Auzcar's ITB

[jmdaire27]

On a related note: I had been wanting to fill the gap between the Felon (Lucid, pretty straight to fade) and the Undertaker (FRZ, usually, which is more OS than any stock Undys), which I filled with the Fortress (at first, wasn't the right choice) and eventually the Getaway. Just saying, the Undy rocks.

 

[auzcar]

On a related note: I had been wanting to fill the gap between the Felon (Lucid, pretty straight to fade) and the Undertaker (FRZ, usually, which is more OS than any stock Undys), which I filled with the Fortress (at first, wasn't the right choice) and eventually the Getaway. Just saying, the Undy rocks.

The problem I have with the undertaker is that when it turns over it's never really coming back, and it's very touchy in the wind. I can't throw it flat I need to hyzer flip it.

 

[auzcar]

These are accumulated stats from 14 rounds at three different courses and are sorted from most thrown mold to least thrown. I clearly tend to rely more on overstable molds.

Mold - Tot. throws - % - avg/round
Method : 74 - 18% - 5,3
Destroyer : 69 - 17% - 4,9
Zone : 62 - 15% - 4,4
Firebird : 56 - 14% - 4,0
Getaway : 48 - 12% - 3,4
Undertaker : 44 - 11% - 3,1
Roach : 24 - 6% - 1,7
Wraith : 11 - 3% - 0,8
Essence : 11 - 3% - 0,8
Fuse : 9 - 2% - 0,6

 

[auzcar]

After a lot of switching back and forth and bagging both molds at the same time I've decided to go with the Explorer over the Undertaker, at least for now. The added stability gives me more trust and I seem to reach for the Explorer much more than the Undertaker. Also a beat in Opto Explorer is a thing of beauty, barely no fade and goes super far. Ridiculously far even, it doesn't seem reasonable for a seven speed.

Although the Undertaker might still be a mold I put in the bag now and again when I feel the need for it.

 

[auzcar]

I started looking at the Undertaker a bit differently lately as before I was trying to fit it in the straight fairway slot, with sometimes frustrating results. I started putting it in the understable slot instead and this has been working very well so far. It's a disc with a lot of turn that I can work in the woods or for late turnovers or even rollers. In the straight slot I really like something more overstable and I'm probably gonna do some field work with the molds I've got that can fill that spot and really put them to the test with a clear objective in mind.


EDIT: It's also stupid that looking at the disc in another way and expecting another result should change anything, I mean it's still the same disc with the same flight... Stupid brain.

I've been bagging the Teebird3 in the straight slot a few rounds but I might want something even more os, not sure.

Stats from my last four rounds:

Mold - Tot. throws - % - avg/round
Firebird : 25 - 22% - 6,3
Destroyer : 20 - 18% - 5,0
Zone : 19 - 17% - 4,8
Envy : 17 - 15% - 4,3
Buzzz : 11 - 10% - 2,8
Teebird3 : 10 - 9% - 2,5
Undertaker : 7 - 6% - 1,8
Essence : 1 - 1% - 0,3
Neo Method : 1 - 1% - 0,3
Fuse : 1 - 1% - 0,3
Trespass : 1 - 1% - 0,3

 

[auzcar]

I'm starting to realise that I've probably stunted my growth a bit this year by always swapping discs/molds in and out of my bag, not really learning the discs that are in there. I definitely throw my more consistently bagged molds better than the ones I keep swapping out. It's also the same with individual discs of the same mold. I've lost four Destroyers this year and each time there's been a learning period when I've put in a new one to replace the one I lost.

Not sure I've got the willpower to stop testing stuff but it would most certainly be beneficial to my game.

 

[auzcar]

Played a really bad round at a local course today and reflected a bit afterwards, here are the results of said reflection:

I shot 61
23 shots were throws (drives, upshots etc)
38 shots were putts (incl. long jump putts)
IE:
2.1 avg putts / hole
62% of my shots were putts

Putting is really important and I suck at it haha.

 

[auzcar]

Looking back at this season bagwise gives me a bit of insight and clarity on what molds I've really taking a liking to over time. A lot of the molds I've tried I have liked right away but when the "new feeling" have gone away I've moved on.

Putting putter:
I've mostly been switching between Judge, Reko and Roach. For whatever reason I really want to like the Judge but need to accept I'm a beadless kinda guy. I'm not settled here yet, not sure what I want and prefer.

Throwing putters
The Zone have grown to be my favourite mold and my FH approach have been the most evolving part of my game this season. Basically if there's a way to fit a FH approach I will probably choose that route. Just need some more backups.

When it comes to straight BH throwing putters I'm not settled, but I've liked the Big Z Roach, K1 Reko and the Envy. This is a shot that I'm not good at and I will probably keep testing discs a bit.

