By Steve Hill, Jack Trageser and P.J. Harmer — Rattling Chains staff

What’s in a name?

For most golf discs, not much. Monikers such as Teebird, Roc, Wizard, or Buzzz don’t tell much about how a disc will fly, rather lending themselves to artwork that will attract consumers. It’s the same as a car, beer, or many other products.

For the Resistor, the new fairway driver from MVP Disc Sports, though, the name tells it all.

With a healthy serving of high speed stability, this disc resists turning over on a flat throw, helping it live up to MVP’s “stable-overstable” label.

With a rim width of 1.7 centimeters, the Resistor falls into the same speed class as the aforementioned Teebird, a slower disc that is meant to be used for control and precision. While this represents a step down in speed from MVP’s other driver offerings, I feel it represents addition by subtraction.

By dialing down the rim width, MVP is offering a disc that has the same beefy flight of its other stable-overstable driver, the Shock, while adding a level of reliability that comes from being housed within a more comfortable, easier to control shape.

At 174 grams, my flat-top, hot pink tester was the epitome of stable. When I gassed it, it would fly straight with a forward-penetrating fade at the end of its flight. In this regard, it reminded me of a longer version of the Tensor, MVP’s overstable mid-range.

Also similar to the Tensor was the Resistor’s flight on a hard anhyzer — it would turn a bit but never all the way over, then start to fade back at roughly three quarters of the way through its flight path. So, while it certainly has enough stability to be relied upon for a needed fade on dogleg holes, its not overly piggish to where it cannot be used to shape lines. In fact, I think it makes a better line shaper because you can intentionally torque it and know it will come back without fail.

That’s comforting.

Something else the Resistor resists — damage. I hit this bad boy off a couple of trees at high speed, but you would never know it by looking at the signature overmold that all MVP discs are known for. I’m sure the disc will wear in, but MVP has proven to me, across many molds now, that its plastic is some of the most durable in the business.

While that durability is a plus, I could see it being a negative for some. For example, there are those disc golfers who like to rotate in multiple copies of the same mold in different stages of wear, and with its stability the Resistor would be a phenomenal choice. However, I don’t see this thing beating in quickly enough for it to become straight for quite some time, so unless you want to grab a couple and artificially season one, you might be waiting for some time.

Still, though, that’s a small quibble when it comes to a new disc. With a reliable flight pattern, durable plastic, and extremely visible colors, the Resistor will likely find its way into many bags this fall.

Jack Trageser

In providing three distinct perspectives when we review discs at Rattling Chains, it allows me to provide not only the expert player assessment, but also subjective opinions as well. P.J. and Steve cover the recreational and amateur levels well, so that frees me from having to consider what players of all skill levels might think of a disc.

The Resistor possesses two qualities that I value quite highly — it is stubbornly overstable, and has a completely flat top. The result, for me, is a disc that fits my power grip perfectly, giving me full confidence in being able to throw on the line required to get it to hold straight for the desired length of its flight.

I’m not positive that the flat top is responsible, but I do know that such discs have always felt great in my hand, and experience has also taught me that the most overstable discs tend to have a mind of their own in terms of wanting to immediately fade.

On its website, MVP describes the Resistor as being slower than its other fairway drivers, and lists it on performance charts as not being capable of as much distance.

I tested it side-by-side with the Volt, and time and again found the two landed close to each other. The difference was giving the Resistor a more anhyzer angle and the same amount of power. I also tried hard to put so much angle on some throws that the disc would land on an edge, like a wannabe roller. The Resistor would have none of it, flattening and then starting a fade every time before touching down on the ground.

Whether your preference is to throw most shots on a hyzer angle, anhyzer angle, or flat, the most important quality of any disc is predictability. And when it matters most, such as when you need to avoid OB or hazards where a disc can get lost, players tend to rely on overstable discs more often. I would trust the Resistor on an aggressive anhyzer line with a flight line that took it directly over a slimy OB pond, knowing it has the stuff to fade back to the fairway when I want it to.

Of course, hitting the right line is still up to me, but I know I can count on the Resistor to do it’s part.

P.J. Harmer

I’m always the guy who doesn’t get a lot of things, such as stable, overstable, understable etc.

The way I feel about a disc is by the feel. Initially, as with many other MVP molds, I liked the feel of this disc. The rim is comfortable and the feel of the flatter top lends to a good, solid grip.

From there, my arm couldn’t adjust to this disc.

A few recent MVP releases have ended up in my bag. I carry a relatively small selection of discs as I can usually get things done with fewer discs. Without a lot of power, I don’t need high-speed discs or specialty discs.

For me, the Resistor would fall into that specialty disc category.

I tried several different strengths with the disc — throwing hard, throwing soft and throwing somewhere in the middle. In each one, I didn’t get a lot of distance (which, to be fair, I don’t get as it is) and it faded extremely hard and pretty quickly.

Don’t get me wrong — I could definitely see a purpose for this disc for me. I often get into trees and such and this could be a sweet disc for me to use throwing when I needed a quick fade. Alas, I’m not sure I would use it enough to justify adding the disc.

One thing I’ve found with MVP discs, though, is if they don’t feel right initially, they are worth revisiting. I’m pretty sure if I put this aside for a bit and come back to it, I might have different feelings about it, especially if I can figure out how to make sure it goes straight at first and then hits that fade.

But for those noodle-arm throwers, such as myself, test out the Resistor to make sure it’s a disc you feel you can control. It’s not going to be a disc for everybody, but for those who can control it, it will no doubt be a solid addition to your bag.

Release note: The Resistor is scheduled to be released this Friday, Oct. 4

If you have any comments, questions, thoughts, ideas or anything else, feel free to e-mail me and the crew at: pj@rattlingchains.com. Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter andlike us on Facebook!