[Innova] Innova KATANA

[Kenny53691]

Any Katana you buy you will want a dome and usually larger the better. If you get one that isn't domey it will be squirrelly and have no glide. Basically terrible.

Thank you for letting me know! Now I feel like I may need to buy one, lol...

 

[Twmccoy]

A Nuke feels quite a bit wider then a Katana. Probably a little deeper as well. Nuke is even wider then a Boss but I would say the Nuke is closest to a Boss for Innova.

Any Katana you buy you will want a dome and usually larger the better. If you get one that isn't domey it will be squirrelly and have no glide. Basically terrible.

Nuke and Katana both have 2.5 CM rims. The Katana's is shallower.

Oh, Boss rim is also 2.5 CM.

 

[oldmandiscer]

Nuke and Katana both have 2.5 CM rims. The Katana's is shallower.

Oh, Boss rim is also 2.5 CM.

Here is what I got-

All in Star or ESP.

Shryke- 2.31
Katana- 2.44
Boss-2.51
Nuke- 2.54

 

[Twmccoy]

Here is what I got-

All in Star or ESP.

Shryke- 2.31
Katana- 2.44
Boss-2.51
Nuke- 2.54

I assume you're using a caliper to get these numbers?

I just go off the numbers listed on Infinite's website.

I also feel like there could be a little variance from disc to disc of the same mold as far as rim width goes.

The Shryke feels like a smaller rim than the others just holding it. I feel like the Katana has the shallowest rim of the bunch.

 

[oldmandiscer]

I assume you're using a caliper to get these numbers?

I just go off the numbers listed on Infinite's website.

I also feel like there could be a little variance from disc to disc of the same mold as far as rim width goes.

The Shryke feels like a smaller rim than the others just holding it. I feel like the Katana has the shallowest rim of the bunch.

Different plastics for sure. Baseline shrinks the most.

 

[Kenny53691]

Different plastics for sure. Baseline shrinks the most.

Really? I've never bought a disc with any concern of it shrinking. I guess that I'm not really surprised, just never really though about it.

 

[Grogden]

That level of detail killed this thread... I wa To talk about my recent katanas I own 5 not all in my bag I do feel the mould has changed a little bit and I blame somewhat the fact that is made in China now..... My older katana's tended toward 2 under stable and were easy big turners with some fade.. I ran into katanas that were over stable and flat kotamas that were relatively lgidless and understable I have 3 champions now with notable pop top domes The wings vary ..some are very concave summer somewhat less none of them are flat the concave ones when held next to bosses look identical.. I have found the big pop top ones to be the best I have a purple one that started fairly stable that is now a very reliable big ass Turner and my longest disc.. I bought 2 new ones 1 Orange 1 yellow the Orange is more stable than a boss but also extremely long but has 0 turn and a modest somewhat dumpy fade... The green one is less over stable but also less long which is interesting... Their brand new and thrown about 5 times I will be curious how they season. We haven't had a pro version in a while had a tie dyed pro was my favourite disc that i left on the course them i had an Orange pro a complete over stable turd.. It's funny and it has been discussed the katanas are as variable and weird if not more so than destroyers... What I really want to know is are there any good new bosses I haven't found them they were my favourite disc I would get long turn in glide any new one I thrown had been a dumpy brick... I wonder if it's the new Chinese molds o just not quite right

 

[oldmandiscer]

That level of detail killed this thread... I wa To talk about my recent katanas I own 5 not all in my bag I do feel the mould has changed a little bit and I blame somewhat the fact that is made in China now..... My older katana's tended toward 2 under stable and were easy big turners with some fade.. I ran into katanas that were over stable and flat kotamas that were relatively lgidless and understable I have 3 champions now with notable pop top domes The wings vary ..some are very concave summer somewhat less none of them are flat the concave ones when held next to bosses look identical.. I have found the big pop top ones to be the best I have a purple one that started fairly stable that is now a very reliable big ass Turner and my longest disc.. I bought 2 new ones 1 Orange 1 yellow the Orange is more stable than a boss but also extremely long but has 0 turn and a modest somewhat dumpy fade... The green one is less over stable but also less long which is interesting... Their brand new and thrown about 5 times I will be curious how they season. We haven't had a pro version in a while had a tie dyed pro was my favourite disc that i left on the course them i had an Orange pro a complete over stable turd.. It's funny and it has been discussed the katanas are as variable and weird if not more so than destroyers... What I really want to know is are there any good new bosses I haven't found them they were my favourite disc I would get long turn in glide any new one I thrown had been a dumpy brick... I wonder if it's the new Chinese molds o just not quite right

They've always been inconsistent. I suspect though that they could be pumping them out even faster now and QC could suffer a little. It's mostly the plastic itself, how fast it cools and what the tendency for the plastic to do when it cools. Innova doesn't have a high QC for repeatable high grade plastics. You can find all the blends (star/pro/champ) in different stiffnesses and feel.

