[Drivers] Salient Vein and Backdraft

[tbird888]

I definitely am not anywhere near your arm speed, but I have passed mine around to a few of my friends who can bomb. Not a bit of turn from any of them. As much as I like mine when I need it, it's definitely for power players. As Aim said, the bead should keep it reliable for a long time too.

 

[WhiteyBear]

I plan on getting out this weekend to test the updated Backdraft, and stretch the legs out a little more on the Vein.

As I stated in my previous review, I'm not the biggest fan of the BD, admittedly. However, I did really like the Vein, especially in Cryo. So we'll see what happens. Been basically out of commission for the last two months with a bum back.

 

[nolangherity]

ive been throwing this giant ass prometheus all week and loving it. cracks me up every time.

 

[WhiteyBear]

Update on the Vein:

Still wicked stable! I had two very good players try it out with me over the weekend, and they agreed to it's description I gave them...a seasoned, glidey firebird.

I have no use for this disc using my backhand, I don't have enough power for it. However, for my forehand, it's an excellent utility disc. It's also suitable for stable cut rollers, and overhand shots. The plastic is pretty nice to the touch, and I will have no qualms using it in cold weather this winter.

Last impression on the Vein; great disc, very baggable, very useable, prefer it for FH approach shots where I need it to finish strong to the right. Great disc.


Now, onto the updated Backdraft I received, I had another local kid try it out, he said he can consistently get it to 300-350 "then drop like a brick". This kid is a good player with a nice arm, so I trust his opinion. I will be giving it some more time on my own, FH and BH, to give it my final verdict. If you didn't read my previous synopsis here is the short story; not for me and my particular style, however several newer players were getting easy distance out of it, and enjoyed the disc. I would recommend it as an interval disc from REC to INT for longer distances (just my opinion). It felt awkward in the hand of my latest tester as well, same as it felt in my hand. They did do a good job making less dome, but my hands are not the same shape as everyone else's either.

I'll give my final verdict on the Backdraft soon...

 

[WhiteyBear]

To clarify, the "second look" at the Backdraft was with the new mold, which is more stable than the first runs.

 

[constantlyej]

Salient Retooled Backdraft Test

First of all, I apologize for the late posting of this. There was a family emergency and I just got back in town- and I really didn't transcribe my notes via a cell phone.

On first impression out of the package I had two immediate thoughts. First, this plastic is AMAZING. It is super gummy- not R-Pro gummy, but it gummy like the old Innova Pro plastic from back in the day. I really loved the feel in my hand and the grip turned out to be great, especially when my hands started to get sweaty in the 95-100 degree days out in the field. My second thought was that I don't have a disc with as much of a dome as this. I found one disc that came close (I will post a side-by-side photo soon) which was an Discraft ESP Crank. But the Backdraft had just a little more dome by a few millimeters.

The disc flys extremely well with a flight path that has a nice, yet fairly tight S curve. The disc is difficult to over power to get it to turn over, but it doesn't fade hard. The flight path is very similar to a Wraith, but with one HUGE advantage due to the dome- it glides forever. That tall ceiling really does an extremely good job keeping the disc up in the air and added about 15-20 feet compared to what my Wraith's give me.

The Backdraft has a wide rim which is perfect for me because I have large hands. I think that the Backdraft may become a permanent fixture in my bag. I used it in four different weather conditions (it's Kansas, the weather changes dramatically in a very short period of time). In the rain is where I really felt that it performed better than any other disc in my bag. In 80 degree weather with only a slight breeze it did exactly what I wanted it to do.
In super heat when I am sweating (I do use a birdie bag, as well as wristbands) the disc is still very reliable and does an amazing job from taking off, the same as above when I mentioned playing in the rain.

My main drawback with this disc, and it is a very minor one because I bag differently based on the weather is that it is not at all wind friendly. I threw twice in winds of 15 mph, and out in the field practice I threw it with the wind around 20 mph. THIS DISC TAKES OFF UNPREDICTABLY when there are huge gusts. This behaves that way due to that large dome.

