[Discraft] Does ESP FLX plastic suck?

[Twmccoy]

OK. Over the years I've tried a few different FLX drivers, mainly Surges. Never been a fan of the plastic. Its super gummy and tends to not fly very well.

Anyway, a couple weeks ago I found a FLX Nuke SS in some thick weeds. OK, sounds intriguing. A Nuke SS that might be a hair more stable than a Z Nuke SS...
Nope. MASSIVELY overstable. The thing flies like a Flick. Zero glide and no distance to speak of. It flies like a dinner plate. Probably the crappiest representation of a mold I've ever seen in a disc.

The plastic blows. None of the FLX discs I've ever thrown have flown as advertised. They don't glide and are overstable as hell.

Anyone else feel the same?

 

[swhite]

I think the FLX Nuke SS that you found in the weeds may be in Z FLX plastic rather than ESP FLX. Yes, the Z FLX discs that I have handled were gummy and more flexible than what I like. Never thrown a Z FLX Nuke SS myself. Perhaps the one you found is a mutant along the lines of the 2015(?) FLX Ledgestone Trackers that were infamous for their overstability. Or, maybe it says Nuke OS? The Nuke OS should behave like a Flick.

Answering your post question of whether the ESP FLX plastic sucks; it has been discontinued, so apparently it wasn't selling well enough. When I was throwing Buzzzes, I bagged a white 177g ESP FLX that started out straight, and over the course of a year, beat in to a reliable turnover midrange shot. It was a good disc, but I am trying Comets right now, so they have that spot.

 

[kuubik]

I have thrown z flx Surge that was a lot more OS than its Z counterpart. Then I threw a z flx Undertaker and it was really understable (only 168g, but still not even close to Z's flight). I'm not a fan.. The only z flx I would buy is a zone or buzzz OS.

 

[ThrowBot]

Not sure that FLX plastics are objectively bad, but they're certainly not for everyone. Like so many things in disc golf, it comes down to personal preference and what works for you.

I've thrown CryZtal FLX Zones and had some success with them. They were mega OS, but since they're Zones I'm not sure if that can be blamed entirely on the plastic. Also, mega OS is what I was looking for to place shorter approach shots. And I'm generally comfortable throwing more flexible discs for putters & mids. (However, I did switch to Jawbreaker Zones because they have so much better grip. If they made a Jawbreaker FLX Zone, I would almost certainly buy one.)

Haven't personally thrown ESP FLX, but a friend bags 3 Challengers in that material that handle all of his putt & approach throws. He has great touch throwing those things FH, BH, grenade...pretty much everything. I've held them and my thoughts on the material are that most opaque blends that flexible have a lot more grip. For example, recent JK Pro Aviars are similarly soft, but are also much grippier. I don't get the impression that those ESP FLX Challengers are crazy OS, but he does have a cycle from somewhat new to super duper beat in.

 

[F. Howl]

I hate it for higher speed discs, but in blunt rimmed throwing putters and mids it doesn't feel floppy. Z FLX is my preferred plastic for my non skipping Zones and during fall and winter I bag a Glo FLX BuzzzOS. The plastic is nearly indestructible and skips and crazy tree kicks are rare.

Otherwise I think this blend might have been intended just to make a wintertime bag. Any super flexible plastic (FLX, Frost, Gstar) seem to result in the most inconsistent runs.

 

[brutalbrutus]

I hate it for higher speed discs, but in blunt rimmed throwing putters and mids it doesn't feel floppy. Z FLX is my preferred plastic for my non skipping Zones and during fall and winter I bag a Glo FLX BuzzzOS. The plastic is nearly indestructible and skips and crazy tree kicks are rare.

Otherwise I think this blend might have been intended just to make a wintertime bag. Any super flexible plastic (FLX, Frost, Gstar) seem to result in the most inconsistent runs.

Yea I would think the softer the plastic, the harder it would be to keep the wider rimmed discs from deforming when cooling.

 

[F. Howl]

Yea I would think the softer the plastic, the harder it would be to keep the wider rimmed discs from deforming when cooling.

I'm not looking to bag any floppy discs, but seeing your sig, just out of curiosity, do Plasma discs have a stiff overmold with just the flight plate being flexible?

 

[brutalbrutus]

I'm not looking to bag any floppy discs, but seeing your sig, just out of curiosity, do Plasma discs have a stiff overmold with just the flight plate being flexible?

