Not long ago, Discraft released the Paul McBeth signature Hades prototype to the masses, and predictably, they flew off the shelves like hotcakes. Thankfully, we managed to get a few of them for testing, and decided to shoot a quick video with our discoveries. Is the Discraft Hades worth the hype? Well, let’s find out!
What is the Discraft Hades?
First of all, the Discraft Hades is an understable distance driver, which is why it’s quickly become quite popular as a beginner’s distance driver. Understable drivers are easier to get distance out of than a stable or overstable driver, making these discs a go-to choice for newer or lower power throwers.
The Hades has a flight rating of 12 / 6 / -3 / 2, putting it very close to an Innova Star Tern, which shares the same flight rating (Star plastic has the -3 turn rating, Champion and others are rated at -2). I’ve bagged a Star Tern for many years at this point, and it’s been my go-to max distance without max power driver for a long time, with a Star Destroyer as my full-power driver when accuracy isn’t as necessary.
This pairing is pretty similar to how the Hades was released as a complement to the Discraft Zeus (originally released as the Kong in prototype), Paul McBeth’s Destroyer replacement from his new sponsor.
Both the Zeus and Destroyer have the same flight ratings of 12 / 5 / -1 / 3. Yes, there may be some discrepancies between the actual flights as they’re from separate companies, but the Zeus is clearly meant to be Paul’s new Destroyer as the Hades is meant to be the new Tern.
Who is the Discraft Hades for?
Thankfully the Hades is really a great disc for players of almost any skill, but it really appeals most to a beginner or lower power arms. As a beginner, the Hades would make an excellent first high-speed driver. Out of the box it’s understandably flippy, but reliable. It’s not as touchy as we first feared, and always seems to do the same thing for whichever angle it’s put on. If you’re just moving up from speed 9 and 10 drivers and ready for something a bit faster, the Hades is a great next step.
For more advanced players, this will probably be your max-distance go-to. It flips up quite well and holds the line even in a bit of headwind. Put some power behind this disc and it’s a hyzer flip monster.
If you’re consistently crushing 400 feet or more, this would probably fit in the roller disc category for you. That, or massive sky anhyzers for days. For pros, you’ll see this disc more as a utility roller than anything, especially as it beats in a bit.
How does the Discraft Hades feel in the hand?
This run of the Hades is in the Discraft Signature ESP plastic. ESP plastic feels great in general and looks absolutely stunning. The grip of new Signature ESP plastic doesn’t leave anything to be desired, and the rim depth is also pretty familiar, as it’s basically a Tern/Destroyer rim feel. If you’re moving from Innova to Discraft—or just need a frame of reference if you’re curious—it’s extremely similar to these classic discs.
How does the Discraft Hades fly?
First of all, as I’m sure you’ll notice in the video for this post, I’ve got some massive form issues to work out as I’ve been tearing down my old form and (poorly) trying to rebuild. But that said, I still know how this disc flies for both myself at a relatively low arm speed and how it would fly with proper technique.
In the video, we had about a 10-15 mph tailwind, with a bit of left-to-right action. Compared to other discs I’m more familiar with, it did basically what I was expecting it to. It was a bit more stable than my very beat up Star Tern, and quite a bit more beat up than my old Blizzard DD2—right where I expected a brand new disc with this understability to sit. Even with a tailwind it still wants to flip up a bit, but then predictably dumps out at the end of the flight.
Compared to my worn-in Star Destroyer, it’s definitely less stable, which is, again, expected. It’s a bit less stable than my “FAF” Champion FlyDye Tern, which is a ridiculously stable run of the Tern.
Final thoughts about the Discraft Hades—worth the hype?
Overall, however, I was mostly disappointed with my form (or lack thereof), and not with the flight of the disc. Perhaps as I figure out the issues with my current form I’ll be able to get the power back from before the form teardown. But none of that is the fault of the disc, by any means.
Realistically, compared to what I expect from how I was throwing it (and the few really good pulls that I somehow didn’t get on camera haha), it’s an excellent disc. It’s about as reliable as an understable disc can be, and it feels excellent in the hand.
Out of the five we ordered from the first prototype release run, they’re all very similar in molding and dome. Discraft seems to have really nailed the production on these new signature discs, and if you can get one of these at actual retail cost, it’s worth picking one up.
Now it’s your turn! Have you picked up the Hades yet? What do you think? Leave your comments below and let us know how you feel about the latest Paul McBeth signature offering from Discraft!
How many were made of these, do you know?
That’s an excellent question, Devin. I haven’t been able to find that information anywhere–if I recall correctly, Discraft isn’t terribly forthcoming with those numbers. From what I understand, however, the prototype and first-run/production discs are pretty similar, so what you get in the prototype is basically the same as the production runs.
There are still protos to be found on the auction groups though, and thankfully the prices seem to be down to a normal $20-30 range last I saw.