[Innova] The Tern!

[PMantle]

I found a 168 star as well. They had them marked down to 7.99 along with the star avair. Not many left, obviously.

Dang. Probably means we will never see them there again.

 

[DG_Before_Breakfast]

Keep coming back to Terns as my go-to long distance driver. I like to dabble with MVP distance drivers, and I do throw those well and would use them for particular shots, e.g. the Wave is a bombing hyzer flip or sky anny disc for me - forehand or backhand. But when I come back to the Tern, I find it more reliably straight and longer than my Insanity. I probably should standardize on Tern.

 

[runningDoc]

I tried to find others, but champion max weight terns are my main distance driver now.

I gradually moved up from 160g champ terns and over this summer I'm bagging all max weight 175g ones now.

I can really manipulate them:
-long sweeping hyzer lines in the 350-375ft range
- straight shots with at at least 30ft of fairway to work with in the 350-380 range
- s-curve lines and slight anny lines up to 380ft
- open field bombs when I try to do just plain old hyzer lines or S-curve lines (this is when I can finally touch 400ft range).

the biggest advantage is if there's large uphill shots/over trees shots... at my home course we have the 280ft straight up a hill 50ft high shot and a roller hole that you can LHBH over the 40-60ft trees (to avoid the risky roller) I can just crank a tern on a little hyzer and angle it upward and it'll get there.

I've experimented with star terns (magical, but finicky), star katanas (need way to much space but actually have more distance potential), and right now the G-DD2 (very tern like but has more fade and can be cranked harder/straighter), but I can't get rid of my champ terns.

The weirdest part for me is that I only really get huge distance during tournament play of all places.... I've gotten well past 400ft according to local markers at places like wickham park CT using my champ terns, but can't seem to do it during field practice at my home course's open holes?!

I still have to have star destroyer(s) in the bag in case the wind really picks up, but even in moderate wind (swirly/head/ect) the champ tern will be ok but you have to adjust the amount of hyzer and not go all out.

 

[MikeM]

For me, the Tern is a really nice Max distance driver that is a touch slower and straighter than Katana. I use it on a hole at my local course that has a willow tree to the right and then one to the left. It creates the perfect S curve to follow the fairway.

With that being said, like any understable disc, wind = flippy. This disc does not like a headwind at all. Or a left to right wind (RHBH).

 

[runningDoc]

For me, the Tern is a really nice Max distance driver that is a touch slower and straighter than Katana. I use it on a hole at my local course that has a willow tree to the right and then one to the left. It creates the perfect S curve to follow the fairway.

With that being said, like any understable disc, wind = flippy. This disc does not like a headwind at all. Or a left to right wind (RHBH).

In my experience the champion terns (even the 160g range) actually can handle wind but you have to release it properly. Star terns....wind is its kryptonite

 

[pjhayes7]

Anyone know if Academy Sports still has Terns on sale. I just lost my favorite JL in a tree and need to replace it. I have others, but would like to compare the ones for sale with the plh of my old one. I know how the one I lost compares to the ones I still have, and can take one I own to compare. The closest Academy is worth driving to if I can save about $6 per disc, but too far just to go see.

 

[runningDoc]

the disc model I lose the most is hands down the tern .... because it goes so far.... so very very far....and out of sight into oblivion.

but I don't worry when I lose one, because max weight champion JL tern's are so consistent, and I can get the flight I need out of them even when brand new.

so when I lose a tern I just buy a new one... and sometimes the new one's can be pretty...

 

[SD86]

I found a 168 Star at our Academy mixed in with other misplaced discs. I don't know if that's the last one they had or if more will trickle in.

I got my 162g Star Tern at Academy, also. Months ago, but at the time they had a bunch of them. Now they have NO Terns at all at that store. Maybe they'll get some in with a new order, but y'all might be right about not seeing them again (for a while)....

 

[PMantle]

I got my 162g Star Tern at Academy, also. Months ago, but at the time they had a bunch of them. Now they have NO Terns at all at that store. Maybe they'll get some in with a new order, but y'all might be right about not seeing them again (for a while)....

My experience with Academy is they do not restock items they feel are not in season. I fish a lot in the Fall, and the fishing racks are almost bare. I'm hoping disc golf gets more attention this Spring because almost all the models are emptying out. They don't even have any Dx T-Birds.

 

[SD86]

My experience with Academy is they do not restock items they feel are not in season. I fish a lot in the Fall, and the fishing racks are almost bare. I'm hoping disc golf gets more attention this Spring because almost all the models are emptying out. They don't even have any Dx T-Birds.

Agreed. My Academy ran out of DX Teebirds. They had some Star Destroyers but with the new McBeth stamp coming out, i'll bet those old AJ ones have been scarfed up. And you're probably right in that they won't make another big order of DG discs until next winter/spring...

 

[PWaggoner]

I had this mild dome pro destroyer and lost it this weekend. It was flippy, usually nice hyzer flip s shot. Recent improvements made it much less flippy (im guessing) which is why i lost it.

My newest pro are much more stable starting out then this old one. So im assuming itll take even longer to beat in. Last one i had for about a year.

Would a average plh champ tern be a good temporary replacement for a worn lower plh pro destroyer?

