Beating in discs....clarification

[greenjeans]

Being a relative noob, I understand that a discs characteristics will change when "beat in". Am I correct that "beat in" is just another way of saying that disc has become more "flexible" ?

And, a disc that is more "flexible" is more likely to lose some of its stability, making it easier to turn over or fly straight ?

It's just that I have some newly purchased discs (brand new - unthrown) that are VERY soft and rubbery / flimsy as any old "beat in" disc that I have.

 

[Spike1]

"Beat in" means everything that happens to a disc when you play with it. It can mean everything from scratches and marks to the disc being more or less warped. Some plastics get a bit more flexy after you have used it for a while. Discs that are slightly beat in shouldn't be too different from new ones, while heavily beat in discs will behave differently. For putters, the stages of wear don't matter as much as they do with drivers.

 

[discspeed]

Being a relative noob, I understand that a discs characteristics will change when "beat in". Am I correct that "beat in" is just another way of saying that disc has become more "flexible" ?

And, a disc that is more "flexible" is more likely to lose some of its stability, making it easier to turn over or fly straight ?

It's just that I have some newly purchased discs (brand new - unthrown) that are VERY soft and rubbery / flimsy as any old "beat in" disc that I have.

Increased flexibility is a side effect of breaking in with some plastics, but not all. It usually takes a LOT of beating to make a disc more flexible. Beat in discs are simply ones that fly less stable than when they were new. Some plastics (baseline) lose chunks and bend on impact, but can generally be sanded and bent back to shape. This plastic definitely gets softer with wear. Pro/X plastic doesn't chunks as much, but it does warp and bend. It doesn't change flexibility too much over its life. Star/ESP/Champ/Z/Opto/Goldline/etc are the highest grades of plastic and they take longer to beat in...One of these discs can fly much less stable than new, but still look and feel pretty much the same as new.

 

[greenjeans]

What about new discs that are more flexible ? Would they behave like an older disc that is beat in ?

I am a fan of star plastics and they they are worth the extra $, but I recently bought one that is ridiculously flexible almost rubbery. It is star plastic.

Sure hate that they aren't able to produce discs consistently.

 

[what'shisname]

FLX discs are super flexible as you might gather from the name of the plastic. A lot of the FLX discs are more overstable than their counterparts in other plastics. In other words, the flexibility of a disc does not relate to how it behaves when it's "beat in".

 

[Marmoset]

What about new discs that are more flexible ? Would they behave like an older disc that is beat in ?

There is a slim chance that they might behave like a beat disc but that slim chance has little (or nothing) to do with its initial flexibility.

...I recently bought one that is ridiculously flexible almost rubbery. It is star plastic.

Sure hate that they aren't able to produce discs consistently.

That's the way it is. Most of us hate it.
Manufacturers are always intentionally or unintentionally changing the plastic blends.
2 options here:
1. Find something you like and buy all the backups you can from the same run.
2. Learn to cope with different characteristics (surface texture, flexibility, flight path, etc.)

Gateway is notorious for having a huge difference between runs. Go ahead, try tracking down your favorite blend of SS Wizard.
The best way I've found to combat this is to throw unpopular molds. The unpopular molds have much fewer runs so chances are that the DX Goblin you see on the shelf today is from the same run as the DX Goblin you bought 1 year ago. The downside to this ideaology is that unpopular discs can get axed. The Goblin is no longer in production.

There is an extremely low likelyhood that the DX Roc you see on the shelf today is from the same run as the DX Roc you bought 1 year ago. But at least you know the Rancho Roc will never get the axe (I have faith in Dave D that he will not replace the Rancho with the +)

 

[Marmoset]

I should add that manufacturers appear to be making discs increasingly softer.
I think most of us on DGR would prefer stiffer discs but DGR is definitely a minority group.

It might not be a bad idea to try and figure out how to get your gummy Wraith to work.

 

[Jeronimo]

It took me 2 years to realize I preferred stiffer discs to softer discs. You know what the eye opening moment was? When I really learned how to snap a disc out of my hands and my driving improved. In other words, I think driving with softer drivers is a rookie mistake.

The second thought I'd like to throw out here is one I mentioned before in a different thread regarding "breaking in". If you actually consider the dramatic forces involved in throwing, it really wouldn't surprise me if a lot of the breaking in is through the subtle warping of the rim when we snap a disc out of our fingers. Obviously, scars, scuffs, dents, etc... make a difference but my hypothesis is that every hard snap we put on these discs has a cumulative "tuning" effect on the rim.

 

[greenjeans]

At this point in my disc golf career, I definitely prefer the stiffer discs. I think it's easier for those of us newbies to throw them consistently....kinda like game improvement irons in ball golf.
Perhaps they mask a tiny bit of the flaws in my form. I am starting to get a feel for the floppy wraith......it's just that I was bombing the old stiff one - I say old, but it was a 12X purchased
only a month ago - just slipped on a tee pad and got the nose up, sending it majestically into a lake. I'm still crying about it 3 weeks later.

I'm hoping that maybe throwing the floppy one will help my form out. I was just starting to get the feel for more snap in my throws. wah, wah, wah...

 

[HeartlessCynic]

Call one of the good online stores that will hand pick discs for you (MSt, GGGT, CWDGS, ect.) next time.

 

[Burrito]

How can you tell what run a disc is, and how do we go about getting discs from the same run. Are there identifying numbers on the botton?

e.g. I have 3 Star TL's all purchased within the last few months, and all with different flexes. One is stupid soft, one moderately stiff, and one super stiff.

 

[Marmoset]

How can you tell what run a disc is, and how do we go about getting discs from the same run. Are there identifying numbers on the botton?

Unfortunately there is no easy way unless it is a Millennium disc. Millennium prints the run number on top of the disc.
Otherwise it is hard to tell unless it says "first run" on it. You might have to do some sleuthing.
Match the stamps as best as possible. Tourney stamps are great for this. 10 runs of Teebirds will all have the exact same stamp but there has been only 1 run of DGR stamped PDs. If it has a DGR stamp you know exactly which run it came from.

 

[discspeed]

In my experience with a lot of different discs is that, in general, softer discs tend to turn and fade more while stiffer discs hold the line more steadfast. Think about it this way...Would you rather fly in a soft airplane or a stiff one? Which do you think would get bounced around more?