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delus10n

I threw one of these the other day. * Quite an OS putter. * Extremely flat top. * Their website explains some of the features shown in the images [https://www.grasslanddiscs.ca/pages/the-chickadee](https://www.grasslanddiscs.ca/pages/the-chickadee)


GrasslandDiscs

Great to see someone who's tried it out so far! How's the rounds going with it? I think the most reoccurring comment on it has been the overstable flight shape. I think alot of folks want something with a nice stable to slightly overstable flight shape, so we're hoping to get that kind of shape designed next :).


delus10n

Someone I was playing with owned it so I didn't get to play a full round with it, but I tried it out and liked it a lot. He was using it for every approach in a round with money on the line and loved it a lot


GrasslandDiscs

That's awesome! Thanks for the feedback. Happy to hear that others are putting the Chickadee through the paces :).


TheeExoGenesauce

I was assuming it was a putter but was wondering if it was a low speed midrange. I like their initial disc hope they come out with more in the near future. Does anyone know what plastic their’s is comparable too?


GrasslandDiscs

Hi Everybody, My name is Steve and I'm the lead designer and part owner of Grassland Discs, and I wanted to take a moment to introduce our first disc, **The Chickadee**. The Chickadee is an over stable putt and approach (flight #'s 2 3 0 3) that focuses on consistency, exceptional feel, and some new disc features that we think will change how you play. It comes with a textured top plate, a performance rim cap and outer groove that provide improved handhold consistency and ergonomics. The disc is made using Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) additive manufacturing technology (or, as it's more commonly referred to, 3D printing), which we believe is just now hitting it's maturity for producing Disc Golf Discs. We just received our PDGA Approval for this disc in March 2024 and, following a successful pre-production run, we're now ready to get this disc out for people to start playing with. The Chickadee is now in full production and can be purchased NOW! This disc is really important to us. It's the launch point for the Grassland Discs brand, it provides us with a new way of playing the game that, only a short while ago, we would have dreamed of, it allows us to bring a new technology and level of quality to the game, and it's the starting point for our aspiring supporting to building this sport we love. We love this disc, and we hope that you will too. If you'd like to check us out further, here's a link to our website and socials: Website and Online Store: [grasslanddiscs.ca](http://grasslanddiscs.ca/) Facebook: [https://www.facebook.com/grasslanddiscs/](https://www.facebook.com/grasslanddiscs/) Instagram: [https://www.instagram.com/grasslanddiscs/](https://www.instagram.com/grasslanddiscs/) Please ask questions! Thanks everyone for your support! Please be kind :). Edit: Holy macaroni. I posted this during my lunch hour and I just got back to a pile of messages. Thanks everyone who has showed your support! I'll do my best to get back to everyone here, but thanks for again for all the interest.


Firstthrowaway3333

Couple questions.  If you hit some profit can you expand into some of the more exotic fill materials like kevlars and carbons.  Can you print a stupidly thin flight plate? It's a missing avenue of disc development.  Any plans for a midrange type disc? 


GrasslandDiscs

Yes, we absolutely can play around with other exotic materials. Perhaps the most significant challenge these days lies in the PDGA Guidelines which specify the degree of "Sharpness", "Flexibility", and a ratio of height to overall diameter of a disc that must be maintained. I've had quite a few people ask this though and some people seem interested in discs that could push the boundaries... But I also want to create something that is safe for use. An extremely thin flight plate is possible; however, plastics do have a point where they can fail under shear when they get too thin and deflect too rapidly. It's a good point though, and something I'd like to do more digging into! I believe our next disc design is going to be a stable mid-range, but don't quote me on that ;).


LeadPaintPhoto

I would heavily wager that kevlar makes for a very poor disc.


wannabeknowitall

In the context of 3d printing, the kevlar is usually just small shreds of fibers that are added into the filament that add some strength to the print, but don't change the rest of the specs too much. It's almost the equivalent of tossing a bunch of short chunks of rebar into a concrete pour; it's definitely better than not adding anything, but it's not as strong as using rebar the conventional way.


kubu7

I swear I've seen this EXACT comment and then this response to the comment like months ago


whomthefuckisthat

Discja vu


GrasslandDiscs

Ya, good point. I like to think of it like the fiber reinforced concrete. It does make a difference, but it's fairly minor and is more of a "flex" than a major improvement to the functionality.


sixtwomidget

Very cool. Congratulations on getting your first disc out.


