Great flippy fairway. Glides for days, easy to shot shape with at different speeds and so fun. 

The Essence is becoming a staple in my bag, especially when I play wooded courses. This disc will hyzer-flip to flat easily for me and with a little more power, hyzer-flip to turn. I can trust this disc to flip to flat with maybe a slight turn if I release on hyzer which is money on the wooded courses I play.

I love the Essence. It's so workable and is a glide machine. Nailing tight lines in the woods is where this disc really shines for me. Ams will find this disc to be a maximum distance driver and big arms will be able to use it as a roller. Everyone can use this disc. 

The Essence is an understable fairway driver that is great for any arm speed. It is a great disc for beginners to learn how to throw drivers, on the other hand it is a super easy hyzer flip machine for more advanced player, and even the likes of Eagle McMahon bags it for rollers and crazy hyzer flip shots. And the 6 glide is not an exaggeratoin.

I have loved the essence. Comparable to a Leopard or a Heat. It's great for wooded golf when you still need distance. 

Perfect disc for both forehand and backhand. I can throw it straight or as a turnover at 300 feet. I don't use it when I need a medium or big fade. Its a very consistent disc and probably my nr1 in the bag beside my Harps. 

I wish it was a hair more understable. Just stable enough for it to be a hard roller disc. I really had to force it over sometimes to get it to land on a good roller angle. If you don't have the time to beat in a disc this might not be for you. I will say it is a great disc for a beginner to learn to throw straight!

170g NEO

The Essence is a remarkably consistent disc. I have two of them and they fly identical. If I throw them one after the other they will land within a couple of feet of each other. Very straight and dependable flight with minimal fade and great glide. Excellent for low level tunnel shots or narrow fairways. The rim is very comfortable and measures 19mm so I would give it a 9 speed rating. I max out at around 300 feet so I don't seem to have quite enough zip to get the flip-ups with late turns that I have seen other people get, but I am surprised at the distance I get sometimes. Unfortunately, even though Discmania claims that the Evolution Line discs are supposed to have a weight range between 165g and 170g, they only seem to be making their discs above 170g which is too heavy for me. I think a 164g Essence would give me that nice bit of understablity that I'd like to get from it. Despite that, I love the flights that I'm getting and I think the Essence is an exceptional disc. I can manage to get some nice long anhyzers if I force the disc over enough.

The NEO plastic feels great and is pretty tough but not as grippy as I would like, although I guess it's comparable to similar plastics like Champion or Z. I think the Essence would be incredible in S-Line plastic. The neon yellow/greenish colored discs stand out pretty well in the grass or brush. For me at 170g I would give it 9, 6, -1, 0.5. I took off one star because of the incorrect weight range.

The Disc that got me started with Discmania, and possibly the best "first disc" for a player moving beyond mids and putters. I use this for forehand turnover shots where it still has enough stability to fight back and land flat and it can clear a corner on an anhyzer like nobody's business. I know plenty of advanced players and pros who bag one.

But this disc truly shines in the bag of a novice player, where the understability helps correct a lot of early form mistakes. If you know someone is just starting out, encourage them to practice with mids, but if they're really itching for a "bigger" disc, this should be your first recommendation.

This disc is the best beginner friendly disc I own. It doesn't require incredible arm speed to launch this baby straight as an arrow. It can be put on anhyzer for left to right shots (right handed). I use this disc for almost all straight shots that I need more distance than a midrange. Most of the time I throw this on a slight hyzer, it flips up goes right a bit but glides fairly straight. The NEO plastic is my favorite plastic of all manufacturers. Discmania needs to get their inventory figure out. I've been trying different disc due to the shortage.

After learning how to control this disc, I finally feel like an advanced-level player. This thing can do anything (except hyzer hard). You can use it in the woods... straight shots, turnovers. You can use it max distance shots, it goes as far as any of my discs and can handle power. The only situation I wouldn't recommend it is a 13+mph headwind and even then you can still put it on a steep hyzer and it is a fairly good result. 10/10 disc.

