ryananthony
Newbie
anyone know where to get the super heavy practice wizards?
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[Gateway] Wizard plastics
- Thread starter spinachd
- Start date
@iDiscGolf
* Ace Member *
- Joined
- Dec 1, 2013
- Messages
- 3,805
They'll pop up on the marketplace from time to time, still may be some available now, they seem to not sell quick. Probably because of the price or rarity people want for them (maybe to cover additional shipping fees?)
My favorite is the Dogtoy for putting. The Platinum Evo is great in hot weather, it gets a nice gummy but not Tacky feel, and I like the way it hits the chains. I've switched to Voodoos recently, but I really wish they came in more plastics, especially Dogtoy and ER.
OlyWA Kenobi
Birdie Member
I've recently seen some Wizard DISCussion in a thread sorta about Wizards; thought I'd revive this thread with a DISCovery I had this summer with my Wizards.
A little backstory about me and my journey with Wizards...
I used to putt with Wizards. I had switched from KC Pros Aviars to Wizards in '07 because the Gateway plastic just felt better/grippy. In the summer of '12, I switched to Yeti Pro Aviars because I was able to get a stack (15+ putters) for a fraction of the cost of Wizards. There is a lot to like about the Yeti Pro; the plastic blend felt as stiff as KCs but more grippy (not waxy feeling), they have a bead (stable for my spush putting style), decent driving/upshot putter (not a lot of side-to-side play), and (most importantly, for me) Yetis have a concavity which gives them a shallow profile (ideal for my baby-sized hands). But then something happened to Yetis (IMO), from ones stamped "4x" to "5x"; the best way I can explain it is like this... The 5x Yetis seemed puffier and slightly softer. I got discouraged that I would then be hunting down OOP 4x to get the putters I wanted. That's when I picked up a Wizard again, and fell back in love with that predictable stable flight. And the plastic, that yummy yummy plastic.
Fast forward to the beginning of this summer ('16 season). I have a large stack of Wizards; mostly PWP (LOVE this blend), some Fossil, some Fossil Fuel, handful of Soft, and a few SS for winter duties (as well as making some of the SS into US putters by using them for driving/upshots). After not throwing Wizards for a while, I got back into them with a vengeance. I was on the hunt for low-profiled, grippy, stiff Wizards. Thanks to the Wizard Warehouse, Phantom Discs, RDG, and a few FB friends (K J Funke, looking at you, dude!), I was able to narrow down my searches. I know what I like, and where to get them! During my hunting, I came across a sale thread here on DGCR. Someone had some old Wizards. I swooped on them. I think there were 5 all together, but 2 were crazy awesome! One was an older Soft with a worn mis-stamp, the other was an older Soft stamped with a HyzerBomb stamp. They both shared this incredibly tacky, stiff quality. Unlike any new Wizard I had in my possession. Unfortunately I cracked the HyzerBomb one (actually, I am certain it had a hairline crack in it when I got it, because it did have a soft spot in the flightplate ¯\_(ツ)_/¯). What made these 2 Wizards my "Holy Grail" of putters? The answer was right in front of me...
I have an Innova Discatcher Pro at home. Needless to say, I putt a lot at home. I also have 4 kids, 3 of which are young boys. Well, at some point, one of my Black Soft Wizards ended up on the roof of my house. An entire month past before I had time to get a ladder and get my putter back. When I pulled it down, I realized that I had discovered something. The putter that was on the roof for about a month became sun-baked. It also became slightly concave and more tacky/grippy than before. I went and grabbed the Wizard that I had purchased as used (that I previously mentioned had this other-worldly amount of tacky grip); while looking at the disc I noted that the top of the disc was this faint peach color, while the bottom was a little vibrant orange. I was starting to put 2 and 2 together, then I remembered something I had heard before that Jay Yeti Reading used to do...
So, from what I heard, Jay Yeti Reading helped to design the Yeti Pro Aviar. But before the Yeti came along, he used to putt with KCs. From what I was told, he used to take brand new KC Pro Aviars and toss them in his yard to season/bake in the hot summer sun. The end product of that "seasoning" is what the Yeti Pro Aviar is based on; stiff, grippy, slight concave. The dim light in my head started to flicker! I went and took about 7 of my new Wizards (2 PWP, 2 Fossil, 1 Fossil Fuel, and 2 Soft) and tossed them on my roof to "season".
