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[Gateway] Help make a better Wizard

notroman

* Ace Member *
Joined
Sep 24, 2008
Messages
4,737
Location
Highland Park, IL
I spoke with Dave at Gateway tonight to get ready to place another G9 order. He mentioned to me he was trying to tweak the plastic blend to make these a bit more durable. I've been throwing mine for a solid month now and I don't see any rapid wear, but I do understand that some people have had big chunks of the disc taken out by unfortunate hits on concrete. Dave says this is because the discs are so firm that when they come in contact with another really hard surface they just chunk up. He's not happy with that because he wants the G9s to be sort of a step up from the sure grip (base) plastic Wizards.

He threw out some ideas on the phone tonight and gave the pros and cons of them. I want to try and repeat what he told me and get feedback from the users here. Key word is try because Dave knows a lot more about the materials and disc tech than I do so often times he mentions things that I don't understand.

One of the solutions he had was to throw in more of another chemical that would make the discs a little softer. The plus side is that this will prevent the chunking when hitting hard surfaces like concrete and will provide additional grip, but at the same time the discs will as a result also be a little softer. I know one of the big points of the G9s was how firm they were.

Another idea he threw out was to try and blend in a little of the Evo plastic into these to give them some of the durability of the Evo Wizards. The downside to that is that Evo plastic tends to cool with a bid of dome to it, which is why the Evo Wizards are a bit domey. He likes that the G9s are flat and wants to preserve that, so he'll just try to do it and see how they come out. If they do end up coming out with a bit more dome, is that a deal breaker for you guys in exchange for more durability?

Last but not least he considered adding some glow to the mix. Not for durability but just for the sake of them being glow. He said he has two different glow compounds - one that is really bright but doesn't last long, and another one that is a bit dimmer but lasts longer. He plans on mixing both of them into the G9s.

So again, let's hear your feedback about what you want from a future rendition of the G9. Keep it the same? Try to get more grip? Try to make them more durable? What is important to you guys, and what changes would make it a deal breaker? Dave's open to suggestions if you have any.
 
id love them to be just a touch softer and grippier. i havent noticed mine to be too damage prone yet but ive mostly used them for putting.
 
I think a mix with Evo plastic would be delicious. I don't think a slight dome would make all that much of a difference. I would be more than willing to purchase a few of the testers though ;)
 
i know this sounds stupid but usually when the discs are black they turn out just a little bit softer and with more grip.

maybe a black glow G9 would make all the stars align...i'll take 20 if they turn out!

research the photo UV color change too. that might make them softer.

i'm a push putter so i like driving putters that i can also putt with. i hate throwing black discs but if the feel is right i would love a set of perfect putters. i sold a few wizards and still have over 50.
 
I agree, a lot of the black Gateway putters that I've felt come out feeling really awesome in the hand. The last batch he made were a bit slick, though. I've never seen them come out like that. I felt some up and was immediately like :confused: :\
 
What about a little bit of organic plastic? I have an organic wizard that's super flat and stable. Durability seems decent.
 
Glow evo G9 ... :D

infact if he ran the clear evo plastic with both of the glow compounds ... that would be awesomesauce. I'd take a couple super gummy one's AND some stiffies.


:\

so-to-speak.
 
I'm a big Evo fan so some of that plastic mixed in would be great. I mostly play wood courses so extra durability is always a plus. A little more dome would be fine with me as it would only help on distance off the box....Especially since firm Wizards are great for driving. Glow, yup, that would be sick too!

I do like the feel of black Wizards but they get to soft during the summer months and feel that this hurts my game. Maybe it's mental but I always ditch my black putters in the summer. I'd be cool with some that were any other color other than white as I play in the snow October-April here in Montana.

Durability would be my number one request.
 
What about a little bit of organic plastic? I have an organic wizard that's super flat and stable. Durability seems decent.

Organic plastic varies from run to run as it's left over plastic from previous runs and is really inconsistent. Some are soft, some are firm, some smell like maple syrup. :D
 
I would say that if the intent is to make a driving putter, durability would be the number one priority. Who wants a driver that turns understable in a few hits?
 
I would say that if the intent is to make a driving putter, durability would be the number one priority. Who wants a driver that turns understable in a few hits?

Even SSSS Wizards take more than that to get understable. I have a trashed 172 SSS Wiz that, if I don't get everything on it, STILL fades out. The mold is nearly impossible to break into anything understable. That said, no one likes a gouge, even if it doesn't affect flight :D
 
If the G9's are domey crap like the E Wizards, that would 100% be a deal breaker and I'm sure would make them a joke with most Wizard throwers. Durability is nice and all, but not at the expense of the flight. If he can mix some in and they mold up like a good Wizard, that's great. If they dome up, that's a no-go.

I like the idea of just softening them up some, but how would they be different from a just an M Wizard at that point?
 
I like the idea of mixing evo plastic with the gummy black plastic, as long as they aren't too domey. I love the flat wizards, not a big fan of the evo because of how domey/slick they tend to be.
 
I would say that if the intent is to make a driving putter, durability would be the number one priority. Who wants a driver that turns understable in a few hits?
Wrong. Why would I buy a disc with a crappy flight just because it's durable and going to keep it's crappy flight for a long time? I'd rather buy a stack of good flat Wizards that fly like I want them to.
 
i wouldn't worry too much about putting glow additive in the blend right now since we're getting to the point where it gets dark around 9. that just seems like another variable that isn't necessary.

i agree that it sucks having a fairly new disc chunk up after a good hit or two, but as mentioned before, it's not like the wizard mold breaks into something super flippy. i've got an old large circle tooled 160 wiz that's pretty well beaten in and it still fades out if thrown flat.

to me firmness and grip would be the most desirable. yeah, a few chunks might not look the prettiest but if the disc doesn't really lose any stability who cares. i actually like how the current g9s have some glide to them and are still beefy...my fear of adding e to them is that they would lose some glide.

on a side note, if dave could get his hands on whatever plastic he was using to make the clear hpp's he would instantly sell a ton. i'd bet if he knew brand new clear gummy hpp's were selling for $20+ on the secondary market he'd probably look a little harder into bringing them back.
 
I still have yet to try the G9's from the first batch. Do they really gouge that bad that Dave needs to tinker with them?
 
I've never had a G9, but if it's stiffer than a medium, I'm game.

How does it compare to DX or KC pro?
 
The current blend of G9s are like a stiff KC Pro but still have a soft/tacky feel to them.

Three Putt said:
I like the idea of just softening them up some, but how would they be different from a just an M Wizard at that point?
More durability, better grip, and better shape? Most M Wizards that I've felt came out slick and have a slight shoulder to them as is. The reason Dave likes the plastic he's using in the G9s right now is because it comes out of the mold really well and holds its shape nice and flat.
 
I still have yet to try the G9's from the first batch. Do they really gouge that bad that Dave needs to tinker with them?

Nothing worse than regular base plastic Wizards, but he wants to market these as a step up from base. I haven't had an problems with them gouging. Few dings from trees here and there, sure, but nothing terrible. Some people have complained about bad gouging after hitting harder surfaces like concrete. I know Dave has gotten complaints about fast wear from Justin Bunnell as well, and since Justin is a sponsored player Dave wants to take care of that.
 

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