Plastic Differences, Wear Methods, Durability Discussion

[djjeremiahj]

In addition to my existing "new disc addiction" i'm going through a "which plastic" crisis.

I spent a lot of time with Champion, then i switched over to Star, and now i'm wondering if i might need to refine my thinking....
(no offense to Discraft and other manufacturers, please feel free to add about your favorite here - i throw innova primarily due to ease of availability)

Here's what i believe about the plastics (someone verify or counter)

DX - Slow/Steady gradual degrade.
Every tree hit makes a difference.
This is great for slower speed discs who wont degrade fast on impact. Great for slower speed discs that wear in and you grow accustomed to. Great for high consistency guys who can get the DX to be exactly what they want out of the box. Great way to experiment with a disc. (buy it cheap, and see if it's really a solution, as some of the other plastics can take a long time to break in.) Seems to be "Slowest" plastic of all.

PRO - Very Fast Degrade (via hard impact / slow steady degrade if no hard impact exists)
Tree hits in the high speeds mean quick death. I have discovered that in my higher speed discs, i like the fact that i can take a pro "out of the box" with little wear and get it close to how my "seasoned" star and champ plastics are from day 1. Cost vs. durability is the issue. In the lower speed ranges, this plastic degrades slow and similar to a dx. You grow into it... Speed of plastic seems to be close to champion.

Champion - Quick Break in Period - then very consistent until it degrades very fast. - In slow speed drivers is almost indestructible and stays "forever".
This disc seems to be most forgiving for high impact damage. This is becoming my default preference plastic, but i am finding that based on my play other plastics may be better. My next experiment is to see the durability of my top speed drivers (vs. Star).

Star - (high speed impact) has dramatic effects on this plastic. It seems to degrade similar to the DX but on a MUCH slower rate.
Breaking in the star plastic seems to be a pain as it can take a long time to season properly. As this plastic seems "faster" than champion, it takes more spin and tends to be more overstable by default. (it is a superior plastic, but may not be superior based on your needs.) Great for slower speed discs.

[mambrose]

sounds like you like all plastic for slower speed discs?

[jimbosprint]

I prefer Champion for long drivers (or Elite Z) because of the sharp rocks in Upper Bidwell Park. They seem to last even with real abuse. My champ Orc broke in really fast, while my Destroyer seems to be taking longer.

ESP or Star for mids and fairway drivers because it usually won't bounce far away from where it lands if it hits something hard. Never had a durability issue with these plastics either, they seem very slow to change. I have seen drivers with chunks missing from the edge.

Putter plastic seems to make little difference to me. I have a medium Gateway Magic and I like the feel, but it dents and dings easily. I definitely prefer a hard plastic putter to super soft or floppy like a Blowfly.

Only thrown a handful of PRO discs and never owned one, so I don't have much opinion there.

[Lithicon]

Sounds to me like you're well enough informed to make the choice on your own, no need to have the backing of the board to make the choice. Be man, or woman. Pick what makes you happy.

[piperclap]

For drivers, I prefer the Pro or Elite X plastic-I've never felt like I get as good of a grip using champion. That being said, I prefer the Elite X for the combination of price vs performance.

For mids, I like Z/Champion-I hit a lot of trees with these discs and don't have time to switch discs in and out of my bag. Although I have a Lat 64 Grip Line mid that I am liking.

For putters-I don't care. I usually like SSS Wizards, but it doesn't really matter.

I hate the way star and ESP/FLX feel in my hand. I'll never purchase a disc in either. The only DX discs I have are leftovers from when I started that are now beat in to turnover discs. Given the choice, especially in drivers/fairways, I'll go for Elite X or Pro.

[scarpfish]

Much like what mold to throw, I was never aware that you had to choose a specific plastic. I have all four of Innova's primary lines represented in my bag, and three of Discraft's.

[solomon.trenton]

i only like dx for trying out new discs, then i go to a more premo plastic. other than sating that dx break in slow i agree with you

[VictorB]

The only counter point I'd make to any of that is that DX/D/S/baseline plastic is actually the fastest available.

[sillybizz]

Originally Posted by VictorB

The only counter point I'd make to any of that is that DX/D/S/baseline plastic is actually the fastest available.

I was just going to say this. I find that discs are faster in this order of plastic: DX/Pro/Star/Champ

[mashnut]

Originally Posted by VictorB

The only counter point I'd make to any of that is that DX/D/S/baseline plastic is actually the fastest available.

I wouldn't say fastest, but certainly glidiest with the most distance potential.