After about 45 days I pulled down my Wizards. I am pleased to say that I have found the best way to "make" Wizards into, what I consider to be, the best Wizards I've ever felt. The types of plastic that most benefited from the seasoning that happened were the PWP and Fossils. None became too concave (if at all), and all became very tacky/grippy. As far as changes in stability, there were none. I currently have about 15 Wizards on my roof. Now that summer is winding down, I may leave them up there for longer, but they are definitely staying up there!
tl;dr
I, inadvertently, learned how to "make" the ultimate Wizards!!! Stiff, grippy/tacky, low-profiled, stable putters!!!
A little backstory about me and my journey with Wizards...
I used to putt with Wizards. I had switched from KC Pros Aviars to Wizards in '07 because the Gateway plastic just felt better/grippy. In the summer of '12, I switched to Yeti Pro Aviars because I was able to get a stack (15+ putters) for a fraction of the cost of Wizards. There is a lot to like about the Yeti Pro; the plastic blend felt as stiff as KCs but more grippy (not waxy feeling), they have a bead (stable for my spush putting style), decent driving/upshot putter (not a lot of side-to-side play), and (most importantly, for me) Yetis have a concavity which gives them a shallow profile (ideal for my baby-sized hands). But then something happened to Yetis (IMO), from ones stamped "4x" to "5x"; the best way I can explain it is like this... The 5x Yetis seemed puffier and slightly softer. I got discouraged that I would then be hunting down OOP 4x to get the putters I wanted. That's when I picked up a Wizard again, and fell back in love with that predictable stable flight. And the plastic, that yummy yummy plastic.
Fast forward to the beginning of this summer ('16 season). I have a large stack of Wizards; mostly PWP (LOVE this blend), some Fossil, some Fossil Fuel, handful of Soft, and a few SS for winter duties (as well as making some of the SS into US putters by using them for driving/upshots). After not throwing Wizards for a while, I got back into them with a vengeance. I was on the hunt for low-profiled, grippy, stiff Wizards. Thanks to the Wizard Warehouse, Phantom Discs, RDG, and a few FB friends (K J Funke, looking at you, dude!), I was able to narrow down my searches. I know what I like, and where to get them! During my hunting, I came across a sale thread here on DGCR. Someone had some old Wizards. I swooped on them. I think there were 5 all together, but 2 were crazy awesome! One was an older Soft with a worn mis-stamp, the other was an older Soft stamped with a HyzerBomb stamp. They both shared this incredibly tacky, stiff quality. Unlike any new Wizard I had in my possession. Unfortunately I cracked the HyzerBomb one (actually, I am certain it had a hairline crack in it when I got it, because it did have a soft spot in the flightplate ¯\_(ツ)_/¯). What made these 2 Wizards my "Holy Grail" of putters? The answer was right in front of me...
I have an Innova Discatcher Pro at home. Needless to say, I putt a lot at home. I also have 4 kids, 3 of which are young boys. Well, at some point, one of my Black Soft Wizards ended up on the roof of my house. An entire month past before I had time to get a ladder and get my putter back. When I pulled it down, I realized that I had discovered something. The putter that was on the roof for about a month became sun-baked. It also became slightly concave and more tacky/grippy than before. I went and grabbed the Wizard that I had purchased as used (that I previously mentioned had this other-worldly amount of tacky grip); while looking at the disc I noted that the top of the disc was this faint peach color, while the bottom was a little vibrant orange. I was starting to put 2 and 2 together, then I remembered something I had heard before that Jay Yeti Reading used to do...
So, from what I heard, Jay Yeti Reading helped to design the Yeti Pro Aviar. But before the Yeti came along, he used to putt with KCs. From what I was told, he used to take brand new KC Pro Aviars and toss them in his yard to season/bake in the hot summer sun. The end product of that "seasoning" is what the Yeti Pro Aviar is based on; stiff, grippy, slight concave. The dim light in my head started to flicker! I went and took about 7 of my new Wizards (2 PWP, 2 Fossil, 1 Fossil Fuel, and 2 Soft) and tossed them on my roof to "season".
