Product Review: Hero Disc – Super Atom 185
Teaching Camilla to play disc (Frisbee) was a goal of mine for two reasons. First, Jasper loves disc so I figured it would be great to teach them new disc tricks together. And second, I wanted Camilla to have that skill for her SuperDogs trick show audition this past February.
Jasper started a weekly disc class this past October so I decided to order some proper competitive dog discs for Camilla as well. At the recommendation of the disc instructor, I purchased the Super Sonic 215 for Jasper and the Super Atom 185 for Camilla from Hero Disc USA.
This article reviews Camilla’s Super Atom 185. If you’d like to see the review of Jasper’s Super Sonic 215 click here!
Disc Use:
Camilla: 20 pound Miniature Schnauzer
I purchased two Super Atom 185 discs about 6 months ago. Camilla is a novice disc dog so I kept the “practice” sessions short and sweet to keep her interest. I practiced maybe once or twice a week with Camilla at first but now that she’s interested in disc, we’ll play more often. I also played tug with the discs as reward and to build her disc drive. I don’t consider Camilla to have a hard bite but she does like to chew on the disc as she’s running back in to me. She now has a new nickname: Miss. Crocodile Camilla…
Super Atom 185:
Product Description: The Super Atom 185 is Hero’s only “micro dog” disc designed for small dogs and puppies. (They do have a much smaller Hero Pup 120 disc specifically for puppies.) The material is a softer/ flexible plastic, which Hero claims is puncture resistant and nearly indestructible. The Super Atom 185 is designed to have a straight glide and consistent flight characteristics.
Price: $12.99 USD
Size: 185mm/7.28 inches
Weight: 83-85 grams
Color Options: It comes in “Candy” (translucent colors): Red, Pink, Orange, Blue
Rating: 2 out of 5
As you can see in the photos, Camilla’s pink Super Atom 185 is warped and damaged compared to Jasper’s orange Super Sonic 215. Jasper’s disc received much more use and held up better over the last 6 months.
Review:
Camilla and the Super Atom:
For the purposes of getting Camilla interested in disc, the Super Atom 185 was great. Camilla loved the feel of the soft and chewy plastic. However, as I’ve alluded to, my main issue with these discs was the lack of durability.
Starting with the pros:
The disc is a perfect size and weight for a small dog. Camilla was eager to catch the disc out of the air, whereas the next size up, the Super Sonic 215, was too heavy for her so she would let the disc hit the ground before picking it up. Since the Super Atom disc is so light it glides relatively slow and steady. The low speed stability is great for small dogs, especially beginner dogs. The only downside of the lightweight plastic is that it’s hard to throw rollers on grass. However, I didn’t have an issue with rollers on dirt surfaces.
Now the cons:
I was advised by our disc instructor to play tug with the discs as a reward and to build Camilla’s drive. After just one use there were puncture marks on the disc and I quickly realized that playing tug was warping the discs. I ordered two more Super Atoms and tried to keep separate “tugging discs” and “throwing discs.” The “throwing discs” are in better shape, but the flight stability has become compromised from the puncture marks.
If your dog has a softer bite and will quickly drop the disc at your feet, then you might not have an issue with the dog damaging it. I personally found these disc to be too expensive to replace as frequently as required.
Do you have any small dog disc recommendations? If so, please leave the information in the comments!
