[Vibram] Vibram soft xl soft...Love or Hate

[Noahlearner]

Hey All,

I had read reviews about the Vibram Obex and how great it was. I ordered one up and when i pulled it out of the envelope, I was shocked at how floppy it is.

Does anyone sware by the xl / soft material? I know it is supposed to help fine tune form, but when is soft too soft? The word flaccid comes to mind...

-Noah

 

[maansmit]

I really like the soft Ibex and also use the soft putters for risky approaches.

 

[Apoth]

I have a friend (who I'm sure will chime in once he sees this) that swears by X-Link soft. He says it flies exactly the same and prevents weird kicks. But I can't do it....it just feels too weird to me.

 

[ajcloutier]

Flaccid Rubber

The soft rubber feels like your about to spin pizza dough in july and august! I know a lot guys who love it though. It know it gives more confidence in the grip. I use vibram as much as possible... but I personally have not committed myself to use any of the softies. This time of year outside I'm sure its fantastic. I feel as if xlink mediums are a good compromise between kc pro stiff, and soft serve IMO!

 

[1978]

X-Link ridges = $$$$$$$

They have LOST me tournaments, why, because my competitors threw them and I didn't. I won throw down the mountain Am's because, only because, of my X-Link ridge that I purchased from Andy Wiler when he was picked up by Lat. 64. Best decision hes ever made for my game. (PS. I got his glow Zone too!!!) Why am I posting all this. Vibram X-Link plastic stinks, don't purchase it

In fact I just purchased a number of them on sale at Marshall Street so that you guys wouldnt have to experience the awfulness :clap:Your very welcome.

 

[maansmit]

Yeah, I just bought more in various molds. Couldn't pass them up for $10/each.

 

[Goon13]

I have a love/hate relationship with my soft Ibex. When my form is true the Ibex flies straight with almost no fade.....but when I have OAT issues it'll come out of my hand wobbling badly and fades rather quickly. But the great thing about that is you can throw it in a field and work rather quickly to eliminate the OAT issue.

I primarily use it when the temps get below 30 deg F and switch back to my med Ibex in the summer.

 

[mattc]

i just picked up 2 soft summits myself
however i have only thrown them in the backyard
but i like them so far

 

[UKfan]

I got a XL Soft (flaccid limp) Sole and Ascent a week after Christmas from Clearwater DG Store. I usally like really soft putters for those hillside, etc., type putts. I have not used either but a couple times, but I have trouble with low putts with the Sole and the Ascent because of my form issues just flips. They are supposed to be really good in the cold and winter. This may be true but I am not sold on them yet. I have been trying the Sole with my other putters in my basket (indoors) to see how it does. However, I am not as comfortable with it as any of my other putters. I am using really flexible putters with it like my SSS Wizard, SSS Warlocks, RFF Wizard, XG Champ Rhyno, Omega SS, and others.

To be fair, I need to practice with them more to give them a fair review. At this point, I am not really happy with them. On the other hand, I have also been throwing an XL Lace that so far seems to be money in the wind.

 

[worldwide]

I got a soft ridge a couple weeks back but I didn't really like the feel. I grip my putters quite firm and the flightplate wasn't solid enough for me to feel confident. I have really been liking the stiff feel of the yeti plastic and will likely be retiring my JK pro's for the same reason I didn't like the ridge. JK's have been my go to for the whole time I've been playing so it might take some adjustment.

 

[hempies]

Light weight softies are flimsy in the flight plate. I have a softie Ibex, Sole, and Summit for winter use and hit/stick situations the rest of the year.

 

[Dan H.]

REASONS TO THROW VIBRAM X-LINK SOFT:

1. It's the MOST DURABLE material discs are made of.

2. It's the GRIPPIEST material discs are made of. This means it grips your hand better, and it grips the ground better which prevents wild skips 25 feet away from where you intended your disc to stop. It also performs way better in wet conditions than any other disc because of this.