I think even if they had the exact same plastic over and over some variance will ultimately happen. I don't think it's the mold at all.

 

[Twmccoy]

They've always been inconsistent. I suspect though that they could be pumping them out even faster now and QC could suffer a little. It's mostly the plastic itself, how fast it cools and what the tendency for the plastic to do when it cools. Innova doesn't have a high QC for repeatable high grade plastics. You can find all the blends (star/pro/champ) in different stiffnesses and feel.

I think even if they had the exact same plastic over and over some variance will ultimately happen. I don't think it's the mold at all.

I agree. Molding plastic isn't quite as exact as people think. You aren't going to get the exact same disc repeated. There are variables (plastic blend, drying, shrinkage, etc) that can affect the stability of a disc.


As a generalization, I feel like Katanas have gotten beefier lately. Years ago I'd throw Katanas and they'd all be flippy, sometimes overly so. Now, when I throw Katanas it seems like 50% of them are really overstable and glideless.

IMO, the Katana is perhaps the most finicky driver mold on the market. Any time you take a very wide rimmed, somewhat understable driver, the opportunities for variance arise. Of the last 3 Katanas I've thrown (2 champion, 1 star), the 2 champions were very overstable and glideless. The star was flippy and very long.

Honestly, I feel like the best way to get good Katanas is to buy like 10 of them at once, throw them all, and keep the 5 or so that work. Sell the rest. I've found that 50% (or less) of Katanas are truly great fliers.

 

[armiller]

How does the Katana's fight compare to the Shrike?

I'm generalizing here, but Katanas usually don't turn quite as easily as a Shryke, nor do they glide as well. The Katana also has a dumpier fade than a Shryke.

The Katana succeeds with sheer speed, but I feel like you need a slightly bigger throw to make it work.


Shryke: 13, 6, -2, 2.
Katana: 14, 5, -2, 3.

I know I gave both discs the same amount of high speed turn, but I still feel like the Shryke turns easier than the Katana, and holds it longer before fading.

A Nuke feels quite a bit wider then a Katana. Probably a little deeper as well. Nuke is even wider then a Boss but I would say the Nuke is closest to a Boss for Innova.

Any Katana you buy you will want a dome and usually larger the better. If you get one that isn't domey it will be squirrelly and have no glide. Basically terrible.

Nuke and Katana both have 2.5 CM rims. The Katana's is shallower.

Oh, Boss rim is also 2.5 CM.

They've always been inconsistent. I suspect though that they could be pumping them out even faster now and QC could suffer a little. It's mostly the plastic itself, how fast it cools and what the tendency for the plastic to do when it cools. Innova doesn't have a high QC for repeatable high grade plastics. You can find all the blends (star/pro/champ) in different stiffnesses and feel.

I think even if they had the exact same plastic over and over some variance will ultimately happen. I don't think it's the mold at all.

[/B]

I agree. Molding plastic isn't quite as exact as people think. You aren't going to get the exact same disc repeated. There are variables (plastic blend, drying, shrinkage, etc) that can affect the stability of a disc.


As a generalization, I feel like Katanas have gotten beefier lately. Years ago I'd throw Katanas and they'd all be flippy, sometimes overly so. Now, when I throw Katanas it seems like 50% of them are really overstable and glideless.

IMO, the Katana is perhaps the most finicky driver mold on the market. Any time you take a very wide rimmed, somewhat understable driver, the opportunities for variance arise. Of the last 3 Katanas I've thrown (2 champion, 1 star), the 2 champions were very overstable and glideless. The star was flippy and very long.

Honestly, I feel like the best way to get good Katanas is to buy like 10 of them at once, throw them all, and keep the 5 or so that work. Sell the rest. I've found that 50% (or less) of Katanas are truly great fliers.

I just quoted a bunch of the posts from the past week or so.

As far as Shryke comparisons, I've only thrown one or two Champion Shrykes and found that the Katanas I have used have noticeably MORE turn. I purchased the Shryke to see if it would replace my Champ Katana (mainly for forehand max distance) but it didn't work out well. The Star Shrykes I have thrown were very flippy but I haven't thrown enough Star Katanas to know how they compare.

Having thrown many Nukes and Katanas, I've never noticed much difference in the rim. They feel pretty close in my opinion...

As far as variation, I agree that the Katanas I have liked have some dome, and the duds have been flatter. Katanas are one mold I will never buy online because I know what I like. Even then, there's significant variation. In general, I think this is true for any speed 12 or 13 driver due to the wing width and how the molding process affects wing shape and flight.

 

[Twmccoy]

I just quoted a bunch of the posts from the past week or so.

