[Question] the 'boutique disc' problem

[VictorB]

For many years, I've tried to only throw easy to find, off the shelf, available at the local pro shop kind of discs. And that works really well, or at least it did for a long time.

I'm finding lately that special runs, tour series, and limited edition discs have crept back into my bag lineup, and at a level that I don't like one bit. My fav Hurricanes are Shasta tour series, my fav Undertaker is a Gannon tour series, my favorite Drone is a cryztal Z, my favorite Aftershock is a Shastashock, my fav wasp is a 2018 jawbreaker....and so it goes. In fact, half of the discs I carry in my bag right now are tour series or some sort of limited run.

I would be more than willing to bet that there are a few people on these boards like me, who typically have kept things super simple, but have fallen into the trap. It seems easy to do these days, there are *so many* 'boutique' discs out there. So many tour series, limited plastics, tournament fundraiser only (looking at you Ledgestone) discs that are being pushed out to us, the consumers.

The thing that triggered me on this post was seeing Rubber blend Matt Bell Pro Series Steadys on Sunking pre-order for $20. And that a lot of tour series discs are going for $20-25 off the shelf. I actually considered spending $100 on a set of 5 Steadys - then thought better of it, because I can get 5 nice Wizards in base plastic with stock stamps at about half of that price. Sure, this supports the players 'directly' (though no one seems to know at what level), but at what point do people stop buying these simply because there are too many out on the market? What's the saturation point? What's *your* saturation point? I think I've hit mine, and I'll be making a point once again to keep things as simple as possible.

Do you prefer wide availability, or do you favor the 'coolness' factor of the special runs and plastics? There's not really a wrong way to do it - to each their own!

 

[wims]

Personally I prefer stock runs. Easy to replace whenever I lose a disc and they are inexpensive as well

 

[Deuzzz]

For many years, I've tried to only throw easy to find, off the shelf, available at the local pro shop kind of discs. And that works really well, or at least it did for a long time.



I'm finding lately that special runs, tour series, and limited edition discs have crept back into my bag lineup, and at a level that I don't like one bit. My fav Hurricanes are Shasta tour series, my fav Undertaker is a Gannon tour series, my favorite Drone is a cryztal Z, my favorite Aftershock is a Shastashock, my fav wasp is a 2018 jawbreaker....and so it goes. In fact, half of the discs I carry in my bag right now are tour series or some sort of limited run.



I would be more than willing to bet that there are a few people on these boards like me, who typically have kept things super simple, but have fallen into the trap. It seems easy to do these days, there are *so many* 'boutique' discs out there. So many tour series, limited plastics, tournament fundraiser only (looking at you Ledgestone) discs that are being pushed out to us, the consumers.



The thing that triggered me on this post was seeing Rubber blend Matt Bell Pro Series Steadys on Sunking pre-order for $20. And that a lot of tour series discs are going for $20-25 off the shelf. I actually considered spending $100 on a set of 5 Steadys - then thought better of it, because I can get 5 nice Wizards in base plastic with stock stamps at about half of that price. Sure, this supports the players 'directly' (though no one seems to know at what level), but at what point do people stop buying these simply because there are too many out on the market? What's the saturation point? What's *your* saturation point? I think I've hit mine, and I'll be making a point once again to keep things as simple as possible.



Do you prefer wide availability, or do you favor the 'coolness' factor of the special runs and plastics? There's not really a wrong way to do it - to each their own!

Oh man i totally feel you. I have been the same but my bag starts filling up with limited edition discs. The worst to say is the Echo DD3. I fell in love with it instantly, but they break in quite fast and there is none available anymore. I have a constant fear I will lose one or it will become a roller one day (one is already). I have been trying to replace them because of the availability (basically 0 available or be ready to pay +30€ for a used one), but it isn't an easy task.

 

[Streets]

Stock discs for me, except MJ Comets and that's more about supporting MJ than anything. Nothing wrong with stock X, Z and ESP Comets.

 

[riltim]

I am stuck in a trap with the 1.1 run of the (S) Orion LF; my favorite disc of all time. They are increasingly hard to find but I have a stash of about 10-11 that should last me for quite some time.

The only other hard to find disc is the Cyztal FLX Zone. My buddy got me hooked on them earlier this year and I love their flight. I have about 5 backups and I'm pretty sure I could get by with a ZFLX if/when I lose all of these.