Mids
I've been swapping between Buzzz's and Method's. Buzzz's feels better in hand but I wish they had a bit more stability sometimes. Love both molds though.

Love the Fuse but I never use it and I fon't find a need for a really OS mid due to the Zone.

Fairways
I've been swapping between Felon's and Firebird's and I love them both, might end up bagging both. The Felon is much more versatile though and along with the Zone it's the most comfortable disc I've thrown.

I keep going back to the Undertaker despite liking a lot of other discs I put in this slot; Teebird3, Eagle, Explorer, Instinct.

I also like and have switched between the Thunderbird and Getaway but when I bag Felon's these see basically no use. It's either a Felon or a Destroyer instead.

The Essence is a fun utility disc and will be a disc that goes in and out of the bag, I love it but don't need a disc that US very often.

Distance drivers
I started switching between Wraith's and Trespass's as my main DD but when I revisited the Destroyer my consistency went way up despite not really losing any distance. This is the only DD mold I bag atm and along with the Zone it's a mold that I haven't even thought of replacing.

Going forward
I will keep testing and trying to narrow down what I like but I will do more testing in the field instead of out on the course like I've mostly done this season. Keeping a few core molds as a backbone in my bag seems to be working for me, keeping it simple and narrowing down my options on the course. Not to mention I really enjoy playing with less molds or even less discs. I'd really like to sort out and nail my fairways since that's a huge part of my game and field testing is the way to go I think, as well as not getting stuck in my way of thinking.

I also need to pick a putting putter and start practising, yeez.

 

[auzcar]

I had my first field session this year despite the 50cm of snow. I found a big parking lot area that isn't in use atm and was perfect for some throwing. I got to test a few new discs that I hope can fill a big hole and a small hole in my bag:

Slightly understable fairway:
I spent a lot of time throwing the Champ Leopard3, Neutron Crave and Neutron Relay (all max weight) side by side. I've always liked the flight of the Leo3, especially in champ as it can take a lot of power without burning over. However, it doesn't feel right in my hand which is why I almost never bag it, but I own three of them and they will always be there as a backup.

The Relay really surprised me. I thought it was going to be too understable, but it flew extremely similar to the Leo3. It was easy to hyzer flip and get to move right and had a nice little LSS in the end. Even when I pulled it a bit and got over on it too much it didn't burn over, not once. I got it out to about 115m on average on a hyzer flip.

The Crave felt even better in my hand due to the rim being a tiny bit wider and also flew a bit faster and longer. It felt a smidge more HSS than the Relay but also less LSS and on a couple of shots when I got over on it a bit too much it did turn over too much. When I hit it right it hyzer flipped to dead straight without much fade at all, seems like a really great tunnel shot disc. A little bit touchier than the Relay.

I will keep both the Relay and Crave in the bag alongside my Teebird3 and keep testing them side by side, but I could also see bagging both of them, they seem like great discs after an hour or so of testing.

Utility OS distance driver:
I also tested the I-Blend Slab (max weight) and after the first session I am very excited. It wasn't as LSS as I expected but the HSS was very firm and dumpy. I could actually stretch this out pretty far, up to 130-135m on a flex line, which I didn't expect. I found the first half of the flight very workable and it was easy to get some flex to the right before the very dependable fade/dump kicked in. It was also about the most comfortable driver I've ever held in my hand, especially with the slightly softer plastic.

All in all I loved it for flex shots, both FH and BH, which is something I love to throw to and this will be going straight in the bag. I'll be looking for a C-Blend as well as I expect that to be much more overstable if the rumors are true.

 

[Bugcatcher33]

Slightly understable fairway:

I will keep both the Relay and Crave in the bag alongside my Teebird3 and keep testing them side by side, but I could also see bagging both of them, they seem like great discs after an hour or so of testing.

I bag 2 craves and a relay and love them. The fight on my seasoned Crave is a thing of beauty. Can't recommend the disc enough. Definitely the straightest disc I've ever thrown. Between the craves, relay and my 2 felons I find most fairway shots covered.
I'm testing the TSA Votum in the "straight to stable" slot cause I feel like I get a ton of different flights out of that mold depending on plastic/dome/plh and weight... also bridges the gap between the Crave and felon. If it beats into something similar to the Crave, it might take over that slot. Time will tell. Might be a disc to look in to if you like the Explorer/teebird3 style disc

 

[auzcar]

I bag 2 craves and a relay and love them. The fight on my seasoned Crave is a thing of beauty. Can't recommend the disc enough. Definitely the straightest disc I've ever thrown. Between the craves, relay and my 2 felons I find most fairway shots covered.
I'm testing the TSA Votum in the "straight to stable" slot cause I feel like I get a ton of different flights out of that mold depending on plastic/dome/plh and weight... also bridges the gap between the Crave and felon. If it beats into something similar to the Crave, it might take over that slot. Time will tell. Might be a disc to look in to if you like the Explorer/teebird3 style disc

I might bag both but I also found there to be significant overlap between the Crave and the Relay. I only had a sample size of one each but my Crave almost fought back less than the Relay and I found it a bit touchier as well. Easy to overpower and turn over too much. Maybe I got a Crave on the more understable side, or a Relay on the more overstable side. My Crave is a Sarah Hokom, don't know if those came out more understable?

