[Question] Has anyone tried the discs from Franklin Sports?

[Declarkus]

https://youtu.be/kwFJodIZKkw

 

[BrotherDave]

I got an innova cobra dx midrange and I did not like it. It was 172 or 174 and I blamed it on the weight. So I got an innova skeeter dx midrange, its only 150 and I like it even less. It seems to curve sooner than my rubber discs. And worse than the cobra did. I ordered from Walmart.com and you cant really choose your weight, they lump them all together from 150-164 so you don't know what you will get in that range. And I read that you want to stick with lightweights as a newbie. The franklins are 160, 160 and 167.


I had someone give me a discraft buzz 1.71 driver that someone lost and I don't do any better with it than I do my franklins.
I need to take it out of my bag because I don't use it.

I figure I will give it another month or so and then maybe look to buy a driver of some sort. I don't see the need to throw a ton of money at discs because I'm sure my game needs lots of improvement as it is.

Should I keep the skeeter or return it for a heavier one ? Ive read good things about it but for me, its clearly inferior to the Franklins and the Cobra I tried before it. And I thought the Cobra might have been too heavy at 174.

Skeeters are very understable, they're designed to be. A DX 150g Skeeter is basically the most understable Skeeter you can get. The Buzzz is one of the most popular discs in the game, for a reason. It's a fantastic mid range. The Cobra is also a classic mid range and a good choice for beginners. Your Franklin discs are, however, about as far from classic as it gets. They are unequivocally terrible discs and the sooner you start throwing regular discs from tried and true brands like Innova, Discraft, DGA, DiscMania, MVP, Axiom, Vibram, Latitude, Dynamic, Westside, Millennium, Reptilian, Element, Kastaplast, etc, the better.

Lighter weights are generally better for beginners but if you're serious about improving I wouldn't throw out the heavier discs. It's easier to feel the hit with heavier discs and feeling the hit is integral to good form.

 

[rjm35126]

I don't have a camera for pics of the discs. But the driver & midrange are the same 160g with a thin lip just different colors.
The putter is 167 and the lip is deeper.

I'm pretty sure I throw less than 125 feet. Someone said the measurements at my course are off so I'm not exactly sure how far I'm throwing it regularly. Except 3 of the longest ones are difficult, especially the one that is uphill.

I already returned the cobra. I have not really tried using a putter for an entire round.

Its hard for me to believe that I'm too good for the franklins when I'm more often than not throwing less than 100 feet.
Especially when I tried 2 innovas and both seem less stable to me. (By which I mean less fading out at the end of a shot)

I'm sure my game has tons of flaws but its difficult to blame the discs. And after trying the others, I gravitate toward the Franklins as being more comfortable to my hand and less curvy at the end of the flight.

I don't think they have ever turned over on me because I cannot get enough distance for them to do that.

 

[rjm35126]

I mis-stated the Buzz, its a Discraft ESP Surge 1.7 with an arrow pointing left. I thought it was 1.71. One guy told me that was way too much disc for a beginner. When I threw it, I didn't notice any improvement versus the franklins. But it wasn't as bad as the Skeeter.

At Walmart, it said about the Skeeter:
Straight flying
Versatile mid-range disc
Great beginner disc.

It mentioned dependable fade but for me, its premature fade. But, I was hoping for about a 160 but they sent 150. So I wonder if its too light for me ?

I never heard of most of those disc brands. I thought it was a fight between Innova & Discraft. I had someone give me a Dynamic Deputy which he said was a putter. Felt heavier than my Franklin. And Ive not had any complaints about my putter. My biggest issue is not being able to throw very far on drives. I have gradually increased though.

Skeeters are very understable, they're designed to be. A DX 150g Skeeter is basically the most understable Skeeter you can get. The Buzzz is one of the most popular discs in the game, for a reason. It's a fantastic mid range. The Cobra is also a classic mid range and a good choice for beginners. Your Franklin discs are, however, about as far from classic as it gets. They are unequivocally terrible discs and the sooner you start throwing regular discs from tried and true brands like Innova, Discraft, DGA, DiscMania, MVP, Axiom, Vibram, Latitude, Dynamic, Westside, Millennium, Reptilian, Element, Kastaplast, etc, the better.

Lighter weights are generally better for beginners but if you're serious about improving I wouldn't throw out the heavier discs. It's easier to feel the hit with heavier discs and feeling the hit is integral to good form.

 

[BrotherDave]

I'm pretty sure I throw less than 125 feet. Someone said the measurements at my course are off so I'm not exactly sure how far I'm throwing it regularly. Except 3 of the longest ones are difficult, especially the one that is uphill.

