The Discraft Luna and the Innova Aviar are both putt-and-approach discs, but they are built for different jobs: the Aviar is a stable, straight putter — the best-selling disc of all time — while the Luna is an overstable approach disc that fights wind and finishes hard left. The choice isn't really "which is better," it's "which role do you need filled."
If you only remember one thing: the Aviar is your primary putter and neutral approach, and the Luna is the overstable utility disc you reach for on windy holes and forehand upshots. Many players end up carrying both. Here's why.
P2- Pick the Aviar if: you want a true putter — straight flight, gentle fade, a grippy feel on the green, and the deepest plastic and variant lineup in the sport. It's the standard first putter for a reason.
- Pick the Luna if: you want an overstable approach disc that resists turning over in wind, comes back from anhyzer, and gives forehand upshots a confident, reliable fade. It's a utility tool more than a putting putter.
- The honest answer: these two aren't really competing for the same slot. The Aviar is built to putt; the Luna is built to approach and fight wind. If you can, bag both — they cover different problems.
Flight numbers compared
| Discraft Luna | Innova Aviar | |
|---|---|---|
| Speed | 3 | 2 |
| Glide | 3 | 3 |
| Turn | 0 | 0 |
| Fade | 3 | 1 |
| Stability | Overstable | Stable |
| Diameter | 21.0 cm | 21.2 cm |
| Height | 1.9 cm | 1.7 cm |
| Rim depth | 1.4 cm | 1.5 cm |
| Manufacturer | Discraft | Innova |
The number that defines this matchup is fade. The Luna is rated a 3, the Aviar a 1. That single difference changes everything about how the two discs behave: the Aviar flies nearly straight with a soft, dependable finish, while the Luna fades hard and predictably to the left (for a right-handed backhand). Both have 0 turn, so neither flips over easily, but the Luna's strong fade makes it far more resistant to wind and far more aggressive at the end of its flight. The Luna is also rated one step faster (3 vs 2), reflecting its slightly more driver-like, throwing-oriented profile.
If you've read our flight numbers guide, this is a textbook example of how the fade number separates two discs that otherwise look similar on the shelf.
Stability is the whole story
The Aviar is stable — it holds the line you put it on and fades gently at the end. That's exactly what you want from a putter: predictability on the green and on short, controlled approaches. You can throw it dead straight, on a slight hyzer, or on a touch of anhyzer, and it will mostly do what you tell it.
The Luna is overstable. It wants to fade left, and it will resist any attempt to turn it over. On a calm day that means a reliable, repeatable finish to the left. In a headwind — which makes every disc act more understable — the Luna shrugs it off and keeps its shape, while a neutral putter like the Aviar can get pushed around and flip. That wind resistance is the Luna's headline feature, and it's the main reason players add one to a bag that already has an Aviar in it.
The trade-off is that the Luna isn't ideal as a straight-line putting putter. Its fade means it pulls left on longer putts, so most players who bag it use it as an approach and utility disc rather than their primary putt-from-the-circle disc.
The Aviar: the original putter
The Aviar is widely regarded as the best-selling disc of all time and the flagship putter that helped make Innova the dominant brand in disc golf. It was designed by Innova co-founder Dave Dunipace, and its stable, straight flight has defined what disc golfers expect from a putter for nearly four decades. Most modern putters from other brands are explicitly Aviar-inspired in shape.
What the Aviar does well:
- Circle putts with a flat, predictable release.
- Jump putts and short approaches where you want minimal fade.
- Touch upshots — the modest glide makes it easy to throw a controlled, dying line.
- Growing with you: the Aviar family is unusually deep, so you can carry several variants in different plastics for putting, driving, and turnover approaches.
One of the Aviar's real advantages is plastic selection. It comes in DX, Pro, Star, Champion, KC Pro, and JK Pro — the last two famously associated with Ken Climo (KC Pro Aviar) and Juliana Korver (JK Pro Aviar). A grippy DX Aviar beats in quickly for putting, while a KC Pro holds a firm, long-lived feel. That breadth lets you dial in exactly the stiffness and stability you want, which is something the Luna's lineup doesn't match.
