Less understable 150g disc?

[adamschneider]

As I've gotten better at disc golf, I've found my longest-flying disc -- a 150g Sidewinder -- slipping further to the right when I give it a good toss (RHBH). Which is useful at times, of course, but I'd like to get something that'll hold a straight line a little better.

I want to stick with 150-class; I can get a lot more speed on them, and my arm hurts less at the end of the day. What would people recommend? I'm thinking Valkyrie, but is that not different enough from the Sidewinder? What else even comes in 150g?

[jHarr]

from the innova site, discs home page, scroll down...

150 CLASS DISCS - Easier to throw for less experienced players.
Birdie, Polecat, Aero, Aviar, Classic Aviar, Rhyno, Classic Roc, Roc, Shark, Goblin, Wolf, Spider, Cobra, Panther, Stingray, Viper, Cheetah, Gazelle, Leopard, Banshee, TeeBird, Eagle, Dragon, Archangel, Firebird, Viking, Valkyrie, Sidewinder, Beast, Wraith

[Woodchuck]

Of those discs i would suggest getting the Cheetah, Gazelle or Teebird, or perhaps all 3 and seeing which you like the best.

[Blake_T]

i would recommend consulting the flight chart i wrote to find discs that are rated less understable than a sidewinder as that is one of the most understable discs innova makes.

also, unless you have previous injuries there probably shoudln't be any arm pain from throwing backhand.

[jHarr]

slightly off-topic but why does japan have the 150class mando?
-I guess it evens the field weight-wise...

[Blake_T]

because there is very little open land in urban areas and so the parks are very crowded and in the 80's a guy almost died from getting hit in the head w/ a 200+g golf disc from that time.

they almost banned bevelled edge discs but managed to convince them to allow 150 class bevelled discs instead.

[adamschneider]

i would recommend consulting the flight chart i wrote to find discs that are rated less understable than a sidewinder as that is one of the most understable discs innova makes.

I did consult the chart. And I checked the little diagrams on Innova's Web site. The reason I posted here was that I wanted to get people's personal experiences; specificially, is a 150g Valkyrie too close to a Sidewinder to notice much difference?

I was thinking the Viking might be a good choice; according to Innova's site, the Champion Viking comes in 150-class, but I can't seem to find it at any on-line store.

also, unless you have previous injuries there probably shoudln't be any arm pain from throwing backhand.

I don't have arm pain from throwing one disc, or even 10; but at the end of a long day of disc golf, it's definitely more comfortable to throw something lighter.

[Thatdirtykid]

a 150 valk will proably sute your bill, as would trying a slower disc in 150 class. The valk is quite a bit more stable than a sidewinder. flipped from a slight hyzer unless torqued over a valk will always come back (untill you break one in, but then you wont want it to come back) the sidewinder is not predictable, and its not made to be either.
If you find that the valk is too similar to a sidewinder, try a dx viking, a very underated disc (because fast stuff just kept coming and coming)

[bigs348]

My dad throws almost all 150-class drivers. He's got a bad elbow so he doesn't have a lot of flexibility or snap. He says lighter discs are just easier to throw for him and a lot less strain on his elbow.

He throws a 150 Star Sidewinder and 150 CE Leopards for understable stuff. He uses Ching Bombs in 150-class for thumbers and rollers. Champ Valkyries (actually they're JK Pro 4-times in candy plastic) for his main straight drivers with slight hyzer, and a 150 DX Beast and a 160 Champ Beast (both old mold) as his overstable drivers.

He just recently picked up a 150 DX Wraith for distance, and he's working on throwing it. I'm trying to convince him to beat it up a bit so he can throw it flat and have the slight turn for more glide still with predictable fade. Right now its still new (he only uses it on a couple of wide open field holes) and he has to throw with anhyzer for distance which is very unnatural to him (and I understand why, i hate throwing anhyzer).

Not sure if this is at all useful, but playing golf with my dad is the only experience I have with 150-class stuff.

[Thatdirtykid]

if a 160 beast is his most stable driver what happens when its windy? he could use the wraith now (still not the best, but is better)
and of course I agree he needs to beat that wraith up, however if a beast is "overstable" he might not benifit much from a dx wraith for distance.

[bigs348]

He actually gets some pretty good distance (for him) throwing the Wraith anhyzer. I was really surprised, but it was a noticeable distance improvement.

A 160 Champ Beast is actually plenty stable for him in the wind (unless its like 40mph winds or higher). He really doesn't generate enough speed or power because of his elbow. He throws it with slight hyzer and it'll flatten out and usually stay pretty straight. Headwinds are just increasing the speed of the disc, but if he doesn't throw it that fast to begin with, then the increased spin isn't usually enough to flip it.

I think he might need to think about that soon though. He had knee surgery back in January so he didn't play for about 4 or 5 months. During that time, his elbow seemed to heal a bit (without the constant strain of playing). Recently, I've seen him flip his Valks accidently a couple of times, and the 150 DX Beast turned over on him once also. I think without his elbow hurting he is less tentative about the throw, so is following through better and gaining more snap.

He likes what he throws though and is stubborn, so its tough to convince him to try new discs and change up his bag. And then there's the matter of trying to convince him to throw a midrange...

[Bradley Walker]

My wife throws 150g discs, so I have a few observations.

I would look at the DX Cheetah or the DX Teebird. My wife throws the Sidewinder and Leopard, but they flip (even with her lady like pulls) into the wind. I let her throw one of my Teebirds, and even with heyser at the end, her distance was still good, in fact she throw the longest throw ever into a stiff breeze.

I got her a 150 g DX Teebird, and we have yet to test it.

The best all around disc for low snaps is the Cheetah. Flies like a Roc (which is not very good in 150 g) but is faster.

[twmccoy]

There are a few good 150 discs out there for distance. I'd recommend a DX orc or beast. I've thrown both in 150g, and they are fairly flippy but will fade back late in flight.

[adamschneider]

Maybe I'll look into a DX Beast. I have a 160g Starfire (which I use when I need something overstable), so an Orc might be too similar to that.


By the way, why is it so hard to find 160g discs? Why is there this bimodal distribution of 150-class and then 167+? It seems like there'd be a market for something in between.

[Blake_T]

there is a 150 class dx viking, but the lightest champ vikings run around 156g and are hard to come by.

the champ orc and champ beast are the same way, no 150 class, but have mid-upper 150's, which is the lightest that plastic will go in its bare form (no weight agent) for the rim density of that particular mold.

as for rare 160g discs, 1) demand, most players throw > 170g plastic. 2) distribution of the discs that are produced in that weight range, texas and east of the mississippi, 160g discs will be very hard to come by.

innova east very rarely stocks discs below 167g.

innova west believes more in lighter weight discs and are more apt to have a lot of discs in the 150-164g range.

two things i have noticed to be true:
1) most players throw discs that are too heavy for them.
2) most players use lighter weights to throw discs that are too fast/overstable for them (rather than throw discs that are better matched for their power levels).