Best Midrange Disc of 2020
Our quest to find the most popular discs of 2020 continues this week by examining the data to find the best midrange disc. We’ve looked at the best drivers as a whole, distance drivers, control drivers, and now midrange discs. A usual, we’ll look at the sales for 2020 so far, and compare that to the reviews and ratings for the year. Then, we’ll count your votes by looking at the comments on this blog. We’ll add up all of these categories and declare a winner.
Best Disc Golf Midrange Discs
| Sales Rank | Star Rating | Fan Vote | Average | |
| Discraft Buzzz | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Innova Mako3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2.7 |
| Innova Roc3 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 4.3 |
| Innova Roc | 3 | 5 | 7 | 5 |
| Discraft Buzzz SS | 6 | 3 | 8 | 5.7 |
The Discraft Buzzz Swept all three categories to take the title of the best midrange disc. Discraft also took six of the top ten spots, with Innova sporting three molds in the top ten. Dynamic Discs’ Emac Truth fills the number six spot, and is the lone non-Discraft/Innova manufacturer.
Midrange discs, or mid’s, fill the ‘gap’ between putters and fairway drivers. Not quite as easy to control as putters, their ability to be thrown slower than a fairway driver makes them a great choice for technical shots, shot shaping, and controlling the ground action once they touch down. The rim of a midrange feels slightly more ‘meaty’ in your hand than a putter. The flights, like all categories of discs, range from flippy to very overstable.
Most people have a few different mid’s in their bag for a variety of needs. The midrange disc is probably one of the easier discs to shape. I’ve heard many people say that if they played a one-disc round, they would choose a midrange as their single disc. That shows the versatility of this class of disc.
The Perfect Combination
In addition to choosing a disc for its flight, the feel of the disc can vary from disc to disc. Some are beaded, while others are beadles. Some have a sharper rim, while others are rounded. The depth of the rim can vary a bit, adding to the feel of the disc. And of course, the plastic type affects the feel. All of those factors go into how we choose our discs. One manufacturer has apparently found the best of all of these characteristics to create an amazingly successful mold: the Buzzz.
Top Sellers of 2020
When we look at the top sales for each category (Distance driver, control driver, midrange, and putt/approach) there are molds that are clearly in first place. Meaning, significantly ahead of the next closest competitor. In no other category was this gap between first and second place as big as the midrange disc. The Discraft Buzzz was not only way ahead of the second place Mako3 in sales, it was ahead of the next four molds combined!
Keep in mind, we separated the sibling discs, the Buzzz OS and Buzzz SS, into their own sales numbers. That means the sales domination is held by the Buzzz, and the Buzzz alone. We have sold more Buzzz’s than the bottom half of the top 20 molds! Let’s take a look at the top 20 midrange discs according to sales.
| Rank | Midrange Brand and Mold |
| 1 | Discraft Buzzz |
| 2 | Innova Mako3 |
| 3 | Innova Roc |
| 4 | Innova Roc3 |
| 5 | Discraft Comet |
| 6 | Discraft Buzzz SS |
| 7 | Discraft Malta |
| 8 | Dynamic Discs EMac Truth |
| 9 | Discraft Buzzz OS |
| 10 | Discraft Meteor |
| 11 | Discraft Archer |
| 12 | MVP Reactor |
| 13 | Discraft SOL |
| 14 | Discraft Wasp |
| 15 | Innova Shark |
| 16 | Prodigy M4 |
| 17 | Infinite Discs Anubis |
| 18 | Kastaplast Kaxe Z |
| 19 | Innova Gator |
| 20 | Dynamic Discs Truth |
The Discraft Domination
Discraft dominates the category, with six of the top ten discs manufactured by them. Innova has a few molds in the mix, with the Dynamic Discs’ EMac Truth the sole mold in the top ten that is not an Innova or Discraft disc. Then next ten spots contains molds by MVP, Prodigy, and Kastaplast, in addition to Innova, Discraft, and Dynamic Discs.
The Buzzz was approved as a mold in 2003, so it has had time to gather a following. Its straight flight makes the Buzzz popular among all skill levels. The gentle turn and equally soft fade make the disc shapeable and able to meet a large variety of shot needs. Throw in a variety of plastic types, with a dash of swirly colors, and mix in the names of a world champion or two to get an undisputed winner of the most midrange sales of 2020.
