"Chuckit!" vs. "Far Flung"- Duel at the Dog Park

     Well, it was no contest really.
     We braved the morning showers to meet Elaine and her crew at the dog park.  Having brought both ball launchers and a measuring tape I was expecting to measure the distance of each throw.  I didn't even get out of the gate.  It took me ten tries with the Far Flung before I was able to launch the ball any significant distance.  After that my wrist hurt.  With the Chuckit! a fluid overhead arm motion and follow through can loft your ball both higher and farther than your arm alone.  The Far Flung relies on a wrist snap at the top of your backswing to propel the ball ahead.  Without the wrist snap the ball goes into the ground or into someone close by.  Definitely not as easy to use as the Chuckit!.
     I had plenty of time to try out the Far Flung as fellow dog parkers Amy and Jeff were there with their dogs.  Amy's dog, Wes, is a ball dog and Amy had forgotten her Chuckit! at home.  Xena graciously let Wes use her Chuckit! trusting that she would get to chase the Far Flung ball.  Well, she was a little frustrated as the throws were not what she was used to.  Meanwhile Wes demonstrated his tireless Chuckit! retrieval and also tested the durability of the Chuckit! ball.  Jeff' labeled the Far Flung "feeble."  More charitably, Jeff said that it would be good to use inside the house because you wouldn't be able to throw the ball far enough to hit anything.
     I would rate the Chuckit! Excellent in playability for both dog and owner.  There doesn't seem to be a learning curve to the Chuckit! and as far as your dog is concerned the quicker you get to throwing the better.  The Far Flung ball may be able to be launched farther with further practice but then there is the wrist issue.  No wrist issue with the Chuckit! and the fun starts right away.
     As far as durability I would have to say that the ball is softer than a tennis ball and as a consequence does not stand up as well to heavy play and between-throw chewing.  I believe the Chuckit! launcher itself to be durable if used properly.  As seen in the video Jeff's Ridgeback, Prince, had other ideas for the launcher, not being a ball dog himself.  All in all I would rate both launcher and ball Good.  After all the balls are sold in 4 packs for your convenience so that you need never be without.  A good old fashioned tennis ball will also fit the launcher.
     The Chuckit! gets a safety rating of Good if used properly.  There is always potential for a dog to destroy both the launcher and the ball if left unattended with them.  As you can see in the picture there is potential for a dog to destroy the ball in the process of retrieving.  If you know that your dog is hard on the equipment just keep a couple of Chuckit! ball 4 packs around.

     All in all, a satisfying morning at the dog park but as far as Xena is concerned the morning was one Chuckit! short.