The rim might be a touch more flexible but I don't think its really all that noticeable. At least, not the one I have.

 

[Twmccoy]

I think the FLX Nuke SS that you found in the weeds may be in Z FLX plastic rather than ESP FLX. Yes, the Z FLX discs that I have handled were gummy and more flexible than what I like. Never thrown a Z FLX Nuke SS myself. Perhaps the one you found is a mutant along the lines of the 2015(?) FLX Ledgestone Trackers that were infamous for their overstability. Or, maybe it says Nuke OS? The Nuke OS should behave like a Flick.

Answering your post question of whether the ESP FLX plastic sucks; it has been discontinued, so apparently it wasn't selling well enough. When I was throwing Buzzzes, I bagged a white 177g ESP FLX that started out straight, and over the course of a year, beat in to a reliable turnover midrange shot. It was a good disc, but I am trying Comets right now, so they have that spot.

The disc in question is definitely ESP FLX. I have also thrown a Z FLX Nuke and it flew much the same. Ridiculously overstable and glideless. I have zero clue what's up with it, but its about as far from the advertised flight characteristics as a disc can get.

 

[ThrowBot]

That's interesting. I typically go stiffer blends for my drivers anyway, but some mold minimalists might be interested to know that ESP FLX can mold up as freakishly overstable.

 

[F. Howl]

^^^ Yeah, that's a good point. The Tracker in ESP and Z was rated at 1.8, while the Ledgestone FLX Tracker they stamped with a 3. It "flew" like a Whippet.

BTW...just had a kid, so I was out for a few weeks. The AR17 is shipping out to you...

 

[SD86]

I have a Ti FLX Challenger. Disc worked well, like most Challengers do. I personally don't prefer the softer plastics like FLX, but I wouldn't say the plastic svcks. Like most other things, there's good and bad...

 

[Bennf]

Drone isn't bad.

 

[F. Howl]

Drone isn't bad.

Better plastics in mids, fersure.

 

[Twmccoy]

That's interesting. I typically go stiffer blends for my drivers anyway, but some mold minimalists might be interested to know that ESP FLX can mold up as freakishly overstable.

Yeah, this was a disc I found. I'd never, EVER buy FLX in Z or ESP. Its too damn soft/rubbery and flies like crap. I was just shocked at how a disc as normally understable as a Nuke SS could be such a meathook.... strictly because of the plastic its made of.

Honestly, for drivers I much prefer rigid plastic. I'm not even a huge fan of G*, but it flies FAAAARRR better than FLX.

Maybe FLX is decent in mids and putters, but in drivers its the worst damn plastic I've ever seen.

 

[JedV]

I've thrown a FLX Nuke SS. It was very flat almost had no dome and as such was overstable. It was also relatively glideless. I also had a FLX Avenger SS that was similarly more overstable than advertised.

As others in this thread have stated, FLX was good for certain discs like mids but not for drivers.

 

[Three Putt]

In defense of ESP FLX (never tried Z FLX)...the stuff is Wintertime plastic. In the cold it firms up and still retains some grip when regular Star/ESP gets slick. It's more overstable which works for me, the leaves are down and the wind is howling. I need something beefy. For me it works in that context. I don't throw it when it's hot out. Which thanks to Global Warming is always, so I may never need my ESP FLX discs again.

 

[Myke566]

Considering ESP FLX is OOP, it's safe to say it wasn't a hit. The only mold I liked it in was the FLX Buzzz. Board flat, could crank on it and it was still dead straight.

 

[Dingus]

In defense of ESP FLX (never tried Z FLX)...the stuff is Wintertime plastic. In the cold it firms up and still retains some grip when regular Star/ESP gets slick. It's more overstable which works for me, the leaves are down and the wind is howling. I need something beefy. For me it works in that context. I don't throw it when it's hot out. Which thanks to Global Warming is always, so I may never need my ESP FLX discs again.

This is exactly right. Winter demands FLX. For a decade there was only one winter plastic that worked, and that was FLX.

As for stability yes, most FLX molds come out beefy. Predators do not, they come out worthlessly understable. Summertime FLX discs are great for stop on a dime spike hyzers. After years of beat they actually become pretty good general use discs as well, but I don't have the time to beat in a utility disc that I may throw once a round.

 

[Keller]

I've always liked ESP FLX Drones

I have a really sweet ESO FLX Surge SS too