173g Gold Line Maul, Crimson Red
This disc has quickly become a staple in my bag. I've put all of my efforts thus far in my DG career into learning backhand, so I do not have a forehand throw to save my life. For this reason I like to buy discs in a wide spectrum of stabilities. When I bought the Maul I was looking to replace my Opto River that become to beaten into understable (no matter how i threw it, it wanted to flip and roll). The Maul, for the most, fit the bill for what I was looking for. Don't expect to break this out and just "get it". It takes some time in a field to get the feel for what it can and cannot do. Judging the distance I can throw this is a bit hard to measure because you are throwing a lot of lateral distance with it, but if I can get it on a straight line throw, I'm probably looking at about 320ft (my avg. max distance for fairways is 340ish feet).
What it can do:
- First off, I reach for this on any right turning hole over 300ft. I've learned to control when it will flip right (and it WILL flip right on any good rip), so it is very versatile with as far as being able to turn it quick or a little late.
- Back off on the power and put some hyzer on it, and now I'm reaching for this disc on any tightly wooded hole that needs some distance, but also some finesse. Since it flips up easy, you can be much more accurate with your throw.
- The 1 fade on this is quite negligible, but also quite useful, as it will just barely pull the disc back to flatish most of the time, so you won't get that dreaded cut-roll.
- This disc will glide quite a ways, but 7 may be too generous.
- Throw it OUT on a hyzer (instead of straight and flipping it up), and you can get a looong hyzer that stands up a bit at the top.
- ROLL. I don't have a strong roller game, but I can throw them. Release this disc on ANY anny line and you will most likely roll it.
What it cannot do:
- This disc is just not reliable in any kind of wind.
- Headwind... OK let's just forget the headwind. You'll likely lose this disc somewhere inside the earth as it plummets from the sky.
- Tailwind SEEMS like it should be money, but it's just a hair too understable to confidently say "OK, this is gonna glide straight for me and coast the tailwind".
- Maybe it's just me, but the understability of this disc MIGHT even be a -3, which for me is not reliable enough to use for anything that I don't want to turn (like into a tailwind). BUT that should not deter you from this disc, because that's not why you're buying it, is it?
I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is either in the same boat as me (rely on understable discs to play right-turning shots), OR this would make a FANTASTIC first fairway driver for someone learning. So long as they aren't rolling their wrist over... Then they'll be learning what a roller is REAL quick.