The Hover Craft is by far the best flying disc we have tested, and we have tested a vast number of discs.

   The Petstages Orka and Kong products are indeed durable, but they fly like bricks. They might be fine for a game of simple fetch, but if you want your dog to be able to catch a disc in the air, these two discs are virtually useless as they'll hit the ground in no time flat. Although the Petstages Orka supposedly floats, after experiencing the poor performance of the product's main feature, we didn't bother testing that aspect of it. In our opinion, these two products are nothing more than chew toys that look like discs.

   While the Nylabone-Frisbee model with the bone molded into the top does fly, it only performs decently in certain conditions. It can really only be flown into a wind, otherwise the bone molded into the top produces drag that weighs it down, as well as causes it to cantilever to one side. Because it can only be thrown into the wind, albeit only a light breeze is needed, due to the nature of its design, and the material used, no real flight distance can be achieved. The bone on top also gets ripped up quite quickly, which renders the product useless, and if you remove the bone altogether, the product then surprisingly doesn't even resemble "flight" when it's thrown.

   Another Nylabone-Frisbee model that looks like a traditional Frisbee (without a bone molded into the top) is billed as "flexible", however it is quite hard - harder than even the tournament Frisbee for humans. This model is so hard on a dog's mouth it isn't even funny. One dog ended up with a large gash on her tongue after only a few short rounds. Thinking that was an anomaly, we tried it again a week later, and ended up with the same result. The hard plastic is also hard on teeth and gums. It appears that no real world testing was employed before the release of this model.

   Aspen's Booda Soft Bite Turbo Disc is a beautiful product that LOOKS as if it is perfect. With a disc made of soft, flexible plastic or nylon stretched over a reinforced frame, its presentation shouts "This is the ultimate disc." Three throws and retrieves of this product resulted in crushed and punctured plastic! 'Nuff said.

   All the nylon, firehose, etc. "soft" discs on the market are fine for good old fetch, but since they don't really fly like a disc should, again, they are useless when trying to use them to have a dog catch a flying disc.

   The Ruffwear Hover Craft may LOOK like a toy, but this baby is one for the record books. We rigorously tested the unit sent to us for six months, and it was used daily. It was used in a variety of areas and conditions. It was tested on grass and dirt. It was tested in the surf at Huntington Beach, California. It was tested in Lake Folsom near Sacramento, and even on cement at Disneyland. Believe it or not, there was not one scratch or tear in the covering material. In daily use, this Hover Craft was put through the ringer. Part of the ritual was to have a dog wash the Hover Craft in a bucket periodically during sessions. Upon returning from the bucket, sometimes the dog's grip had the Hover Craft folded in half. Imagine our surprise to find that it did not crush under such circumstances. After multiple submersions, the Hover Craft can be thrown sopping wet, however, it will take on an out-of-round shape if soaked and not allowed to dry flat. But, no harm done, because soaking it and letting it dry flat restores it's original shape.

   As far as flight is concerned, the Hover Craft's performance belies it's appearance. Even though it looks like it won't fly far or float in the air, the product is superb in both regards. To increase speed, dipping it in water adds weight, enabling you to throw it harder. We've found that you can actually adjust weight by varying the amount of water. For example, a quick dip and it takes on only a little weight. Complete submersion for 30 seconds and you get more weight.

   The covering material itself does tend to get dirty over time, especially if you play with it in dirt, but it does not affect its performance. During first use, you can easily see teeth marks, which might be cause for alarm, especially if you've already been through a myriad of other products that do not last, but surprisingly, the material is never punctured, which in itself is amazing, even when snatched in mid-flight by dogs that sport a scissors bite pattern, like German Shepherds. Not that they would intentionally crush the disc, but under moments of excitement, you can imagine how hard they would take a disc out of the air. In fact, with high throws you can easily hear their teeth snapping from a distance of 30 yards or more.

   The only real signs of wear on the Hover Craft after rigorous use is some very light fraying on the molded edge, some indentations from teeth marks on the underside, and interestingly the most apparent wear is the stitching that adheres the Ruffwear label is unraveling. We still use the same disc Ruffwear initially sent us, and it's bit dirty now, but other than that it is completely intact! Kudos to the Ruffwear design team! Ruffwear Hover Craft