 

[Bugcatcher33]

I might bag both but I also found there to be significant overlap between the Crave and the Relay. I only had a sample size of one each but my Crave almost fought back less than the Relay and I found it a bit touchier as well. Easy to overpower and turn over too much. Maybe I got a Crave on the more understable side, or a Relay on the more overstable side. My Crave is a Sarah Hokom, don't know if those came out more understable?

My relay is a 159g thats beat to hell and is my "go right", super hyzer flip or roller disc. I got it when I first started playing again, threw the piss out of it, then took it out of my bag for an essence.. but ultimately swapped back to the relay cause it has no stability left, and thats its job. Lol
I have a Hokom crave (172g), and it's my more stable Crave for sure, a touch of turn at high speed, but has a soft fade at the end. I've heard conflicting reports on how stable they are... but mine is "teebird esque" The Crave I throw the most, is a factory blank, neutron that I found in a used bin last year lol. That one isn't "flippy" by any means, but if I hit it flat, it'll ride to the right ever so slightly and basically fall straight down with little to no fade. On a baby hyzer it'll get flat, and just push straight forever. I'm also never putting a ton of power on these which may be a part of it. 60%-80% shots that I need to just glide straight, or big anny shots that hold and land flat

 

[auzcar]

I'll keep them in the bag and keep testing them but I already feel the Relay will have a permanent spot, the Crave I need to test more. I really love how flat these discs are as I have a hard time getting clean releases with domey discs.

 

[auzcar]

This is the bag I'll be starting the year with as well as some gaps/slots I'm either looking to fill or loose from the bag:

Reko

Berg
Envy
Zone

*
Buzzz
**

Essence (rollers)
***
Teebird3
Thunderbird
Felons

Wraith
Destroyer
****

* = Not sure I need an understable mid, I usually throw a FH instead, or a putter. I usually bag a Fuse in this slot and it'll probably come in and out of the bag.

** = Not sure I need an overstable mid as I feel pretty well covered with the Zone and the Felons. I own and like the Caiman but I'll probably be looking around if I decide to fill this slot. Could also come in and out.

*** = This is a slot that I haven't been happy with and need to fill. Basically a hyzer flip or flat to turnover disc. Right now it would be an Undertaker but I'd prefer something slower and less touchy. Both the Relay and the Crave seems very promising though, very flat and feels good in my hand.

**** = I'll be shopping around for a really OS distance driver. I loved the I-Blend Slab but it won't fill this slot. Looking to try a premium Slab, Stiletto or maybe a Nuke OS. This is slot is not essential though, I just love throwing overstable stuff.

- The Teebird3 might get taken out depending on what fills the ***-slot.
- The Thunderbird will probably be replaced as I only have one that I really like, the other three are as stable as my most stable Felons. Looking to try the Anax and maybe the Volt, still looking around for options though.

 

[konza_kid]

I enjoyed the relay, it got a decent amount of turn, so I could flip it or let it drag right, but it always seemed to finish. Good disc for sure, I bag my old FD's in that spot.

 

[auzcar]

I enjoyed the relay, it got a decent amount of turn, so I could flip it or let it drag right, but it always seemed to finish. Good disc for sure, I bag my old FD's in that spot.

Yeah, the solid finish was what really suprised me, as well as how much power it can handle. I could pretty much put everything behind it on a decent hyzer and it wouldn't get away from me. I had a couple of shots that landed at ~125m/410 feet that hyzer flipped, drifted a bit to the right and finished on the line of release. I did not expect it to handle that at all before I tried it.

 

[auzcar]

I think I need to realise that I'm always gonna want to try new discs, it's too much fun to do to settle on a bag... I might start looking at my bag as all the discs I like and have in storage, and then what's in the actual bag might vary a bit. The discs I own that doesn't suit me I'll start selling off. I think I need to look at each discs individually as well and not think too much about molds, rather how that specific disc flies.

