Driger S
AKA: Driger Slash (Full Name)
Weight: 3.6g
Small Attack Ring with decent weight and good weight distribution (compact but with an edge-focus)
Highly competitive, and generally considered one of the best-designed parts of the generation, being a template for many later Attack Rings which generally fail to live up to the high standard it sets.
Draws heavy comparisons with War Lion and this is a case of personal preference, but being a one-piece AR generally makes it harder for opponents to get under Tiger Defenser. Tiger Defenser has lower recoil in Right Spin but somewhat more in Left Spin.
Shape makes it highly effective for any non-offense combination, while it is still one of the most offensively-capable Compact Attack Rings in Right Spin, it is decidedly a Defense/Stamina AR - but it is top tier for every Stamina and Defense archetype in that game in either spin direction.
Does have breakage issues due to the angle of the joint connecting the head's rear spike to the head itself making that connection fragile.
Right Spin:
Slight slopes which work well with the weight distribution and decently angled contact points which have a small amount of attack power and most importantly, very, very low recoil.
While it has no significant offensive prowess, it is still one of the most offensively-capable top-tier Compact Attack Rings due to its exceptionally low rotational recoil allowing it to attack without losing significant rotational energy.
Very low recoil and good weight distribution while not protruding past Wide Defense or Wide Survivor make it the premier choice for Spin-Stealers in Right Spin, as the more defensive Roller Defense Ring has a worse weight distribution and the survival favourite Wing Cross has more recoil if hit (though may be better overall depending on the tip). War Lion does benefit somewhat from compatibility with Dragon Breaker Sub AR, but generally Tiger Defenser does an incredible job.
For pure defensive ability, the more compact and defensive Roller Defense Ring is a preferable choice, but the "defense-only" nature and worse weight distribution makes Tiger Defenser a more versatile choice outside of Circle Survivor Defense.
For Weight Based Defense, while Tiger Defenser is a premier choice larger Attack Rings such as Smash Turtle often offer more versatile performance.
For compacts, the primary competition is War Lion. This is a matter of personal preference, but Tiger Defenser is marginally less fragile and more offensively capable with its slopes while its shape actually makes it similarly effective defensively due to contact points being less exposed.
Overall though, Right Spin Tiger Defenser is the benchmark for Survival and Defense.
Left Spin:
Left Spin has more recoil than Right Spin (with no slopes to boot), though still not a huge amount and Tiger Defenser still has its weight distribution and size to lean on here.
In addition, as it doesn't have its slight offensive ability in this direction, part choice for this direction (which is primarily Spin Stealing) comes down to the lowest recoil, and alternatives such as Twin Horn and even Scissor Attacker outperform it defensively in Left Spin.
War Lion also poses strong competition here, especially with access to Dragon Breaker Sub AR, but even with its own SAR it has somewhat lower recoil.
Nonetheless, Tiger Defenser still possesses one of the best Weight Distributions at its size, while having lower recoil than Gyro Defense, making it an excellent choice for Defense, Survival and even Compacts in this direction.
Weight (Regular Mold): 15.3g
Weight (Indent Mold): 15.5g
Generally outclassed by Ten Heavy for all purposes, being suited to the exact same combinations but being lighter. Heavy Attack is also superior on combinations which protect it from contact.
Eight Heavy can successfully be used in Compact Customizations, being slightly heavier on average than Heavy, with slightly lower WD recoil, however Ten Heavy is still a superior choice.
Takara and Sono Kong Eight Heavy Weight Disks have a shallow indentation on one side around the centre of the Weight Disk, as well as sharper edges. There is only a minor weight difference between the Takara and Hasbro molds and as such they perform practically identically, though SonoKong WD's are lighter due to smaller size (which also means they don't fit well on standard SGs). Takara may have used the Hasbro mold in later production, particularly once production moved to China.
Fairly competitive in Compacts and Traditional Upper Attack and a backup choice for Weight Defense, Semi Flat Base Stamina Combos and Force Smash. Usable for Driger V2 Combos but aside from the Driger V2 (Hasbro Magnacore Version) the stock Weight Disk is outright superior.
Spin Gear: Right Spin Gear
Weight: 1.1g each (Shells) + 1.12g (Metal Weight Gear) (Optional)
Standard SG System Shells.
Incompatible with Neo Cores, and thus certain MagneSystem Blade Bases, though Wyborg's SG (Auto Change Version) SG Core Part can be used to allow use with some.`
Generally Neo Shells are preferred for their greater compatibility, mostly their ability to use Neo Cores. For Right Spin, this is particularly relevant with the Heavy Metal Core.
Generally uses a Metal Weight Gear with all compatible SG Cores. This gear helps reduce wobbling/rattling and adds a small amount of weight. It does not, however, work as a gear in any capacity.
Nonetheless, per BBA Survivor, BBA Attacker, BBA Defenser and BBA Balancer having Regular SGs but no Metal Weight Gear, it is not required for legality.
This allows Right Spin Gear Shells to produce the lightest SG setup in the game when using SG (Auto Change Version) and no metal Weight Gear.
Note: The correct name for this part is "Gear" however this name is commonly used to avoid confusion with the Metal Weight Gear in standard SGs.
Weight: 0.61g
Small core part to fit into the Base and be clipped to by the Base Clips, holding the Beyblade together. Also used as a ripcord gear by Bearing Gyros Beyblades.
The plastic part is the second lightest of all Core parts, being just slightly heavier than Wyborg's SG (Auto Change Version) core part.
Incompatible with certain MagneSystem Blade Bases as the tip shafts are too wide for the hole in its base.
With Neo SG Shells, it creates one of the lightest setups, making for what is theoretically the best SG for most attack types not requiring a Neo core or their own shafts, though the difference is generally theoretical only, due to the minimal weight difference, and often going heavier is better for rotational recoil control.
Useful for completely optimizing a Spiral Change Base zombie (which are the only competitive stamina types that do not require a gimmicked SG), as cores are not useful for recoil control due to its low friction and the lighter weight in the centre slightly improves survival. Technically SG (Auto Change Version) may be superior as it does fit, but the difference is likely to be too small to measure.
Weight: 5.1g
Metal Change tip allows for different movement depending on launch, and a mix of attack and survival qualities, as well as providing decent Defense as it is able to catch the Tornado Ridge quite easily compared to most tip shapes.
The most aggressive of the Metal Change tips in Plastics, and as such requires some practice to control into a flower pattern or more limited movement.
This causes some complaints about it being too aggressive – practice will remedy this, though there is a chance the tip could be worn.
Wears fast for a metal tip due to the small size of the point. Never use it outside of a stadium, ever.
Excellent Compact Blade Base, with great stamina, surprisingly good LAD and the ability to make use of all aspects of Compact Customization.
The defensive ability of the Change tip shape is very underrated. MFB's CS tip takes this to greater levels with a rubber outer section, but the tip catches the ridge well, helping it survive strong hits.
In addition to being the premier Compact Blade Base, the low height, aggression, and decent survival make it a viable choice for Traditional Upper Attack combinations, which appreciate the increased survival over a rubber tip.
Notable Mold Differences:
Sonokong's Driger S, aside from the usual compatibility issues, comes with a tip that is rounded instead of being a Metal Change tip. This results in poorer performance in all aspects, with no improvement to attack and significantly poorer stability. As such, this version of the tip is best avoided.
Overall
As one of, if not the best Beyblade of the generation, with an essential Attack Ring, fantastic Blade Base and solid Weight Disk, everyone should have at least one Driger S, and preferably multiples. It is also decent out of the box (and only the mighty Driger V2 can truly claim to be anything more than decent uncustomised).