[Other] The Daredevil Thread

[Blobfish]

I just ordered a Merlin today on a whim. I've heard that Daredevil is a bit OS in their drivers, but from experience I know that the extreme fades shown on the inbounds flight charts are not absolute, either. The walrus, ogopogo, and mammoth have all beat in to appreciably different flights. That said, I kind of want a new OS distance driver for headwinds. My nuke isn't cutting it in this capacity. In a headwind where I don't want to hyzerflip a crank and where I want a little more mustard than my raptor or mammoth, the nuke has been iffy at best, because I can't choose a good release angle. Hyzer always dumps out early, flat sometimes s-curves, sometimes turns over, and anny results in a huge turnover or roller...so I want something for those few and far between distance flex shots into a headwind. Maybe the Merlin is my answer?

 

[Three Putt]

I've had more time with the Pteranodon.

One of the cool things about a thread like this is that it seems to be full of disc geeks and you can describe things in ways that normal people just don't get. The Pteranodon flies like a Comet without the magic. :|

It's a very controllable stable to understable mid, executes all the lines I need it to, doesn't seem overly touchy so I'm getting consistent throws out of it...it's a really, really good stable to under stable mid. It has good glide, but it doesn't have magical Comet glide. It might be a good option for people who want a Comet-like disc but can't clean up their form enough to get the Comet to work as it seems a little more forgiving in that respect.

tl;dr: it's a really nice Cometish disc, but it's not a Comet.

 

[Blobfish]

I just ordered a Merlin today on a whim. I've heard that Daredevil is a bit OS in their drivers, but from experience I know that the extreme fades shown on the inbounds flight charts are not absolute, either. The walrus, ogopogo, and mammoth have all beat in to appreciably different flights. That said, I kind of want a new OS distance driver for headwinds. My nuke isn't cutting it in this capacity. In a headwind where I don't want to hyzerflip a crank and where I want a little more mustard than my raptor or mammoth, the nuke has been iffy at best, because I can't choose a good release angle. Hyzer always dumps out early, flat sometimes s-curves, sometimes turns over, and anny results in a huge turnover or roller...so I want something for those few and far between distance flex shots into a headwind. Maybe the Merlin is my answer?

The Merlin is not THE definitive answer, but it's a good start.

My problem is with overlap and discs I just don't want to remove for whatever reason from my bag because I think I will regret not having them. Here's where I'm at:

If I have a big downhill bomb or a reasonable tailwind and I want a distance driver, I'm reaching for my thrasher.
If I have any other drive where I wish to narrow my direction and I want a distance driver, I'm using a crank. My beat ESP crank is slightly more stable than my thrasher, and if I want a touch more stability, then I have a new Big Z one. Still, the crank is my go-to reliable distance driver.

The problem comes with a headwind. I could flip a crank, but a good wind and it gets away from me. I have a disc that will never turn over in a headwind (machete) but I wanted a disc that I could throw like I throw my crank in no wind that will fly kind of like it. The nuke seemed like it should be the disc but I have turned nukes over irrevocably in the wind and after fighting nukes for a year, I am giving up on it.

I wanted the merlin to cut through the wind with a tad of allowance for high speed turn (like the mammoth is versus the sabertooth). What I found in the merlin is a disc that turns like a nuke at high speed, but recovers a bit better. The 5 fade is very misleading. I would put the merlin somewhere around a 12/5/-1/3 and it definitely gets more flexible and understable in the heat. Thrown flat into a moderate wind, it behaves like my nuke and gives me decent distance. Thrown with a touch of anny (that will cause the nuke to turn over) into a moderate headwind, the merlin recovered nicely. So it is a little more forgiving there than the nuke, which is kind of what I was hoping for. I am looking forward to playing with it in the wind in the fall to see if the temperature really does have that profound an effect on flex performance drivers. Or maybe I'll leave it in a cooler and take it out to throw.

 

[Blobfish]

So it's the fall.
The Merlin is my go-to distance driver. I'm convinced that the merlin and the nuke are long lost cousins across the border because I get nearly identical drives with a Big-Z nuke and the Merlin. The principal difference for me is the plastic. Flex performance grips better for me and I can rip this disc better (cleaner) than any other distance driver I have. Only my ESP crank rivals my Merlin in distance, but I need to give the crank a bit of a hyzer flip to keep that from tailing off, whereas I can just mash the Merlin. My form has definitely improved, and so I'm running with this Merlin. I was always told that the nuke finds an extra gear if you can really crush a disc, but I'm not at that level, and I get more consistent results with the merlin than I do with a nuke. I don't get much opportunity to throw a distance driver, so most of my Merlin throws are in a big field, but on those few holes that call for a wide open bomb, I'm really loving the Merlin right now.

