Discraft and Wham-O:
A brief history and explanation why one is better than the other.
Wham-O is the patent holder of the Frisbee and created the first disc, and Frisbee is just one of many brands from Wham-O. Wham-O discs (from the Master Model through the 82E model) were the official discs of Ultimate from 1969 through 1991. It is also important to note that Wham-O has been sold several times over the past few decades causing the Frisbee standards to be largely inconsistent.
It is not surprising but people like consistency, and as a thrower myself, I’m sure I could get used to the flight characteristics of any mold, but Discraft will reign supreme unless another company can create a huge incentive to switch over. The differences are subtle, but certainly noticeable with a different feel on the grip and thickness of the disc. In general you’ll throw further, more accurate, and have much more control with Discraft disc especially if you’re having trouble in windier conditions.
Wham-O, for their part, has been trying to play catch up ever since the Ultimate Players Association decided to switch from Wham-O to Discraft 18 years ago. We have seen multiple attempts by them to reverse engineer the Discraft mold and from the casual look over of our Fresh-Life disc (a Wham-O disc marketed by a local Rogers, AR company), they might be getting close, but getting the mold right is only part of it. It is more than just a mold, so Wham-O has to get the right plastic and processes (heating, cooling, chemical composition, time in the mold, storage, etc.) too.
The crew at Discraft is great and they’ve been there for 18 years now making great discs for the sport and supporting the sport, UPA, and Ultimate championships around the world. It seems like one of the first things were taught when we first start playing Ultimate is that Wham-O is bad and evil and tried to change the sport and won’t let us use the word Frisbee. Wham-O’s not bad – they are just contradictory in their support for the sport and sometimes the plastic they use isn’t as consistent as the plastic used in Discraft discs. Who knows? This may change someday.
So in conclusion, if you are just looking for a disc to toss around a few times in the back yard, I suggest you try the Fresh Life disc priced at $14.95, they are made by Wham-O from 100% recycled materials. You will legally be able to call your disc a Frisbee (provided you have the Frisbee model) and they’re good for your image too!
However, if you are even slightly concerned about quality, performance, or value then I highly recommend you go with our Discraft Ultrastar disc for $13.95. You may not be saving the environment initially, but you get a better disc and save a buck. As for the saving the environment, if you would like to donate the dollar you saved to the environmental cause of your choice, then the price becomes even, eco-systems are either restored or saved, and you still get a disc that will out perform your less-informed counterparts.