Edit::

Flippy pro maxed out at 420-430. Stable fresh pro about 400.

 

[ThomasOrion]

I recently picked up a Champ Tern 175g. It definitely TURNS. but its not crazy flippy. Actually parked a great shot Left to Righ long and into a opening in the woodline up to the right..
I also have a Pro destroyer with that bag....Tern is more US for sure, but can definitely be used to get long S shaped bombs, its not crazy flippy, but will turn. Champion is more stable, Star is less stable, G star I imagine will be flippier.

 

[ranger]

Go star is between star and champ, or at least it was supposed to be

 

[PWaggoner]

So a star tern is a closer match?

 

[slowplastic]

So a star tern is a closer match?

For stability it would be Gstar < star < champ. You can always skip your Pro Destroyer off a bit of smooth concrete to get the bottom edge worn in, and flick it into some wood a few times somewhat gently. Sand away bad scuffs. Throw and see how the stability is. If you bought it for a certain slot that it's not doing yet, but you know it will, no harm in getting it there instead of buying a different mold (unless you want to try a Tern). I do not know which Tern is best to compare to Pro Destroyer of the stability you want, but compared to a Gstar Destroyer I would say champ Tern. You have 400+ power, there is no need to use a Gstar Tern and the Star would definitely S-turn for you in a fairly wide manner.

 

[hugheshilton]

For stability it would be Gstar < star < champ.

No, ranger is correct: the stability (as labeled by Innova) for Terns is: Star < GStar < Champ. You can see the images of the disc on the Innova website if you don't believe me. Star is supposed to be a -4, GStar a -3, and Champ a -2. I've only ever thrown champ Terns, so I can't speak from experience, but I've heard from others that Innova's labels seem more or less correct (on average of course, given molding inconsistencies).

Per the original question, I'd guess for replacing a beat-in Pro Destroyer that was bombing out to 420-430 you might want a champ Tern in the mid to upper 160's. I think a 175 champ Tern might just be a little more stable than your beat-in pro Destroyer. I'd also guess a GStar Tern might be a little less stable than your beat-in pro Destroyer and it would probably beat in faster than the champ so even if it started in the sweet spot it wouldn't stay there long.

 

[SD86]

No, ranger is correct: the stability (as labeled by Innova) for Terns is: Star < GStar < Champ. You can see the images of the disc on the Innova website if you don't believe me. Star is supposed to be a -4, GStar a -3, and Champ a -2. I've only ever thrown champ Terns, so I can't speak from experience, but I've heard from others that Innova's labels seem more or less correct (on average of course, given molding inconsistencies).

No no no no no. Innova CHANGED the Star Tern ratings to a turn of -3 after getting feedback that Star Terns were and are not -4 turn. The turn rating of the Star Tern is -3 now.

And I've thrown all three plastics, as well as a Starlite Tern. Champs > Star > GStar is my own experience there.

Also, since the introduction of GStar, the collective experience has been that GStar is generally more understable than Star (and both Star and GStar are less stable/overstable than Champ.

So slowplastic is correct.

 

[slowplastic]

No, ranger is correct: the stability (as labeled by Innova) for Terns is: Star < GStar < Champ. You can see the images of the disc on the Innova website if you don't believe me. Star is supposed to be a -4, GStar a -3, and Champ a -2. I've only ever thrown champ Terns, so I can't speak from experience, but I've heard from others that Innova's labels seem more or less correct (on average of course, given molding inconsistencies).

They also call the star Destroyer -1 HSS...lots of them are closer to +1.

I have not owned any Terns, but from ones that I have tried a few throws of the Champs were quite straight/tight line, stars were hyzer flip to S-turn, and G-star were way understable for me at 400-425 equivalent power (small sample size on G-star).

I still recommend PWaggoner beat in the Pro Destroyer or try a G*, at that range it bombs and he already has experience with the Destroyer. Plus they are easier to grip than the Tern. Drawback is durability with either of those compared to star or champ Tern.

 

[hugheshilton]

No no no no no. Innova CHANGED the Star Tern ratings to a turn of -3 after getting feedback that Star Terns were and are not -4 turn. The turn rating of the Star Tern is -3 now.

Interesting! Well after a little more research (mostly looking at pics of Star Terns on eBay to see the currently printed flight ratings), I see it did change from -4 to -3. I stand corrected, and will peddle no more misinformation on Terns in the future.

I still recommend PWaggoner beat in the Pro Destroyer or try a G*, at that range it bombs and he already has experience with the Destroyer. Plus they are easier to grip than the Tern. Drawback is durability with either of those compared to star or champ Tern.

This recommendation I can definitely get behind. Although I don't dislike Terns and have no more problems gripping them than gripping a Destroyer, if you are a Destroyer thrower the GStars tend to be bombers out of the box, similar to a beat-in Pro. They may not be as durable as Star, but in my experience the durability hasn't been terrible either.

 

[kevdiv48]

Champ Tern in the upper 160's to low 170's would be pretty comparable to a worn Pro Destroyer. I threw a couple 170 Champ Terns for a while and were great max D (420-440 for me) discs- ripped with a bit of hyzer they would ride through a nice big S curve. They were a bit squirrely in the wind, however.