Discraft Buzzz - A Classic That Will Always Be Relevant

A Classic. Good for straight shots, controlled approach shots, subtle turnovers, long silky anhyzers that flatten to the right at the finish. Consistent upshot disc on long holes or for shooting tight lines. Low profile shape adds makes it a good wind fighter.

Predictability. Repetitive consistency. That is the Discraft Buzzz. If you lose one or break your trusty steed buy a new one and expect the same results.

Currently 6 Plastics Are Available in These Plastics with a few different Z types

Crazy Tuff Plastic, D-Line, ESP, Signature ESP, ESP Tour Series, Titanium, X Line, Z Line : Big Z , Z FLX, Z Glo, Z Plastic

A buzzz is just a buzzz. So many players say that. I am one of them. You know what you’re gonna get from it. There’s a few slight differences in the plastics but these only make minimal differences in how the disc flies. Pro-D plastic & SS has 0 stability and all other plastics are slightly overstable ratings of .5 to 1.7.

40 Years In The Making…

Discraft was founded by frisbee pioneers Jim Kenner (freestyle co-inventor and Hall of Famer)) and 6-time Canadian Disc Golf Champion Gail MaColl in 1979, their love for each other was consummated soon after in marriage. Jim was a North American Champion.  Gail was also a World Freestyle Champion in 1976 and later inducted into the disc golf and freestyle halls of fame.

In the 70’s the frisbee umbrella took in a lot more than disc golf. Without Gail & Jim’s dissatisfaction with frisbee discs at the time, disc golf wouldn’t be the same today.

Their desire, passion and entrepreneurship took them from a small company to the powerhouse Discraft is today. How proud Jim and Gail who sadly passed away in 2017, must be, that their Ultrastar is the official disc for the sport of Ultimate (frisbee). With an estimated 5 million people using this in the U.S. it’s not hard to see why.

Flight Numbers

5 4 -1 -1

Which means straight lines, with a little bit of stability, and with a 4 glide it’s gonna have enough air to hit targets that are pretty far away. So the disc has enough stability to hold the straight lines along the angle you put on it. Backhand or forehand no difference. Throw flat it holds flat. Hyzer it and it’ll hold its angle and still give you distance. Annie it and it has enough in=flight stability to push it’s way back to flat. Great for point-and-shoot lines or wooded courses.

It won’t give you much skip but you can make it move a little with more hyzer.

As a first-time disc it’ll school you pretty well as it’s so accurate and easy to throw, but in the hands of a seasoned player it becomes a deadly weapon. With its straight lines and minimal fade this will be your point and shoot disc.

Which Plastic Should You Go For?

Plastics are a dime a dozen with Discraft over the years. They come and go and get redrafted. Here’s a selection of Discraft plastics. Not all are currently in circulation.

Crazy Tuff– really stiff, really good grip, not very rubbery or flexible, grip is good when it’s wet. Very little durability – it beats up real easy, you hit something you’ll know it. The texture of the disc has a slick slippery feel suits advanced players that like a consistent release- it’ll come out of your hand the same way every time – won’t get stuck to your fingers like a softer plastic can. But if you like the way softer plastic feel stick with that!

ESP Tour Series – unique softer more flexible ESP edition. Disc has nice swirl paintwork.

Paul McBeth Signature Series – or a McBuzzz -tougher more stable premium plastic, a little bit more expensive and durable. Beautiful looking stamp on swirly plastic- got the McBeast claw mark logo on it and purple Discraft foil. Excellent grip for wet and humid conditions. Discs can be from 160-177+ grams.

Paul McBeth Malta– available in Big Z or Signature Esp. Esp plastic is very firm. This disc offers slightly more Fade (3.0).

The simple answer is whatever feels good in your hand. Even between the variations of plastics all buzzes flight characteristics are similar.

Z Line– great disc for people of all ages and experiences- old, young, new players, advanced players. Toughened translucent plastic- Discrafts most durable plastic.

Big Z Buzzz– the original mold was an Esp + Z hybrid – and right in between both in terms of flight. The latest Big Z is a blend of the newer ESP and Z plastics. More stable than older Big Z. Bright coloredsdisc with a hint of a pearl finish. Keeps the same 0.5 stabilty rating as the original Buzzz, but comes in lighter weights ranging from 141-177+ grams.

Z-Lite: – is like the Elite-Z only lighter. Built to last. Great grip

Z FLX – stable bendy blendy plastic with durability for all weathers. Slightly less glide. It flies like a Buzzz just depends whether you like it’s flexi slick feel.

