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I recension: VIP Kalevan Miekka

Publicerad: 02.09.2011

VIP Kalevan Miekka

VIP Kalevan Miekka

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I'm always excited about new Westside discs, it's fun to see what they've come up with this time. The first run Northman was a crazy glidey hyzerflip machine, the Swan was a fun putter with pleasant feeling plastic, The Boatman surprised by holding up in the wind very well while being very straight, and the King is so easy distance, it almost feels like cheating.

At first look the Sword looked like a fairly odd choice for their next disc. Looking at the ratings it seems to be a bit faster Boatman. Apprearances can be deceiving though, it's is a different beast altogether. In reality the Sword seems like a response to Innova's Destroyer, a reliable distance driver sitting just below the fastest warp speeders.

It's hard for me to describe the Sword without comparing it to the Destroyer. What I can say is that in VIP plastic it doesn't really turn unless you throw really hard and low, it doesn't have much fade on distances above 120 meters. On shorter throws there is a definite fade, but it isn't especially harsh. It also shows up later in flight than in most discs in the same speed category. People who know their Destroyers probably know what I mean when I say that the Sword is easier to throw than a new premium plastic Destroyer, and fades like a Pro Destroyer. A pleasant combination. I'd also wager that the Sword glides better than most Destroyers, which is saying a lot. If you happen to like the Latitude 64 Flow, the Sword is similar, but straighter. If you like the Flow, you're going to like the Sword.

It behaves logically when you change the release angle. Flat throws fly straight, hyzers go to the left. It holds the angle you release it on pretty much the whole flight. Where the Sword really shines are huge distance anhyzers. Out of all the discs I've tried in this speed category it holds anhyzers better than pretty much anything else (Flow being about on the same level), glides magnificently and if you don't go nuts with the angle it'll smoothly pull itself out when the speed dies down. This is the first speed 12/13 driver that I can just as easily throw straight, left or right, without even switching between different plastics.

The Tournament plastic versions tend to be flatter and slightly less high speed stable than their VIP brothers, but they still glide great and don't turn over too much. In calm conditions both are pretty close to each other when new, VIP working better in a headwind and Tournament working better on a tailwind.

Westside's plastics have always felt and looked great. The grippy, tough and brightly colored VIP is both great to throw and look at. Tournament can be even more beautiful, is slightly grippier, and is easier to break in if you need the understability. The feel of the disc is nice, grip isn't as beefy as a Destroyer but it's not slim like a Katana either, a good compromise between a faster low profile and a deeper, more solid grip. The Sword fits my hand almost perfectly.

The Sword went straight into my bag, in both plastics. It's easier to throw than a Star or Champ Destroyer, but more reliable than a Pro Destroyer. It's long, accurate, neutral on longer distances ja reacts well to differences in release angle, without being too sensitive to nose-up. In VIP it handles wind pretty nicely (of course I still use different discs for tough winds), but doesn't require a cannon for an arm, especially the Tournament version. It's slightly slower than Nukes, Bosses and Katanas, but not that much shorter and much easier to control. Definitely worth a try.

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