless" to be untrue.

The Obex is a bit faster than the Pain, so it'll fly straighter longer before the fade kicks in. Fade is about the same. I haven't spent much time with the Obex, but I remember liking it a bit more than the Pain (which was in my bag for awhile), because of the higher speed. Obex also didn't seem very liable to turn, although I didn't throw it in the wind too much.

At my 300'ish of power, the Trak flew pretty much dead straight, with not much fade at the end of its flight. It had the flight path of a heavier GL River, but with less glide, so I found it very easy to range. I really liked it. It'd almost surely have some turn at your power, but I don't know how much.

From what I've gathered, Ascents can be inconsistent. You'd definitely lose some distance in comparison to your PDs, so I wouldn't recommend replacing one with the other. They're in different speed categories.

Though you sound set at putters, they're as good as advertised. The VP is an amazing approach disc - very consistent. I haven't thrown a Ridge, but it's supposed to be a great driving putter. I also love how the Medium X-link absorbs the impact against the chains - I've had very few blow-throughs with Vibram putters. If you like narrow putters, the Summit is where it's at.

 

[Dr. Steve Brule]

Great! Thanks for your reply! I think I might have to order that Obex atleast and maybe grab a VP too as my Jokeri replacement. I dont mind if it glides a bit less as it is mostly for that approach shot anyway. If I'm afraid of the Obex turning I could just throw VP instead. Was thinking about getting the Ridge before the Anodes came. I was using KC Aviars before the Anodes so I was a bit lost at first because of the stability differences. Nowadays I am more of a spin putter and the Anode is great for that but an Ion or a Ridge might be a good option when I need some more fade on my putts to get around trees etc. I guess the Anode+VP combo would be enough for my needs though.
Need to think about those drivers still. I have been playing around with the idea of using Vibram/MVP for my putting and midrange duties because of their feel and keep throwing drivers. I am probably going to try out the Lace aswell. Using Opto Flow as my distance driver atm.

 

[Hlasianguy06]

Qikly hit the nail on the head. One other thing about ascents, like he said are a little inconsistent, I have a high parting line firm that might as well be a pd, my medium on the other hand flies like a teebird in the sweet spot. Surprisingly all my vibrams seem to be gliding much more than when they were new. I don't feel like I've lost any distance in the fairway department, still hitting right under 400 with the ascent can't get the trak to do what I want but I believe it just needs to be seasoned.

 

[Hlasianguy06]

The obex is probably my most thrown midrange, was the ibex but I like the obex more. A firm lace I believe would be comparable to the flow, a firm lace will show more turn than a medium so keep that in mind. I bagged both a medium and firm in 175. The medium turns but does not change it's angle like the firm. The ridge is my main putter, love it, all it does is go straight though I do have a medium that's been beaten by trees for over a year or so now and it acts similar to a summit now but much easier to control.

 

[Qikly]

Also if you want beef: Vibram will have a seriously OS distance driver coming out fairly soon. It's currently being tested now; there's a thread on here about it.

 

[Dr. Steve Brule]

I see. I think I'm gonna keep going with the regular X-Link as it's the only compound I've tried and if it isn't broke why fix it. Firms are less durable too afaik or is this just another myth like their lack of glide? I also hate distance drivers not coming back for me or breaking in to that flippy point too fast so if the medium turns less then that is a good thing for me. How much overlap would you say there are with Volts and Traks? I can imagine Volts fading forward more but never thrown one but it's just something that I've gathered from MikeC's vids(which are great btw). I used to have a max weight GL River which was amazing until I lost it. I have a C-Line TD, Flippy P-DD and a 8/10 Star Valkyrie for my anhyzers atm.

You are not the first one I see compairing Ascents to Teebirds so I could just take a risk and give one a go. Also my Ibex is in 170. I haven't owned it long enough to learn it thoroughly but for me it flies very straight most of it's flight, then turns just a bit before fading back. I can pretty much throw it straight at a basket and it will return to that same line after it's turn. However if I go all in on it and throw it flat I can keep it from fading back but it's HSS has let me down only one time so far. I should play around with it a bit more in a soccer field as I haven't even tried hyzerflips or intentional anhyzers with it yet. Would a max weight Ibex be a lot different from what I just described?
I use my Opto Fuse for those right sailing shots and anhyzers that won't come back or straight shots from a stand still where I want good distance and accuracy with very little effort and it's perfect for that. It is quite sensitive with power+angles though so my Ibex might take over that spot once I get to know it better.

 

[Dr. Steve Brule]

Also if you want beef: Vibram will have a seriously OS distance driver coming out fairly soon. It's currently being tested now; there's a thread on here about it.

Yeah I noticed that and it's looking promising! :clap: Got my S-PD2 for my OS distance atm but not a big fan of it for some reason.