Anyone can throw this disc, it's very beginner friendly.  I use it really for two things:  300-340' shots with a gradual turn to the right or a low ceiling hyzer-flip.  

Really like this disc and it’s now taken the straight to stable spot in my speed 9 FW discs (Insanity is my u/s, Essence stable, Firebird o/s). But the numbers on this thing are either way off or I just happened to get super unlucky on two different discs about a year apart. 
It says it’s an 8/6/-2/1. But both of mine have never been close to that. They are more like 8/6/0/1.5 ish. Even after 2 seasons of use and being beat in. One is a max weight regular run, and the other is a Nate Perkins stamped 173g. But both fly the exact same! Almost no turn, and a decent fade. And they aren’t quite the glide and distance monsters so many claim them to be. At least the two I have. Which is a shame as everyone else seems to get massive distance and some turn out of them.

Love the Neo plastic, reminds me of Lat64 Opto. Shiny, a little slick, but has great grip. Also it’s a good stiffness. Not too stiff like a stiff C line plastic, but not as soft and flexy as an S line. Somewhere in between. Really durable and has almost no dings or nicks after two seasons of play. The rim feels really good in the hand, and you can’t tell the difference between a speed 7 and this. Has a medium amount of dome.

The flight and ease of use is where this disc really shines. I can power it down a bit and get a great flight or rip on it and get a great flight. Very repeatable flight path and predictable. I always know where it’s going. I have 330-350 avg distance off the tee, and have much more stable discs that I can get to turn over, but this thing just doesn’t! It’s like I got two duds or something. They WILL not turn over for me unless I throw it dead flat with a really hard rip or a tiny bit of anny. And even then, it’s like a baby leak out right of maybe 2-4’. Otherwise it just goes dead straight 90% of the way, then has a soft reliable fade of about 5-10’. Which don’t get me wrong, is VERY nice to have. But I wanted it for it’s slight understability. Like a faster Maul or something like that. And it just doesn’t do that. But I love that it gives me that little extra distance over my speed 7 FW’s. It’s the glide. Doesn’t do horrible in lower wind, but I would never use this once the wind gets over 5ish mph. 

Overall a nice disc, but for me, just falls a little short of what I thought it was supposed to be. No idea how I go two duds and everyone else keeps getting the one I wanted, with the 8/6/-2/1. This disc is very beginner friendly and is most similar to an Axiom Insanity, Lat 64 Maul and Lat 64 River. I’d recommend this to any beginner or intermediate asking: “what is the straightest longest disc I can buy?” Along with a Lat64 Maul and Lat64 River. And for big arms, this is a sweet understable/turnover/roller disc. 

This disc wasn't for me. It feels good in the hand but I just didn't love the shot shapes I was getting out of it. I felt like this disc required a little more touch than I wanted to use. When I threw it flat it tended to turn all the way over, but when using it to hyzer flip i got wildly inconsistent turn out of it. I couldn't quite dial in the amount of power needed to flip up without turning all the way over. 

Thought this would be pretty understable, and have thrown a friend's that was definitely VERY flippy, but the two I've had seem better for hyzer flips or turnovers than rollers. Flies really straight on a hyzer flip line and holds a turnover thrown flat. Must-have for any course with tight lines, and I really like the Neo plastic.

I have the Nate Perkins signature Essence - the Zen - in meta plastic and holy cow. It's awesome. It hyzer flips to flat beautifully so it's a really great disc for hitting gaps where you need to push some good distance. The glide is legit, this thing just floats. Thrown hard and flat it will turn a good bit and then fight back to the middle (more or less) as it runs out of speed. It's not necessarily my furthest flyer but it is the easiest to get to fly far. If you play a lot of wooded courses and have been looking for something that'll hit long tunnels, this is it. Get one. They're good. It would be a great 'distance driver' for a new player, too, and what's really nice is that as your game grows, it is still going to have a spot in your bag.

