ladysmanfelpz
Newbie
- Joined
- Jun 10, 2012
- Messages
- 49
What have you folks come to like for a DRIVER in baseline plastic and what role does it fulfill in your bag?
This is more so a discussion of drivers in the cheap plastic rather than the drivers themselves. I find most people in my area tend to find cheap plastic inferior to the champs and stars, but I think they are misinformed and just don't know how to use it. These two are what I believe to be the best molds for cheapy plastic drivers and since DX and Pro D tends to get some love on these forums I thought I see what others think on the opinion.
I've been playing about 5 years now and used to buy DX to wear one in quick and the low HSS helped me reach far when I was only like a 280 ft driver. I started turning them over more and more and my bag has cleared out of cheap plastic except for a few mids and putters, but I miss a good cheapy driver that I can rip far. I'm not much of a roller guy (Haven't learned the shot yet :? ) and prefer something I can give power to and don't have to worry about it turning over for a dive in the dirt, although I do prefer flippier discs and hate throwing super stiff overstable plastic that feels like a brick. I've come to like pro plastic the best and my driver line up currently is an S line hysteria, Star wraith, and pro boss. My pro katana is too flippy for me now, even with downwind shots, where I don't feel comfortable with it and find myself reaching for my boss more for the big open rips. I would like to pick up something to fill this downwind, hyzer, and even some left to right controllable drives and thought baseline plastic could do the job. So I'm really trying to find the best driver in the cheap plastic as I love the grip and the snap that comes with it. I find them all to be more understable at HS than stiffer plastics, but retain the LSS of its mold. That's why I would try to find the most stable, heaviest mold in baseline plastic and they season into looooong fliers with fairly good control and can do things no other plastics could. If I remember correctly I would say some outlived my pro's as pro's break in nice, but once they get passed a certain point in their seasoning they become unusable whereas the stiffer plastic of the dx will retain some of its flight characteristics even though the rim looks like it got chewed up by your neighbor's dog. The big difference I've noticed from the DX plastic to the Pro D is that the DX tends to chip the rim whereas the Pro D tends to fold more. By folding I mean like 1/8 to 1/2 inch wedges in the rim. Both offer incredible grip in any weather although I found the feel of Pro D plastic amazing. Through my experience the DX tends to last longer as I found my dented DX's becoming seasoned longer fliers where my Pro D's became too wedged up leading to a unusable, unpredictable disc. I haven't tried baseline plastic recently, but last time in a disc store it looks as if Innova changed their DX plastic and it looked more durable than ever. Does anyone know if this is true? Let me know your guys thoughts/experiences and what you think the best baseline driver is. Thanks a lot.
My experiences with cheapy discs:
Dx destroyer: The first disc I ever bought. This is what I learned on and I love the mold and had it going pretty far especially for such a young noodle arm both forehand and some weak back hand. I lost my first and picked up another down the road when I was much improved and driving in the 330 range. It flies like a destroyer and honestly I think it could outlast a pro destroyer as pro destroyers become way too understable with seasoning and unusable as a good driver. It becomes fairly understable although I wouldn't say more so than my pro katana. Release it with some sharp hyzer angle and that transformer stamp will shine at the heavens for a long smooth turn and still fade back with the same resiliency as the +3 its rated, but less so than its more OS champ and star counterparts.
Dx Valkyrie: Does not work in DX. Picked one up wanting to try the mold. Took one whack and rendered it completely useless. I discovered there is no way you can buy anything with a HS turn over -1 in dx. The plastic is already more understable and any seasoning will just cause a turnover machine.
Dx Boss: Sweet disc, sweet stamp. Tough to find in dx but I bought a one in 172 and had it going faaaaar. First drive with it was crushed. It flew like a boss requiring good height and nice slow flight, but definitely more understable. It seasoned fairly well for me and I continued to use it until lost.
Dx Firebird: Very overstable and works well in dx. Faster than a fairway, but slower than most drivers. I hated the thin rim on this guy, but I could see him seasoning into a long fairway driver with a nice gentle turn with the reliability of its overstability.
Dx Teerex: Best mold for dx. Grab one if you find one. Got one in AZ at memorial and had this guy going 380+ on forehand rips when I was a FH only player. Just like above, it developed a nice gentle turn even though its rated at 0, but still came back with its rated +4. After the firebird and this guy, overstable baseline plastic is the way to go for a far flier.
Pro D force: Amazing grip and feel. Big rim driver in pro D is just fantastic and had this guy going far, in fact so far that I lost it on a hole I overshot. Not as stable as dx in my opinion and wasn't even close to the stability rating of 2 it has. Makes me think pro D can't be used for drivers as this is one of the most stable molds offered in the plastic. This was many years ago so maybe I beat it up too quick and may give it another go now that my drive is much more predictable.
Dx Viper: In the bag now 8) Very overstable at +1 turn and +5 fade. I thought it would be toast by now but its lasted through 2 seasons and barely has any dings and keeps flying better and better. Fairly slow and flutters when released hard, but I've had it going over 350, but doesn't have near as smooth as flight as a higher speed driver.
My Verdict:
The Dx destroyer and Pro D force are the best drivers made in baseline plastic and can be used by a veteran player. My throw has changed quite a bit over the years and I have definitely increased my power, but I believe the dx destroyer and pro D force are capable of handling power and are durable enough to where you don't find yourself running back to the store to pick up another one and aren't altering your throw after each shot with it. I think if they are kept in good condition they will season into one of your furthest drivers and fill a unique spot in your bag. I am eager to pick up a destroyer for next season.
