Tom let me barrow 3 Innova Blzzard discs. 158 Katana, 150 Boss, & 152 Destroyer.
I just got back from the field. The wind was 10-15mph out there. I threw 5 of my regular long distance drvers (3 Destroyers, Boss, & Archon) and the new Blizzard discs. I threw 10 rounds in all directions for a total of 80 throws.
I'm super impressed with how easy they are to throw ESPECIALLY with a tail wind. Alll 3 easily went farther than my longest shots with my other discs. I still don't trust them but they held up surprisingly well in a head wind.
The Katana went amazingly far. It's a lot less stable than the others and it stays in the air a long time. I'm concerned about flippng it over but it was the longest shot in all 10 rounds. It's fast and stays flat a long long ways.
The Boss seems to be the best fit for me. The stability falls right between the Katana and Destroyer. It seems a little more trustworthy. It gets flat but didn't seem like it would flip over.
The Destroyer is a beast. I tried to force it over and it's is stable as my most stable Destroyer. I still can't believe such a light weight discs can be that stable. I want to get out to hole #17 at Bevier and test the over the top hyzer with it. At the end I tried to throw some super high hyzers and they are so much easier to get up in the air.
I plan on keep testng these. They could come in useful adding some distance to the game.
Kelsey added 50 feet to her drive with the 150 Katana. On some of the longer holes in Texas she was outdriving everyone in our foursome. In best shot on the long holes, whenever Kelsey got a big safe drive with her Katana I'd go big with mine.
Like Brett, I found the Katana to be a little flippy but not so flippy as to be unuseful. I could not use it in a headwind. The Boss is great for a hyzer bomb and I can throw the Destroyer into a headwind. If you windmill at all, the lighter plastic will mess with your release point. If you have a nice linear launch, the transition to lighter plastic is easier. Kelsey already throws 150 stuff, so for her there was no transition.
The TeeDevil is the most understable of the Blizzard discs that I've thrown. Diana was consistantly throwing a 130 TeeDevil longer than her go-to 150 Star Sidewinder. For me, the TeeDevil was too flippy to be useful.
Quote from: Bruce Brakel on April 11, 2012, 11:04:00 AM
Kelsey added 50 feet to her drive with the 150 Katana. On some of the longer holes in Texas she was outdriving everyone in our foursome. In best shot on the long holes, whenever Kelsey got a big safe drive with her Katana I'd go big with mine.
Like Brett, I found the Katana to be a little flippy but not so flippy as to be unuseful. I could not use it in a headwind. The Boss is great for a hyzer bomb and I can throw the Destroyer into a headwind. If you windmill at all, the lighter plastic will mess with your release point. If you have a nice linear launch, the transition to lighter plastic is easier. Kelsey already throws 150 stuff, so for her there was no transition.
The TeeDevil is the most understable of the Blizzard discs that I've thrown. Diana was consistantly throwing a 130 TeeDevil longer than her go-to 150 Star Sidewinder. For me, the TeeDevil was too flippy to be useful.
From Kelsey's and Brett's experience it seems these discs may be the answer for guys like me who have a fastball that is slower than anything Wilber Wood would have thrown. I have a 167 Katana that flies very well for me. I think the 150 should be great. We will see.
I think you could benefit from a super light Katana Dave.
Tonight Stan, Steven, & I did some testing. Steven threw some of the longest bombs I've ever seen. The Katana is way more stable than I originally gave it credit for. I'm still amazed by these discs.
I should add a disclaimer: I don't have any Blizzard plastic for sale. ;D
NEW DISTANCE WORLD RECORD - A 134 gram Blizzard Champion Boss was thrown 255 meters by Team Innova member David Wiggins Jr. at the WFDF sanctioned High Desert Distance Challenge II!
Wow! For us Imperials that's 836 ft!
Kelsey got a 2 on a 390 hole yesterday putting from inside the circle. She threw a 150 Katana about 365 feet. She also had a 400 foot drive on a slightly uphill hole. She shot a 53 on a tough course where 53 is 950 to 970 rated depending on whether you played in the pro pool or the amateur pool at the last tournament there. She shot so well mainly because she was getting birdies on holes that used to be unreachable for her.