I already returned the cobra. I have not really tried using a putter for an entire round.

Its hard for me to believe that I'm too good for the franklins when I'm more often than not throwing less than 100 feet.
Especially when I tried 2 innovas and both seem less stable to me. (By which I mean less fading out at the end of a shot)

I'm sure my game has tons of flaws but its difficult to blame the discs. And after trying the others, I gravitate toward the Franklins as being more comfortable to my hand and less curvy at the end of the flight.

I don't think they have ever turned over on me because I cannot get enough distance for them to do that.

If you're topping out at 125' then you need to stay with really slow discs, putters and mid ranges primarily, maybe the slowest of drivers to help learn how to control nose angle. I would pick up a lid type disc like a Polecat, Rattler, Beetle, or even a larger diameter disc like a Zephyr and learn basic frisbee throwing fundamentals. Probably the best mid range I can recommend that will help you develop good form would be a Discraft Comet in X plastic. If you go into details about your physical profile (age, relative health, size, gender, etc) or best of all post a video of you playing, it will help the technique savvy forum goers like myself tailor some technique advice to you and help you improve much faster.

I mis-stated the Buzz, its a Discraft ESP Surge 1.7 with an arrow pointing left. I thought it was 1.71. One guy told me that was way too much disc for a beginner. When I threw it, I didn't notice any improvement versus the franklins. But it wasn't as bad as the Skeeter.

At Walmart, it said about the Skeeter:
Straight flying
Versatile mid-range disc
Great beginner disc.

It mentioned dependable fade but for me, its premature fade. But, I was hoping for about a 160 but they sent 150. So I wonder if its too light for me ?

I never heard of most of those disc brands. I thought it was a fight between Innova & Discraft. I had someone give me a Dynamic Deputy which he said was a putter. Felt heavier than my Franklin. And Ive not had any complaints about my putter. My biggest issue is not being able to throw very far on drives. I have gradually increased though.

If a disc is fading too soon for you, it's almost assuredly not because the disc is too light. It sounds like you have really slow arm speed. It takes a requisite amount of speed to get practically any golf disc to fly as it's supposed to, otherwise they will fade out prematurely. There's a gazillion threads and a mere multitude of vids to help you better understand proper form, that's where you should start if you really want to learn to throw farther. Check the stickied threads in the Technique and Strategy sub-forum on here, that's a great place to start. Good luck. :thmbup:

 

[brutalbrutus]

The Franklin putters usually do fly pretty well when new, even up to 250ft+, as seen in the video linked above. The driver and midrange tend to be uncontrollably understable for people who throw 250ft+. At your current distance they will work fine for awhile until they get beat up. If you're throwing on an open grassy course, they should last for at least a little while. If you take them to a woody and/or rocky course, they will get beat up very quickly. If you like the feel of them enough to keep using them, i'd suggest throwing the putter more often. If you like the rubber feel, then you need to look into Vibram Discs. Their discs are made from rubber.

 

[rjm35126]

Ok, I went ahead & returned the Franklin discs $9.86+ tax.

So today, I played with 2 putters, I missed my rubber franklins but I'm also interested in playing for years to come.
(My 3rd disc, the Discraft ESP that I found, with no # and am willing to return) does not do any better than the putters for me.

Today was the first time I played with all putters and the only difference I noticed was on putts, they seemed to roll in the wrong direction whereas my Franklins rolled toward the goal.

But I returned the Franklins today, Gotta love Walmarts 90 days. Nothing particularly wrong with the set, I'm just tired of everyone telling me they are crap. Maybe they are, but I cant throw 120 feet consistently so the discs aren't my problem.

So, in a few days, I will have Innovas starter set. (Academy was cheaper than Amazon)

Plus, the bag I just paid $14.99 for is now on "clearance" for $9.98.

And the backback bag which has lots of great reviews at $34.99 is now $19.98. (The 8s signifying clearance)

I had a poor experience with academy online and I complained. Still, the next day I went and bought their $14.99 bag because I was tired of playing without water. (my 50 cent Walmart bag didn't have a place for the drink) A few days later, both went on clearance... $9.98 and $19.98)

So here I am with my new bag, which I like because I can carry my water, except I get an email from academy saying sorry that both our chat and our 800# didn't work, here is a 20% off code. But ONLY for online orders.

So I decided to go ahead and buy the Innova beginner set, which I hope will last me a year. 20% off makes them $15.99 plus tax.

I also bought the backpack bag, not because I really wanted it but because I think they will quit carrying it when they sell out.
And 20% off $19.98 is just $15.98+ tax. (I can return my original $14.99 bag as I have my receipt)

I'm not 100% sure if "clearance" means forever or it just means the summer is nearly over. A kid at the store seemed to think Clearance was before they quit carrying the item forever.