Rating and Reviews
You, the customer, spoke volumes in voting with your wallet. And you made it equally clear with your reviews and ratings how you felt about the mold. The Buzzz was, again, above the competition in ratings and favorable reviews. Here are the top molds and their ratings.
| Disc Mold | Star Rating | # of 2020 Reviews | Weighted Score |
| Discraft Buzzz | 4.8 | 70 | 5.44 |
| Innova Mako3 | 4.74 | 40 | 4.95 |
|
Discraft Buzzz SS
|
4.72 | 20 | 4.65 |
|
Kastaplast Kaxe Z
|
4.92 | 6 | 4.65 |
| Innova Roc | 4.71 | 19 | 4.62 |
| Discraft Archer | 4.81 | 9 | 4.58 |
| Innova Roc3 | 4.55 | 27 | 4.58 |
|
Dynamic Discs EMac Truth
|
4.7 | 16 | 4.57 |
|
Discraft Buzzz OS
|
4.68 | 17 | 4.57 |
| MVP Reactor | 4.83 | 6 | 4.56 |
| Discraft Comet | 4.63 | 17 | 4.52 |
| Prodigy M4 | 4.77 | 4 | 4.47 |
| Discraft Meteor | 4.69 | 9 | 4.46 |
| Discraft Malta | 4.65 | 10 | 4.44 |
| Innova Shark | 4.46 | 21 | 4.40 |
|
Infinite Discs Anubis
|
4.66 | 6 | 4.39 |
| Innova Gator | 4.55 | 9 | 4.32 |
|
Dynamic Discs Truth
|
4.54 | 7 | 4.28 |
| Discraft Wasp | 4.44 | 5 | 4.15 |
| Discraft SOL | 4.16 | 4 | 3.86 |
Best Midrange Discs of 2020
Combining the top ten of each list we have the following discs in the running for the best midrange:
- Discraft Buzzz
- Innova Mako3
- Innova Roc
- Innova Roc3
- Discraft Comet
- Discraft Buzzz SS
- Discraft Malta
- Dynamic Discs EMac Truth
- Discraft Buzzz OS
- Discraft Meteor
- Kastaplast Kaxe Z
- Discraft Archer
- MVP Reactor
This Year Compared to All-Time Sales
I wanted to see how the list of the top sellers for 2020 compared to the top sellers since Infinite started, so I pulled up the sales records for all midrange discs sold by Infinite and compared the two lists. I added the year that the all-time best sellers were approved, so we can see how some of the newer molds compare to some of the older molds. The oldest mold on the top 10 all-time discs is the Roc, which was approved in 1987. The newest discs on the all-time list is a tie between the Roc3 and the Mako3. Both were approved on the same date in 2017. Here is the comparison.
| All-Time Sales Rank | Mold | Year Approved | 2020 Sales Rank | Mold |
| 1 | Discraft Buzzz | 2003 | 1 | Discraft Buzzz |
| 2 | Innova Roc3 | 2017 | 2 | Innova Mako3 |
| 3 | Innova Mako3 | 2017 | 3 | Innova Roc3 |
| 4 | Innova Roc | 1987 | 4 | Innova Roc |
| 5 | Discraft Comet | 1995 | 5 | Discraft Comet |
| 6 | Dynamic Discs EMac Truth | 2016 | 6 | Discraft Buzzz SS |
| 7 | Discraft Buzzz SS | 2008 | 7 | Discraft Malta |
| 8 | Discraft Buzzz OS | 2014 | 8 | Dynamic Discs EMac Truth |
| 9 | Discmania MD3 | 2013 | 9 | Discraft Buzzz OS |
| 10 | Innova Gator | 2000 | 10 | Discraft Meteor |
Although the total number of sales for a given mold may not indicate how popular it will continue to be in the future, it does show how big of an impact the older discs have made over time. It also shows how the newer discs have started out in popularity.
Average Yearly Sales
Although it isn’t necessarily an even comparison, I took an average yearly sales number for each mold in the top all-time molds to see how that changed the rankings. Here is what I found.
| Rank, Average Yearly Sales | Mold | Year PDGA Approved |
| 1 | Innova Roc3 | 2017 |
| 2 | Discraft Buzzz | 2003 |
| 3 | Innova Mako3 | 2017 |
| 4 | Dynamic Discs EMac Truth | 2016 |
| 5 | Innova Roc | 1987 |
| 6 | Discraft Comet | 1995 |
| 7 | Discraft Buzzz OS | 2014 |
| 8 | Discmania MD3 | 2013 |
| 9 | Discraft Buzzz SS | 2008 |
| 10 | Innova Gator | 2000 |
Fan Voting Results: Best Midrange Disc 2020
| Mold | Percentage of Votes |
| Discraft Buzzz | 26.1% |
| Innova Roc3 | 7.2% |
| Dynamic Discs EMac Truth | 7.2% |
| Innova Mako3 | 5.8% |
| Discraft Comet | 4.3% |
| Westside Tursus | 2.9% |
| Westside Warship | 2.9% |
| Latitude 64 Fuse | 2.9% |
| Discmania MD4 | 2.9% |
| Discraft Meteor | 2.9% |
The fan voting for the best midrange disc was certainly lopsided. Although there were votes that were cast for dozens of different molds, the Discraft Buzzz was easily the fan favorite. The Buzzz flight has a little turn and a soft fade making it a shapeable, controllable, straight flying disc. A voter with username Tay pretty much summed up the Buzzz:
– The Buzzz “really can do any shot. My new favorite (shot) with it is the forehand flex. Wow!”
A few Trilogy molds made the top 10 in fan voting, but were not in the top ten for sales nor star ratings. Westside’s Tursus and Warship made the fan-favorite list. Also, the Latitude 64 Fuse received about 3% of the votes. Numerous smaller manufacturers received one or two votes. Even Vibram received one vote with their Obex.
