Nice thread Scoot_er!
Yeah, I guess you could call me a Comet Lover!
I don't like playing tournaments. Not my "cup of tea". So I play rec rounds and I play with lots of different people; lots of time these are random people I happen to meet at hole #1.
There are a few things that *coincidentally* tons of DGers are looking for in their ideal disc: dead straight, little to no fade, a disc that will go to the right, buckets of glide, sweet flightpaths without having to first beat the disc, and highly accurate.
The Comet is a truly unique disc; I believe it fills all these voids in peoples' bags. The downside to the Comet is that unless you come from a lid/Ultimate background, there will most likely be a steep learning curve involved.
I have recommended ths disc to zillions of people. Some of those people buy one, others try mine. I have seen sooooo many people's first throws with the Comet. Most of the time they throw it very badly. The disc dives to the right, goes roller and I hear, "oh no, this disc is waaay too flippy for me." Then I take the disc from them and throw a 300'+ laserbeam to illustrate that the disc is more than capable if you take the time to learn it's nuances. That will usually impress them.
I am not trying to brag that I have a huge arm- I don't; the Comets use their tons of glide to get out that far.
I am not trying to say that I have flawless technique. Again, I don't; but I
do have countless hours throwing Comets in field practice and on the course so my form is
necessarily cleaner than some other DGers.
What I am trying to say is that there are huge rewards waiting for you if you take the time to fully learn the Comet. Indeed, as Scoot_er already mentioned, your newly improved form will carry over to your other discs and they will also fly cleaner and further.
So even if the Comet doesn't stay in your bag, KEEP IT. It is at least useful as a diagnostic tool. As you realize OAT creeping back into your game, blow the dust off of your Comets and do some spring cleaning to your technique. Then go back to throwing your regular bag with improved results.
As a side note, most Comet Lovers I know didn't like the Comet when they first tried it. But they kept the disc, played for a year or two without it and then came back to it. I guess their form improved in between the first audition and the second so the disc plays more nicely the second time around. This is exactly how I rediscovered the Comet. Haven't looked back since.
Comet buyers guide
most overstable to least overstable:
Sparkle Z RRs- most overstable by a fair bit but they are still not even close to a new DX Roc
Old run Elite Z (stamped with the current Elite X stamp)- barely *but noticeably* more overstable than the new Z runs
New run Elite Z(stamped with the current circle stamp)
Tourney Pro- about the same stability as ESP but break in faster; I don't have much experience with these, ask Three Putt about them if you are interested.
ESP LE- about the same stability as TP but break in slower
Elite X- initially fairly overstable but break in to buttery goodness quickly. Too quickly for some peoples' taste.
BTW, because of their overstability and relative torque resistance the Zs are not recommended as a diagnostic tool. Elite X works really well for this... and they are cheap! If you can get an X to fly straight for 300' then you are doing very well and you can pat yourself on the back.
Its not all roses- I don't want to lie to you. There are drawbacks to the Comet; here are a few. Because they are so straight, they don't teach you to play the fade of the disc. Because of their glide it can be more difficult to range them. Because of their straightness they won't stall around a corner nearly as well as other discs. Because they turn sooooo slowly they won't do multidirection shots nearly as well as other discs. Headwinds are tricky. Shots like these can be done with the Comet but it takes much more careful manipulation. Even though I don't have money riding on my rounds (like I said, I don't do many tourneys) I won't take a chance on a low percentage shot that my Comet doesn't naturally like when I have a disc in my bag that will do it much more readily.
This brings me to my last section, disc selection. Keep in mind that I play a super heavily wooded course that doesn't have much wind if at all. When I carry carry my normal weight bag (right now I only throw 150 class) I always have at least my beat 174 Elite X and my beat 176 ESP. They are a handsomely matched pair because the X is truly understable and the ESP is still very neutral despite 18 months of hard use and tree whacks. The ESP, despite being beat, still has fabulous distance potential and will hold a smooth hyzer when I need it to. I will add a new Z once in a while but I will usually reach for a new DX Roc if I need something more overstable than my ESP. Like I just mentioned, I will usually carry a DX Roc to go with the Comets. This disc opens up a few shots that are difficult with Comets. Stalls around corners, wind play, pulling out of turns, skips, hard turning hyzers, and stuff like that.
Thanks for reading, I know it got pretty long. I feel like this disc is highly underrated and it doesn't usually get a fair shakedown. I hope this review helps answer some questions for those who might be interested in trying it. If you have any more questions feel free to ask.
