Two discs with the same mold can fly differently depending on the plastic they are made of. The plastic changes the grip, durability, stability and even the price you pay for the disc. That's why in our store you'll see the same model in several plastics: they aren't the same disc repeated, but versions with a different behavior.
Base plastic and premium plastic
Almost every brand has two big families of plastic:
- Base plastic: cheaper, softer and with plenty of grip. It wears out sooner from impacts, and with use the disc becomes more understable (it tends to turn more to the right on a right-handed backhand). It's the preferred plastic for putters, because it grips the hand really well and settles in the chains.
- Premium plastic: more expensive, more durable and with more vivid or translucent colors. It keeps its flight for many more rounds, even if it hits trees or rocks. It's the usual choice for midranges and drivers, which are the discs that take the most punishment.
Equivalents between brands
Each manufacturer gives its own names to its plastics, but many are similar to one another. This is a rough guide with the plastics we have in the store:
- Translucent, firm premium: Opto (Latitude 64), Z Line (Discraft), C-Line (Discmania), Lucid (Dynamic Discs), VIP-Ice and VIP-X (Westside Discs) and Proton (MVP and Axiom). Maximum durability and a slightly more stable flight.
- Opaque premium with more grip: Gold Line and Royal Grand (Latitude 64), ESP and Big Z (Discraft), S-Line and Neo (Discmania), Fuzion (Dynamic Discs), Tournament (Westside Discs), Neutron (MVP and Axiom), H9 (Obsidian) and K1 (Kastaplast).
- Base for putters: Putter Line (Discraft), D-Line, P-Line and Exo (Discmania), Classic (Dynamic Discs), Zero (Latitude 64), Electron (MVP), G7 (Obsidian) and K3 (Kastaplast).
Soft or firm
In putters, firmness matters too. A soft plastic adapts to your hand, grips better in the cold and stays in the chains instead of bouncing out. A firm plastic comes out of the hand more cleanly and repeatably, and settles more slowly. Some brands show it in the name: Soft, Medium or Hard at Latitude 64, and Exo, Flex 1, 2 or 3 in Discmania's D-Line and P-Line.
Special plastics
- Lightweight: Opto Air (Latitude 64) and Z Lite (Discraft) contain tiny air bubbles. They weigh less at the same size, so they're easier to throw far if you don't have much arm.
- Glow in the dark: Moonshine (Latitude 64), Color Glow (Discmania) and Eclipse (MVP) charge up with light and glow at night. Perfect for playing at dusk.
- Recycled: K1 Grind (Kastaplast) and R2 Neutron (MVP and Axiom) are made from recycled plastic and fly just like their original version.
Which plastic to choose
If you're just starting out, a good combination is a putter in base plastic and a midrange or fairway driver in premium plastic. That way you get a good feel for putting and discs that will last you a long time for the long shots.
Remember that a premium plastic usually flies a bit more stable than the base version of the same mold. If a disc is hard to control, try the same model in a softer plastic or one with more wear. On each product page in the store we explain what the plastic of that disc is like, and in our guide to flight numbers you have everything you need to interpret its flight.