Z Glow Buzzz– more overstable Buzzz for night time glow in the dark fun. Not in production that often.

Crystal Buzzz – softer plastic known to be more overstable than original, more resistant to wear but only generally in production for special events, you’ll see them in official Discraft Tournaments.

Z Cryztal Elite: One for the fans – these limited edition runs are heavily picked up by collectors – usually found around auction sites.   This shimmering pastic has a more translucent look. Not ion production all the time.

Z FLX Cryztal:  Premium Plastic –   more grip than Crystal Buzzz, but only rolled out for special production occasions.

Z Sparkle – exactly like it sounds and occasionally rolled into production.

Esp Buzzz– non- translucent more grippy premium plastic, feels smooth and more durable than regular buzzz. If the regular buzzz is too overstable for you, this will go a little bit straighter and a little more to the right (stability rating .5). First came on the market in 2006 and still one of the biggest sellers today.

ESP FLX Plastic: FLX can be found on limited disc runs, currently out of production. It’s basically an ESP that has a lightening agent added to the mold. As tough as regular ESP Plastic, with a bit more flexibility – good for colder climes.

Paige Pierce Tour Series Esp Z Buzzz–  slick textured feel, not too glossy, pretty firm with minimal flex, feels nice in the hand. Z plastic starts out a little slippery out of the box until it breaks in. Typical Buzzz laser-straight flight with a little more fade at the end.

Titanium (Ti) Buzzz– Premium Plastic Blend – Launched in 2012. Very durable like the Z line plastic with the grippiness of the ESP. Breaks in a little faster than the Z. Playing on a heavily wooded course, or practising in a lot with lots of rocks or gravel throw this. Typically stable to overstable (.5) flight path.  Can handle more power.

Elite-X Plastic: Elite-X is very grippy soft plastic, but wears quicker. Lighter 150g disc. Most buzzes are 170 and up. Can stick to your hand when trying to release.

Elite-Z Plastic:  toughest plastic from Discraft. Bright colored durable semi-translucent, rigid, long lasting plastic. Compared to regular ESP this is a bit more overstable.

Pro-D – now discontinued this base plastic is not the most durable type of plastic but it is super grippy. Also the cheapest. Tendency to warp. One of the least durable discs from all manufacturers but great for putting because of it’s great feel.

Jawbreaker Buzzz– Discraft took the pro-d mold and made it only available for putt & approach shots. Which is where the pro-d excelled. Not too much difference in terms of wear but used only for putting you’ll get more life out of the old dog. It’s a firm (medium stiffness) without being over rigid plastic with a bit more glide. It’s a more glidy less stable buzz. Very grippy but don’t expect this tacky plastic to last forever but it wears in so quickly so replacing it won’t tax your gameplay

Tour Series Nate Doss Buzz – – this beautiful swirly plastic starts a little bit more overstable before the typical soft fade. You’ll have to hunt ebay for renditions such as the Elite-Z durable semi-translucent edition (more rigid than ESP)

Soft Pro-D plastic is a variation on regular Pro-D plastic. It is only used for putters, and provides a more flexible, grippy feel.

Buzzz OS

More overstable (stability rating 1.7) and slightly thicker than the classic Buzzz this midrange beadless disc excels when the wind rises up. When you need an approach shot to stay on course or for straight flying forehand throws, this disc is the one. Won’t go as far as the original buzz unless you attack it a bit more, and it won’t turn over. Great for holes with a dog-left at the end.

Great for hyzers and over stable approach shots or harder mid-range drives.

Faults

If you want to make an S grab a Roc, this one wants to fly straight even at full power.

Discraft Buzzz Summary

Great for tight tunnels or hitting gaps between tree lines – see a gap and carry it forward with a hyzerflip and watch it fade.  Thrown hard it’ll turn before fading back straight. Throw it soft for a point and shoot disc- use it as a short mid-range. Will hold a good hyzer and buttery anhyzer line. This is why seasoned pros bag it, but beginners will appreciate it going where they point it at. There’s also a remarkable consistency between disc runs. If you lose or damage your long-standing partner grab a new one and it’ll break in pretty fast and perform almost the same straight out the box.

With head & tail or crosswind it’s staying right in the neutral zone, pretty stable. It has some finish so it’ll fight out of annys a little. When thrown flat it’ll even do a little bit of stalling out or fading at the end. Ideal midrange for 200-300ft approach shots and midrange drives where pinpoint accuracy is essential.