2012 is her Summer of George, by the way. Everyone at vet school was telling her, do nothing academic this summer. Do what you want to do. It is your last chance for four years.
Sounds like this plastic has the potential to be a game changer...or possibly a course changer!
It is not the plastic per se, but Innova's new found ability to market 150 and UltraLight discs. The plastic itself is just Champion plastic with bubbles in it. But, it has a new name and is the latest thing from Innova, so it will be hot for awhile, and it will change some players' games.
For Kelsey it is a game changer because no one was making the wide wing drivers in 150 plastic. The same is true for anyone who can throw 150 plastic farther than heavier discs. Several years ago we saw Brett bombing those Raging Inferno Ultralight DTs, but they were a little understable for him. With Innova producing the Wraith, TeeDevil, Katana, Boss, Destroyer, and Dominator in the bubble plastic, there is a stability for everyone.
I found my arm was a lot less tired after playing a course with several long open holes where I was throwing the 150 Boss a lot instead of a 174 Nuke or 174 Surge. So for me, these discs will be a game changer, but the real change here is the players' response to Innova's marketing, and Innova's ability to produce the popular drivers in the lighter weights.
Per the technical standards the "be made of solid, non-magnetic plastic material, without any inflatable components; " is some interesting wording. ::)
http://www.pdga.com/files/documents/PDGATechStandards_8_1_11.doc.pdf
I agree with the marketing thought 100%. 150 plastic has always been there, now it's just being sold from a different angle (more distance). Less plastic being used equals more money, kudos to Innova for making even more profits..
I read on another website that the bubble plastic does not do well in a hot car, so be forewarned.
Also, the 130 bubble discs have so much bubbles in the rim that sometimes the rim comes out looking like it is time to buy a new radial saw blade, all toothy but irregular along the rim. My TeeDevil came out that way, and it seems to fly well that way.
my initial order of the plastic you can tell that every single disc is going to be different. That's going to be a little frustrating. I find it funny that bubbles in a disc use to mean insta-factory second, now it's a fad :) But these are definitely a different type of bubble. This stuff has certainly stolen the thunder over the new Discraft Titanium plastic. I haven't convinced myself to go throw one of these yet. It will be interesting to see what happens!
I'm just guessing, but I'd bet the process/product may involve something like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRQ5yv3oGAI
I think characterizing this as pure marketing is inaccurate. Sure, 150 weight discs have been around for years, but usually stability is compromised. My take on reading/hearing different reports is that these discs perform as if they were heavy, stability-wise, despite being uber light. There is marketing involved, but that usually happens with a new product, anyways.
Joe
Thanks Joe! That video, and the several related videos, are pretty cool if you are curious about how things are made and how they work.
I still have not thrown one of these things. I am picking up a 150 Katana this weekend at the Iron Leaf. I have already communicated with Patrick. I have thrown a 159 Orc that I somehow got from Jon a couple years ago with pretty good success. However, I have only used it downwind on open holes. Am I correct in assuming the blizzard discs ought to do better than other 150 class discs with windy conditions?
Yes, the blizzard discs handle wind better than regular light weight champ plastic discs. Blizzard plastic discs behave more like the non-blizzard counterparts.
That being said, I think a blizzard Katana would be just as useful in the wind as a regular Katana - not much.
WOW! threw the Boss, Katana, and Wraiths tonight at McNaughton. For those of you who know hole#13, 418 ft. The tree up the fairway that guards the basket. I hardly ever get to that tree with my farthest drive. Tonight 2 of those 3 were past the tree putting for 2. Thought it was a fluke, threw it on #14, left me a 12' birdie. Hole #18, after 2 throws, I had 60' to the basket! I am getting several of these. an easy 30-40 feet on my drives on the 1st night throwing them. going to be sweet once I learn them all.
