[Discraft] Zone- Which plastic fits the bill?

[The Mickstar]

I read through most of the Discraft Zone megathread, but it seems the plastics & mold characteristics have changed some over the years, so I'm looking for info on the currently available options.

I've been using my Axiom Hex as my overstable approach disc. [When thrown with less than full power, mine is pretty overstable (for me). What can I say...] The issue is that the Hex has a wing shaped like a midrange (Shocker!), so it gets a fair amount of ground play and the occasional big skip when thrown on angle.

What I'm looking for in the Zone is something on the less overstable side (for a Zone. I realize all Zones are going to be very overstable.) that doesn't get a lot of ground play. I'd also prefer a premium plastic. I play a lot of woods courses, and want something that will hold its "out -of- the-box" flight characteristics.

Which plastic am i describing?.

 

[Moose33]

The Zones I've had will have as much ground play as the Hex or more. Haven't tried a Jawbreaker or D though, they should have less.

Sounds what you might want is a Divergent Golem. They don't really have ground play at all and are close to a Zone in feel.

 

[twistedraven]

Honestly I think you'd be better suited with a Streamline Stabilizer. A little slower, more glidey, and with less skip.

If you must have a Zone, then Cryztal Flx, but it will probably be too overstable for what you're looking for. Jawbreaker and D Zones will break in faster and become straighter, so they won't hold their out of the box shape quite as well. Zones are very overstable, so they get to the ground fast while they still have lots of energy, so they'll probably skip as much if not more than a Hex.

 

[GripEnemy]

Jawbreaker and D break into straight pretty easily FWIW.

 

[discerdoo]

Z or Cryztal flx if you want a premium Zone with less ground play. Flx is a touch more mellow than straight Z as well. It's gonna be a lot more OS than your Hex though.

 

[The Mickstar]

Thanks, guys. Sounds like I should just save my .

I do have a K1 Soft Berg. It's great for the lack of ground play and the stability is pretty similar to my Hex. It just feels weird (both the flexibility & shape). Maybe I should give it more time and see if I can get used to it...

 

[twistedraven]

If you want a more conventional feeling Berg, try a Lonestar Armadillo.

 

[jupiterboy]

I carry a z and jawbreaker. The jawbreaker beat pretty straight, fast. Z is more reliable to me.

 

[smoothplayer]

The premium plastics will skip more as well. If you want a Zone that sticks quicker check out the base plastics like putter line and jawbreaker.

 

[chambers]

You are looking for a rubber blend Zone. I have one and it doesn't fly like other Zones; very straight compared to Z line, ESP. or even Jawbreaker. Very little ground play/skips.

Unfortunately, they are limited release. I see a couple on ebay but they aren't cheap.


_______________________

 

[armiller]

I read through most of the Discraft Zone megathread, but it seems the plastics & mold characteristics have changed some over the years, so I'm looking for info on the currently available options.

I've been using my Axiom Hex as my overstable approach disc. [When thrown with less than full power, mine is pretty overstable (for me). What can I say...] The issue is that the Hex has a wing shaped like a midrange (Shocker!), so it gets a fair amount of ground play and the occasional big skip when thrown on angle.

What I'm looking for in the Zone is something on the less overstable side (for a Zone. I realize all Zones are going to be very overstable.) that doesn't get a lot of ground play. I'd also prefer a premium plastic. I play a lot of woods courses, and want something that will hold its "out -of- the-box" flight characteristics.

Which plastic am i describing?.

Ti is reasonable. ESP would be a close second. I suspect Ti FLX or the other recent FLX plastics may be good.

As others have mentioned, Zones get decent ground action and even skip, especially in low grass or hard pan. They're a little skippy when thrown low with decent zip, but controlling the angles and using gentle slopes on the green can significantly limit the ground play. I'm always pleasantly surprised at how well mine sits even when I think it won't.

If you want to try a Zone, then you need to try a Zone. There's a reason they're one of the first discs any non-Discraft wants to try, and a reason every other manufacturer tries to copy it. Be careful, pretty soon you'll end up with more than you can use. My current "in the bag" Zone is a 2015 Ledgestone TI, with an ESP and several Z's as backup, and a bunch of others sitting around.