The HR stuff over at DD really pushed my buttons as well and I decided right away that I wasn't going to buy from them for a while. I've now decided not to bag any of their discs at all sinve I don't wan't to represent them on the course. That means the Felon is out, which sucks a bit but my stack of Firebirds have served me well before.

 

[auzcar]

Going with the thought process from the last post these will be the discs/molds that will be in my setup atm and coming in and out of my bag. The ones in bold are discs/molds I feel will have a pretty permanent spot in the actual bag:

(haven't settled on a putting putter yet but these feel best in hand, the biggest difference is glide; Roach have more, Reko has less)
4x K3 Reko
2x Putter Line Roach

2x K1 Berg (great distance control, just drops out of the air, great for no fade FH approaches as well)
4x Electron Firm Envy (great driving putter that handles a lot of torque, flat and low profile which I prefer)
2x Eclipse 2.0 Envy (haven't actually thrown these yet since they're white and there's still a lot of snow, hoping for some more beef and durability)
4x ESP Zone (a bit straighter than the Z's)
4x Z Zone (I love my Zones and always bag a couple, mainly for FH approaches which I prefer over BH)

4x Opto Fuse (these will probably not be in the bag that often since they are a strictly turnover disc for me and at that distance I usually prefer a FH, but they're super fun to throw)
1x ESP Buzzz (haven't thrown this one yet either but hoping to beat it in to hyzer flip a bit)
5x Z Buzzz (main mid, you know what it does... love it both in the open and in the woods)
4x Neo Method (love the flight and the dependable fade but it doesn't sit well in my hand, probably won't be in the bag much at all)
1x Champion Caiman (with the Zone in the bag this doesn't get much use but it's a great disc that sits well in my hand)

4x Neo Essence (very flippy, US utility for trick shots and rollers)
1x Neutron Relay (I'm really loving this disc so far and will definitley be buying backups. Super easy to move to the right with control, hyzer flips like a dream and it's very flat, which I like, handles a surprising amount of power)
1x Hokom Neutron Crave (loving this as well, a bit longer/faster and more stable than the Relay, looking for a Cosmic Neutron since a little bit more stability would be nice for the spot it's in)
4x Metal Flake Teebird3 (super straight, no turn and almost no fade. Will most likely be in the bag on more open courses and windy days, otherwise I think I'll prefer the Crave in the calm and in the woods, time will tell)
1x Champion Eagle-X (haven't bagged this much but it can take a lot of power and always fades, very controllable, flips up a little bit)

1x Lucid Felon (this is the only DD disc I might consider bagging right now, if so I'll wipe the stamp. It's very beaten in and flies like a very beaten in Thunderbird/Getaway, hyzer flips and S-shots, goes seriously far but always fades)
1x Champion Thunderbird (I own 4 Thunderbirds but only one flies good, very straight with a reliable fade when thrown hard, nice for flexes)
2x ESP Anax (basically flies like my good Thunderbird, great for flexes, not so comfy for FH's)
~10x Firebirds (I have a lot of Firebirds, mostly flat champs but also a few Star that is straighter, I like the flat Champs as they have no glide and I have a flat Star one that is straighter and longer)

5x Star Wraith (hyzer flips and turnovers, straighter FH's, I also have a couple really flippy ones that I've started to use for distance rollers)
1x I-Blend Slab (even though this was not what I was looking for I really love it, on a full rip it actually has some turn and it goes pretty far on a flex line, a pretty good compliment to my Wraiths if a Destroyer is a bit too much)
~10x Star Destroyer (max distance; I have them ranging from pretty overstable to slight hyzer flips, really like flexing these and I'm looking forward to continue beating these in)

------------------------------------------------------

I'd like to find a disc that flies like the beaten in Felon out of the box. I hope to beat in an Anax to that spot eventually but until then I need something else. Basically something between a fresh Thunderbird/Anax and an Undertaker that flies a true 9,5,-1,2/3 on a hard rip. My Eagle flies somewhat similar to this but I'd prefer something faster for this slot. Maybe a Volt...

I also might look at a super OS disc just for funsies. Flare, C-Blend Slab, etc...

 

[Faded]

How do your Electron Envy compare to the K3 Reko?

 

[auzcar]

How do your Electron Envy compare to the K3 Reko?

I use them for different things, Reko for putting and Envy for throwing, but I have used the Reko for throwing a bit in the past. Reko is less stable, both in K1 and in K3 and can't handle as much power as the Envy. It does however has a slower flight and is easier to finesse. Hand feel wise both is quite flat and shallow for a putter with the Envy being the shallowest.

I'd say if you want to have a longer flight and a disc you can put a lot of power behind, that's bordering on a midrange, then choose Envy. If you want a slower flight for more finesse shots, or turnovers, choose Reko.