[Question] How long does it take you to beat-in a disc?

[JKieb704]

We all know that the discs we throw "beat-in" over time. I think most avid disc golfers can pick a disc out of their bag and tell the story of how they bought, or received, the disc brand-new and now it's in it's "sweet spot". My question is: how long does it take you to get a brand new disc to its "sweet spot"? What even is the sweet spot (a simple hyzer-flip or complete turnover with late fade)? Do you even throw brand new discs, or seek-out used "throwers" to add to your cycles?

In the 10-or-so years I've been playing, I've noticed some of my discs absolutely refuse to beat-in. 5-6 years later, they're still fading as hard as they did on day 1. Other discs I throw have a slow but noticeable change over time. I've noticed this in both premium plastics as well as base plastics. Is this simply inconsistency in the plastic? Perhaps it's just the frequency of play... for reference, I am a weekend thrower (between 1-3 rounds). My job keeps me from playing during the week.

Also, I've noticed some manufacturer's discs beat-in quicker than others. For example, in my experience, Trilogy plastics tend to beats-in faster than Discraft (when you compare plastic like-for-like). Innova plastic seems to take the longest to beat-in. I don't have much experience with other brands, but I can assume there are variants across the board.

Thoughts, opinions, short stories?

 

[Jcough]

DX Roc: 1-3 years
Star Destroyer: 3-5 years
Champion anything: 5-Life

 

[Moose33]

Depends on the type, plastic and usage.

I can knock the new off a disc i forehand a lot in any premium plastic in about a month or two but to really have their flight change, that's more like 1-2 years. Putters, maybe 6 months. I buy them in identical pairs and replace twice per year.

Maybe something like this;
Premium. Base
Putters; 2-4 years. .5-1.
Mids; 2-4. 1-2
Fairways. 1-3. NA
Distance 1-2. NA

I don't carry any driver is base plastic anymore because the flight changes so fast. Many of these discs still are part of the cycle after they are "beat in". I have very few in molds I bag go past the point of usefulness.

I think that some brands have better plastic in different categories and depending on wha durability means to you it could lead you to liking different things. For me Discraft drivers cosmetically take tons of abuse, but they often have thin wings which makes the flight change more than some, the trilogy discs also do this to a degree. Innova typically does not hold up as well cosmetically, I have some discs from them that I have not thrown all that much that look pretty bad(some of the also lose their color) but the flight is typically slow to change. MVP and their other brands seem to be the most durable in totality except for some runs who's overmolds were prone to chipping. The streamline discs in particular are very slow to beat in and look great for a long time.

 

[jfb3]

Lucid Felons typically beat in past the point where I want a Felon in a few months.
400 D2s take at least 2 years, so far.
400G D1s last anywhere from a month to a year depending on how much I use them.
750 F5s take a full year to go from straight with a little fade to right drift. I'll be able to find a useful slot for any F5 until it's paper plate flippy.
Champ Thuderbirds seem to never break in.


It depends on the disc/plastic and how much wear before the disc gets to a stability that I can't find a use for it.

 

[nomadic]

The core of my bag is champion Eagles and Z Buzzzes.

I find the recent run champ Eagles take around 6 months of moderate use to soften to a point where they fly somewhat unlike an overstable brick. Another year of use and it will start to show a degree of turn and glide, improving with time from then on.

The Z Buzzz takes about a year of regular use to flip to flat and soften the fade. After that it mostly doesn't change.

 

[Twmccoy]

It's tough to say how long it takes to beat in a disc. I say this, because I've seen premium plastic discs show no outward signs of wear, yet lose stability. I've also seen thrashed looking premium discs that still flew like they were brand new.

DX and pro plastic obviously beat the fastest. You'll usually see evidence pretty quick. Stuff like star, Z, or champion can pretty much last forever. Then again, you'll sometimes find that a decent condition premium plastic disc is losing noticeable stability for no apparent reason.

To sum it up, there's no magical formula for how plastic will beat in. That said, your best bet if you want your discs to beat the least is to use Z or champion plastic. Star and ESP are also good, but are still a step below the others (Z, champion) for durability.

As mentioned, you can easily get years out of any premium disc as long as you don't continually hit pavement/asphalt with it.

 

[Twmccoy]

Lucid Felons typically beat in past the point where I want a Felon in a few months.
400 D2s take at least 2 years, so far.
400G D1s last anywhere from a month to a year depending on how much I use them.
750 F5s take a full year to go from straight with a little fade to right drift. I'll be able to find a useful slot for any F5 until it's paper plate flippy.
Champ Thuderbirds seem to never break in.


It depends on the disc/plastic and how much wear before the disc gets to a stability that I can't find a use for it.

Trilogy premium plastic (opto, VIP, lucid) definitely beats in faster than stuff like champion or Z. Fuzion and biofuzion (or gold line) also beat in faster than star or ESP.

The annoying thing about Trilogy plastic is that it won't necessarily show signs of wear when it starts losing stability.

I find that slower/fairway drivers take forever to break in when they're premium plastic. Faster drivers break in quicker. I'd attribute at least some of that to the disc hitting the ground harder when it lands and getting scraped/abraded more.

 

[R-Ogre]

The core of my bag is champion Eagles and Z Buzzzes.

I find the recent run champ Eagles take around 6 months of moderate use to soften to a point where they fly somewhat unlike an overstable brick. Another year of use and it will start to show a degree of turn and glide, improving with time from then on.