This is more so a discussion of drivers in the cheap plastic rather than the drivers themselves. I find most people in my area tend to find cheap plastic inferior to the champs and stars, but I think they are misinformed and just don't know how to use it. These two are what I believe to be the best molds for cheapy plastic drivers and since DX and Pro D tends to get some love on these forums I thought I see what others think on the opinion.
I've been playing about 5 years now and used to buy DX to wear one in quick and the low HSS helped me reach far when I was only like a 280 ft driver. I started turning them over more and more and my bag has cleared out of cheap plastic except for a few mids and putters, but I miss a good cheapy driver that I can rip far. I'm not much of a roller guy (Haven't learned the shot yet :? ) and prefer something I can give power to and don't have to worry about it turning over for a dive in the dirt, although I do prefer flippier discs and hate throwing super stiff overstable plastic that feels like a brick. I've come to like pro plastic the best and my driver line up currently is an S line hysteria, Star wraith, and pro boss. My pro katana is too flippy for me now, even with downwind shots, where I don't feel comfortable with it and find myself reaching for my boss more for the big open rips. I would like to pick up something to fill this downwind, hyzer, and even some left to right controllable drives and thought baseline plastic could do the job. So I'm really trying to find the best driver in the cheap plastic as I love the grip and the snap that comes with it. I find them all to be more understable at HS than stiffer plastics, but retain the LSS of its mold. That's why I would try to find the most stable, heaviest mold in baseline plastic and they season into looooong fliers with fairly good control and can do things no other plastics could. If I remember correctly I would say some outlived my pro's as pro's break in nice, but once they get passed a certain point in their seasoning they become unusable whereas the stiffer plastic of the dx will retain some of its flight characteristics even though the rim looks like it got chewed up by your neighbor's dog. The big difference I've noticed from the DX plastic to the Pro D is that the DX tends to chip the rim whereas the Pro D tends to fold more. By folding I mean like 1/8 to 1/2 inch wedges in the rim. Both offer incredible grip in any weather although I found the feel of Pro D plastic amazing. Through my experience the DX tends to last longer as I found my dented DX's becoming seasoned longer fliers where my Pro D's became too wedged up leading to a unusable, unpredictable disc. I haven't tried baseline plastic recently, but last time in a disc store it looks as if Innova changed their DX plastic and it looked more durable than ever. Does anyone know if this is true? Let me know your guys thoughts/experiences and what you think the best baseline driver is. Thanks a lot.
My experiences with cheapy discs:
Dx destroyer: The first disc I ever bought. This is what I learned on and I love the mold and had it going pretty far especially for such a young noodle arm both forehand and some weak back hand. I lost my first and picked up another down the road when I was much improved and driving in the 330 range. It flies like a destroyer and honestly I think it could outlast a pro destroyer as pro destroyers become way too understable with seasoning and unusable as a good driver. It becomes fairly understable although I wouldn't say more so than my pro katana. Release it with some sharp hyzer angle and that transformer stamp will shine at the heavens for a long smooth turn and still fade back with the same resiliency as the +3 its rated, but less so than its more OS champ and star counterparts.
Dx Valkyrie: Does not work in DX. Picked one up wanting to try the mold. Took one whack and rendered it completely useless. I discovered there is no way you can buy anything with a HS turn over -1 in dx. The plastic is already more understable and any seasoning will just cause a turnover machine.
Dx Boss: Sweet disc, sweet stamp. Tough to find in dx but I bought a one in 172 and had it going faaaaar. First drive with it was crushed. It flew like a boss requiring good height and nice slow flight, but definitely more understable. It seasoned fairly well for me and I continued to use it until lost.
Dx Firebird: Very overstable and works well in dx. Faster than a fairway, but slower than most drivers. I hated the thin rim on this guy, but I could see him seasoning into a long fairway driver with a nice gentle turn with the reliability of its overstability.
Dx Teerex: Best mold for dx. Grab one if you find one. Got one in AZ at memorial and had this guy going 380+ on forehand rips when I was a FH only player. Just like above, it developed a nice gentle turn even though its rated at 0, but still came back with its rated +4. After the firebird and this guy, overstable baseline plastic is the way to go for a far flier.
Pro D force: Amazing grip and feel. Big rim driver in pro D is just fantastic and had this guy going far, in fact so far that I lost it on a hole I overshot. Not as stable as dx in my opinion and wasn't even close to the stability rating of 2 it has. Makes me think pro D can't be used for drivers as this is one of the most stable molds offered in the plastic. This was many years ago so maybe I beat it up too quick and may give it another go now that my drive is much more predictable.
Dx Viper: In the bag now 8) Very overstable at +1 turn and +5 fade. I thought it would be toast by now but its lasted through 2 seasons and barely has any dings and keeps flying better and better. Fairly slow and flutters when released hard, but I've had it going over 350, but doesn't have near as smooth as flight as a higher speed driver.
My Verdict:
The Dx destroyer and Pro D force are the best drivers made in baseline plastic and can be used by a veteran player. My throw has changed quite a bit over the years and I have definitely increased my power, but I believe the dx destroyer and pro D force are capable of handling power and are durable enough to where you don't find yourself running back to the store to pick up another one and aren't altering your throw after each shot with it. I think if they are kept in good condition they will season into one of your furthest drivers and fill a unique spot in your bag. I am eager to pick up a destroyer for next season.
. Now I would like something I can crank on just as much as my wraith but get more turn out of it without turning it over. I want something that can stay in my bag and handle my 380 ft power range but be more shaping than my go to wraith. BTW I've used a valk which I've heard is similar to the beast and it made great straight shots, but was fairly slow but had crazy good glide so was thinking a flat top beast could make great hyzer and S shots.