 

[JRW III]

For me it depends on the type of disc. I tend to lose drivers fairly often, but almost never mids and putters. For my drivers, I only throw discs that I can easily replace. For mids, I have a few OOP (ESP Hornet and DD Patrol) as well as limited run (4x Buzzz Claw), but I keep enough back ups that it should last me awhile. The main rule I made myself is to not pay over $20 for a disc. Once I can no longer find a disc/mold for less than $20, I will just switch to a different disc.

That being said, it is getting hard seeing all of these new runs come out and wanting to try them. I am really curious how the new Hades will compare to my Tern.

 

[Three Putt]

Flip side: I had a guy ask me about big bead Aviars from the 90's, and I still have a few. I checked on the price they are going for; $30-$40 a pop. :| Who in the Hell is paying $40 for stock grid stamped Aviars? I realize that particular mold/plastic is OOP, but come on! So what do I do now? Do I look a guy in the eye and ask him to pay me $120 for four $7 frisbees? That's crazy.

Then I turnabout's around and look at the MJ Comets, and they are $25 now. $25! They are Z Comets, I already have a stack of them. When they were $20 it was *gulp* and bought them, but $25? I think I'm over my limit.

Disc golf is supposed to be cheap, folks. Disc golfers were cheap. Back in my day when you stopped to get pizza and some beers after a round with disc golfers, you knew the beer would be pitchers of whatever was cheapest and the pizza would be cheese since no one was willing to pay for toppings. You knew it would be like that because we were disc golfers, damn it. The "cheap" part was implied. What the Hell happened?

 

[jmdaire27]

I get this. For me it is Lucid X. So convenient to know you're getting an overstable counterpart to your current disc, but 20-25 each? (I get the support the player aspect, but I honestly only get them for their flight). That and relying on a player to choose the disc for the tour series (ie Trespass or Verdict). It's expensive and a gamble.

I kind of feel the same for niche brands. I'll try them, but I try to fall back on "if it's not at DGC...."

 

[zontar]

So what do I do now? Do I look a guy in the eye and ask him to pay me $120 for four $7 frisbees?

yes. absolutely. then buy cheap beer and pizza

 

[46YearOldSlinger]

Yup, I always wanted to stay with production discs. I fell in love with Frost/Fluid/Elasto plastic when it was production and now I can't get away from it and have to pay a premium.

 

[konza_kid]

Stock discs for me, except MJ Comets and that's more about supporting MJ than anything. Nothing wrong with stock X, Z and ESP Comets.

Same here, MJ is pretty dang generous with his time on his thread, and the comet is a great disc so I'm fine shelling out a few extra for that. The only "boutique" disc I carry is premium bangers, but I just grab a few every time they do a run and they last a long time.

The main thing I see nowadays, and it isn't necessarily a problem, just a trend that I noticed is the amount of folks that can tell you about every special run and have a bag filled with them. Then can't throw a single one worth a darn. oh well, whatever floats your boat.

 

[Three Putt]

I kind of feel the same for niche brands. I'll try them, but I try to fall back on "if it's not at DGC...."

The niche brands aren't like Luna price crazy, though.

It's the McBeth factor. I mean, who is paying that salary? We are. :|

 

[Streets]

The main thing I see nowadays, and it isn't necessarily a problem, just a trend that I noticed is the amount of folks that can tell you about every special run and have a bag filled with them. Then can't throw a single one worth a darn. oh well, whatever floats your boat.

Seems to be more the newer generation of disc golfer who finds their value in high dollar limited runs because they feel special'er than the other guy throwing a $7 Dx Aviar they got at Academy a few years back. Doesn't matter the Aviar guy probably is better than they are because they have that cool SexyBird they torque on every FH shot.

 

[VictorB]

Do I look a guy in the eye and ask him to pay me $120 for four $7 frisbees? That's crazy.

Yep. Who am I to deny someone wasting their money by lining my pockets for discs that I no longer throw?

Then I turnabout's around and look at the MJ Comets, and they are $25 now. $25! They are Z Comets, I already have a stack of them. When they were $20 it was *gulp* and bought them, but $25? I think I'm over my limit.

I also like supporting MJ but I don't want Z comets. I have 3 2017 tour series that sit at the bottom of my stack - I just prefer ESP for my premium midranges. I also have a stock Z from ~2009 that is still perfectly usable. $25 is going to make it harder to find a reason to buy a 2020

 

[CrowLegs]

To me, disc golf is part sport and part hobby. The primary point is playing, whether for competition or just for fun. But there's a large part of it that's about tweaking, trying, and collecting. That can be just as enjoyable and good for the soul. I have more discs than I need, but I'll continue to try new stuff or get special editions to support players. To me it's part of the whole thing.

