I'm looking for some suggestions/recommendations from people who have tried out a bunch of different mid-range discs.
At the Turkey Bowl I lost my Gateway Element-X to the creek on hole 2 at Shady Oaks (Streamwood). Perhaps once the water is less murky and the levels go down someone will see it and actually (surprise!) call me saying they have it. I'm considering just taking another Element-X out of my inventory. When reflecting on the disc, however, the E plastic was not quite what I was looking for (I think), and the original that I threw, S-Plastic, can't take as much of a beating.
So now I'm looking for something new. I'm thinking about trying out the Star Cro. Has anybody thrown both the Cro and Element-X and could compare the two?
I do not want to throw a Roc. I have a stack of them in front of me right now, and I do not like the grip at all. I know that the Element-X was a wide diameter disc, but I like small diameter better.
I'm looking for something that will have more fade than the Buzzz or Element, but I'm not sure if I want as much as something like the Wasp.
Any recommendations? I've heard really good things about the Cro so far. Is it worth trying it out?
Thanks,
Scott
Hey Scott,
I haven't tried the Cro, so no help there. But I just wanted to plug the Wasp. Have you tried it or just going on perception? I was very skeptical as I love the Roc and thought the Wasp would be too overstable, but I went ahead and got one (a Z) and I LOVE it. It is not nearly as overstable for driving as i expected. It is not an approach disc for me as it fades a lot with a soft throw. But when I drive with it stays really straight if i get decent snap on it, with about the same fade as my newer Super Rocs. I can even throw it anhyzer and it will hold the line if I get a good snap on it. May be worth a try if you haven't yet. Just my $.02.
I love these questions since I love to talk about plastic. However since everyone is different I'm not sure how much good they do.
I tired the Cro and thought it was way too overstable. It had a lot of fade, so much so that I really could not see using it for anything but a headwind disc. I thought it was a lot closer to a Demon than an Element X. The Element X has some fade also, but a lot more of a controlled fade later in the flight than I got from the Cro. I'd put the Cro into that Demon-Gator-Sentinel-Drone category of mid-range discs I don't have the arm to be messing with.
The problem from there is that there are a ton of good mid-range discs that are all just slightly different. What makes one player happy with a Star Shark while another likes a QMS or a Z Buzz or a KC Roc is a matter of personal preference. The grip and the feel of the plastic is not something you can predict. So, I really don't have any magic recommendation. I thought that there was a new contender in the "more fade than a Buzzz but not as much as a Wasp" category with the Shockwave. The first runs were right there, but the newer once are flatter and more overstable. They are pretty close to a Wasp at this point. But, it may be worth a look.
Good luck.
Try an X-wasp..
Beat it in..
For me, I wud take a D plastic putter and start learning to drive with that, esp on #2 @ streamwood.
Element-X's in S were my main mid-range awhile ago...
I now throw the DX Cro as my mid-range and I use Star Cros and a Champ Gator-X....
I do not have a big arm and I release the Cro pretty much level... I don't think it as overstable as others...
I used to throw a Demon in S regularly and there is nothing about a Cro that resembles the flight of a Demon...
Two thinks I like the most about the Cro... The Grip and the dependable fade...
find a buzzz thats stable
Throw your Midrange disc more accurately.
not sure what you are asking for.. I define fade as straight turnover... stable as straight... overstable as just that.
You are not going to get fade with a crow.. you want fade throw a Kite or a Meteor.
or learn how to throw a midrange more accurately as Dan might tell you.
fade is supposed to mean what happens at the end of a flight of an overstable disc. It fades off as the spin and speed of the disc slows.
I tried a Wasp a couple times, but not near enough to complete discount it. Perhaps that would be a good mid to drive with, but I'm looking for a disc to use more on long approach shots. I had great control with the S-Element-X because I knew if I put a slight anhyzer route on it, it would S-back for me within a 200' range. If I threw it flat, it would go straight a nice long time before giving me a nice curve at the end.
I haven't thrown a Star Gator yet, but I have thrown a Champ Gator. That has too much fade at the end of the flight for me. The Star Gator might be a little less stable (since most/all star plastic flies slightly less stable than Champ plastic), but it probably is still too much. From Innova Specs, a Star Cro looks to be definite step down from Star Gator, and a step up on the Spider. I know the Spider is a little too flippy for what I'm looking for, so right now it looks like Innova's choice is the Cro.
I'm probably going to try these out:
Innova Star Cro
Discraft X or ESP Wasp (if I have any left)
Gateway S-Element-X (again)
Quest Rock-It (maybe)
DGA Shockwave (if/when I start to carry DGA)
At Streamwood #2 I could have used a Wizard - if I had one in my bag. I only had Warlocks, and those would not have come back like I needed from the drive (I'm also lefty so I'm taking a different route than most). The Element-X I threw at 50% power, but I must have had a really great snap or something because that thing just took off on me. I've never overthrown that basket until now, although it was chain high as went behind the basket :)
http://innovadiscs.com/faq/discrating.html
Plain & simple.
Roc or Buzz. It appears grip is an issue with a Roc. Get a Buzz in all platics. Learn to throw them. It will do what you need it to do if you throw it correctly and your game will improve if you master it. You should be able to find one of them that is overtable and finishes hard at the end.
Another disc that has helped my approach game this year is the Wizard. Nasty overstable putter and holds some nice straight lines.
To add to Brett's comment, the FLX Buzz i have has some nice fade, but it can be a bit flippy at times now that it's broken in , but then again, that could be me and not the disc.
I keep a heavy ESP Buzzz in my bag for 300ish midrange shots that I want to finish left at the end while being able to keep it straight for most of the flight without flipping. Lots of discs are different for lots of people, but I am pretty confident in that shot more times than not.
The buzzz has gotten me more dueces than any other disc i have thrown, it is very versatile and i carry three in my bag in various states of wear....
I have a medius if u need one.