Quote from: Chainmeister on April 18, 2012, 12:18:17 PM
I still have not thrown one of these things. I am picking up a 150 Katana this weekend at the Iron Leaf. I have already communicated with Patrick. I have thrown a 159 Orc that I somehow got from Jon a couple years ago with pretty good success. However, I have only used it downwind on open holes. Am I correct in assuming the blizzard discs ought to do better than other 150 class discs with windy conditions?
Lighter than 150 (if they have any) will be better David. I have a 134 Destroyer that flies forever. I hear 140s are good too.
Quote from: Bruce Brakel on April 18, 2012, 12:06:35 PM
Thanks Joe! That video, and the several related videos, are pretty cool if you are curious about how things are made and how they work.
No sweat, Bruce. Nothing like a little Googling to see what sort of trade "secrets" are in play these days. Other than looking for a bunch of 3M boxes out behind the factory, I can't figure out a way to validate my theories, though. I do know that this stuff is all too slippery for me, might have to go to a glove at some point to see how that works.
Congrats on your daughter and vet school and all. Sounds like she'll be kicking butts all summer.
Joe
Quote from: Sr. on April 18, 2012, 08:58:05 PM
Quote from: Chainmeister on April 18, 2012, 12:18:17 PM
I still have not thrown one of these things. I am picking up a 150 Katana this weekend at the Iron Leaf. I have already communicated with Patrick. I have thrown a 159 Orc that I somehow got from Jon a couple years ago with pretty good success. However, I have only used it downwind on open holes. Am I correct in assuming the blizzard discs ought to do better than other 150 class discs with windy conditions?
Lighter than 150 (if they have any) will be better David. I have a 134 Destroyer that flies forever. I hear 140s are good too.
David Wiggins, Jr. sets new Distance World Record.
Check it out here:
http://www.pdga.com/new-world-record
I threw my poppy top Blizard Boss today in a headwind and it held up well. They fly so far with little effort. The one I have is more stable than my beat blue SDS Destroyer. Crazy.
The Blizzard plastic does beat in faster than Champion. I've noticed this with Diana's TeeDevil.
Threw my first Blizzard disc today. 150 Blizzard Destroyer, I am really surprised at hoe stable they are. I was able to FH them with no problem. Seems like it will be awesome with a tailwind too.
I picked up a 150 Katana at the Iron Leaf. I threw it a couple of times at the tournament. On 13 at Mokena I was able to throw a putter to the basket from my tee shot. I had never gone that far. Today I got a chance to really check it out at Fink. I threw the Katana on 1,5,6,7,8 and 9. The difference was not huge but it was consistent and measurable. I normally drive 225-250 with rare drives that are shorter or longer. With the 150 Katana I was 240-275 and pretty consistently at 250. it flew on a line with a small fade, sort of like a slider rather than a curveball, regardless of being thrown with the wind, into it or across it. On 7 I still don't get to the walking path but was about 20 feet away. I was mostly throwing putters to the basket on most shots wherer I had teed off with the Katana. This is not always the case with me. I think its going to be my go to stable driver rather than a 167 Orc.
Kelsey won in Men's Intermediate at the Southern Michigan Open this past weekend and the Blizzard plastic made the difference. The Ponds has a lot of long open holes where big arms normally would get an advantage on her. She had birdies on 400 foot holes at the Ponds after throwing 400 foot drives basket long. Practicing on a field today she was consistently throwing TeeDevils 330 to 360 feet into the wind and 360 to 390 with the wind.
We have a collection of 25 Blizzard discs now in a variety of weights and molds. What we are finding is that all of the wide wing drivers, Boss, Destroyer, TeeDevil and Katana, fly pretty much the same except the Katanas are a little understable. If you like understable plastic go with the discs in the 130s. The 150 drivers are a mix. If you like overstable look for the 157s and 158s and stay away from the Katanas and Wraiths. I have a 157 Katana that is stable now, but it will beat in to flippy. They can be broken in quickly by throwing them into the turf if you want to accelerate the seasoning process.
These discs fly so much farther for Kelsey and me that it is putting the fun back into field practice. Whenever you can bomb from the back of the end zone to the back of the far end zone, the joggers and ball players start pointing and watching. 8)