After about 45 days I pulled down my Wizards. I am pleased to say that I have found the best way to "make" Wizards into, what I consider to be, the best Wizards I've ever felt. The types of plastic that most benefited from the seasoning that happened were the PWP and Fossils. None became too concave (if at all), and all became very tacky/grippy. As far as changes in stability, there were none. I currently have about 15 Wizards on my roof. Now that summer is winding down, I may leave them up there for longer, but they are definitely staying up there!
tl;dr
I, inadvertently, learned how to "make" the ultimate Wizards!!! Stiff, grippy/tacky, low-profiled, stable putters!!!
TLDR^.
Get any good stuff planned. Soft, OG soft, fossil, PWP, g25. Use them in your practice basket. Leave them in your practice basket. No matter the weather. They just get better and better.
Get any good stuff planned. Soft, OG soft, fossil, PWP, g25. Use them in your practice basket. Leave them in your practice basket. No matter the weather. They just get better and better.
tbird888
Salient Disc Test Team
Dave is a wise man. Listen to him.
I have a stash of Wizards in the practice baskets at home (all firm blends), and they're definitely getting better with every hot, humid, and clear day. The rain we've been getting has helped too.
I have a stash of Wizards in the practice baskets at home (all firm blends), and they're definitely getting better with every hot, humid, and clear day. The rain we've been getting has helped too.
OlyWA Kenobi
Birdie Member
I'm looking forward to see what happens over the next few months with my little experiment. I will say that I liked then laying flat on the roof. A little more intention on them "seasoning" evenly and no worries about misshapened flight plate due to them resting on one another. But, then again, I am just experimenting.
Yeah. That is probably a safer approach. But if you are practicing 5 days per week, as you ought to be, they don't sit in one position long enough to prevent even cooking. Like tater tots - you gotta move 'em around if you want nice even crispiness. Plus, they need to feel the hot sting of the chains.
tbird888
Salient Disc Test Team
I have never cared much for my putters being able to sit flat. Once the clovering starts (the firm blends take forever to get there), I start getting excited.
OlyWA Kenobi
Birdie Member
I'm the opposite. I go to lengths so that there's no one specific spot on my putters where my hand *has* to be or *can't* be, so I can putt. Some of those lengths include trimming down knicks or light sanding of rough spots. But, at the same time, I'm not critical when the putter isn't uniform. As long as I don't have to think about where, specifically, my hand and fingers have to be.
Agree 100%. On all my discs.
We have Eraser Voodoos in stock at the factory. Dave's 5 disc deal is $47 shipped, PM me for info
ThomasOrion
* Ace Member *
Whats the deal with LUNAR? I have one and like it. its a little slick when wet at first, but most part its grippy, like a Pro plastic.
Its working in nicely
Does anyone have info on the Lunar? (mine is 175g Gray swirly and blank)
Its working in nicely
Does anyone have info on the Lunar? (mine is 175g Gray swirly and blank)
rakamkram
Eagle Member
Do you use your wizards for approach shots too, or just for putting?
Kodachrome
* Ace Member *
Agreed with the last part. They're ****ing useless but people want money for them. Not even a good collector item.
tbird888
Salient Disc Test Team
I "putt" from pretty much 100'.
DrBaartman
Birdie Member
So, if I am looking for a run of Wizards that are very stiff (S, or even medium), but also grippy (like eraser plastic), what should I search for?
I've heard ER25? Fossil Fuel?
Wizards are so confusing. But I kinda like it that way. Haha
I've heard ER25? Fossil Fuel?
Wizards are so confusing. But I kinda like it that way. Haha
tbird888
Salient Disc Test Team
ER-25 was my winter putter (G9i sits the bench) because it actually gets better when it gets wet. I now use a Fossil.
Azpostal
Par Member
PM Sent
Streets
* Ace Member *
- Joined
- Oct 29, 2012
- Messages
- 10,503
Some SuperSofts fit this bill. Stiff with a nice velvety grip.