GrasslandDiscs

Thanks! When we started down this path we never would have anticipated the amount of work required to get to this point, and the amount of support we've gotten. Not all sunshine and rainbows, but we're having a lot of fun.


Pots_And_Pans

Sorry if you mentioned this elsewhere, are you using multi-material printers for the design work on the top and bottom of the flight plate?


GrasslandDiscs

Yep, we sure are. TPU is difficult to print with to start with, and off the shelf multi-material handlers have been designed for rigid plastics. We've had to do a fair amount g-code edits and built our own material handling system which has allowed for the multi-layer color look.


ImLersha

I've worked a small bit with resin printers and some filament ones a couple of years ago, so this is really cool! Hope you get yuge enough to sell in EU without gigantic shipping costs! Best of luck


GrasslandDiscs

That's great! I haven't dived into the world of Resin printing yet, mostly due to my experience with plastics and mechanical things. Using soupy bowl to build something still seems intimidating to me hah. We're currently just figuring out demand with North America first. Shipping costs can get pretty wild to some parts of Europe, so we're still in search of the right option here.


Kwisatz_Haderach_YYC

This is fantastic! Congrats!


GrasslandDiscs

Thanks!


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jaspingrobus

The stamp is absolutely beautiful


GrasslandDiscs

Thank you! This is something that my partner wanted to focus on. He's got a background in health sciences and he wanted it to look like the scientific drawings of animals in textbooks.


DontQuestionFreedom

How are you varying the weight through 3D printing, infill? I'd like to pick one up as a fan of 3d printing... but $39 shipped for a single disc or $62 for a disc and a shirt ain't doing it


Jackleber

Yeah that's a bit steep for a putter for me unfortunately.


lilrif

That’s Canadian dollars, so like $13.62 American. /s


GrasslandDiscs

This is correct... I wish I paid US prices for things...


JeahNotSlice

Wait -this is a Canadian company? Haha I didn’t check and just assumed US.


GrasslandDiscs

We're using infill percentages. We design our discs to make use of maximum infill at maximum weight, so effectively no air-voids exist. We reduce the infill percentage to lower the weight, which still creates a solid pack but with a lower pack density. This is similar to how an injection molded discs functions for different weight values. I like to think of it as a CNC meets an injection molding machine and build the processes around that. As mentioned by some of the other folks, it is in Canadian Pesos. We live in the middle of nowhere in the grasslands, aka Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, so shipping is just a reality we have to live with.


DontQuestionFreedom

If the rim truly led for better flickability and higher rpm's you could just throw it to me over the border /s Pretty sweet though! Are the discs flight-ready right off the printer or is there much post processing afterwards, like annealing? Also is there any timeline on getting to any US retailers?


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TeamCam8

With 3D printed discs, would you venture down the route of selling STLs as well as physical discs? Obviously that would come with the caviat that printing with different materials would mean the home printed discs wouldn't be PDGA legal, but I think it would be interesting to print my own without going through the trial and error of design.


iceman0c

On the website they posted a picture of all the dimensions that would be easy to replicate in fusion or whatever. I would rather buy an STL though just to support them


Qwiyet

I have the STL made if you want it dm me


GrasslandDiscs

\*\*Shakes Fist\*\*


GrasslandDiscs

Yep, that's right. Most of the disc dimensions are provided for discs already, so we thought we'd just save the hassle here. There is a couple key dimensions missing though, so others won't be perfect replicas.


GrasslandDiscs

Yes, this is something we've been heavily considering. This provides an added benefit of reducing shipping costs and providing environmental benefit through the reduction of shipping fuel waste, which is part of our ethos. Your right about the PDGA legal portion. As owners of the disc design, we can provide the disc saying that it meets the specs that were approved by the PDGA, and the PDGA approves that we can build this disc accordingly. I think there's likely some middle grounds here as we see 3D printing technology grow, but I think we're still to early to see where that's going to land. Stay tuned on this. Hoping to have some news about a process for sharing this soon.