This is probably one of the best discs I have ever thrown personally. It has pretty good glide and more than it says but that may just be my love for the disc speaking. I have maybe 5 or 6. 

Overall I'd say it's a pretty great disc. I throw about 330 and can get it to ride pretty straight or can put some anhyzer on it and get it to ride to the right as needed. I think overall it's a great controllable understable disc for an intermediate player like myself. If you can get your hands on one I would recommend it ASAP. Beginners will throw it decently but if you can throw above 250 then you will probably enjoy this disc if you can control things fairly well. I will recommend this disc to most people I meet unless they have a huge arm. GET ONE!

Great fairway driver for everyone. I have fell in love with this disc. Nice and flippy and can throw it far without using a ton of power. Great for rollers, straight shots, and anhyzer bombs. Highly recommend giving this disc a shot. 

Plastic - NEO

Weight - 171g

Color - Yellow

Throw - RHBH

I love this disc, for a former ultimate player this disc is exactly how I throw a pull. Hyzer, to flat, to a potential flip. If thrown on a hyzer it will flip to flat and hold that line till the very end. If thrown flight it will fly flight for 150 ft and then start turning right and depending on height, will not fade back left. 

This is my go to control/fairway driver for any tight or technical shot. I trust it completely. 

A true do-it-all driver. Straight when thrown with control, reliably understable when thrown hard. I learned how to thrown anhyzers and hyzer flips with this thing, and I bag 3 now. Highly recommend! Pairs well with the Instinct.

The Neo Essence is a wonderful understandable to neutral fairway driver from Discmania. Out of the box, the disc had a slight turn but would fade back to more of an S-line flight. But after a few trees, the disc started to turn without the fade. For the faster arm speeds, the Essence will be an easy hyzer flip disc or a nice turnover disc. The Neo plastic is a great feel in summer and winter conditions good grip but is not too slick.   

I had originally gotten this disc as a roller. But quickly found out it is a much better hyzer flip disc for me. The Neo plastic is one of my favs and is up there with all the other premium plastics. I believe the numbers are spot on however, my disc seems to have a touch more fade and the end of its flight. Great driver for beginners with smaller arms and for experienced players who can do long turnovers and hyzer flips.

Great beginner or advanced player fairway driver. Easy to throw and stays true with the Neo plastic. 

I found the essence to be a bit faster and a bit more stable then the numbers suggest. 

9 6 -1 2

Comfortable grip and easy to shape shots, but nothing out of the ordinary. 

Very nice driver from Discmania. I got a Genius at a local shop and really liked it, so i wanted to try out some other Discmania molds. This was in the Evolution line. Feels very nice in the Neo plastic and the rim is very comfortable to hold. It flies very true to the numbers. Great understable fairway driver for all levels.

Discmania absolutely hit this one out of the park. I bought the Essence because the Leopard3 was out of stock and I am so glad I did. It was the first Discmania product I bought but I will definitely try others now that I've thrown the Essence. This has become The understable fairway in my bag. The numbers are spot on and you can notice that 6 glide as it just goes and goes. It flies similar to my Sphinx but slightly shorter and straighter. A perfect fairway driver for a beginner looking to add distance without sacrificing control. Thrown with slight hyser in a tail wind this will go forever. Somewhat domey, it has a slightly concaved rim that fits the hand nicely. It is the typical smaller, fairway driver sized rim. Neo Evolution plastic is super gummy and comfortable. I haven't hit too many trees with this disc so I don't know how durable it is. If you need an understable fairway that isn't Too understable, or you're looking to step up from a Leopard, get the Essence and you won't be disappointed.

The Essence is a great disc for players of all skill levels. Depending on the plastic and run you might find some have more dome (NEO) than others (GEO), but either way the disc has a ton of glide. It's a very understable disc that I mainly use for RHBH rollers, but throw it on a hyzer angle and it should flip up nicely.