 

[Streets]

So I'm thinking of going full DG hipster and stop throwing the big 2-3 companies. I ordered a Wolverine, Timberwolf, Swift Fox to be my driver lineup. I've thrown the TWolf and really like it, but have no experience with Wolverine or Swift Fox...I'm hoping for a solid US -> S -> OS line up with those three.

 

[Monkeypaws]

Recently acquired a Walrus and a Moose. The flight numbers indicted a good degree of stability, and the Moose is pretty much that. Te Walrus is floppy plastic, and doesn't seem quite as stable as it should be. Granted I only threw it a few times on a very windy day. I do think I'll be throwing it a lot in the cold weather for the grip alone.

Cool discs.

 

[Blobfish]

So I'm thinking of going full DG hipster and stop throwing the big 2-3 companies. I ordered a Wolverine, Timberwolf, Swift Fox to be my driver lineup. I've thrown the TWolf and really like it, but have no experience with Wolverine or Swift Fox...I'm hoping for a solid US -> S -> OS line up with those three.

I have gone back and forth with the Swift Fox. I love the timberwolf, but while the swift fox is 12g lighter, it doesn't really feel that different. It flips easier, but no easier than my beat timberwolf. The grip performance plastic gets dinged up a lot faster than flex performance (timberwolf). My anecdotal experience with Daredevil's flight numbers are that they exaggerate their larger numbers.
If you look a their flight chart, you see some pretty crazy purported flights. Like the sasquatch at 12/5/-5/1 or the merlin at 14/5/-1/4 or the mammoth at 9/4/-1/5.
For what it's worth, the sasquatch is understable, yes, but more like a Crank SS. The merlin is in no way a 14 speed disc and feels and flies like a beat destroyer. The mammoth plays like a well seasoned firebird.

I hope it works out for you, because I really dig the brand, but I also wouldn't be too surprised if you find less of a pronounced difference between the three than you're hoping to get.

 

[TKWolverine]

So I'm thinking of going full DG hipster and stop throwing the big 2-3 companies. I ordered a Wolverine, Timberwolf, Swift Fox to be my driver lineup. I've thrown the TWolf and really like it, but have no experience with Wolverine or Swift Fox...I'm hoping for a solid US -> S -> OS line up with those three.

Be sure to update us re how it goes.

FWIW, I have DG hipster tendencies, too.

 

[Gmtata01]

DD

I have plenty of Daredevil discs if anyone wants to buy some.

 

[Blobfish]

Be sure to update us re how it goes.

FWIW, I have DG hipster tendencies, too.

Daredevil is a great one to do it with. They have some unique ones, which is how I found them in the first place and why I still love them so much.

There are other discs like the woodchuck (blowfly, gumbputt, SSSS wizard, vibram made one) these are all discs that can be folded like a taco. Some are more stable than others. The woodchuck actually flies really straight with a solid rip. It is more stable IMO than advertised.

But there are much fewer discs like a walrus and there is nothing like an ogopogo.

I stopped playing with the walrus, but the ogopogo is an exceptional addition to my bag. Crazy overstable fairway driver mold (sabertooth) but in elastic performance plastic. That means you can weave short flex lines through trees or have steep dump out fades while at the same time sticking the landing. I used the ogopogo in place of an OS midrange, and now I use it anywhere from C2 to 250' if I need massive overstability and/or a soft landing. It takes some getting used to at first, but it is one of my more used discs.

 

[Streets]

So is the Wolverine an OS disc?

 

[Blobfish]

supposed to be, but I've never tried one. If I had to guess, its degree of OS will probably fall more in line with an undertaker. I used to pair an undertaker with a timberwolf... I've since replaced the undertaker with an mvp tesla in that slot.

 

[Moose33]

Wolverine wasn't super OS, and actually the Grey Jay I tried from them wasn't either.

The only disc from them that was legit OS I've tried was the Mammoth.

 

[wolfhaley]

So I'm thinking of going full DG hipster and stop throwing the big 2-3 companies. I ordered a Wolverine, Timberwolf, Swift Fox to be my driver lineup. I've thrown the TWolf and really like it, but have no experience with Wolverine or Swift Fox...I'm hoping for a solid US -> S -> OS line up with those three.

Well you're already half way there with your music and pumpkin spice lattes. Might as well go full out.

 

[marathonger]

Big Daredevil Fan

Started throwing Daredevil in 2010 when I found their ultimate discs on amazon. Fast forward 10 years and I just got back into DG and jumped at the chance to pick up some daredevil discs for my new kit. Started with the caribou, grizzly, wolverine, yeti and Sasquatch while my friend started with a pteranodon, wolverine and yeti.

