Hey Ledgestone Fans! Let’s talk about the best-selling disc of all time: the Buzzz.
The most popular midrange in the world changed the game upon its release in 2003, but since then, the Worldwide Leader in Disc Sports has continued to make it more special. One of those special evolutions is the production of the Buzzz in different plastics and blends.
With over 40 variations of plastic blends and combinations in Discraft's Buzzz release history, keeping it all straight is exhausting. Though many are similar, each blend combination tends to feel, look, or fly a bit different than the others.
Thankfully, there is no need to worry because Ledgestone is here to help. Below we’ll explain each plastic type and how it affects grip, feel, and appearance so you can be more confident on the course and be able to pick up the perfect Buzzz for your bag from shopledgestone.com.
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At the base of all the different pairings and specialty blends are four main plastic categories, which most Discraft fans are familiar with: Baseline, Z, ESP, and Titanium. Within those four plastics (particularly Z and ESP) there are numerous additional variations which can impact feel, stability, durability, and appearance.
We’ll start at the two categories with the fewest number of variations.
Baseline: This category encompasses Discraft’s most cost-effective blends. Known specifically for their increased grip, baseline plastics are less-durable than premium blends and lose their flight characteristics much faster.
Pro-D - No longer in production at Discraft, this plastic is grippy and seasons in very quickly to provide an understable flight.
X - The least-durable plastic for Buzzzes currently in production, this stiff blend has a grip that old-school players find hard to match. Even the overstable finish of the Buzzz will become more neutral-to-understable as this plastic beats in.
Jawbreaker - Discraft took the supreme grip of the Pro-D and X plastics, added some premium durability and sprinkled in a splash of aesthetic appeal to create the Jawbreaker blend. These Buzzzes are smooth, yet quite tacky, and offer the best grip on the market. The stiffness isn’t firm, but is also far from providing a lot of flex. The soft plastic will beat in to bring a hint of understability to the Buzzz’s originally-intended flight path and won't hold it's shape as long as premium plastics, but does hold it more than the X blend would under the same duress. The major attraction of the Jawbreaker plastic is the colored marble-like appearance that one would see in a speckled Jawbreaker candy.
Glo Jawbreaker - The Glo blend adds just a hint of extra stability out of the box, while also offering a glow-in-the-dark component.
Rubber Blend - This soft-plastic blend is similar in grip, flight, and durability characteristics to Jawbreaker but without the signature, marble-patterned look. Instead, the Rubber Blend is produced in generic pastel colors. It is a popular alternative to Jawbreaker because of its increased gumminess and flexibility while still maintaining the same tacky grip. The Rubber Blend Buzzz was last run by Ledgestone in 2019.
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Soft Swirl - Flight characteristics remain similar to Rubber Blend, but both the feel and appearance change. There are more colors and swirls in this blend along with a flexibility that absorbs impact much better and makes for a cold-weather specialist.
Crazy Tuff (CT) - This plastic has been around for over 20 years and came to be known as the putting plastic for Cam Todd, which is where the initial “CT” designation for the plastic came from. It has expanded into Discraft’s midrange lineup and is now used for special runs and stands for “Crazy Tuff” plastic. It maintains the popular tacky grip of the X and Jawbreaker plastics while providing increased stiffness. The CT Buzzz feels much harder in the hand and provides increased durability to fly the intended flight path longer into its life.
Titanium (Ti) - A more recent addition to the Discraft plastic lineup in 2012, the Titanium blend was created to combine the durability of Z with the supreme grip of ESP. Titanium Buzzzes have a tacky grip and an overstability comparable to Z. They tend to be more flexible than Z and ESP Buzzzes out of the box. They have an opaque and very pearly coloration and come in less vibrant colors than Z or ESP, but the pearly shine makes them very appealing to the eye.
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Ti FLX - This blend takes the standard feel of Titanium plastic and makes it even gummier, allowing the Buzzz to have the flexibility to even fold in half, which helps eliminate skips. Ti Flx plastic is slightly softer than regular Titanium plastic.
Z: Discraft's most durable and overstable plastics are Z, or have Z in them. Formerly known as Elite-Z, this blend produces sleek designs with vibrant colors and a translucent to semi-translucent appearance, depending on the production run. It is the preferred choice for heavy-use distance drivers because of the resistance to wear and tear. Brand new Z plastic can be very slick, but grippiness tends to grow as these Buzzzes beat in.
Fly-Dye/Flag Dye - A colorful and classic tye-dye look on transparent Z plastic.
Colorshift Z - A more translucent Z blend capable of changing colors depending on the amount and intensity of light shone on it. It was released as a Ledgestone Edition run in 2019.
Midnight - This is Discraft’s darkest standard Z blend, giving it a strong and foreboding appeal.
Jawbreaker Z - Released exclusively as limited runs at Discraft-sponsored DGPT events in 2023, this plastic infuses colorful Jawbreaker flecks into standard Z plastic. This blend is less stiff than standard Z with more give and a tackier grip.
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Z Swirl - This blend was originally part of Discraft's Tour Series run in 2020. The plastic quickly gained a following for its beautiful swirls throughout the semi-translucent Z plastic. The Z Swirl blend tends to provide more grip than standard Z and has a similar texture to ESP while maintaining the sleekness and durability of Z. This plastic flies almost identical to standard Z with a miniscule amount of added understability.