170 Neo Essence

Waited a while for it to come back in stock so that I could throw it for the first time, but it was worth the wait. It is pretty much what I expected, maybe a tick less stable. The Essence is an easy disc to throw and has tremendous glide. I am a big fan of the feel of Neo plastic and also bag the Origin, Instinct, and Enigma - all of which I use regularly. I haven't used them long enough to comment on durability, but use my Origin all the time and it is still great.

As for the flight, it is an easy disc to hyzer-flip for a straight flight or even a gradual turnover to the right (RHBH). My two favorite shots are a low laser that can glide straight while going further than my other discs for that shot or an uphill throw that gradually turns to the right. For the latter, I have no other disc in my bag that makes that shot so easy - not even close. With some touch and practice, you can use it for many shots. It is easy to throw in a field and in the woods. As long as you don't overpower it, it is an easy disc to throw.

Most used disc off the tee by far for me. I'm a RHFH dominant player with a weak backhand, but I can still throw 300 RHBH with it. I actually bag three of these. One that is super flippy for hyzer flips, one that is more true to the turn/fade numbers, and a second of these in case I toss one into the water. I am also a big fan of the Neo plastic.

Nice and workable turning driver! May take some practice to hit the best angles, but it definitely can give you some good distance. That -2 is a lie. I haven't tried it on forehand, but for my backhand it does a very good job with hyzer flips and rollers. I can't replace my roadrunner while it's still in the bag, but if I ever lost it, this would be a decent contender.

I picked up this disc at a local store, took it to the park for a test drive. I love it. It reminds me of the old Latitude 64 Maul before they adjusted the finish process. I don't have a big arm and this gives me easy distance and good control. The neo plastic is great. As soon as I got home I came here and ordered another one.

this disc flies itself. great for people of all skill levels. beginners will find it long and straight with moderate fade. intermediate players will get decent turn out of it, perfect for learning hyzerflip style shots. advanced players, or big arms will find a great turnover or roller shot. best disc of 2020.

I've only had this disc for a couple of months, but it quickly became one of my favorites. I do not have a big arm, throw around 350' with a lighter disc 400'. With the Essence on a nice and flat rip, I  can easily get around a 300' straight shot with a hint of fade at the end.

On a forehand shot with a slight hyzer release, this disc flips up flat and carriers straight with little to no fade. 

Mine is the Meta Evolution Plastic which is awesome, the only plastics i like better than that are from Kastaplast . 

This is truly one of the best fairway drivers on the market today. It literally does everything you would want it to do. When thrown in hyzer, it holds the hyzer or even flips up a little to gain you more distance. When thrown on a slight hyzer it will flip and either go dead straight or turn over for a beautiful anhyzer line. When thrown flat the disc will give a true s-curve line that will provide beginners a jaw droppingly beautiful result. Finally, it will also hold any anhyzer line you need to get around some tough and pesky shots. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if I could put with this thing. 
I have the disc at 169 grams and right out of the box it became one of my favorite discs by providing me the characteristics and flights described above. I seriously recommend this as a first fairway driver to anybody who is getting into disc golf. I can throw this disc 375 feet and I by no means have a power arm, the disc is just THAT good. I'd rate it more stars if I were allowed. Get yourself one. 

173g light blue with sexy swirls. This disc was unexpectedly good. The Essence instantly filled a hole in my bag that I didn't even know I was missing. This disc feels good in the hand and Neo plastic is in my top 5 best plastic blends ever made. I would get all of my drivers in this plastic if it was possible. As far as flight goes... Well it just goes. Effortless distance and beautiful glide. Soft turn and then a soft fade as this disc just keeps penetrating forward. Easy control. It doesn't love headwinds but it's not supposed to. This disc is attracted to tailwind and the basket. This is a great choice for beginners or noodle arms. 

