Best Distance Driver For 2022
This article was written for 2022. Check out this article and data if you’re looking for the most up to date best distance drivers list.
Best Distance Driver of 2022
We looked at the best selling molds, the best rated molds, and counted your votes for your favorite mold, and we can declare the winner of the Best Distance Driver. And boy was it close! The Innova Destroyer and Wraith traded position on top of the sales and fan vote categories. And the ratings were separated by a hundredth of a point!
The top five were all Innova/Infinite, which is not surprising after seeing the results of the individual categories. Four of the top five molds have fairly similar flights, the exception being the 5th place Maya, the only understable mold. Here are the top molds and their ranking in the different categories.
| Mold | Sales | Rating | Fan | Total |
| Innova Destroyer | 1 | 4.63 | 2 | 7.63 |
| Innova Wraith | 2 | 4.64 | 1 | 7.64 |
| Infinite Discs Emperor | 3 | 4.75 | 3 | 10.75 |
| Infinite Discs Pharaoh | 4 | 4.71 | 4 | 12.71 |
| Infinite Discs Maya | 5 | 4.58 | 5 | 14.58 |
Here are some comments mentioned by fans:
Matt M – “Destroyer has to be my all time mold. Why? There are so many different throws you can make with it. A controlled spike hyzer, a sidearm flick, an all out distance bomber.”
David M – “My go-to is a seasoned Star Destroyer. It has a good feel for backhand and forehand. One at a lighter weight like 167-170 if I’m wanting a little more turn. The Destroyer is the gold standard for good reason.”
Tom – “My favorite driver has always been the Wraith. As they break in the develop a little instability so I can bag several Wraith of various plastic / beat in yet have the same grip. The Wraith is also very good in wind as I find it very reliable and wind resistant. Plus what is not to like about the Halo Wraith, wicked cool stamp.”
In this series exploring the best discs of 2022, we started with putters and have been moving up the speed ratings until this week. You can check out the survey results for Putters, Mid Ranges, and Fairway Drivers by clicking these links. Today, we will finally check out the highest-speed discs, the distance drivers, or high-speed drivers. Once again we will look at the sales data to see what people are buying. Then we will rank the molds by their Infinite rating. Finally, we will ask you to vote for the distance driver that you feel is the best. Then we will compile the information and declare a winner! We will also award one lucky commenter a gift card for their input.
Best Distance Drivers
There is something about the feel of a distance driver that sets it apart from other types of discs. The wide rim makes you feel like there is something significant in your hand, both in terms of mass and of potential distance. The sharper edge has a distinct feeling that is unlike other discs. Their higher speed rating requires a little more effort in your throw, making the movement a little more physical. All of these things add up to a different experience when you throw a distance driver.
The high-speed, or distance driver category has been the bane of many new disc golfers. Someone new to disc golf may not understand that the name of the category refers to how fast the disc must be 
thrown in order to fly like it’s designed to do. Instead, newer players regularly buy discs that they don’t have the skill to be able to throw properly. Therefore, many bad habits might be formed before the disc golfer understands the need to start by throwing lower-speed discs. Lighter plastics can help someone without the arm speed to throw higher speed discs. However, there are benefits to throwing lower speed discs when starting out.
High speed drivers account for slightly over a quarter of all disc sales at Infinite. That’s pretty close to where we could expect it to be. It does trail putters as a category by a couple of percentage points.
To find out which molds were the most popular, I pulled up a list of the top 20 discs that were sold in the past year. Below is a chart with the top discs, along with the percentage of all distance drivers sold:
| Rank | Brand and Mold | % of all distance drivers |
| 1 | Innova Destroyer | 10.5% |
| 2 | Innova Wraith | 9.0% |
| 3 | Infinite Discs Emperor | 6.5% |
| 4 | Infinite Discs Pharaoh | 5.2% |
| 5 | Infinite Discs Maya | 3.2% |
| 6 | Innova Beast | 2.3% |
| 7 | Innova Shryke | 2.1% |
| 8 | Innova Mamba | 2.1% |
| 9 | Discraft Avenger SS | 1.9% |
| 10 | Discraft Nuke | 1.9% |
| 11 | Innova Tern | 1.7% |
| 12 | Discraft Force | 1.5% |
| 13 | MVP Photon | 1.5% |
| 14 | Discraft Surge SS | 1.4% |
| 15 | Discraft Hades | 1.4% |
| 16 | Innova Boss | 1.4% |
| 17 | Discraft Zeus | 1.3% |
| 18 | Discraft Thrasher | 1.3% |
| 19 | Discraft Scorch | 1.2% |
| 20 | Innova Katana | 1.2% |
Brands in the Top 20
Although most people know about the popularity of the Destroyer and Wraith, they may not know that one out of every five distance drivers sold at Infinite is one of those two molds! Those are some successful molds. In addition to holding the top two spots in the category. Innova is also responsible for 8 of the top 20 distance drivers we sell. That ties Discraft, who also holds 8 of the top 20 spots. In a distant third place is Infinite Discs, with 3 of the top 20. There were only four manufacturers in the top 20, and here is a chart with the breakdown:
Although Infinite Discs only had three molds in the top 20, those molds accounted for a significant portion of the distance drivers sold. In fact, sales of Infinite’s three top-20 molds surpassed Discraft’s eight molds in the top 20. Here is a list of the four manufacturers in the top 20, with the percentage of overall distance driver sales for the past year:
Best Rated Discs
Now let’s take a look at the Infinite Discs rating for the top molds. These are the ratings that customers have given each mold when they give a review. The ratings give us a picture of how people feel about 
the disc once they’ve had a chance to throw it. That’s a more accurate indication of the long-term view of people’s opinions of the disc, assuming it’s been around long enough for a significant number of people to rate the mold. Infinite Discs’ Emperor and Pharaoh top the list, with ratings a bit above the rest of the group. Here are the top 20 discs, sorted by Infinite rating:
| Infinite Discs Emperor | 4.75 |
| Infinite Discs Pharaoh | 4.71 |
| Innova Wraith | 4.64 |
| Discraft Zeus | 4.64 |
| Innova Destroyer | 4.63 |
| Innova Tern | 4.61 |
| Innova Shryke | 4.6 |
| Discraft Surge SS | 4.59 |
| Infinite Discs Maya | 4.58 |
| Discraft Hades | 4.58 |
| Discraft Thrasher | 4.58 |
Fan Vote Results
We asked you to let us know which mold you considered to be the best distance driver. You responded by the hundreds, and we’ve compiled a list of the top molds. Just like the top mold sales, the fan vote was all Innova/Infinite. Topping the list wasn’t the popular Destroyer. It was the Wraith, which is like a slightly slower Destroyer. In addition to the brands you would expect to make the list, there were votes for many other brands, including Divergent Discs, Viking, Millennium, Legacy, Axiom, Kastaplast, Thought Space Athletics, and DGA.