By the way, Marshall Street has some great deals on Discraft right now. 25% off ain't bad, and $50 gets free shipping.
https://www.marshallstreetdiscgolf.com/?s=zone&post_type=product

 

[Chuch]

The Get Freaky Zone in crystal flex beats in and becomes pretty close to what you are looking for IMO. The berg settles more at the basket but takes more getting used to. I carry two zones...the get freaky and an ESP. The ESP is more stable and will get ground play when I need it.

 

[The Mickstar]

Has anyone thrown both the Swirl ESP Flx and Cryztal Flx Zones that can compare flight/ground play?

From watching Youtube reviews, it appears both are on the less OS side for premium plastic. And, since they're both Flx, I suspect both are also on the lower ground play (for a Zone) side.

 

[ray1970]

Has anyone thrown both the Swirl ESP Flx and Cryztal Flx Zones that can compare flight/ground play?

From watching Youtube reviews, it appears both are on the less OS side for premium plastic. And, since they're both Flx, I suspect both are also on the lower ground play (for a Zone) side.

No experience with the ESP flx but I have been bagging a crystal flx for a while now. Ground play is minimal. Mine is fairly puddle topped and is actually one of my more overstable Zones. I have Zones in Ti, Z, big Z, ESP, and Jawbreaker and the only one that is probably beefier than my crystal flx is the Ti. My wife has a flat crystal flx and it does seem to fly a bit less stable than my puddle top if that makes a difference.

Sorry. That's all I have to offer.

 

[flatflip]

BT hard harps beat in like kc rocs — slowly and reliably. I get less ground play out of my harps than the zones I've thrown.

If you like discraft's blends, maybe go with a breaker if you want something a little less stable?

 

[discerdoo]

BT hard harps beat in like kc rocs — slowly and reliably. I get less ground play out of my harps than the zones I've thrown.

If you like discraft's blends, maybe go with a breaker if you want something a little less stable?

I'm calling board foul here!

Mentioning harps and rocks in the Zone thread.

 

[Gandalf]

I'm calling board foul here!

Mentioning harps and rocks in the Zone thread.

I know! Especially when the flight and sit-down the OP asked for is obviously a Pig.

 

[dmoore1998]

The flight you're looking for...is Jawbreaker, and less ground play IME..but that's not premium plastic.

My Cryztal Flx is puddle top and pretty beefy. Some of my ESP FLX are less beefy, that's about the only one I've noticed (but then again those aren't quite the puddle tops I usually go for in picking out my zones...so it's probably more about that than anything). I have Zones in most available plastics...and most are puddle tops...and most are reasonably close to one another in how OS they are with the exception of Jawbreaker.

 

[Meillo]

What I'm looking for in the Zone is something on the less overstable side (for a Zone. I realize all Zones are going to be very overstable.) that doesn't get a lot of ground play. I'd also prefer a premium plastic. I play a lot of woods courses, and want something that will hold its "out -of- the-box" flight characteristics.

Which plastic am i describing?.

You're describing an impossibility. :-D You want an overstable mold to be not as overstable out of the box in premium plastic, plus it shouldn't skip much despite being premium plastic. Seems to be too many wishes combined.

If you want less ground play, you gotta take non-premium plastic, for less overstability as well ... because that beats in.

IMO the point you should think about is the beating in: Does it really have to keep the out-of-the-box flight, or could it also keep some beat-in flight for a long time? A Jawbreaker Zone, for instance, will beat in initially but then keep the slight overstability for a long time. Other grippy mid-grade plastics are probably similar.


If you want premium plastic and few ground play and not that much overstability, maybe rather get a Berg instead. ;-) What I want to say: Why do you want a Zone, when it doesn't really fit the wishes you have?

 

[hawgdriver]

No experience with the ESP flx but I have been bagging a crystal flx for a while now. Ground play is minimal.

Yeah, this is true and it's somewhat surprising. The shape is close to the Champ Caiman I used to bag, and that thing would sometimes ricochet wildly after touching down. My crystal flx (it's a Get Freaky) has been weirdly tame upon impact. It seems like it is on the overstable side of current Zones.

But if you want Berg-like simplicity on impact and a generally straight-to-stable flier, stick to the Berg. Damned great selection for what you are describing.