I've played about 8-9 rounds with this disc now and really loving it. I got a 169g Essence in Neo plastic which is a great plastic, grippy, slightly gummy but still firm. It has a very comfortable rim and a noticeable dome. For me, it's similar to a Star Leopard3 but a touch faster and holds its turn a little longer. I love it for hyzer flip tunnel shots and turnover shots. I've been playing a course with some straight holes with tailwind and this disc is absolutely perfect for that. I really like the glide and the controllable turn. I don't have the fastest arm, so this disc really helps get some extra distance for me while still maintaining control. I agree with the flight numbers 8/6/-2/1.

I am brand new to this sport, only been throwing for about a month but this is by far my favorite disc out of the 20 or so I have thrown a decent amount. The neo plastic is very grippy but feels like it could take a year or two of beatings before you would likely have to replace it. This gives it a good feeling of control for me and therefore would likely be comfortable in pretty much any beginner's hands.

This is my farthest flying disc, on a flat field with no wind I can get this to go 380-400 ft. This astounds me considering my knowledge of disc golf is still really limited to physics of flight videos on youtube. The 8 speed rating is absolutely correct on this disc, I start really struggling with discs speed 10 and up so this fits right into my wheelhouse. No matter how I throw this disc it always seems to end up very slightly left of where I threw it, giving me consistent shots despite very inconsistent form. I would say the glide on this disc is about as high as it gets for fairway drivers as this will stay in the air forever if given enough speed and spin. The color on this disc is also fantastic as I have already lost some duller colored discs but bright pink is very easy to spot in tall grass and up in trees (lmao).

Overall I absolutely love this disc and will continue to buy them once my current one inevitably gets thrown somewhere I can't get to.

Disc - 169 Discmania Evolution Neo Essence

Feel - The Essence feels great in the hand as an 8 speed driver. It has a small rim and it fits very comfortably for backhand and the occasional forehand shot. The Neo plastic is absolutely amazing. It is very grippy yet extremely durable as well. 
 

Flight - The Essence is a great turnover disc. As a lefty, it is very important that I can throw lots of turnover shots very accurately. I've gone through a ton of different molds and I've liked quite a few but at the moment the Essence is in the bag. It is definitely more understable than an Escape or an FD or something in that line of stability but it doesn't really flip all the way over and roll. If you throw this disc on a hyzer it will flip up and get a nice slow turn for the whole flight. It has excellent glide and could be a great distance driver for beginners.
 

Overall - The Essence is a great disc for turnovers or for beginners. I think that the Essence could be useful to every player but if you are more advanced and already have that understable disc in your bag that you like the Essence probably isn't going to outdo that disc. For beginners the Essence could be a fantastic distance driver due to its easy turn and high glide.

I was looking at the Essence to replace my witness because I seriously just hate the name of the Dynamic Disc names. Just my opinion. Lol. That being said I throw some DD and they fly fantastic. Anyways the Essence I started throwing is a first run Primal Essence. I just picked up a stock run NEO. I knew after the first couple throws that this disc was going to wiggle its way into my bag. It's not quite a replacement for the witness but it definitely fills a spot in my bag. 
I mainly throw this forehand right now but have been working backhand a little more with it. 

Forehand I throw with a decent hyzer and depending on the height I want I can throw long pushing hyzer's. If I throw a little lower I can get it to straighten out and turn a little with a very dependable fade. It's really fun to throw the hyzer flip to turn shot on the forehand with this disc. It is pretty forgiving with small to medium mistakes which is one reason why I took a liking to it. 

Backhand it held the high, long, pushing hyzer line that gets a lot of distance. I know the more I work with it the more I'll be able to figure out the hyzer flip, turn and come back with a little work. 

