This summer, we saw a lot of new disc releases from several disc golf manufacturers. One of the more successful new releases has been the Dynamic Discs new overstable high speed driver, the Defender. The Defender was originally released in two plastics, Lucid and BioFuzion. It is also now available in Fuzion and Prime plastic. I had a chance to test out the Lucid and BioFuzion Defenders together and learned a lot about these two discs.
First of all, it is important to remember that event though they are two different plastics, they are still the same disc mold. I feel like in disc golf culture we get so caught up in specific runs and plastic types that it can get really confusing to newer players who are just trying to find the right discs to fill the holes in their bag. Of course, I know that there are very noticeable differences in different runs of the same disc, but I just want to make sure it is clear that when I talk about the differences in these two plastic types that we are talking about very slight differences. Overall, I found them both to be very true to the flight numbers they were assigned by Dynamic Discs (Speed: 13, Glide: 5, Turn: 0, Fade: 3).
So overall, I would not consider the Defender in any plastic type to be a beginner friendly disc. However, if you are a recreational or intermediate player considering trying out a higher speed and more overstable driver, you might find some luck with the Defender. It seems to me that the Defender was meant to be a great compliment to Dynamic’s other popular overstable high-speed driver, the Enforcer. The Defender has a slightly wider rim, but also sports a flight path that doesn’t quite dump as hard with its finishing fade. I feel like this makes the Defender a little more workable for me, where the Enforcer is more of a utility disc when I need a shot that is going to fade really really hard.
Now, this is where the crucial difference between Lucid and BioFuzion plastic comes into play. I found that the Lucid Defender started to fade just slightly earlier than the BioFuzion Defender did on the same shots. For this reason, if you are that recreational or intermediate player I was talking about just a moment ago, I would recommend the BioFuzion plastic first. If it turns out your arm speed isn’t quite what the Defender requires, the BioFuzion will be a little more forgiving for you. Not only that, but BioFuzion is slightly less durable than Lucid, so overtime that BioFuzion will season faster and become less and less overstable overtime.
So if you are looking to try out a new high-speed overstable distance driver, give the Defender a try. I can honestly say I have nothing bad to say about my experience with the disc, and I am finding more and more of them in use in tournament play. You can read other reviews and learn more about the Defender at Infinite Discs.