 

[Dr. Steve Brule]

Oh and a big thank you for all the replies so far. You've made it a lot more clear for me now. We really need someone like MikeC filming some videos of these discs in flight as it seems really hard to find good ones atm.

 

[Hlasianguy06]

I wouldn't say less durable just get to the broken in point quicker than a medium. Mine haven't gone past that point either so Id say they are just as durable, another plus hot water from the faucet will bring the disc back to shape very quickly. They have strongest memory of any disc I've had, I usually break them in then hot water treatment to snag some stability back after it's gotten some extra glide from the break in. Plus I'm a little ocd and hate the warped spots.

I only carry max weight ibexes(sp?), one I flattened to see if I could turn into a turnover disc and the other is seasoned, the flattened one turns like yours and fades back just a little but the seasoned one just goes straight. With some oat or flat to anny releases are the only times I get it to turn or the occasionally all out blast but I still think there's some oat in there, I don't normal try to crush them on 400' holes. That's where I throw the 172 medium ascent, good hyzer flip to solid fade disc. I'm hoping this freakishly overstable trak will stop acting like an ascent and more like a longer ibex.

 

[Hlasianguy06]

Oh and a big thank you for all the replies so far. You've made it a lot more clear for me now. We really need someone like MikeC filming some videos of these discs in flight as it seems really hard to find good ones atm.

Id really love a good camera to do this with, nobody in Memphis gave these discs a chance till I showed them their greatness. I still love plastic but for consistency and competitiveness in the game I would rather throw vibram. There are just too many nice flying discs out there, luckily a buddy of mine wants to be all prodigy so I don't have to buy to try and everyone is starting to buy DD so I still don't have to buy lol:doh:

 

[Dr. Steve Brule]

Aight well I could take one of the molds as a firm. An Ascent for example. Then I'd get a Teebird out of it faster hopefully. I guess I won't be needing a max weight Ibex then as I'm hoping that my future Obex will be doing my stable to overstable shots. I guess I won't be needing an Axis/Buzzz/Warship or another neutral mid either when I get that Obex? I can throw my Anodes around 300-320ft if I get a good clean release if I want minimal fade although there is always a risk of turning and burning them especially if it's windy.

 

[MrDarkHorse]

I prefer the drivers in Firm. I have a firm Trak, Ascent, and Lace. My favorite is the Trak.

Kind of the way I prefer Star or GL for drivers.

I think the firms take the torque of a high powered release better.

 

[Dr. Steve Brule]

Can you compare how they fly for you compared to other discs for me? Is there some noticeable stability difference between medium and firm Obexes? Pretty sure I'm going with a medium Obex atleast as I really like the way my Ibex feels.

 

[Hlasianguy06]

Unfortunately I never had a firm obex, but for comparison I had a VIP warship bagged since it came out, also got an ibex when they we're released. I ended up dropping the warship several months ago needless to say they felt like the same disc and pretty much flew the same, but because I knew it would eventually beat to flat and flippy like tourney plastic, I traded it. The obex pretty much fills my roc spot, though I have to keep a fresh one in the bag because it breaks into flying straight like an ibex but fades much more. I use the broken in one for max d midrange where I don't wanna go left near as much as the ascent. The obex id say may be close to a wasp or a very stable rancho. Been awhile since I've thrown either.

 

[kutz167]

I have Video up in the main vibram thread throwing a bunch of laces, rampages, cannons, and r420b. I can try to get a vid throwing some of vibrams mids and fairways this weekend if people are interested.

 

[Dr. Steve Brule]

I have Video up in the main vibram thread throwing a bunch of laces, rampages, cannons, and r420b. I can try to get a vid throwing some of vibrams mids and fairways this weekend if people are interested.

Yeah saw that one aswell. Was good stuff! Would be awesome if you took the time to film one for us! Adding text with disc names on the vid would be a nice add so I know what's in the air.

 

[Dr. Steve Brule]

I can't seem to decide between a Ridge and a VP. Would the Ridge be overstable enough to do the same things a Jokeri would? I thought that I'd have more use for the Ridge as it would be more versatile and it might also challenge my Anodes for putting purposes. Oh and do people prefer their putters in firm or medium?
Would still love to hear some comparisons between the Trak and Volt.

 

[Brodysseus]

Ridge would be a better all purpose disc, but a VP will be more like a Jokeri. The VP is the best approach disc on the market and some crazy people (me!) LOVE putting with them too. I putt with Firms but I prefer mediums for approaches (and softs are pretty neat for certain approaches too).

I'd recommend getting a 170+ medium VP but, in all fairness, I am very biased towards VPs. Ridges are nice discs too; basically more forgiving Wizards with less glide.