I think the 8 speed is right on as it's not as fast as my insanity but faster than my dx glow PFN eagle. 
The glide on this disc is great. I don't feel it's a 6 glide but it's definitely more than 5 glide. 
I feel like the turn is a a -2 and fade is closer to a 2. 
I sat this is somewhat beginner friendly because it's a little faster than what I think beginners should throw. But I feel this would be the perfect disc for someone who just started to throw a little further than when they started. Someone who is just figuring out there throw and want a disc they will be able to work with for a while.
For bigger arms or people who throw higher speed discs this will be a disc you dont have to power and can use for tight wooded courses that you need glide and that push forward. 

This is by far the tourists disc I have ever thrown. I can throw this disc on a hyzer release it will pop up to flat ride straight and never come down. I highly recommend this disc for a beginner,also this neo plastic is the best feeling plastic I have ever felt.

Ok, so Lat64 Gold used to be my favorite plastic.  That is until I bought the NEO Essence.  This plastic feels terrific, and throws even better.  I love my Diamond, but the Essence is quickly replacing it for throws where I need absolute control.  My Essence is 173g, so even with the -2 turn, it does handle headwinds pretty well.  And on a side note, for anyone who dyes their discs - NEO plastic takes dye extremely well.

 Watch this video to see how easy this disc is to manuever right out of the box!

I cant say enough good things about this disc. Its usually my furthest flying disc and the flight on it is so nice. It's just as fun on wide open holes as it is on wooded courses. I throw it on a hyzer and it'll flip up flat turn slightly and come back. If I throw it flat it'll turn pretty good before coming back a bit. Pretty predictable and fun to throw. Neo plastic is one of my favorites too!

The essence is another big hit in Discmania's Evolution line.  Famous for the FD, this disc provides the Discmania lineup a disc with a bit more distance and flip-up while maintaining minimal fade.  Being an 8 speed, the essence does need a bit of power to fly true to its flight numbers, but is still a fantastic disc for any arm speed.  Newer players could very well use this as their max distance driver.  More advanced players with stronger arms can use it for long, glidey turnovers, controlled hyzer flips, rollers, etc.  As always, the neo plastic is wonderful.  The perfect combination of grip and durability.

I have the primal run which my buddy has told me is less stable than the production run. It's a very controllable fairway driver. I'm coming off an injury, so my power level is down about 20% and right now this is my longest driver. I can get it out about 350' and it's easy power and easy to control. Has a lot of turn but holds up well to the hyzer flip right out of the box. Plastic feels great, pretty gummy in the primal run. I'll update the review once I get a chance to try out the production run. It's rare for me at this point to try a disc and it immediately make the bag. This disc did that. 

well i got this disc the day of release . . . . .less than 24 hrs later got another one. . . .

back the third day for one more . . . . daughter of 13 years got her 1st ace, wife´s forehand shots improved so well that she wants to join us for rounds.

my game has shaved 1 full stroke and heading towards 2 strokes, just saying. I am happy

171g Neo Essence

I throw 350-375. I got this disc for a hyzer flip to straight finish shot, and it did not disappoint. I found it very glidey with a very controllable amount turn, when compared to a heat or roadrunner (both of which are a little too touchy for my liking). Its also very dependable for longer, subtle turnover shots when released on a slightly flatter angle. If you're someone around the same arm speed and like to throw on hyzer, the essence is definitely worth a shot!

The essence flies exactly to the numbers. Give it some hyzer and it pops over to just beyond flat, carrying seemingly forever with a light fade to bring it back to center. For slower arms this won't replace a leopard because if you fail to get this disc up to speed to get it flat or beyond, it will display more fade than the 1 rating would suggest. I still believe it would have a place though for slower arms if released flat. It does tight lines and low ceiling shots that still need to get 300 to 350 and it can do them on a rope. Big arms could easily throw this over 400. I max out at 400 or so on a "crush" driver for me and I've thrown this disc 360 which is usually my driving distance on typical drives with bigger discs. Can't recommend it enough. Discmania hit a home run here. I rarely agree with a 6 glide rating but this disc has it.