Here is a list of the top voted discs, along with the percentage of people who voted for that mold.
| Mold | Percentage of Votes |
| Wraith | 13.9% |
| Destroyer | 9.4% |
| Emperor | 4.5% |
| Pharaoh | 4.1% |
| Maya | 3.7% |
| Boss | 3.4% |
| Grace | 3.0% |
| Mamba | 3.0% |
| DD3 | 2.2% |
| Shryke | 2.2% |
Thanks to everyone who voted!
Let Us Know Your Favorite!
Now it’s your turn to let us know about your favorite distance driver. Even if your disc didn’t make the list, let us know what it is, and why it is the best disc for you or the best driver for beginners. This is a great chance to show people looking for a distance driver why your favorite disc works for you!
Ted Hegemann
Ted is the Chief Writer at Infinite Discs. He is responsible for the State of Disc Golf Survey articles and most of the "best discs" posts. Ted runs all kinds of local disc golf leagues and tournaments and tournaments in Northern Utah.
Has to be the Emperor, just goes farther than wraiths and destroyers for me with a nice stability.
My favorite right now is a DD Fuzion Getaway. I started working on my form recently and as I’ve improved I’ve stepped up to some more stable discs to get more reliable/predictable flights. I randomly got this one at about the time my form started improving and it has just been great for me. Love the feel, and love the flight when I toss it just right.
Love my flat top pro wraith best forehand disc I have ever had the pleasure of throwing
The Infinite Maya is my favorite driver. The gummy C blend feels amazing in-hand, and this disc bombs! It’s the first disc I’ve thrown to +350’…I would recommend it to anyone who wants more distance.
My favorite distance driver for the past year has been the sockibot destroyer. I think I bought about 8 of them during 2021 and I couldn’t be happier with them! They are always so consistent for me weather I throw forehead, or backhand they almost always go where I want them to. Absolute must have for my bag!
My favorite distance driver has to be the star destroyer for sure, which I’m not surprised is listed as the top one. I love this disc because it feels good in my hand and I am able to throw it on multiple lines to get that certain throw that I want. Very versatile disc!
My favorite distance driver is the dynamic discs raider because it’s fast but still workable.
Like many others, my favorite distance driver right now is the Wraith. I love the variety of stabilities in different plastics, which is the main reason I prefer it over my Enigma or Scorch, because it’s easier to find different shot shapes with the one mold. There’s a Wraith (or ten) for anyone that has the arm speed for a distance driver. Plus, they are easy to find cheap and already seasoned in used bins, since it is such a popular mold.
The infinite emperor is the best distance driver I’ve ever thrown! It’s the perfect stability for my advanced level arm and the different plastic blends give a good range of stability differences. Love it so much just wish there were more gblend emperors out there!
I know it doesn’t typically count as a distance driver, but with my level of skill, the Innova TL3 is up there. It is controllable and never surprises you by turning over and burning. Always a touch of fade, even in the wind.
Thrasher/Pharaoh. I have more control with the thrasher and can still throw it pretty far, not as much control with the pharaoh but can really get that one a lot farther. I use the thrasher in the woods and the pharaoh in the open.
I don’t bag many distance drivers however I do bag two Infinite Emperors at different weights and they are my go to when I need to go for it all (~400). I can trust it when I let it go flat to have that gentle turn and easy fade back to where it started, couldn’t ask for more.
For all out distance I use the Katana. For distance control the Beast.
Innova’s Vulcan (13/5/-4/2) — seem to get the best distance for my throw. I’ve got fancier looking ones in my bag, but this is my go-to.
I love the Grace. Lots of glide, a slight turn to help the flight, and the speed isn’t too much for my arm.
Don’t sleep on Discmania Premium Active Line! The Mentor is crazy at -2/2 turn/fade. It is more so understandable and a flat release may end up entirely far right! If you are trying to learn a hyzer flip, this is the disc! Give it a solid hyzer release and you will get a full flight even with bad form. I’ve seen it turn for day with the nosiest of releases! Great beginner disc and for someone learning specific shot angles!
I’m honestly looking forward to throwing Finish Line. I have (3) Eras on pre order. I may find these discs to be my next step up.
For forehand my distance driver is the Heimberg star destroyer. For backhand it’s a Wraith, and for turnovers, the Grym.
My go to driver is the Prodigy D model S. The Wraith is a close second, but for pure distance the Prodigy works best for me.
My favorite distance driver has been my pharaoh . After beating it in for a year now the disc of perfect!
My discraft Anax is my go to driver. I know I can reliably throw a FH or BH and trust in the disc to follow it’s line. By far a disc I recommend all the time to others! Sadly it kinda goes under the radar.