Hey!

I received 8 Katanas from the Japan Open fundraiser.

4 Champion, all 175- Two Pink, One Blue/Pink, and one GREEN (one of one available in 175).

4 Pro, all 175- Two Silver, One Copper, and one Black.

http://www.japanopen.info/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=46&Itemid=171



I went out today for an hour in a very slight wind 1-5 MPH and threw two of the Pink Champions, and two of the silver pros.

Some background info on me...

I throw left hand backhand primarily- in the range of 380-425ish on golf lines (I probably average close to 410 on an open field (not message board distance, I can provide references :) ). I throw hyzer flip and mostly throw first run max weight champion bosses. I also throw Z Rogues for distance, so I can handle flippy discs for distance.

I also throw left hand forehand, in the range of 300-340 on golf lines. I throw hyzer flip forehands- First Run ESP Surges, ESP Preds, or Champ Xcallibers.

I compared the flight of the Katanas with the flight of pro bosses.

The Champion were definitely more overstable than the pro. Both would easily flip up flat. When thrown high enough, and at about 65% power, they would flip up, turn over, and hyzer off at the end of the flight.

The Champion would handle more power better than the Pro, as I could lay into it (when released on a steep hyzer angle) it would turn over, but then start to hyzer off at the very end. On an anny line, the Champion would fly nicely, but with too much power it would turn more than I wanted it to. The anny might be nice for a long turnover shot with more practice, however on the anhyzer line, it was a bit more touchy than I'd prefer.

I didn't much care for the Pro. Out of about 30 throws with the pro, I had 2 or three that I was happy with. The Pro was much flippier than I like, and I found it hard to control without throwing it 50%. Even on a hyzer flip line it would flip up, turn over and dive. Anhyzer throws would also result in a turn and dive.

I was easily getting the Champion close to the distance of my pro boss, but form was of the utmost importance. I really had to concentrate on releasing it smoothly and perfectly timing "the hit." Out of 30 throws, I had 15-18 that I was happy with. Again best throws were on a flat or hyzer flip line and traveled somewhere 380-430 feet range (measured), directly in front of me or straight ahead (if I were to draw a line).

When I throw my max weight champion bosses off the tee, I need to make sure I use enough power to prevent the boss from hyzering off too soon (for which I am very successful at doing). With the Katana, I was not worried about it hyzering off too soon, and could make it fly straight with less effort than throwing the boss. With more work I could see this disc being useful for shots I would use the boss, but needed to finish straight or slightly left.

I did like the feel of throwing the Champion Katana forehand. It flew forehand simalarly to my ESP Surge, but I could release it cleaner than my surge. I need more work throwing it forehand, but early testing was good.

Overall, I was most impressed (Champ or Pro) with how easily it would flip up and over, and liked the fact that the Champion would fight to hyzer back and the very end of the flight.

With both versions of the Katana, when you throw it with too much power, it wanted to turn and dive. I can see this being very, VERY useful for throwers who can't throw a boss or destroyer (or force) because of it being too overstable.

Once I got the hang of the Champion, I was matching the distance of my Pro Boss, but the Katana finished straight, where to boss finished right.

The end.

:)

nice review! I also went and threw the champion one yesterday, but I was dealing with some nice 25 mph oklahoma wind... so it didn't really help determine how it flew. Definitely flippy if you throw with any kind of torque. Like he said above, this disc will be MONEY for you if your destroyers/bosses all hyzer off too early.

I just tossed mine a few times in an open field and found that the pro was much flippier than the champion. I would put both of them on the same hard hyzer and they would both pop up and turn into an anny but the champion at the end of its flight would turn back out and hyzer the last 30ft-50ft of its flight. The Pro would continue turning until it hit the ground into a roller. I would say it landed 100 ft short of the champion. I will def be putting the champ in the bag for further review but the pro will probably be a great roller disc if only I knew how to throw that but wont make the bag.
I think this is a great disc for a great turnover drive. I look forward to many more tests with it.

I threw some practice field drives with my 154g and 158g R-Pro Katanas this weekend. It is a good hyzer flip disc for sure, but as with all fast discs is nose-sensitive. I'm not at full throwing strength (a few months post-spinal fusion surgery) but at 2/3-3/4 for a 48-yr-old I was able to get the Katana out past 330 ft. For me, it needed to be thrown on a low line. When I released with some hyzer angle it flipped up, held a slight anhyzer line and glided for a LONG time, then had a minimal fade at the end.

My son is a much stronger thrower than I am. He threw a few Champion Katanas that went a veeeery long way. What struck us the most was how incredibly fast this disc is. It will take some practice for him to perfect the hyzer-flip delivery, but if he does it will be an extremely long flyer for him.

I was throwing the Pros and Champs and here's what i see

Pro= Speed 13 Roadrunner
Champ= Speed 13 Valk

Both glide very well, especially the pro. I was averaging about 440 with these including 2 around 510 +/- 3 meters accorcing to my GPS. This was with a 25-30 mph tailwind going slightly R-L on a pretty tight S.