My $14.99 bag, which is now $9.98, seems fine to me up until today when I tried to play with only 3 discs. My water kept falling over. The bag needs 6-7 discs to keep from falling over with a 20oz plastic water bottle.

I sure hope I like the Innovas. (Academy did not carry the discraft starter set)


Anyway, I appreciate all the answers.

I probably wont become a professional in the next 3 months so the bigger bag will probably be going back. Unused.

But, I ordered it because I wont be getting another 20% off code either way.

A combination of bad weather and poor sleep habits kept me from playing for a week or so. Until today.

Hopefully, I can manage at least 5 x a week going forward. (Retired and hopeful I can lose another 10-15)

I'm 6-6, 200. 54 years old. And prior to starting disc golf recently, I never learned how to throw a Frisbee let alone discs.

I guess I must have a really slow arm.

I'm not a muscleman, that's for sure.

I saw an older man playing last week and he was carrying ONE disc, no water and was running between holes.

Id probably like to work up to something like that....in time. I just dropped 15+ pounds and I don't want to overdo it at my age..54.
(Prior to disc golf, I sat in my comfortable recliner and ate a lot. Ive found that 45-60 minutes of disc golf per day really seems to help reduce my appetite)

So I'm glad I started. I just hope I learn to like the innova starter set which should be here Wed or Thurs.

I also hope I will KEEP playing 5-6 times a week. Getting off by duff regularly is more important than becoming "good".

 

[BogeyNoMore]

The closest I've come to trying Franklin discs is trying to avoid them.

 

[BogeyNoMore]

... in a few days, I will have Innovas starter set.

The Innova starter set is pretty much a perfect assortment of discs for one's entry to the game. Anyone who says otherwise is full of fecal nonsense.

Not saying they are the best things out there, but for newbs, they're perfect, because:
1) They are versatile, molds that are easy to throw and get good results with.
2) Every experienced player knows what those molds fly like, so we can make valid recommendations based on watching you throw those 3 discs.

 

[rjm35126]

Well, I am THRILLED with my Innova starter set so far. Well, the driver for sure. Its made a 10-20+ feet per throw difference. And that's made the game much more enjoyable. The other 2 aren't head & shoulders above the cheap ones.

Mine weigh 143, 150 & 150 whereas the cheap ones came at 160,160 and 167. Because my Skeeter was a little unstable at 150, I thought It was too light. But the Leopard at 143 is just what the Dr ordered !

And while I haven't used the backpack bag yet, I think I will. No sense returning it for that price.

My store has sold out of the smaller bags but still has 2-3 of the larger bags. My guess is they sell out of their AGames and go back to carrying someone elses brand. Even though from all indications, their bags are better values.

Although, maybe they come out with a newer,better version of AGames bags next year ?

 

[PBokor]

Welcome to the healthiest addiction ever.

 

[RichyB]

I had these discs free with the franklin disc golf target. The Putter is awesome, I use it all the time - but the other 2 are crap. I would like to buy a couple more of the putters.

 

[armiller]

There was a great video someone posted recently with some folks playing a round with those discs. By the end of the video, everyone was just using the putter for every shot. The other discs are so flippy they're not even useful for rollers...

 

[PBokor]

Love these guys

There was a great video someone posted recently with some folks playing a round with those discs. By the end of the video, everyone was just using the putter for every shot. The other discs are so flippy they're not even useful for rollers...

This one? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwFJodIZKkw&t=1034s

Best B tier out there. Always fun.

 

[kdwarren]

You're returning your cheap 10 dollar disc golf set even though you like the putter?! Lol
And this is why disc golfers have a reputation as cheap stoner burn outs haha

 

[GripEnemy]

You're returning your cheap 10 dollar disc golf set even though you like the putter?! Lol
And this is why disc golfers have a reputation as cheap stoner burn outs haha

You're reading and bumping a thread over 1.5 years old about returning Franklin discs?

 

[kdwarren]

You're reading and bumping a thread over 1.5 years old about returning Franklin discs?

I'm only learning about Franklin discs now...and continuing to learn how cheap disc golfers are lol. Bump


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[kdwarren]

I'm only learning about Franklin discs now...and continuing to learn how cheap disc golfers are lol. Bump


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The irony of bumping a post to complain about how it's being bumped


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[Myopia]

approval

None of the Franklin discs appear in the current list of PDGA approved discs.

 

[ILUVSMGS18]

None of the Franklin discs appear in the current list of PDGA approved discs.

Weird. I know they were approved, maybe some sort of controversy?