Series 5.1X: Quick Review

by Crazy Ivan

It's pretty weird trying to get to know 24 new sacks all at once and while I feel like I'm still learning a lot about the 5.1s, I've also now had a chance to jam with all 12 of the new sacks.  I know that I'll have a lot more input on them in the coming weeks, once I've had a chance to break a few of them in, but I felt like it was high time to give everyone a brief synopsis of my first thoughts on these new sacks.

It's late and I have an early morning, so I'm going to tackle a few of them with a couple of quick sentences.  Here goes:

Blue Horizon:

So far this one is my favorite from the 5.1x series.  It's a classic horizontal corduroy that evokes sacks like the Dreamcoat and the Gang Green.  I have a sneaking suspicion that even after breaking them all in, this simple sack will be the best jammer in the bunch.

BoneYard Blue:

No real difference in jammability compared to the BoneYard Red, but this one definitely has a little more punch with the visuals.  It looks great mid-jam and the skull images really pop off the blue.  Definitely a great collector's sack but also a pretty descent jammer.

BoneYard Gray:

I've kind of taken to this one as my favorite BoneYard, but that may be because it's paired with the Blue Horizon.  I haven't jammed with enough of them to say if there's a general difference, but this one seems like a pretty equal jammer to it's sisters.

Cupcake:

The Cupcake impressed me a lot.  I've thrown down with quite a few of these already and it's a spectacular jammer right away.  No word on how they break in yet, but I'll keep you posted.

Fishbone Gray:

Thus far I haven't really noticed a difference between this and the Fishbone Orange in terms of jammability, but I definitely prefer the look of this one.  As I suspected, in action it looks way cool, though in my opinion it still plays second fiddle to the Fishbone Red.

Fishbone Red:

I'm willing to offer the opinion that this is the best of the Fishbones.  There might not be a big difference, but it seems like the Reds I've played with are a bit more wide-boarded, have a little more grip and look the best mid jam.  This is a close runner up for my "favorite of the series" award.

Lumber Jack Black:

This plays exactly how you want a corduroy to play.  No word on why we went with "Lumber Jack Black" on a sack that is definitely gray, but it's a great jammer despite the name.  No question that so far the twin pack with this and the Lumber Jack Gray are the top sellers.

Lumber Jack Red:

Okay, so you see this one and you think "Isn't that a Highlander Red?"  You jam with it and think the same thing.  It's a very subtly different fabric and the ability to tell this one from the others would be like trying to differentiate between a Bubble Gum and a Bubbalicious it it weren't for the tag numbers.  That being said, if you know the Highlander Red, you know it's a crazy good jammer, so this one comes highly recommended.

Missile Command Blue:

I was a bit iffy on this fabric when I first saw it because it seemed like it might be a bit stiff for a corduroy, but man was I wrong.  These things look like they'll break in like traditional cords, but they have way more grip fresh from the package.  This is a great jammer for a first timer but I'd also recommend it for a veteran of the game.

Missile Command Red:

I haven't really noticed a difference between this one and the Missile Command Blue, but I will say that the Red looks a bit cooler when you're jamming.

Shadow Boxes:

In many series, this would be a strong contender for my favorite and even in this gang of blockbusters I'd rank it third (though my opinion on that may change as I break 5.1x sacks in).  It's a cool design to be sure, but this is a jammer's sack.  It breaks in quick, it looks good dirty and it jams like an Aztec Red.  Definitely a must have.

Wonderland:

The Wonderland reminds me a lot of the Phat Kat Green in jammability.  It's a little tight at first and probably won't break in the same as most corduroys.  The designs are unique and not by a little bit.  Some have awesome patterns and others are mad random.  It's definitely a cool sack, but I think I'd rank it as the lowest in jammability for this series.

Overall:

I'm still getting use to this whole double pack idea and I'm loving it.  In a lot of ways the series seems repetitive compared to previous series, but it's probably just a byproduct of making the double packs.  Some interesting mixes in fabric here, but not as adventurous as the 5.1 was.  It a great series with nothing but good jammers and has a few obvious future classics when it comes to design.

My first impression gives this series a B+, but again, I reserve the right to swing that in a range from B- to A once I've gotten all the sacks broken in and really learned what they're all about.