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Special Blend Z - This is a Z Swirl base with sparkles released exclusively in the Buzzz mold to celebrate the Major wins of Paige Pierce and Chris Dickerson in 2022.
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CryZtal - A crystal-clear, glassy appearance makes this plastic a coveted blend in any mold. In addition to a slightly tackier grip, the added overstability and transparency are what differ this plastic from standard Z.
CryZtal Midnight - A slightly more translucent version of Discraft’s blacked-out Z coloration.
CryZtal Glo - This blend is expected to be the most overstable in Discraft’s arsenal.
CryZtal Glo Flx - Take the overstability of CryZtal Glo and make it gummy. This blend limits ground play and absorbs impact, making it great for cold weather.
CryZtal Flx - The transparent plastic adds an extra component of flexibility without sacrificing overstability.
CryZtal Flx Sparkle - The visual appeal becomes greater with sparkles suspended throughout the CryZtal Flx plastic, making these Buzzzes gummy, overstable, and beautiful. This blend was used for the 2023 Ledgestone Edition Buzzz.
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Z Flx - In appearance, the Z Flx plastic looks identical to standard Z. However, this blend is significantly gummier, allowing some discs to be bent all the way in half. The gummy texture is great for limiting ground play at the end of a disc's flight. Out of the box, this plastic tends to fly slightly more understable than standard Z.
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Big Z - The signature sign of a Big Z Buzzz is the large, special-design depiction of a giant bee that reflects the disc’s namesake. This plastic features a much more opaque look than standard Z and gives off a pearly sheen. It tends to fly slightly more understable compared to standard Z plastic, but with the same reliable durability.
Big Z Flx - With the same appearance as standard Big Z, the Big Z Flx adds in a gumminess and flexibility to limit ground play and increase shock absorption, which is particularly useful in cold weather conditions. This blend of Buzzz was introduced as a special Ledgestone Edition run in 2015.
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Z Glo - This blend looks and feels like regular Z, but has the ability to glow in the dark when hit with an ultraviolet or bright light. Besides the CryZtal-Glo combination, Z Glo is widely considered to provide the most overstable flight of all the Discraft plastics.
Z Glo Flx - Adds flexibility and limits ground play without sacrificing the Z Glo blend’s overstability.
Z Glo Sparkle - Sparkle flakes are sprinkled into Discraft’s Z Glo plastic for a beautiful shimmer, especially when glowing.
UV Z - With the initial look and feel of standard Z, this blend changes colors when exposed to sunlight. The UV plastic maintains very similar flight characteristics to that of standard Z, but with the slightest addition of overstability.
Sparkle Z - Shiny flakes are suspended throughout a standard Z base in this blend. This plastic variation has a beautiful sparkle in the sunlight and provides added overstability.
Z Metallic - Slightly stiffer than standard Z and carrying a touch of extra durability, the Z Metallic blend is recognizable by its shimmery, semi-translucent appearance. It has a similar look to the pearly sheen of Discraft’s Titanium plastic.
Z Metallic Flx - This blend adds flexibility to the stiffness of the Z Metallic blend, making for a unique and highly sought-after feel in the hand.
Z Metallic Swirl - This blend brings in additional swirls to the traditional metallic look. It was exclusively released for the Team Ledgestone Fortnite Buzzz in 2023, showcasing the members of the team as characters from Epic’s popular video game.
ESP: First introduced in 2006, ESP plastic was created to bring an increased grip to premium plastic without sacrificing too much durability. It beats in to fly a touch more understable than Z plastic and is only slightly less durable. The tell-tale sign of ESP plastic is the opaque, pastel-colored appearance along with a stiff, but slightly tacky grip. The most recent runs of ESP Buzzzes are known for their beautiful swirly (and sometimes halo-like) coloration patterns.
Supercolor - A standard ESP Buzzz with a full color image covering the entirety of the flight plate from edge to edge. These are exclusively produced in limited runs.
Full-foil - A standard ESP Buzzz coated in super thin foil over the entirety of the front flight plate. These Buzzzes feature some of the most unique, hand-drawn designs such as the Grateful Buzzz series.
ESP Swirl - This special blend maintains a similar flight and feel to standard ESP with a hint of extra stiffness and overstability. The swirls and bursts in this plastic make for eye-popping visuals.
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ESP Flx- This blend is identical in appearance and flight to standard ESP, but differs in feel. It is much gummier and adds comfort on shots where eliminating ground play is essential.
ESP Flx Glo - A grippy, gummy blend that glows in the dark and beats in to provide a consistent, straight Buzzz flight. The Ledgestone Edition stepped onto the scene in 2021.
ESP Color Glo - Unlike Z Glo plastic where only the rim can show a true glow, the entirety of an ESP Glo disc can light up the darkness when placed under a bright or ultraviolet light. The Color Glo blend also generally provides for less vibrant color patterns. Increased overstability is the only other thing separating this blend from standard ESP.
ESP Glo Swirl - Swirled into the standard ESP blend is Discraft’s glow additive. The lighter colors tend to have a more vibrant glow, but all colors fly with a touch of added overstability.
Blog by: Jacob Arvidson