As far as Shryke comparisons, I've only thrown one or two Champion Shrykes and found that the Katanas I have used have noticeably MORE turn. I purchased the Shryke to see if it would replace my Champ Katana (mainly for forehand max distance) but it didn't work out well. The Star Shrykes I have thrown were very flippy but I haven't thrown enough Star Katanas to know how they compare.

Having thrown many Nukes and Katanas, I've never noticed much difference in the rim. They feel pretty close in my opinion...

As far as variation, I agree that the Katanas I have liked have some dome, and the duds have been flatter. Katanas are one mold I will never buy online because I know what I like. Even then, there's significant variation. In general, I think this is true for any speed 12 or 13 driver due to the wing width and how the molding process affects wing shape and flight.

Katanas are maddening because even if you find one that looks good, it still may fly lousy. About a month ago I threw a perfect LOOKING champ Katana. Big dome, 171g. I expected it to turn fairly easily and absolutely bomb. Not the case. It won't turn at all, and glides like crap.

I agree with your assessment that flatter drivers typically don't produce good results. For max distance I definitely want something with a dome.

If you really want to explore disc madness, try messing with Vulcans. I've never bagged a Vulcan, but I've found and thrown quite a few of them. Almost all stars, but a couple G*s and 1 champion mixed in. If the Katana is frustrating, the Vulcan is more so. They can range from SUUUPPEERRR flippy to ridiculously flat, beefy, and glideless. The Vulcan is like the Nuke SS in that it can provide out-of-sight distance, but is generally too flippy to throw adequately. Problem is, you may also get a Vulcan that flies like an XCaliber.

 

[Grogden]

have to try the star katanas a used to be super good with any khatana and I bought them for the big turn and fade now chamops1 have minimal turn.. Today I went throe 3 katanas and a star destroyer and a boss that match the wing profileof 1 khatana... All had big pop top domes.. The Orange one flew very similarly to the boss except had a bigger dome so when I caught it right really moved it was the most over stable and longestflier of all.. There was a pop top slightly flatter wing khatana that was unremarkable.. The pop top sake destroyer was the overall best performing consistently long straight flier.. The boss was slightly less stable than the katanas but also had less glide for whatever reason. So in a nutshellI've no idea what yu get for the long big turnover I find myself using destroyers which really doesn't make sense to me a. These are slightly understandable bomby floating discs..and they won't flip.. The katanas or long stable discs..... Throwing forehand into a breeze I found my Orange one to be my best flyer straight stable Glidy.. Longer more accurate than the destroyer it's just not what I expect.

 

[Hampstead]

I probably mentioned this before, but I knew an engineer who was really interested in understanding the flight of discs. He would buy several of the same weight and plastic, try to throw them the same and record their flights. He said certain molds were fairly predictable and if thrown the same way, they could generally achieve repeatable flight patterns. He said the most frustrating and inconsistent disc that he tested was the Katana.

 

[aphilso1]

Throwing Katanas is a right of passage. Find a good one, crush it super far, go buy backups, and find that the backups are nothing like the one you fell in love with. Then go back to whatever driver you threw before Katanas.

 

[YawningDrone]

Throwing Katanas is a right of passage. Find a good one, crush it super far, go buy backups, and find that the backups are nothing like the one you fell in love with. Then go back to whatever driver you threw before Katanas.

unless you were lucky enough to find Cowtana and buy a stack

 

[Twmccoy]

G* Katana

The G* Katana is an often forgotten/unmentioned variant. If you're lucky enough to find a G* Katana with a little dome, it could be the longest thing you've ever thrown.

However, all the same warnings still apply to G* Katanas as they do for other plastics. I've thrown a couple really overstable G*s that wouldn't do anything.

A perfect G* Katana is perhaps the holy grail of ultimate distance. They are ridiculously long.

 

[Grogden]

had a couple satisfying kat throws today...first drive
hit just right..mild turn..caught the breeze took a lift..small fade wind broght it right back..birdy ..420ft easy drive...other was a hyzer flip dart into the wind with the stable one...threw 2 kats both were good...for understable downwind...my fave is my flippy opto king... I wish it wasn't so flippy and I could use it other than downward because I really love the way it feels.. t perfect for when you are looking to have a drive ride out to the right with the wind behind you ss you know the king will turn

 

[oldmandiscer]

I had crazy long throw with my GStar Katana yesterday myself. Hole is 365 and has a fence behind it 40-50 feet and I flew into the fence long. Without the fence and some skip I think it would have been 425+. Just held the small turn for the longest ways before mildly straightening out. I've been gradually gaining distance this year as well which is nice.

 

[Grogden]

i havent found anything interesting to throw or talk about. .....any thoughts...long fast understable

 

[waterdog44]

Star Katana - where ?

Where do I get a Star Katana or 2 or 3 ? Are they gone with COVID ? I found some of the Pro version. I like them for flex or roller forehand.