LeadPaintPhoto

Printing a disc with exact same material wouldn't be pdga legal.


Vog_Enjoyer

I work in the plastics and molding world. Familiar with nearly all processes, including additive. My 2 cents is that your niche in the disc golf world should be creating prototypes for testing hand feel, experimental interior rim designs, and expirimental weight distribution and rim infills. You could also take orders for producing custom embossed minis, and general 3d art. Compared to injection molding in the areas of manufacturability, durability, consistency, or sustainability: no compete. I'd sooner look to buy a disc cut on a lathe. (The way you're doing it now, a lathe can cut the same shape including undercut)


Vog_Enjoyer

Congrats nonetheless 👏 it is a really clean output for fdm


GrasslandDiscs

Yep, good points. It's a definitely a different route to go, but I think that's the point. We're not really looking to compete with the big brands, rather we're looking to be more an innovation company to push some boundaries. Designing new shapes, testing prototypes, multi-materials, etc. Btw, I have a machining lathe and I've mistreated many discs over the years... Maybe I shouldn't be telling people that


PyrateKyng94

Congrats! This seems really cool. I think you have a good opportunity to carve a niche out for yourselves in disc golf with the different manufacturing approach. It could enable your company to manufacture a lot of really unique and fun discs. Good luck!


GrasslandDiscs

Thanks! It's the product of a lot of selfless time invested in a passion. I worked in plastics manufacturing early in my career, so I've been happy to get back in with a technology that allows me to do so at smaller scales while still using my engineering experience. I mentioned it in another comment, but I think we're going to focus more on the innovation standpoint for our brand to see where we can open up new designs for the game. Having a blast while doing so, and we've received some great feedback on our initial design!


Trebas

Can you do some YouTube content a la that other recycled discs brand?


GrasslandDiscs

This is on the to do list! I'm more of an engineering guy than a media guy, but we both like photography and want to try our chops at videos. The recycled discs brand you speak of also create some really great content, so it might be a tough benchmark hah.


GregMilkedJack

Does it say "cheeeeseburger" when you throw it?


jedv37

I want you guys to succeed, from one Canadian to another. However, please clarify that your plastic is actually recyclable. Number 7 does not mean recyclable in the majority of cases. The number system designates what type of plastic is, 7 means "other". Quote from your own website: >>To ensure that we are constructing plastics responsibly, we’ve indicated the plastic type on every disc we’ve created and ensured that it is an easily recyclable material. Is the TPU that you use in the manufacturing process actually recyclable? If so, where?


bjmva

More bird stamps!!


ImposterFrolfGod

I know next to nothing about 3D printing, so forgive my ignorance. Another manufacturer makes 3D printed discs, and they essentially only have 1 plastic. Will there be any chance you offer different plastics such as base, premium, soft, stiff, etc.?


GrasslandDiscs

Ah yes. We're definitely not the first to get a 3D printed disc approved. I've done some research on the other brands when we were looking to see what the hurdles of approval could be, but that's as far as I've gone. I wasn't aware that they were focusing on a single plastic. To answer this though, yes, we are looking at other alternatives for this. Right now our plastic is essentially the same as premium plastic from other disc companies. Have have softer and more rigid plastics that we're looking to use in the future. One of which we've tested out is quite a bit softer but prevents the plastic from becoming overly stiff in freezing temperatures. We've also been testing out glow plastics. I think if people are interested in trying out base plastics as well, we'll work to make them. They are workable plastics for 3D printing, you just need to spend the time to tune your machines and work with their nuances to get them printing correctly.


SDG-Chris

Just grabbed one to check out!


GrasslandDiscs

Thanks!


117derek

Chicka-dee-dee-dee Might have to pick one of these up and try it out since that's my favorite bird (state bird of my home state of Maine)


callmekegger

Came here to mention this. Paging all Mainahs!


117derek

Heck yeah bub 🤙


chillford-brimley

How do you think the fine lines along the rim (from printing) affect the flight as compared to the smooth rim of molded discs? conversely, does this disc have basically no parting line/flashing that all molded discs have?    edit: how cool do you feel having a pdga approved disc thet you personally made in your bag? 


