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[Innova] Innova KATANA
- Thread starter humchris85
- Start date
slowplastic
* Ace Member *
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2014
- Messages
- 6,254
That happens with Katanas...never thrown a star but the champs can either bomb on the expected hyzer flip lines or be OS bricks.
Twmccoy
* Ace Member *
I can't really say. They definitely aren't old, but they were found in lakes.
Katanas can be a finicky mold. I've thrown very good ones, and super flat, overstable ones.
If you want a good Katana, stay away from really flat ones. I've never found a flat Katana I liked.
Twmccoy
* Ace Member *
Yeah, it sucks. I've thrown a few champion and star Katanas that were the same way. VERY overstable and glideless. Your odds improve if you get Katanas with a good dome. The flat ones tend to be way beefier.
I've even run into a couple Vulcans that were the same way. Really flat, fast, glideless, and beefy.
I know what you're talking about. You have to look for the flat wing top in order for them to be possibly understable. The new run has a rounded wing top which reminds me of the discmania top. They are beefy and perfect for my distance sidearm. I liked the old flippy star katanas when I started out and wanted to try them again. Found the beefy ones and was disappointed until I tried them for sidearm. I'm stocking up on the stiff mild domed new runs now.
SD86
Banned
My Star Katana is 164g but is overstable. My DX and Pro Katanas are a lot more straight-stable.
Twmccoy
* Ace Member *
Katana
OK, time for my yearly take on the Katana. This is one of those molds that I've never bagged, but probably should. In field tests against other max speed drivers the various Katanas I bring out almost always beat everything else. For example, yesterday I had a 175g champion Katana against a gold line Halo. Very similar look and hand feel with those two, as well as a similar flight. However, the Katana was beating the Halo noticeably on every throw. 15' or more. The Katana has a smoother flight than a Halo, better glide and a less dumpy late fade. Max distance with the Katana yesterday was probably right at 450'. In max weight champion I find that I don't need to hyzer the disc for a proper flight. Thrown flat I was getting some nice high speed turn followed by a good late fade.
The Katana is now over 10 years old. Despite all the "latest and greatest" molds released since I still feel like its a top tier distance performer.
Everything negative I've ever said about the Katana still applies. Everyone knows this mold is inconsistent. You can throw several Katanas without ever seeing the flight numbers assigned to the disc. That said, when you find the right Katana it's an absolute masterpiece of sheer S curve distance. I was surprised how easily it was blowing past the Halo.
OK, time for my yearly take on the Katana. This is one of those molds that I've never bagged, but probably should. In field tests against other max speed drivers the various Katanas I bring out almost always beat everything else. For example, yesterday I had a 175g champion Katana against a gold line Halo. Very similar look and hand feel with those two, as well as a similar flight. However, the Katana was beating the Halo noticeably on every throw. 15' or more. The Katana has a smoother flight than a Halo, better glide and a less dumpy late fade. Max distance with the Katana yesterday was probably right at 450'. In max weight champion I find that I don't need to hyzer the disc for a proper flight. Thrown flat I was getting some nice high speed turn followed by a good late fade.
The Katana is now over 10 years old. Despite all the "latest and greatest" molds released since I still feel like its a top tier distance performer.
Everything negative I've ever said about the Katana still applies. Everyone knows this mold is inconsistent. You can throw several Katanas without ever seeing the flight numbers assigned to the disc. That said, when you find the right Katana it's an absolute masterpiece of sheer S curve distance. I was surprised how easily it was blowing past the Halo.
jakebake91
* Ace Member *
I seen footage of GG mashing on super light weight Katanas for a distance comp. He can pump those things out there!! Of course, he can out throw me with with a man hole cover, but that's not the point.
SD86
Banned
Pro Katanas are still fun for my noodle arm to throw.
Twmccoy
* Ace Member *
I get leery of light Katanas. They'll go far, but are too flippy to be worth the trouble. I've had massive rips with G* Katanas though. They drift right quite a bit initially, but always fade back late.
I'll dabble with blizz Katanas occasionally, but they're just a pain in the ass. Any wind at all and they're going out of the zip code crooked.
All my best Katanas are champion 168g and up, and domey. 450'+ power consistently.
SD86
Banned
For people with less armspeed than yours (like mine), a 150-class Katana might work very well. I get good rips with my Pro Katana and not too much drift.
Twmccoy
* Ace Member *
Lightest I ever threw was a 134g blizz Katana. It was flippy, but I was still able to get it nicely a few times. Probably 470' throws. Even a whisper of a headwind would cause it to violently flip though.
My next intriguing light disc to try is a Z light Nuke SS 161g. The thing has some dome. If it isn't too flippy I figure it could be good for 450'+ right away.
I don't use light discs on the course, but they're fun to bomb around with in the field.
Currently have 3 blizz katanas that I really like..domey 139..neutral 139....small dome 150...like them all...accurate....no headwinds....the domey one can be used in light headwind..with hyzer flip...the 15o is the longest for some reason...cant throw any of them flat or will flip...hyzer flip straight golf lines 400...bombs will go further..but way right if you go for it....I dont know why more people don't throw them...played with top player other day..saw my drive ..little drift right little fade back..and he was ..oh katana right?..nice
I decided to stop hijacking the Westside King thread.
For those of you who have purchased Katanas this year, which plastic type is coming out the most domey right now? Star or Champ? I'd like to grab a couple low 160's with a heartbeat, but only have online retail as an option. So I'd like to maximize my chances of getting some good domey ones by picking the correct plastic type.
For those of you who have purchased Katanas this year, which plastic type is coming out the most domey right now? Star or Champ? I'd like to grab a couple low 160's with a heartbeat, but only have online retail as an option. So I'd like to maximize my chances of getting some good domey ones by picking the correct plastic type.
Twmccoy
* Ace Member *
Tough to say. I see both star and champions that are domey..... or flat. Plastic doesn't seem to play a huge role in determining dome with the Katana.
You might be able to email the online disc retailer and specifically ask for a domey Katana.
One last bit of insight: Katana > Corvette > Colossus for sheer distance. I keep trying to like the Corvette, but a lot of them are glideless pigs. The Katana blows the Colossus and Corvette away easily for distance.
Thanks man, appreciate your insight. I'm going to grab a couple off of Marshall Street. Their pics are detailed enough that I *think* I can tell which ones have dome based on how the light reflects off of the disc. We'll see if I'm right. I am also going to grab one in Pro just because they have X-outs for $8, so if it turns out to be a turd it's not a major loss.
OTB specifies the "dominess" of each disc they list, so if you buy from them you won't have to guess.
Yeah, that is a good recommendation and I actually had already checked them before buying from Marshall Street. They are always on my list of vendors I check before buying, but for whatever reason they never seem to have the dominess/weight/mold combo I want in a bright, findable color. I know others swear by them but I just have not had a lot of luck with their inventory.
PMantle
* Ace Member *
Please report back after throwing. I've always kinda wanted to revisit this mold.
Will do. I ordered a 162 Blizzard, 162 Pro, and 166 Champ. I'm pretty excited to test them out.
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