Westside Hatchet vs Innova Wraith: Which Driver Adds Distance?

The Westside Hatchet is a 9/6/-2/1 understable fairway driver and the Innova Wraith is an 11/5/-1/3 stable-to-overstable distance driver — two discs that land on the same shortlist because both are pitched as the disc that finally adds distance, but they add it in opposite ways. The Hatchet buys distance with glide and turn at a speed most arms can reach. The Wraith buys it with speed and a wide rim, and asks for the power to use them.

The comparison really comes down to one question: can you get an 11-speed up to its rated flight? If yes, the Wraith is the better disc. If not, the Hatchet will out-throw it — sometimes by a lot.

The quick answer

• Pick the Hatchet if: your drives land under roughly 300 feet, you want a fairway driver that flips up and rides a long S-curve without punishing a slightly imperfect release, or you want an approachable speed-9 that doubles as a tailwind turnover and roller disc.
• Pick the Wraith if: you're already comfortable throwing a fairway driver flat and want your first true distance driver, you throw forehands, or you play in wind where an understable disc turns into a liability.
• Both, actually: these two don't overlap. A Hatchet in the understable fairway slot and a Wraith in the workhorse distance slot is a coherent pairing for an intermediate bag — see the beginner buying guide for how the slots fit together.

Flight numbers compared

Every one of the four numbers differs, and the physical dimensions tell the same story.

The 0.4 cm of rim width is the number to sit with. A 1.9 cm rim is fairway-driver territory — the same width as a Teebird or a Leopard3. A 2.3 cm rim is genuinely a distance-driver rim, and it changes both the grip and the arm speed the disc needs. The Hatchet is also noticeably taller at 2.0 cm versus 1.6 cm, so it sits domier in the hand while the Wraith feels flat and blade-like. If any of the four flight numbers are unfamiliar, start with the flight numbers guide.

Which one actually flies farther?

On paper the Wraith, by two speed classes. In practice it depends entirely on whether you can reach its flight window.

The Wraith's whole reputation is as a "baby Destroyer" — it sits one notch below the Destroyer in both speed (11 vs 12) and rim width (2.3 cm vs 2.5 cm), and developing players routinely get more distance out of a Wraith than a Destroyer for exactly that reason: the narrower rim needs less arm to reach peak flight. It has been Innova's default answer to "I want a distance driver but the Destroyer just fades out" since 2005.

But 11-speed is still 11-speed. Below the power threshold, a Wraith stalls, fades early, and lands short of a well-thrown fairway driver. The Hatchet is built for that gap. Its 9 speed pairs with a 6 glide — the highest glide of the two by a full point — and reviewers routinely describe it as "sneaky long," a control driver that keeps gliding past where most fairway molds quit. Thrown flat or on slight hyzer, the -2 turn flips it up and it rides a long, gentle S-curve that finishes with only a single point of fade.

The honest framing: the Hatchet is the disc that gets you to 300 feet. The Wraith is the disc that takes you past it once you're there.

How differently do they finish?

This is the biggest practical difference and it's worth more than the speed gap. Fade 1 versus fade 3 is the difference between a disc that drifts to a stop and a disc that hooks.

• Hatchet (-2 turn, 1 fade): a long right-then-gently-left shape for a right-hand backhand thrower, with a finish soft enough that it lands close to where it was pointed. Good for hitting gaps and holding lines; bad if you need the disc to come back.
• Wraith (-1 turn, 3 fade): a mild turn that flexes back into a definite, dependable left finish. It's the disc for long anhyzer lines that need to flex home, and for hyzer-flip-to-flat shapes that finish stable rather than rolling away.

That 3 fade means the Wraith is far more useful on wooded holes where a shot has to end where you planned, and on lines that need a hard finish around an obstacle. The Hatchet's job is the opposite — it holds the line and stops arguing.

Which handles wind better?

The Wraith, without much debate. An understable 9-speed with 6 glide is exactly the profile a headwind attacks: wind adds effective airspeed, the disc turns over further than intended, and the single point of fade isn't enough to bring it back. The Hatchet's high glide also makes it more susceptible to getting lifted and pushed around.