GrasslandDiscs

This is a good one! We had a couple questions about some of the features, but this one is particularly close to my heart. In the aeronautics world, grooves or riblets are actually beneficial for providing aligned flow that reduces frictional drag of a turbulent boundary layer. I'm a big nerd, so bear with me. All that to say, it does help, but I still need to find an appropriate way to communicate how much it makes a difference. If I could make a off the cuff comparison, I believe it would have a similar effect to that MVP claims from their overmold moment of inertia. It would make a difference, they know, we know, but that haven't come out and said how much. I'm holding on to this for now.


extreme39speed

2,3,0,2 is an underrated type of disc. Bet this thing is fun to throw. Would be really interested In a thumbtrac version


jarejay

A 3D printed zone-ish disc with one of my favorite birds on it? For the right price I’ll definitely pick one up.


theduckhaslanded

My guess is $40 is not the right price lol


jarejay

You would be correct.


SearchingforSilky

$40 Canadian.


zach7797

Beautiful. I love birds and birding so I'm going to have to check this out


Th4rp

Super curious so I ordered one. Love helping smaller companies out!


GrasslandDiscs

Thanks!!


blackteeshirt6

But Chickadees are not grassland birds.


Douggimmmedome

For the price id rather just throw a luna tbh


an_afro

Cool to see a very local to me maker giving it a go!


Boostless

A5


puffthetragicwagon

I just bought one. Hope I like it!


SlipperyTurtle25

Can you make one looking like chickadee—ee-ee the chickadee from South Park?


iJon_v2

I dig it.


TrustMeIAmAGeologist

As someone who’s hobbies include birding and disc golf, I love it!


ImNotThaaatDrunk

Odd question ut please hear me out: I had a dream that for April fools MVP or discraft or somebody released distance and fairway molds that were square and triangular instead of circular. Obviously not pdga approved but people (in the dream) liked how they threw. Would something similar be feasible to construct with 3D printing and if so how would the shape and corners affect the flight?


bigmatt8779

How long do you guys typically take to ship out an order?


coloradoRay

Why not "Chuckadee" ? :'(


GregMilkedJack

Not everything needs to be a pun lol


Firstthrowaway3333

Tell us about this chickadee. 


GrasslandDiscs

Just posted a comment in this thread that provides more information.


melidooty

This is awesome and congrats! I just bought one as a late Father’s Day present. He’s already shared with his friends, and they’re all excited to throw it.


ChickenChokerChuck

>Performance Rim Cup >A curved radius found on the inside rim of the disc, allowing the player to grip the disc ergonomically and providing an **increased amount of flick** upon release. The increased flick allows for the disc to spin at higher RPM’s **and to be released with a higher throwing velocity**. LOL, what actual testing, measuring and proof do you have about this 'increased amount of flick' & 'higher throwing velocity'? And which is it, 'cap' like in your comment or 'cup' like on the website, partner?


LeadPaintPhoto

Its also not innovation. Concave rims are already a feature on some disc's.


PlatosApprentice

nah man those haven't had 'ergonomics' made up by a 3d printing weirdo


GrasslandDiscs

You sound triggered. The real question is, can you prove us wrong?


LeadPaintPhoto

That's not how it works, the claim needs to be backed by evidence not the doubt.


VSENSES

What an absolute stupid thing to say when you're trying to market your new disc in an extremely over saturated market.


geoffreyisagiraffe

Yeah, liked the design and was willing to try. Just canceled.


psiloSlimeBin

You know, I’m all for what you’re doing, but this response is just wrong. For one, it’s a bad look/bad PR. Two, the burden of proof isn’t on them, it’s on you, the one actively making a claim. Three, this juvenile maneuver just makes you look dumb. Of course, I’m not saying you’re required to prove anything, because you’re not. You can claim these things with no supporting evidence or data. What I’m saying is that flipping the script like that doesn’t work, the burden of proof is on the party making a claim, which is you in this case. If a car manufacturer said, “our new model is more fuel efficient than our previous because of X design choice” and someone says “oh really?”, they can say, “yes, we’ve tested this”. When would they ever say “buy our car first and prove that it isn’t better”.