The Z Buzzz takes about a year of regular use to flip to flat and soften the fade. After that it mostly doesn't change.

Oh man but a beat in ZBuzzz is a thing of beauty.

 

[twistedraven]

I see noticeable differences in Goldline Ballista Pros within a couple months.

 

[seedlings]

I haven't played long enough to own a disc for a year, but any disc will will have a noticeable change after tomahawking straight into the dirt 20 times. Those are the first throws I make with a disc. Trilogy discs start life AT their flight numbers, most other brands need time to beat into flight numbers.

My observations:
Trilogy base plastic will change dramatically, within weeks
Lucid X Verdict will develop slight turn and significantly reduced fade (full power throw) within months
C-Line FD3 lost fade within months and became straight with late fade
I have not noticed any change in 400 plastic D2s in several weeks of use
Star Eagle took couple months to develop turn
Champ Sidewinder has not made significant change in two months of trying
Star Teebird has no change in weeks
VIP Harp lost some fade and will *almost* turn in months
BT Soft Harp is significantly more durable than I expected, no change in weeks of heavy use
S-Line Pharaoah took three months to soften into a little turn
DX Beast lost large chunks in first week
DX Gator lost large chunks in first week
DX Eagle became super flippy in a couple weeks, but no significant damage months later
Lucid Warden no change in months

 

[JKieb704]

I'm really just interested in everyone's experience with their discs as they break down. I suppose a product made with plastic will vary significantly across the board.

I've got a fairly-worn DX Aviar that will absolutely not turn after a few years of use. It will flip to flat, hold straight and fade late. Great disc. On the other hand, I've got a 4-6 month old KC Aviar that has already developed some significant turn in its flight.

 

[ray1970]

Four years and I have three discs that I would say have legitimately beaten in to something noticeably different.

There aren't many wooded courses around here so smacking trees is pretty rare. I guess when most of your throws fly through the air and land in the fairway untouched it takes a while.

 

[Moose33]

BT Soft Harp is significantly more durable than I expected, no change in weeks of heavy use

The BT Soft Harp may be the most underrated disc of all time. It starts looking like crap in a month, but I have used the same one for about 6 years and used it often and just now has it started to show turn and hold an anhyzer. It's shocking how well it has held up flight wise.

 

[ray1970]

I refer to my BT soft Harp as the flying taco. It's so beat up and warped and really looks bad but it's still money. It has lost some low and high speed stability but it has really done it slowly over time so I guess I just naturally adjusted my throws along the way.

 

[JKieb704]

Similarly, I've got 2 KC Rocs I put in the bag at the same time about two years ago. Over time, I've used them the same amount but one is very flippy and the other is still straight with some late fade. I'm not complaining about this by any means, just interesting - those discs fit nicely into my Roc cycle anyways (but that's another thread entirely).

 

[twistedraven]

I have a C-Line FD with a pop-top and a Star Shryke in my bag that are flying overstable for what they should be. I'll see ya'll back on this thread in several months once I get them seasoned to taste.

 

[TheSecondZ]

If you want a disc to beat in faster, do you actually purposely throw it at trees or walls or the ground? I'm legitimately curious.

I play only Star/Z/Big Z/Ti discs in the hope that they retain their flight characteristics as long as possible, but I've heard how some people beat in an overstable Champion disc into something that stays neutral basically forever.

 

[twistedraven]

From my experience, Discraft and especially Trilogy discs fly close to their numbers out of the box. Innova discs are notoriously overstable out of the box compared to their flight numbers, and they beat into their flight numbers over time. I don't purposefully throw things into trees or on concrete myself, as I wouldn't want gouges in the disc. I think tomahawking into grass several times would be a better option-- especially for fairway and distance drivers, as you'll bend the nose down slightly without trashing your disc as easily.

 

[autocrosscrx]

If you want a disc to beat in faster, do you actually purposely throw it at trees or walls or the ground? I'm legitimately curious.

I play only Star/Z/Big Z/Ti discs in the hope that they retain their flight characteristics as long as possible, but I've heard how some people beat in an overstable Champion disc into something that stays neutral basically forever.

Trees and walls? No.

I will slide them to the pin on approach shots, putt them inside 10-15 feet, and maybe throw some rollers.

Right now, I have a Destroyer that I'm trying to beat in (I don't have a Destroyer arm, so I need it really beat in). If I'm 150 out, I'll throw my Judge on a hyzer for my normal shot. Then I'll throw the Destroyer low at the pin. Then I putt with my grid Aviar. I'll either throw the same putt with the Destroyer, or if I miss, slam in the tap in with the Destroyer. Then I'll forehand roll the Destroyer to the next tee pad.

 

[Keith H]

Discs vary for sure as others have noted.

I have throw the Orion Fade (OLF) a lot. I play 4-5 days a week, usually at least 9 holes.

The 150 class first run Sirius (star) version for sure beats in quicker. The first one I started this year with has very substantial turn now, still with a bit of fade. It beat in enough that by July I had added a second Sirius, which also is showing increased turn, I now have a 3rd Sirius in the bag.

On the other hand I throw the 150 class Quantum (champ) run 1.3 just as much. After 2 full years of throwing it still has not developed much turn. It has gotten straighter with less fade and has caused me to add another, just to get more late fade.

In both cases Sirius and Quantum, the disc gets more useful and never gets too beat in, they just push other discs out of the bag.