And I am not sure what other people have experienced, but this disc worked really well for me flicking. Still, I got more distance out of the Backdraft with a RHBH. No matter how you throw it that S-line remained solid for myself.

If you like launching a Wraith or Destroyer, you will love the Backdraft just because it has that extra glide.

Great work Salient. I have come to become extremely fond of their discs. My Cryo Antidote is also a permanent fixture in my bag (btw, my gray/black Helix arrived. If you are looking for a very consistent distance driver with a solid glide to help get a little more distance then disc is for you. Good disc.

 

[zj1002]

This is probably your best chance to try some of the new Salient plastic blends and re-tooled Back Draft.

All Salient stock is on the Fore!day sale http://www.discnation.com/Foreday-Holiday-Blowout/

When I was stamping I noticed that a lot of the Vein Liquids (http://bit.ly/1zXERHC) are loaded with metal flakes. Its some really nice plastic.

Also probably a good time to snag a Cam Todd Touch Pre-Order. The target ship date is August 15th.

 

[preracing25]

This is probably your best chance to try some of the new Salient plastic blends and re-tooled Back Draft.

All Salient stock is on the Fore!day sale http://www.discnation.com/Foreday-Holiday-Blowout/

When I was stamping I noticed that a lot of the Vein Liquids (http://bit.ly/1zXERHC) are loaded with metal flakes. Its some really nice plastic.

Also probably a good time to snag a Cam Todd Touch Pre-Order. The target ship date is August 15th.

Sick deals ZJ. Thanks for the post and info on the Veins.

 

[jswoods1984]

Ok, now that I have a few rounds in with each of these I will share my thoughts.

Backdraft:
First off, as with all of the plastic I have felt from Salient, they feel amazing! These guys are doing a really good job at getting some great plastic blends out there. The backdraft flies very true to it's numbers. At 350' power, I get a slight turn, and then a VERY strong false at the end. It threw me off a bit the first time I threw it. I was able to get some really nice flights, but personally it was a little awkward in my hand, so it may not keep a spot in my bag. That being said, I do have a fairly unique grip, so that won't necessarily be true for everybody. Definitely a disc worth trying out!

Vein:
The Veins I received were the Cryo plastic, and again, WOW on the plastic guys, very grippy and takes an impact well. I have been testing this mainly on shots where I would normally throw my Firebird, and they seem to fly very similar. I have noticed a touch more glide with the vein, and just a touch less overstable. As stated earlier, it does have a nice bead which should allow it to hold this stability over time. Great disc for floating hyzer shots in the 250'-300' range for me. This one definitely earned a spot in the bag!

Salient is really stepping up their game with the new molds, and I am very excited to see what they launch moving forward!!

 

[Moose33]

So I'm really digging the liquid and liquid metal Backdraft, it's got glide for days and I decided to try it on a variety of lines. It's a fast disc and with a lot of glide, similar to a Giant, but maybe not as OS and with more glide.

Thrown flat and very low I was getting right around 380-400 with minimal fade on FH throws, give it a little height and it was even longer but a bigger fade, I topped out at around 410 with it today, I could get the speed to Hyzerflip it on a few throws but didn't gain any distance.

I usually favor very OS drivers like the Ape, Giant, Da'E, Stiletto to get my Max D of about 450, I didn't hit it with this disc, but I think that might be user error.

To hit those distances I usually give it a bit of anny and rip it, this disc will cut and toll if I do that(makes an ok roller though, when I did it intentionally later) and I never felt comfortable giving it %100 power on day one, but I think I can flick this disc as far as any since no disc I use has anywhere near this glide.

Backhand I just don't have the power. I max out with understable drivers like the Katama and Hu around 370 on a good day, and I never got the backdraft over 350, it's just too much disc for my developing BH shots.

It does OH pretty good though, I use my Apes a lot for that since they are very predictable but this disc hangs in there pretty well.

I like it a lot and will bag it for a few rounds to see if it sticks, but I think it might be a good less OS complement to my stable of massively OS drivers.