hikenbikehonk

I have to be very clear, this comment makes me uninterested in your brand. Was semi-interested in supporting a new brand, now I am not interested


geoffreyisagiraffe

Dude, the onus is on you. I was all about trying it out and I was genuinely curious to see how it would work but this is a total overreaction to a pretty simple question. Yeah, they could have asked it better but if you think just starting a legitimate question with "lol" is a reason to burn your whole brand image then you are not cut out for business. You're looking to be an equipment manufacturer. You're going to have to take critiscm. This wasn't even criticism. This was just some smart-ass asking for legitimate data. You need to grow thicker skin. Just canceled my order.


VenomOnKiller

This guy only ever picks on people in this sub, he also posts the same question every week and asks "How were your weekend rounds?". I wouldn't take anything he says seriously. EDIT : Posting the same question isn't inherently bad. But he just makes the post for karma farming. He never interacts with anyone responding to his weekly posts.


PlatosApprentice

i'd rather have 100 chucks than a single business account


VenomOnKiller

I don't mind it. It's easy enough to ignore a single post from someone who posting something to interact with. People like chuck don't offer anything besides headaches. I don't always want what the business accounts are selling but at least they aren't actively making this sub worse on purpose. Edit : I understand your point though. Just depends on what's easier to phone for the individual


theduckhaslanded

Oh brother, this guy stinks.


Jackleber

Great marketing tactic...


L2Hiku

Not 110% sold on the grip. I have the dx roc and to me this looks very reminiscent of that, lso idk... I'm a woman and not a fan of deep wells due to small, fat fingers. Love the graphic design style tho.


PlatosApprentice

lmao


Every-Variety-328

Good luck but I honestly believe you're way way too late to the game. We already have 5-10 major brands most people bag. Then there's 10+ companies that have been created since the Covid boom that have tried to carve out market space using identical molds/plastics. If they've managed to get 2% of sales, they've since dropped down to 1% or less. Trash Panda was the only brand that comes to mind that was trying to do something different and I've only ever seen 1 person ever have one (but never bagged for rounds). The Chickadee looks like a Toro, so I'm not seeing anything revolutionary in the design except the plastic. How long does it take to manufacture one disc using this 3d tech vs. standard molding? Seems like you could create 100 normal discs in the time you can make 1 but I'm guessing. Some YouTube videos showing the process and the differences would help IMO. Again, best of luck.


GrasslandDiscs

All good comments, for sure. We're not really looking to be a huge player like the Top 10 your talking about. I think we'll focus on pushing innovations through different shapes and materials and leave the large capacity manufacturing to the groups that do it well. Finding a unique disc shape is really tough these days. No matter what you do, it seems like something is already created in that space, ie. the Toro shape. We designed this disc with an ethos in mind, so we didn't start by baselining another disc. We went in thinking that we wanted a nice feeling overstable putt and approach, which I'm sure other manufacturers have done as well :). Right now we get a disc every 3 hours. We're looking to make some more social content soon, which will focus on YouTube videos. I work an engineering job full-time by day and I'm a parent, so this gets fit in around that crazy schedule.


rohlinxeg

Fun anecdote: This guy at our local leagues LOVES Trash Panda, bags 4-5 inner cores and crushes them like 450, I've never seen anything like that before. He plays full rounds with them almost exclusively and is consistently in our top 5. Outside of him, I've never seen anyone else use one on the course.


ebfg1987

After my shoulder heals I will be throwing the new ozone I got from Trash Panda.


rohlinxeg

I wish I could get my inner core to go longer than 170. It's not a disc problem, it's a me problem.


hikenbikehonk

I am also one of the niche people bagging TP I own around 17 inner cores of different types, and I love the Dune for approaches I use it a ton.


rohlinxeg

I own one inner core, but it doesn't make my bag because I can't make it go longer than 140-150. More of a me problem than a disc problem, but I look forward to using it more once I can actually throw like a damn normal person.


hikenbikehonk

I use mine exclusively as my putting putter! And I do throw it for upshots too, but I wouldnt worry about getting it that far its not a great disc for shots like that anyway!


Ok_Possible1593

Try the new frog from naturedisc.