Go with the FLOW

[JR]

I second low altitude observations of discspeed. Opto Flow is too LSS thrown flat for me but it gains a lot of D s-curved and annied. In fact it may be the best anny disc for D and control combined for me because it can be made easily to hold anny or flex out. Most discs are just one or the other or roller or a flat shot. Opto Flow ain't that nose angle sensitive i think it's the least sensitive fast disc for that there is.

emiller3: At altitude Valk with the less HSS and LSS and slower speed should work easier. So if it works for you don't hesitate to use it but for windier situations the Flow may still be good compliment. For me VAlks are very different to each other and DX ain't good for most mountain courses i presume. DX Valk is a straight disc at sea level and Champ harder fading shorter and Star moderately overstable.

 

[kcbill]

i'm slow to follow you guys' suggestions. i like to hold off for a bit and see how long the love lasts for a new mold.

i got a weighed 168 silver GL flow today and went straight out to the park. off the shelf it's my longest disc by 20-30' easy. straight and low without much effort and a nice fade at the end and really the best part of this disc for me was how low it can be thrown and carry through. threw it in a head wind and a tail wind and really it was almost the same line for both, a little longer in the wind maybe, which i'm sure will change soon.

for a 350-375 arm this has to be close to if not the best choice for a long ranger, higher speed driver. the rim doesn't seem as wide as a wraith and the glide is typical of a river. really easy to throw.

 

[discspeed]

i'm slow to follow you guys' suggestions. i like to hold off for a bit and see how long the love lasts for a new mold.

i got a weighed 168 silver GL flow today and went straight out to the park. off the shelf it's my longest disc by 20-30' easy. straight and low without much effort and a nice fade at the end and really the best part of this disc for me was how low it can be thrown and carry through. threw it in a head wind and a tail wind and really it was almost the same line for both, a little longer in the wind maybe, which i'm sure will change soon.

for a 350-375 arm this has to be close to if not the best choice for a long ranger, higher speed driver. the rim doesn't seem as wide as a wraith and the glide is typical of a river. really easy to throw.

That's definitely fair...New discs are easy to like at first, but it takes time and experience in different conditions to really show a discs strengths and weaknesses. I have a feeling I'm going to be sticking with the Flow for some time. It has REALLY taught me that I have no business throwing the wider rims on the course. I can't snap them because my grip is not as strong...I can compensate for this when I'm in the field or playing wide open holes by reaching back further and slinging the hell out of them, but I'm not going to throw like that in normal golf conditions. So unless companies decide to start making drivers a few mms short of the limit I will be using the Flow. I can hear audible snap every time I throw the Flow, assurance that I'm getting 100% of my energy into it. I have also fell in love with both the GL and the Opto Flow completely on their own merit.

Isn't it strange that it feels like a smaller rim than a Wraith, yet it's actually wider by the PDGA specs? I feel they are faster than Wraiths as well, and have a more consistent flightpath and LSS.

 

[Marmoset]

the wider rims... I can't snap them because my grip is not as strong

Exactly my beef with the fastest stuff.
I have the power to throw Bosses but I HATE the rim width. Besides I get much more control over Wraiths and Destroyers.
I really want to try an Opto flow because it sounds interesting and I really want to support thinner rim widths.
We vote for things with our wallets :wink:

 

[kcbill]

man this is a great disc. it seems to just jump off your hand with minimal effort. put more snap than arm on it and it just goes. straight too and i'm getting really fantastic S lines with it.

it's probably my easiest disc to keep low.

 

[booter]

I put the flow back in the bag a week ago after selling all of the others and got my 2nd ace of the year with it on saturday. 387' tight flex shot,left to right wind,soared out there and gently blew up the chains center/right side. Love how easy it is to get distance off this thing.

 

[Coldpunk1]

I second the amazement about the easy distance with these. I've been throwing 171 yellow gl flows and just crushing them. I'm throwing 325' controllable distance rhbh with star destroyers/z preds/and strikers, the flow is consistently 50'+ longer than the destroyers.

My only problem has been figuring out when they're going to turn over, how much, and how far/how high does it need to be to be able to come back. I'm getting that down now. I'd heard "driver x will add x amount of feet to your distance" from so many other discs and this is the first driver I've ever thrown that really did add substantial distance.

 

[Floodj32]

Has anyone seen anywhere that carries lighter Flows? (under 168)

 

[discspeed]

Has anyone seen anywhere that carries lighter Flows? (under 168)

I'm pretty sure we've got them a little lighter. I will check at the store tomorrow.