The Luna: the overstable utility approach
The Luna is Paul McBeth's signature putt-and-approach disc — co-designed with McBeth and the first disc released in the Paul McBeth Line at Discraft. With 3/3/0/3 flight numbers, it's a stable-to-overstable putter that Discraft describes as a neutral-flying putter suited to both heavily wooded and open courses. It features a plastic blend combining Jawbreaker with the durability and extra tackiness of rubber.
What the Luna does well:
- Wind-resistant putting on exposed, open holes where a glidey putter would float past the basket.
- Overstable approaches that need to come back from anhyzer.
- Forehand upshots that demand a confident, reliable fade.
- Short utility shots where you want a putter-speed disc that finishes hard.
The Luna was PDGA-approved on December 28, 2018, shortly after McBeth's landmark contract with Discraft, and it quickly became one of the defining putters of its era. It sits between Discraft's neutral Magnet and the more aggressively overstable Zone in the lineup — a useful way to place it if you already know Discraft's approach discs.
Plastics and feel
Plastic choice changes a putter as much as the mold does, and the two discs take different approaches.
The Aviar comes in DX, Pro, Star, Champion, KC Pro, and JK Pro. DX is the soft, grippy baseline that beats in quickly and is cheap enough to buy several; KC Pro holds a firmer, longer-lived putting feel; Star and Champion are durable premium runs better suited to throwing. The signature KC Pro and JK Pro blends are part of why the Aviar family runs so deep.
The Luna comes in Jawbreaker, Putter Line (Soft and Hard), Rubber Blend, and Big Z. Putter Line Soft is the most popular putting blend; Jawbreaker offers extra grip; Big Z is the most overstable and durable run; and the Rubber Blend combines tackiness with longevity. Because the Luna is most often thrown as an approach disc, a lot of players favor the firmer, more durable blends that hold their overstable flight.
The Aviar also stands a touch lower in the hand (1.7 cm to the Luna's 1.9 cm), part of why it feels more like a dedicated putter, while the deeper Luna feels more substantial for throwing. For a fuller breakdown of how blends change a disc's feel and lifespan, see our plastics overview.
How to choose
Because these two discs do different jobs, the decision is less about preference and more about what your bag is missing:
- Do you need a putter or an approach disc? If you don't yet have a reliable putter, start with the Aviar — straight flight and a grippy feel make it the better disc to learn to putt with. If you already putt with something and keep getting burned by wind or need a forehand upshot disc, the Luna fills that gap.
- How much wind do you play in? Exposed, open courses reward the Luna's overstability. Calmer or wooded courses let the Aviar's straighter flight shine.
- How do you throw approaches? Forehand-heavy players love the Luna because its fade resists the turnover a sidearm release naturally imparts. Backhand players who want a soft, straight approach will get along better with the Aviar.
For most players the realistic endpoint is owning both: an Aviar (or a couple of Aviars in different plastics) as the primary putter, and a Luna as the overstable approach and wind disc. They aren't redundant — they cover different corners of the short game.
If neither is quite right
- Dynamic Discs Judge — a stable, beaded putter in the Aviar mold, with a touch more glide; a strong alternative if you want the Aviar's role with a deeper grip. See our Aviar vs Judge comparison.
- Discraft Zone — even more overstable than the Luna, the gold-standard utility approach disc for the strongest fade and the most wind resistance.
- Axiom Envy — a flat, stable-to-overstable approach putter for players who want something between the Aviar's neutrality and the Luna's fade.
- Discraft Magnet — Discraft's neutral putter, the straighter sibling to the Luna if you want a Discraft putter that flies more like an Aviar.
Related
- The complete flight numbers guide
- Understable vs overstable explained
- What is fade in disc golf?
- Innova Aviar vs Dynamic Discs Judge
Compare these two discs with overlaid flight paths in the comparison tool.