Taco Tuesday

[Rbuzz9]

If someone tacos a disc in softer plastics after smashing into a tree are they likely to buy the same disc again and use it in the same manner? or would they opt for a more durable version that will last?

I tacod a dx tbird i used only a few times - and bought a star t bird to replace it

i know a lot of people have their drivers etc in better plastics and keep their putter/midranges in softer plastics.

Sort of using this type of logic what's the point of a DX Destroyer? considering its not a beginner disc and if you do throw it as hard as it can go- if it hits anything substantial - it has the potential to change its flight characteristics quite quickly.

is there a school of players who favor dealing with the constant wear and tear to discs rather than using more durable plastic?

[magictenor1]

I go with the more durable plastic if I can get it. Putteres are about the only DX plastic I throw. The exception would be something that only comes in DX.

[Texconsinite]

Keep in mind that the additional wear & tear your drivers suffer is "offset" by an increased likelihood of loss. Think about it. Your Dx Driver may wear out faster, but if you tend to lose them before they can get too beaten in to throw, whats the point in spending more on better plastic. Also, since star takes longer to break in, you are constantly having to break in new drivers, and just when they gt good, they get gone.

Thats why I buy Dx Drivers, plus since I like the way it flies (less stable), and throw a star Gator as my primary midrange. I do this because I wanted it to be as overstable as possible, and to fly consistantly, since i rarely lose midranges, I need it to have a long lifespan, and stay overstable. Likewie for my ESP Banger-Gt Putter, which gets used on every hole, but the better plastic keeps the flight consistant

Thus I do the opposite of what you suggest: Mostly Star Midranges & Putter, and Dx Drivers.

[garublador]

I tacod a dx tbird i used only a few times - and bought a star t bird to replace it My DX Teebirds that have been tacoed and beat up fly at least 10% farther than my new ones. When I taco one I get happy.

For my putters, mids and fairway drivers I like low end plastic. The trick is to find discs that start off on the overstable side when new (the Teebird falls into this category). They don't beat in that quick and they get longer and more controlable with less fade as they beat in.

For my overstable drivers and distance drivers I tend to use higher end plastics. I don't want them to get less overstable or loose fade and they tend to beat up quickly in low end plastic.

FWIW, my beat, DX Teebird is just as long as any of my Avengers but it's much more straight, fades less and requires more height to go its max distance.

[Rbuzz9]

I totally lost my star tbird right away.

ive always been curious about breaking drivers in - what is everyone's definition of "broken in"?
Is it rough around the edges? - i come from the baseball/ hockey world - so the only thing i've broken in are skates and gloves. i just cant help but think of a really beat to hell disc.

I'd always thought a brand new driver is pretty near perfect and wear will just makes it incrementally more understable.

[Jungle Tim]

In my experience people throw what is comfy to throw, the beat up-ness allows the same mold to do more things. Hence at least 5 T-birds, in KenClimos bag. He like the tbird, its comfy, it already has his name on it, so he thows a bunch of them!

the best experience i have had is with a star t-rex.
New - it will hyzer out what you may feel is a bit early, and it will look brand spanking new.

Nicely broken in - 3-4 months later and with regular use there will be plenty of burrs, no chips or bending of edge. However when you throw it in comparison to a new t-rex it will go straighter further into the flight. Effectivly for me a speed 11 tbird.

Beat up - 3-4months after that the t-rex will start to turn over and act like a wraith. At which point unless you love your disc your better off throwing a new wraith as it will be cleaner though the air/headwind.

The point is that there is no under stable speed 12 disc, so a DX destroyer would give you that, and reasonably quickly too. 6-8 months might be a bit slow for some! If conversly you like a new disc every time, throw champ, then after a year or so it might begin to beat in.... and it will stay like that for a looooong time.

This leads to disc minimalism

Also dont forget that DX/proD come a lot lighter and more under stable that the champ and star/esp plastics.