Best Midrange Discs for Beginners
While many of the recommended best mids are great for players of all skill level, more understable discs work better (and fly straighter) for beginners. From our top mids above, these are the five best midrange discs for beginners:
- Westside Tursus
- Latitude 64 Fuse
- Discraft Meteor
- Infinite Discs Anubis
- Innova Mako3
What do you think is the Best Midrange Disc of 2020?
We want to hear what you think is the best midrange disc. And we want to hear why you like that disc. What makes your favorite disc so valuable to you? If your favorite mid didn’t make the list, we still want to hear what it is. Comment below to help our readers select the best midrange disc.
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.
MVP Matrix has to be not only my favorite midrange but also favorite disc that I own. Super comfortable and great feeling disc and a dead straight flyer with a little bit of fade at the end (or get one in electron plastic for more understability). My bag wouldn’t be complete without one (or two, or three, or …).
As a new player I’ve only tried the Shark and Buzzz, but I’d have to lean towards the Buzzz as my favorite so far. Hoping to try a few more soon!
I love the Buzzz it is my best midrange in my bag, I can put it on any line and it will hold it. But I also have recently like my prodigy M4 and can get a little more speed on it but I would still pick the buzzz as my favorite and best midrange disc.
My favorite midrange that will never leave my bag is the Innova Atlas. This is mostly for sentimental reasons as it was my first midrange. I really learned to shape shots with the Atlas and it is still a staple in my game.
I’m on the road quite a bit for my job and for years I’ve carried a Roc with me because if there was a course in the area I was at I could play a round with just that disc. Recently though the Buzz has replaced it, it does everything so well I have to give it the nod for best midrange.
I’ve thrown the Champion Buzzz since I really got into the game and it’s always been Mr Reliable. Have to try some others for sure, but I’m sure it’ll be hard to beat.
Champion????? Buzzz
Dont get confused because you dont know about the secret run of champion Buzzes. Maybe he meant world champ Buzzz
I have the Buzz and Mako3 both are straight shooters. But the Champion Mako3 I’ve seen more shots go into the basket from outside the circle. It has a slightly larger wingspan and seems to glide to its target.
Buzzz all the way. Literally, it will get you all the way to the basket no problems. Plus, there’s a variety of Buzzz’z so you get a full tool box with them.
I only have room for 10 discs in my bag. Three of those slots are occupied by the Buzzz.
The Lat 64 Opto Compass is my workhorse. It is consistent, versatile, with a great feel in hand and smooth release. I can putt with it, and the glide with a good snap equals or betters many fairway models.
My go to mid is RPMs Piwakawaka. Throw it flat with good spin and it will fly dead straight for distance. Nose up a little for a slight fade at the end. Cosmic plastic is absolutely beautiful and very durable. My TriFly Z line Buzzz (great looking disc) seems slow in comparison and does not get the distance as the Piwa. It is has a good bit of fade as well. The Buzzz has its place for me but if I had to choose one its the Piwakawaka all the way
My Favorite Midrage is a Roc or Roc3. I consider them almost the same disc. I would have to say I would love to say the roc. It is so classic that I openly say, “If you don’t know what to do throw a Roc.” So go ROC.
I have been digging the star mako3 (176g) it is so straight. It finnishes so straight. It holds anhyzers for a super long time. It rides the angle you put it on. And you can throw it super hard.
Buzzz is the the champ. I’ve been mixing in a tour series MJ Meteor which is fantastic and just recently started using a gateway element which I’m quickly falling in love with.
Ever since I got my buzzz I’ve loved it, I could throw it accurately as a beginner and now as my game progresses I’m able to get a beautiful flex out of it or keep it on a hyzer and it’ll do anything I need it to. I vote buzzz because it’s been my go to for so long
I’ve been loving both the EMAC Truth and Lion. Both hold up well to FH drives.
You can’t argue with results. The Buzzz is my favorite midrange, though I also have a lot of love for its flippy brother, the Buzzz SS.
I always bag my Z Buzzz which is adorned with a stamp from Magic Hat Brewing Co. My other favorite is my first run McBeth ESP Buzzz.
If anybody ever gives an answer other than Buzzz for their “single disc round” disc, they’re crazy.
My favorite didn’t make the list, but it’s probably because for many players it’s more overstable than they like. For me though, no mid is better than the Westside Bard. In VIP plastic they hold their stability for a long time and and always have a nice slow fade late to increase the accuracy. The Origio ones beat into the best all around mid you could ask for even though they are generally a bit more overstable than even the VIP ones new.
Great disc overall.
My favorite mid range disc is my Innova Star Mako3. It flies really straight and is amazing for backhand upshots. I was having trouble hitting around 150 ft upshots with my shark, so I got the Mako3 to get better at those shots, and it has really improved my rounds. It has also helped with nose angles because it’s a flatter disc, so I can see the nose angles better.
I’ll take my infinite disc chariot. It’s super strait and will hold pretty much any line I put it on.