Discraft Archer
Discraft,  Other Disc Review

Discraft Archer Review

Ready to take aim and hit the bullseye with minimal effort?  Check out the Discraft Archer!

I’ve been excited to see the official release of the 2016 Ace Race disc and even more so when Discraft announced it would be called the Archer.  I’m just waiting to see the Big Z stamp for this one.

Great for Beginners

The Discraft Archer is an understable distance/fairway driver. It has a lot of qualities that would fit a beginner’s hand very well – cool name, understable, easy to throw, and a smaller rim. And, it says Driver on the front so your new buddy won’t be annoyed that you handed him a “short” disc. From our field tests and play tests, this seems like a great disc for a new player.

Versatile for Seasoned Players

That said, don’t scoff at the possibilities for this disc in the hands of a seasoned player. I’ve been carrying the Archer in my bag for several rounds and it has saved me many times.

Imagine these situations:

A sweeping dogleg where I have to put extra power into a mid-range to turn it over. This often leaves me with a shot that glides too far past the basket or turns over well short of the basket – inconsistent results.

Trapped behind or in a tree, or on my knees where I can’t get enough power on the shot. I’ll often reach for a putter and try to throw an escape shot that slows down when hitting tiny branches or a driver that hyzers out too quickly – inconsistent results.

Or even a 250′ tunnel that I have to throw straight and low. A putter works well but the extra power needed leads to some inconsistent bounces when it lands (or hits a tree) due to the extra speed, and a mid-range often fades too much at the end. Again, inconsistent results.

So now maybe you understand my excitement over this new disc. The Discraft Archer allows me to throw a consistent shot for longer distances by removing levers in my throwing motion. A stand still turnover where I can keep my eyes on the target and feet on the ground gives a much needed boost to my longer approach game.  Give it a nice hyzer release angle and you’ll get a beautiful hyzer flip turnover shot that flies further than you’d expect.  This is a very versatile disc indeed.

Discraft Archer Profile

Utility Discs

This is certainly an understable disc.  You shouldn’t expect to throw a spike hyzer with it any more than you should expect it to perform well in a headwind or with a full power forehand.  Also keep in mind that the Archer prefers a fan grip, which shouldn’t be surprising for a disc that’s intended to be thrown with ease.  I believe this is a great utility disc.  We often think of super overstable, wind fighting, torque resistant, max weight monsters as utility discs.  The Archer can fit in your bag as the opposing utility disc.

Remember the Stratus

Discraft says this about the Archer:

The popular Discraft Stratus has long been considered a “magic” disc for its incredible versatility. The problem is that Stratus can’t be produced in durable, premium plastics. So we set out to make a disc that will, and Archer is it! Anhyzers, hyzer flips, rollers… Archer is a slow disc that performs best at slow arm speeds. Get out of trouble and back on target with Archer.

Chris has had some prior experience with the Stratus.  Here’s what he says about the Archer:

 The Stratus was my first long and straight driver (250 feet was long for me then).  The Archer immediately brings back memories of straight sailing drives in tight fairways.  The Archer, however, has the advantage of holding a little extra torque since it’s premium plastic, and it will also last much longer than the Pro-D stratus that so many of us love but beat to heck.  

The Archer holds one other strong similarity to the Stratus.  Both discs are risky to throw on long and low anhyzers since they like to turn down, higher anyzers fare better.  The Archer though, is more consistent and I’m able to throw with more confidence than the Stratus.

Conclusion

Discraft has created another great disc for beginners that can be useful for seasoned players as well.  It flies like a broken-in Buzzz that doesn’t fade back at the end.  This should be one of the first premium plastic discs a new player tries.

 

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One Comment

  • Nate Moyer

    The elite z Archer is possibly the game changer we’ve all been looking for. This disc improved my game dramatically. It allowed me to get those tricky drives down with relative ease. Easily one of my new favorites to throw

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