Another putter destroying basket

[jubuttib]

why?

Looks better, easier to spot the basket in thick woods, less skips from the top of the basket because you have to miss higher to go over, and it's a great space for course sponsors to put their logos on (which frankly helps with getting sponsors, at least here) to name a few. You can only blame yourself if you're gouging your discs on the band.

Not saying it couldn't be further improved, if it had rolled edges any gouging would stop.

[Pwingles]

The band wouldn't be that bad if they just rolled the top edge over so it rounded it instead of keeping it sharp.

A file or small grinder would take care of that some on existing sharp bands.

[Itchy]

The band wouldn't be that bad if they just rolled the top edge over so it rounded it instead of keeping it sharp.

A file or small grinder would take care of that some on existing sharp bands.

If they did that at the factory then labor costs would go up and so would the price of the product. If you do it after you get them, then you'd be removing the powder coating and it'd rust out on you quicker.

[zj1002]

Disc Nation Liberty wont chew up your disc. it catches as good as any basket on the market. and the price is just right

just saying

[jubuttib]

The band wouldn't be that bad if they just rolled the top edge over so it rounded it instead of keeping it sharp.

A file or small grinder would take care of that some on existing sharp bands.

I've never seen any that were sharp like that, they've all had rounded edges already. I assumed it's mainly because it's not really all that thick.

[keltik]

I personally like the chastity belt. I agree with most of what jubuttib said earlier especially the part about visibility. My eyesight is terrible without corrective lenses. I have a hard time picking out chainstar/mach series baskets unless it is flat out in the open.

I don't have a problem with discs getting gouged by the band, but then again I'm not that consistent of a player.

[Ryan C]

Also must be the 1%. I've always liked those baskets. They seem so much more professional too.

[Mark Ellis]

A basket with some sharp edges doesn't bother me. At all. Putters improve as they break in. Nicks in the rim are just marks of honor. I like it when the flight plate dips down or warps.

Probably no basket ever made will beat up putters like the old Lightening Cable Catchers with big metal buckles holding the cables together. I putted on those for years and never cared.

The only thing I ask a basket to do is uniformly catch solid putts to the center of the chains. On that count I am regularly disappointed.

[JHern]

I'm just surprised that Lat 64 would make a new design that is just like an older (unpopular) design that is hated by a large fraction of their potential customer base.

Yes, it beats up putters very badly, unless you use premium plastic.

Mark: It's one thing to beat up a putter, it's another matter entirely to have a basket that makes large gouges (like knife slashes) in the rim.

The Mach 3 number plates come with a plastic shroud that blunts the edge. These can be bought and replaced for a few cent apiece from your local hardward store. Also, the number plates are dramatically smaller in profile, and much higher above the top of the chains than the huge stupid yellow rim on these things.

Innova rolled out a prototype with curled over top and bottom to blunt the sharp edges at 2011 Worlds, but I haven't seen any of those on a course yet.

Many also hate this design because the top and tray are bright yellow, while the chains grow dull and grey with time. The eyes and brain are naturally drawn to the bright "disc magnets" above and below the actual target. This is a terrible idea. If you can't find a basket on the hole you're playing, then maybe you should: 1) get some eyeglasses and/or 2) walk the hole before throwing it if you haven't played it before.

[jubuttib]

I'm just surprised that Lat 64 would make a new design that is just like an older (unpopular) design that is hated by a large fraction of their potential customer base.

Yes, it beats up putters very badly, unless you use premium plastic.

It's not a new design, Lat64 baskets have been like that since... Well, always, many years now.

And if they're hated, it's an American thing, because over here they're loved. The Innova DISCatcher is the most widely used and well liked basket here. There are Mach baskets in some places but whenever I've asked anyone about it they've always said they prefer DISCatchers.

And really, I have played with both DISCatchers and DGA Mach style baskets quite a bit, and not once have I felt that the DISCatchers beat up my putters particularly fast, even before I switched to IONs (D-P1, D-P2 and Medium Wizards before that). I don't think any of my putters were ever gouged by the basket, apart from one instance where there was a sharp galvanizing artifact on the chains which sliced a large chunk out of the disc. Is it really such a prevalent problem?

[keltik]

the only complaints I've ever really heard about baskets is about disc catching ability. This is the first I've heard about the "gouging" issue. maybe it's just me.

[JHern]

One of my buddies (an excellent disc golfer who rarely plays since he runs a very successful painting business) bought a few Innova Discatchers for practice in his yard some years back. The reasons he bought them were:
1) He wanted a practice basket that didn't catch as well as the DGA Mach 3 (the most common basket on NorCal courses), which would force him to putt more accurately in practice (same idea behind the Gateway Bullseye).
2) They were significantly cheaper than the alternatives.

He regrets the decision because they eat up his putters rapidly, so much so that he has even resorted to wrapping towels around the top yellow band in order to blunt the impacts. He likes to putt with the Pro D Challenger, whose plastic doesn't stand up to impacts on sharp edges and corners very well.

Beyond these issues, the Innova Discatchers have often needed chain replacement after only a couple years. Many clubs install heavier chains when they replace them, but these don't catch as well and you often see discs bounce back off the chains.

The use of Innova baskets at Worlds this year was one of the biggest complaints I've heard from the players. But since Innova funded several of those new courses, and paid for the baskets, there isn't much to be done about it. (I hear that Discraft also sponsored one of those new courses.)

[Frank Delicious]

the only complaints I've ever really heard about baskets is about disc catching ability. This is the first I've heard about the "gouging" issue. maybe it's just me.

These don't gouge a bunch but man, when they do, it's a huge chunk that makes my disc way less stable. It's like they save up the gouging for a while.

[JR]

I'm just surprised that Lat 64 would make a new design that is just like an older (unpopular) design that is hated by a large fraction of their potential customer base.

Yes, it beats up putters very badly, unless you use premium plastic.

It's not a new design, Lat64 baskets have been like that since... Well, always, many years now.

And if they're hated, it's an American thing, because over here they're loved. The Innova DISCatcher is the most widely used and well liked basket here. There are Mach baskets in some places but whenever I've asked anyone about it they've always said they prefer DISCatchers.

And really, I have played with both DISCatchers and DGA Mach style baskets quite a bit, and not once have I felt that the DISCatchers beat up my putters particularly fast, even before I switched to IONs (D-P1, D-P2 and Medium Wizards before that). I don't think any of my putters were ever gouged by the basket, apart from one instance where there was a sharp galvanizing artifact on the chains which sliced a large chunk out of the disc. Is it really such a prevalent problem?

One time in Tammisaari i hit the top of the chastity belt from 20 meters and it sliced out a piece that ruined the disc. I don't remember which disc it was because it was so long ago but probably a D P2.

[uNicedmeMan]

I've played with a lot of folks who have played / regularly play Discatcher courses and this is literally the first time I've ever heard of the chastity belt causing any sort of putter damage.