Contents
  1. Overview
  2. Flight characteristics
  3. Recommended uses
  4. Plastics & variants
  5. History
  6. Notable throwers
  7. Similar discs

The Innova Max is a 11-speed very overstable distance driver. With published flight numbers of 11 / 3 / 0 / 5, it is most often described as suited for full-power drives into strong headwinds, forehand drives that must not turn over.

Overview

The Innova Max is an 11-speed distance driver rated 11/3/0/5 — one of the most overstable high-speed molds Innova has ever produced.[2] Innova describes it as "a fast, overstable power driver with significant glide" and "much like a faster Firebird or Monster," recommending it for headwind drives, power players and windy conditions.[2] IsaacSam frames it as "the polar opposite of a Skeeter," designed for players who found Firebirds flippy, and notes that before the Discmania Tilt arrived, a Metal Flake Max was arguably the most overstable disc money could buy.[1] The PDGA measured the mold at 21.2cm diameter, 1.9cm height and a 2.2cm rim, with a 176.0g maximum.[3]

Flight characteristics

Flight numbers: manufacturer vs. community
SourceSpeedGlide TurnFade
Innova (mfg) 11 3 0 5 Published spec
Discpedia community Loading ratings…

Flight numbers describe the published behavior of the disc when thrown at its design speed. Real-world flight varies with plastic, weight, age, and thrower power. The community-averaged numbers above reflect crowd-sourced observations from real throws — typically slightly more understable than the manufacturer's published values, which is the most consistent pattern across nearly every commercial mold.

The Max is a power player's wind tool rather than an everyday driver. Innova positions it for forehand drives, anhyzer flex shots and spike hyzers, calling it "predictable and dependable into the wind" and "designed for more experienced players with powerful backhands or sidearm throwers."[2] IsaacSam adds that for anyone who is not a bomber the Max is essentially a utility disc, popular for thumbers, flex forehands, forehand rollers and skip shots because the rim suits those releases.[1] Team Innova's Steve Wisecup describes it simply as flying "like a very long Firebird."[2]

Best for:

  • Full-power drives into strong headwinds
  • Forehand drives that must not turn over
  • Force-over anhyzer flex lines that always come back
  • Thumbers and forehand rollers
  • Spike hyzers that need a hard, dumping finish

Plastics & variants

The Max is available in the following plastic blends from Innova:[2]

Star, Metal Flake Champion

Plastic blend significantly affects flight character. Premium plastics like Champion, Z, or C-Line generally fly more overstable when fresh and hold their stability over time. Base plastics like DX, Pro, or Active beat in faster and become more understable workhorses with use.

History

The Max was PDGA-approved on 21 September 2006 under certification number 06-40.[3] IsaacSam records that it went out of production because there were not enough players throwing far enough to justify a full production run, but that Innova still makes limited runs of the mold regularly — and Innova's own product page now lists Star Max as "Out of Production."[1][2] Old PFN (pre-flight-number) Maxes and Metal Flake Champion Maxes are collectible, the latter partly through their association with Eagle McMahon, who was known to throw one; IsaacSam also notes Ricky Wysocki habitually carried a Max or Monster.[1] The Max in turn displaced the Champion Monster in many bags, and Innova's 2023 Juggernaut occupies broadly the same very-overstable, high-speed slot — Innova's own retail arm compares the two directly, listing the Max at 11/3/0/5 against the Juggernaut's 12/4/1/4.[1][4]

Notable throwers

Eagle McMahon, Ricky Wysocki

Similar discs

References & further reading

Sources

Content on this page has been cross-checked against the following sources. Numbered citations in the prose above link to the matching entry here.

  1. "Every Single Innova Disc, Part 7 (Hydra – Max)" — u/IsaacSam98 on r/discgolf (dedicated Max chapter: flight numbers, overstability, OOP status, Eagle McMahon and Ricky Wysocki)
  2. Max — Innova Disc Golf (official product page: flight ratings, dimensions, approval date, Steve Wisecup review)
  3. Max from Innova Champion Discs — PDGA Approved Disc Record (cert 06-40)
  4. Innova Juggernaut Distance Driver Disc — Disc Golf United (Innova's retail arm; Juggernaut vs Max flight-number comparison)

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