I got this and an Opto Diamond for my son's birthday two years ago. Although my son preferred the feel of the DX versus the Opto and has clearly favored its use, if I had to do it again, I'd go with a better plastic as this DX Sidewinder got beat up pretty quickly. The Sidewinder is more understable than we expected, which had turned him off initially, but once we got a feel for how to throw it on hyzer, it's been great for distance, and useful in some situations: The final hole at a local course was often hard to ever get better than a 3 with our stable/overstable drivers due to the position of the several trees, but my first time testing out the Sidewinder, a strong hyzer throw flipped up level and continued straight from the one hill top to the next, and came to rest right in the bullseye! This is actually my son's primary choice of driver, and it has served him well: He was invited by a classmate to a school disc golf club tournament one weekend, and missed first place by 1 shot.

I am reviewing the 175g Sidewinder in DX plastic. The Sidewinder gives the great distance of a driver, but with a more manageable and repeatable throw than most others. For me, it works with a brisk whip forehand throw on a slight anhyzer release angle. Even the best throws I can get out of it always seem to have a little turn, though. Rarely can I get this disc to fly dead straight at the target. When I try to reduce the turn trajectory by throwing more level, the disc loses all turn and starts dumping into fade at the end. Drivers are very sensitive. I guess you can't have it all. Long distance with the trajectory just barely off is still great in my book.

Describing the shape of this disc is fairly simple. It is a very typical shape, especially for drivers. It's underside has a pointed, concave rim. The rim is wide. There is some doming on the top, but very typical to, I think, every single driver I have come in contact with. The disc is almost beadless. Technically, it has an almost inperceivable bead (the only nontypical thing). The rim depth is shallow. Forehand is much easier than backhand, at least for me as a forehand thrower.

I would recommend the Sidewinder as the premier disc for easy maximum distance with the forehand throw. I have tried a wide variety of drivers. I have tried several very similar drivers, also. This disc wins out, especially over time with more experience. Some other drivers give a single digit gain in distance or more resistance to wind (wind is rarely an issue with the Sidewinder), but only in perfect circumstances with much practice. The Sidewinder is just great.

I have this disc in DX150 grams. This was the first disc I could throw straight 300 ft +. Now that I have been playing for awhile I don't throw this as much, but I do keep it in the bag. My main issue with this disc is getting the angle and speed just right. Though rated a 9, this disc does not need much arm to get out there. If I put too much on it, it will turn to the right and not come back. But when you get this just right, it is fun to watch it go from right to left on a straight line! If you are able to manage the speed and angle, this is a great tunnel disc or just a great disc to get a large amount of distance from.

I recommend the Sidewinder for beginners.  It is easy enough to throw and rather forgiving.

In my bag, this is my 2nd Go-To disc. A 175 in Dx Sidewinder is what I reach for when I want to see that baby fly straight down the middle with a predictable light fade to the left at the tail end. This is the disc that I'm expecting to find my next Ace with as it tries to find those chains on it's own after being thrown.