 

[discspeed]

Speaking of the Flow and weights...I have different weight preferences for different molds. Mostly I prefer a gram or two shy of max weight, but some discs fly better for me a little heavier or lighter. I've tested a variety of Flows in a variety of weights, and all my favorite runs have been max weight...175.xx. The two runs I've hoarded a bit are FR pink Optos and purplish GLs. Flows are pretty wind resistant at these weights as well, so that's a bonus, and although they are heavy they glide like SOBs. All of my Flows are domey...Flat ones just don't fly right for me.

Jeronimo recently made me nervous with his assessment of the newer Flows, so I'm glad I already have a stash of ones that I love. I also just threw a new domey yellow GL (173) and I hated it. It wasn't flippy enough to just rip with hyzer and know it was going to work, yet it wasn't stable enough to lay on near flat either. Total squirrelville. It felt thinner in my hand, especially in the wing, than my preferred Flows. It was faster with less glide (yuck). I hope I start finding some good Flows in the newer run, but if not I've got enough old ones to wait for another good run.

 

[khmer]

Hey discspeed, I throw 167 and 170 gl flows. do the max weight (173-175) slice through head wind like a ninja? I'm entertaining getting a max weight to replace my 170.

 

[booter]

Get an opto

 

[Apothecary]

get a lighter opto if you go that route. light (170+- 2g) opto flows are similar to the gl youre throwing now. the heavier opto flows are a point or two more hss and lss than the gl.

 

[VictorB]

put the goldline flow I have back in the bag tonight, strictly for favorable wind max distance shots....holy cow this disc is easy to throw faaaaaaaaar.

Coldpunk will back me up when I say the shot on hole 18 on the back at Oakland is a crush when you get it 20' into the sand volleyball pit...First time I've thrown one up there in about 8 months probably. I think it's going to stay in the bag now, for max D shots. Learning that when it gets some turn in its flight, it WILL come back with height.

 

[fanter]

get a lighter opto if you go that route. light (170+- 2g) opto flows are similar to the gl youre throwing now. the heavier opto flows are a point or two more hss and lss than the gl.

Sounds like I could use a heavier Opto, then. My 172 GL needs some steep hyzer to fly straight. It still flies laughably far, but I'd like a bit more controllability out of it (and a bit more fade than I'm getting now.)

 

[khmer]

get a lighter opto if you go that route. light (170+- 2g) opto flows are similar to the gl youre throwing now. the heavier opto flows are a point or two more hss and lss than the gl.

I would prefer to stay with gl b/c I love the glide. And I did just acquire a yellow 171 opto flow from the forum, should get it soon. I'm looking for a flow to withstand headwind (under 20 mph) just a little better than my 170 gl without have to reach for my 167 gl halo or 169 opto halo or the blitz, I love. I'll test it out and go from there and maybe it'll replace my 170 gl. Thanks for the input.

 

[discspeed]

Hey discspeed, I throw 167 and 170 gl flows. do the max weight (173-175) slice through head wind like a ninja? I'm entertaining getting a max weight to replace my 170.

My 175 optos handle wind well. On shots under 400' I would trust it in up to 15mph headwinds, especially in the woods where there is some wind protection. Out in more open areas and when I'm throwing harder for max D I wouldn't really want to throw it into more than 10mph headwind, and even then I'm ripping it with hyzer. For as much glide as my Flows have, headwind does not kill their glide and distance like it does to other drivers with a lot of glide. I pull out my PD2s when the winds are really kicking for security, but often when I throw a 2nd shot throwing my opto Flow with hyzer I outdistance it.

 

[rehder]

Tried a friends GL Flows yesterday, and I must say "what a nice disc". Don't think it will make my bag, but only because I try not to change around very much.

Regarding the flow it seems like an easy to throw max D driver, it has decent speed while keeping a smaller rim than many other max d discs. At least it feels that way. so it would probably be easier to throw for most people. It also seemed pretty consistent in its flight.(flip up and over from hyper and fade back at the end) especially compared to the z nuke which I usually throw.
That being said I don't think it will do flat/hyzers very well unless the opto is more stable than the Gl

 

[discspeed]

That being said I don't think it will do flat/hyzers very well unless the opto is more stable than the Gl

The Optos are considerably more stable (especially LSS), so they work really well for flat shots and hyzers from a hyzer release. The GLs are max D bombers.

 

[khmer]

Thanks! maybe the 171 opto flow will be paired with my blue 167 gl. I'll see how the opto performs.