The Yeti effortlessly goes 400'+ with a forehand but I haven't gotten the backhand down just yet but I'm a big fan. The sasquatch is wild, one throw it goes 450' and the next its on the ground 150' out and rolling, but nothing feels better than when I get the full flight out of it. Also I threw it full force into a tree only 50' from the tee-box and there was barely any sign of impact. My wolverine goes 375'-400' on a ten foot tall clothesline with a forehand, but again I haven't figured out the backhand with it just yet so the jury is still out on that one. I love the grippy material that the caribou is made out of and it has been my go to for some understable backhand shots and for some ridiculously long putting attempts. After trying my friends pteranodon I think my caribou will only get used for more specific shots while right now I use it for a lot of 150-200' shots. Lastly there is my grizzly, this is my go to for shots that are just outside of putting range or for the short par three that finishes left. The grizzly gets a really nice skip with a little hyzer and will slide a good bit off a level throw.

Overall I am pleasantly surprised by the quality of the flex performance and high performance blends. The grip performance blend will definitely show more signs of wear but even after playing a course with lots of rocks there were only surface scratches (unlike my dynamic discs escape that suffered a serious gash off a fairway shot) so I think it should hold up pretty well over time.

After a few weeks of playing with the discs I decided to pick up a few more so I got the merlin, timberwolf (very hard to find for me), beaver, pteranodon and sabertooth. 100% I plan on picking up the woodchuck and maybe the walrus because the elastic blend seems pretty useful for those hilly (scary) basket placements. I am happy to support the brand as much as I can and for now there isn't really a shot that my daredevil discs cant handle.

Down the road I hope for a nice 6 speed set from them (expand the cats? maybe a cougar, bobcat and lynx).

 

[Streets]

TWolf made it...just waiting on my Swift Fox and Wolverine and hitting the course this weekend.

 

[marathonger]

TWolf made it...just waiting on my Swift Fox and Wolverine and hitting the course this weekend.

Where did you order your TWolf from? I haven't found one anywhere in the US...

 

[Streets]

Where did you order your TWolf from? I haven't found one anywhere in the US...

I found one lightly used on the DGCR Marketplace.

 

[Blobfish]

Started throwing Daredevil in 2010 when I found their ultimate discs on amazon. Fast forward 10 years and I just got back into DG and jumped at the chance to pick up some daredevil discs for my new kit. Started with the caribou, grizzly, wolverine, yeti and Sasquatch while my friend started with a pteranodon, wolverine and yeti.

The Yeti effortlessly goes 400'+ with a forehand but I haven't gotten the backhand down just yet but I'm a big fan. The sasquatch is wild, one throw it goes 450' and the next its on the ground 150' out and rolling, but nothing feels better than when I get the full flight out of it. Also I threw it full force into a tree only 50' from the tee-box and there was barely any sign of impact. My wolverine goes 375'-400' on a ten foot tall clothesline with a forehand, but again I haven't figured out the backhand with it just yet so the jury is still out on that one. I love the grippy material that the caribou is made out of and it has been my go to for some understable backhand shots and for some ridiculously long putting attempts. After trying my friends pteranodon I think my caribou will only get used for more specific shots while right now I use it for a lot of 150-200' shots. Lastly there is my grizzly, this is my go to for shots that are just outside of putting range or for the short par three that finishes left. The grizzly gets a really nice skip with a little hyzer and will slide a good bit off a level throw.

Overall I am pleasantly surprised by the quality of the flex performance and high performance blends. The grip performance blend will definitely show more signs of wear but even after playing a course with lots of rocks there were only surface scratches (unlike my dynamic discs escape that suffered a serious gash off a fairway shot) so I think it should hold up pretty well over time.

After a few weeks of playing with the discs I decided to pick up a few more so I got the merlin, timberwolf (very hard to find for me), beaver, pteranodon and sabertooth. 100% I plan on picking up the woodchuck and maybe the walrus because the elastic blend seems pretty useful for those hilly (scary) basket placements. I am happy to support the brand as much as I can and for now there isn't really a shot that my daredevil discs cant handle.

Down the road I hope for a nice 6 speed set from them (expand the cats? maybe a cougar, bobcat and lynx).

I had wanted to try a caribou, but for as much as I like the buzzz mold and the mako mold, I didn't want to take a flier on a specialty disc that might feel totally different.
If you're crushing the wolverine to 400', you'll find the merlin is not the overstable driver it looks like it should be. I love the merlin, but my two merlins fly between a crank and a nuke SS in stability.

I can't recommend the woodchuck enough. I gave one to both my dad and my daughter to ease their fear of roll aways. It's been a while since I threw my walrus but I'm considering using it in winter rounds. But if you really want an elastic performance treat, get yourself an ogopogo.

 

[jakebake91]

I might buy an Ogopogo just for a reason to say "Ogopogo" more in my life!!