I felt the same way with road cycling a few years ago. I spent a lot of time honing the bike (not a weight weenie) and getting every adjustment just right. Riding was fun, but all the other stuff was just as fun to me.

Some people don't feel this way and will feel superior to others with with their stock stamps and unmodified carts/bags. That's their prerogative. To quote a great physicist "what do you care what other people think?".

 

[tennesseetailor]

Seems to be more the newer generation of disc golfer who finds their value in high dollar limited runs because they feel special'er than the other guy throwing a $7 Dx Aviar they got at Academy a few years back. Doesn't matter the Aviar guy probably is better than they are because they have that cool SexyBird they torque on every FH shot.

This definitely has something to do with it. I'll preface this by saying I'm sure I'm in the newer generation you're talking about: there's a bit of ego stroking that happens when you pull out a SexyBird you paid $60-$100 for and early release it straight into the first available tree. You're insinuating that money spent isn't a big deal and doesn't matter to you. I find that the younger the player, the more this goes on with SexyBirds, Lunas, AJ Destroyers, etc.

For me, I'm a sucker for molds I like in plastics I can't readily get my hands on. JermBirds, Spectrum D2s and PA1s, misc Innova molds in Luster plastic; they get me every time. I justify it by saying I'm supporting pros I like and I will jump on F2s when I can, but at the end of the day a swirly 2017 JermBird is not saving me strokes in comparison to the x-out Luster Thunderbird that gives me the same flight. It's just scratching that collector itch that I get on occasion.

 

[Jugular]

I have sworn off Discraft for this very reason. It's just too confusing to keep abreast of all the different runs and plastics and series etc. I like consistency and reproducibility in the discs I'm throwing so I can tell that the differences are all me and my form rather than all these other variables. I'm also scared of getting too attached to one disc and then finding it difficult to obtain while similar stock discs sit there at low prices but just 'don't feel right'. I'd also note that pros move sponsors and have a shorter time at the top than I intend to keep playing DG for so if I get tour series discs then in ten years what will I do to replace it when Coraline Sexton is choosing a slightly different blend of plastic for her version of the same mold. I'm currently looking to keep expanding my Kastaplast selection and slowly phase out my Innova discs because I sense they're less likely to keep chopping and changing their lineup and plastics. Once you have the best, what's the point in tinkering?

 

[Three Putt]

I also like supporting MJ but I don't want Z comets. I have 3 2017 tour series that sit at the bottom of my stack - I just prefer ESP for my premium midranges. I also have a stock Z from ~2009 that is still perfectly usable. $25 is going to make it harder to find a reason to buy a 2020

The premium plastic thing really stretches out the life of a disc for a guy like me. I play once, maybe twice a week. I bought two Z Comets at the end of 2008 when they were a Players Cup specialty run and the extras were sold on Sun King. I threw one of them for eight years. It's a little flippy now, probably from using it in that damn salt mine that had a course one too many times. The backup I bought slid out of the bag as ESP and Big Z Comets came out, but I took it out and threw it this spring. It's perfect. I could bag it right now. Realistically for the kind of player I am, I could have bought those two Comets in 2008 and been set for at least 16 years. :| I already have five or six perfectly good stock Z Comets as backups; I'm going to die with unthrown Z Comets.

So the Mike Jo Comet thing was always more to do with Mike Jo hanging out here and being part of this little DGCR community support thing. I really don't need the Comets. I managed to do the mental gymnastics needed to spend $20/disc. Now they are $25. I always buy two, so that's another $10. My employer just furloughed a bunch of people. Do I really spend $50 on two golf discs I don't need right now? I was ready to spend $40 and probably wouldn't think that much about $40, but $50? I don't think I can do that.

 

[VictorB]

I have sworn off Discraft for this very reason.

Your whole argument is invalidated if you think Discraft is the only one doing this. (not to mention the points you make are old and worn out, every single manufacturer is guilty of all of those things)

 

[GoobyPls]

I could get by with mostly stock discs with a couple of exceptions. There's really nothing else that flies like an Opto-X River (I've tried FD's and they're not the same). Same goes for my GG Star Sonic. I've come to rely on those specific flights, especially in the woods, and neither one is in regular production. Thankfully I had the foresight to stock up on both.

That said, most of my bag is still swirly/burst/custom dyed discs. Most of the courses I play frequently don't have water to deal with, so I buy stuff I think looks pretty and hold onto it for years.