[garublador]

I totally lost my star tbird right away.

ive always been curious about breaking drivers in - what is everyone's definition of "broken in"?
Is it rough around the edges? - i come from the baseball/ hockey world - so the only thing i've broken in are skates and gloves. i just cant help but think of a really beat to hell disc.

I'd always thought a brand new driver is pretty near perfect and wear will just makes it incrementally more understable.Broken in referrs to a disc's flight, not how it looks. Looks don't matter (although some damage can make a disc illegal in sanctioned PDGA play, perforations in the flight plate for example), flight does.

Skates and gloves are a great analogy. Discs break in a bit rather quickly and then take a long time to wear to where they're flippy. You wouldn't buy a disc that starts off good and then breaks in to be crappy any more than you'd buy a set of skates that fit awesome when new, but break in to be too big/floppy/whatever happens to skates when they wear out. Why purchase something based on the state it will remain in for the least amount of time? Most good shoes I've had break in rather quickly, stay that way for a long time and then eventually wear out. Good discs break in the same way. They can start to look a bit ugly, but you'll learn to like that look once you realize how well they fly.

Where the analogy breaks down is price. There isn't a price difference between good and not so good discs. There is a difference in price when it comes to plastic, but for most good discs the best plastic is the cheapest one.

[Rbuzz9]

Awesome stuff - making a bit more sense to me. I think whenever i get a bigger bag ill grab a bunch of DX's --- So for my next question - are there those who will just prematurely beat discs up or let discs run their natural course? Or is there a feeling like Jeans - fraudulently worn jeans from A&F arent nearly as cool as some beat to hell 501's
cant help it with the analogies

[garublador]

Or is there a feeling like Jeans - fraudulently worn jeans from A&F arent nearly as cool as some beat to hell 501's
cant help it with the analogiesI find that analogy to work really well for discs, too. "Unnatrually" beat discs don't fly as well as ones that were beat through normal use.

It's also worth noting that many times different plastics beat in differently. Low end (DX, D, S) tend to loose fade faster than high speed stability, making the discs straighter and more controlable. Higher end plastics seem to loose high speed stability faster than fade making them less predictable and less straight. Granted it takes a lot longer for that to happen, but when you start off with a disc that already has some turn (which many do because they fly well when new) it can get ugly. I have an E Spirit (really overstable driver in high end plastic) that I bent up myself and I have to be careful not to turn it over too far now, but if I don't it still fades like a mofo. It's definitely less overstable than the 4 year old S Spirit

One good way to speed up the beating process is to use one disc for all drives for several rounds. With a driver this won't take super long to get the disc beat in right. For midranges and putters you might be waiting a while. I've been throwing soft and medium Wizards for 4 years and I have yet to get one beat up to the point where I'd even call it a turnover disc let alone one that's too worn to throw. Rocs are kind of the same way. I'd way rather loose a new Roc than one that's beat in. It's a lot easier to replace. If you get used to a high end disc that's beat up and loose it you're even more screwed. I recommend beating in backups of your beat discs for this reason.

You'll get varying opinions on all of this (the Z Buzzz and Z Wasp are a popular combination for a good reason), but I like the simplicity and finantial advantages of using multiples of low end plastic discs. I've lost waaaay more discs than I've worn out.

[iDisc]

i like top of the line plastics in everything except putters. i like consistency. if i buy a disc to fly straight then hook to the left then that's what i want it to do...forever.

for my putter i use a kc aviar which is still pretty durable plastic.

innova for life

[iDisc]

i buy higher end drivers because im careful with my discs. i practice with my stars and play with the same ones. i dont want to wear out dx plastic in a field

[Rbuzz9]

i bought a DX destroyer this week so i could try breaking in a softer disk- and seeing how it works. Thus far i have tossed it a few times in a field Forehand - i also have a star destroyer of the same weight, it is the control in the experiment.

i have gotten some great throws out of the DX - and some turnovers - i still think i need to find a better way to throw the Destroyer

i also have recently purchased a Star Xcal - it could be compromising my experiment since i dont turn it over like the destroyer and evey throw results in a HUGE drive

i now wish they made an Dx Xcal

i also like the DX grip