3. When you hit the cage, chastity belt, outside chains, or any other part of the basket, your disc just "taco shells" and drops down. It won't bounce 15 feet away, giving you a chance to miss another putt.

4. The floppyness seem pretty weird, but as soon as you throw it, you'll see it has little effect on the flight of the disc. You just have to get over the floppy feel mentally and you will be fine.

5. If your X-LINK SOFT disc gets warped (which I have yet to see happen, even though a kid folded my disc in half yesterday) all you have to do is microwave it for a few seconds and it comes back to normal.

One of the biggest factors is really the grip. If you don't feel confident that you have a good grip on your disc, you are not going to throw it correctly. I like the soft mostly because it always gives me a good grip whether it's cold, wet, or nice outside.

Plastic feels cheap in my hands now.

 

[Dan H.]

UPDATE on my experience with X-Link Soft drivers:

I still swear by X-Link for my putters and most midrange shots, but after working on throwing soft fairway drivers for a few months and getting frustrated with inconsistency, I have to say, I feel I must leave the soft X-Link to the putters and medium distance midrange shots. Whenever I try to really crank it with a soft fairway driver (Trak or Ascent), the rubber seems to bend so the inside of the rim is at an angle that makes it slip out of my hand sooner than I expect and I end up releasing the disc too early. I still love the soft material for all the other reasons, but I will no longer be trying to throw 350'+ shots with it. It may be that my grip just isn't tight enough, but I just don't have nearly this much trouble with X-Link medium or Firm drivers.

Has anyone else had a similar experience with the X-Link soft for drivers/midrange?

 

[AndyJB]

Yep, I really liked the soft putters I've used, but the mids and drivers...no thanks. I had a soft Trak that I used for a good six months, because it's all my local shop had in the way of Traks. I threw a buddies medium Trak and realized what I was missing.

I like soft putters though. For instance, I just got a Zero Soft Pure and it's not soft ENOUGH in my opinion. Now, for driving putters, that's a bit of a different story. But, as many others have said, the upside to throwing the XL Soft putters is they hit and stick. You can miss the chains by a little bit and they still fall in...which is awesome for spin putters like myself. I've missed with some regular firmness putters and ended up farther away than my original putt! Not so with the softs.

So I reccomend, if you throw Vibram Putters, to throw some softs in there. But skip the fairway drivers and maybe the mids too. Also keep in mind the softs tend to feel lighter than they really are...so if you're throwing a 170g firm or medium Ridge, you're going to want a 175g soft.

 

[Hlasianguy06]

My findings with the softs showed that the tighter my grip got the worse they flew. If you were to grip it like you normally wound and just ease off the grip till it's shaped like normal they flew better than their firmer counterparts, more glide usually. I can actually flick a soft ascent better than a medium and it doesn't flip over like the medium, it's like brand new flight path every throw.

 

[Dan H.]

My findings with the softs showed that the tighter my grip got the worse they flew. If you were to grip it like you normally wound and just ease off the grip till it's shaped like normal they flew better than their firmer counterparts, more glide usually. I can actually flick a soft ascent better than a medium and it doesn't flip over like the medium, it's like brand new flight path every throw.

I will experiment with that a little and see if it works. But for the most part, I'm still going back to medium for tournament play.

 

[maansmit]

I never had much succes with the soft fairway discs. I love the mids and putters though.

 

[JoeBob21]

soft ibex is golden for long approach shots... it just sticks every time.

 

[Hlasianguy06]

It kind of had the mindset of a standstill touch shot but while I was driving. It kinda made my head hurt to be that focused on what i was doing and watching my target.

 

[hempies]

I've added a soft Obex to my collection, but no drivers. I've used a soft Trak and Asscent and I also had inconsistent throws. I use the soft Ibex/Obex combo every round, though here in CA we have some intensely steep slopes and these things are golden to keep the skips and rolls to a minimum.