The Wraith's -1/3 profile absorbs the same headwind by flattening out rather than flipping, and Champion-plastic Wraiths run more overstable still and resist turn longer — the standard headwind setup. Flip the wind direction and the advantage flips too: in a tailwind, the Hatchet's turn becomes free distance, and it's a natural pick for tailwind anhyzers and rollers.

What about forehands?

Forehand throws impart more torque and are more prone to wobble, which is why they usually want a more stable disc. The Wraith is explicitly a forehand-capable mold — it holds up on forehand distance drives at moderate power, and Nate Sexton has carried it, with Ricky Wysocki bagging it historically.

The Hatchet can be thrown forehand, but a -2 turn rating means a hard sidearm will turn it over and often roll it. Use it forehand deliberately — as a turnover or a roller — rather than as a stock forehand driver. If a dedicated understable-brand forehand disc is what you're after, look at a stable fairway like the Discraft Undertaker (9/5/-1/2) or MVP Tesla (9/5/-1/2) instead.

Plastic options

The two come from different factories with entirely different plastic families.

• Hatchet (Westside): VIP is the premium standard and the long-lasting stock option; VIP-X is the more overstable premium run, which is the one to look at if the stock -2 turn is more than you want; Tournament is the mid-tier blend; Origio Burst is the base-plastic run that beats in fastest; VIP Air is the light, porous variant.
• Wraith (Innova): Champion holds the factory flight longest and runs the most overstable; Star is the standard premium with better grip; GStar adds flexibility and handles cold better; DX and Pro are the base blends that beat in quickest and open up more turn.

Because understable discs get more understable as they wear, plastic choice matters more for the Hatchet than for the Wraith — a beat-in VIP Hatchet becomes a reliable touch-turnover disc, which is great if that's the goal and frustrating if it isn't. For the full breakdown see the plastics guide and the Champion vs Star comparison.

Two different lineages

The Wraith was PDGA approved on August 15, 2005 (certification 05-15) and has been in continuous production for two decades — evidence that the 11-speed / -1 / 3 slot suits everyday tournament play about as well as any mold in the sport. Innova has run a long tail of limited and tournament editions, including Pro Worlds stamps and Color Glow Champion runs, which have a collector following.

The Hatchet was PDGA approved on October 28, 2013 (certification 13-68), part of Westside's early lineup. Westside is one of the three Trilogy brands made at Latitude 64's factory in Sweden alongside Latitude 64 and Dynamic Discs, sharing tooling and plastics across the three names. Its high-glide understable profile has kept it a starter-set staple ever since.

How to choose

1. How far do you currently drive? Under about 300 feet, the Hatchet will almost certainly go farther. Comfortably past it, the Wraith opens up.
2. Do you need the disc to finish left? Fade 3 versus fade 1 is the real decision. If your misses are long and right, the Wraith fixes them.
3. Do you throw forehand or play in wind? Both point to the Wraith.
4. Are you learning hyzer-flips or rollers? Both point to the Hatchet.

If you're moving up from a Leopard3 or Sidewinder, the Hatchet is the natural next step and the Wraith is the step after that.

If neither is quite right

• Innova Beast — a 10/5/-2/2 understable distance driver that splits the difference: more speed than the Hatchet, more turn than the Wraith.
• Innova Archon — an 11/5/-2/2 stable distance driver; a Wraith-speed disc with a friendlier finish.
• Westside King — Westside's 14/5/-1/4 distance driver, the big-arm end of the same lineup as the Hatchet.
• Dynamic Discs Escape — a 9/5/-1/2 stable fairway from the same Trilogy factory if the Hatchet's -2 turn is too much.
• Innova Tern — a 12/6/-3/2 understable distance driver for players who want the Hatchet's shape at Wraith-plus speed.

Related

• Innova Wraith vs Destroyer
• Innova Sidewinder vs Leopard3
• Understable vs overstable: stability explained
• What is glide in disc golf?
• The complete flight numbers guide

Compare these two discs with overlaid flight paths in the comparison tool.