Innova Aviar vs Discraft Luna: The Reference Putter vs McBeth's Putter

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The Aviar has been the reference putter since the 1980s: neutral, cheap, in every starter set, and still in pro bags. The Luna is the putter Paul McBeth co-designed and wins with, and it’s become the disc people cross-shop against the Aviar when they want “something a bit more.” Both are beadless, both fly straight, and the choice between them is about the last few feet of a putt and the first few feet of a drive. This comparison lays out where they differ, who each suits, and why the honest advice is to try both.

Head-to-head

Sources: our Aviar review and Luna review. Prices September 2026.

Putting: forgiving vs. firm

On the green the two putters ask for different strokes. The Aviar is neutral: a putt released a little soft, a little nose-up, or a little off-line still tends to reach the basket on the line you intended, because there’s almost no fade to pull it away. That’s why it’s in the starter set and why coaches hand it to new players.

The Luna has a firmer finish and a bit less glide on a soft putt. Put it on line with pace and it hits the chains as reliably as anything made; lob it and it drops sooner and drifts a little left. Owners describe it as “a putter for players who putt with confidence,” and that’s the honest split — confident, flat putters read the Luna as consistent; developing putters read it as unforgiving. Neither is wrong.

Wind and throwing: the Luna’s case

Two situations flip the comparison. In wind, the Aviar’s neutrality becomes a weakness: a headwind lifts and drifts it, and Aviar owners who play windy courses often move to a more overstable version (Aviar3, KC Pro). The Luna’s extra speed and fade hold a line in the same conditions, and wind is the most common reason owners give for switching. Off the tee, the Luna’s flat top and slight overstability let it fly straight at speed without turning over, then land and stay; it’s one of the best throwing putters made. The Aviar throws fine but with less speed and a softer finish.

Feel: the rim decides

Neither has a bead, so this isn’t the Aviar-vs-Judge bead question — it’s about profile. The Aviar has a rounder top and a slightly deeper feel that suits most grips. The Luna is flat-topped with a thinner 1.1 cm rim and sits low in the hand, and in Rubber Blend it’s exceptionally tacky. Players who like a flat rim usually prefer the Luna immediately; players who don’t usually stay with the Aviar or go beaded (Judge). This is the part no review can settle for you, and it’s why the sensible move is a DX Aviar ($9) and a Putter Line Luna ($13) side by side.

Plastics: the cheap way to try both

This is the rare comparison where you can settle it for $25, and it’s worth doing before committing to three of either.

• Aviar in DX ($9): the classic feel — grippy, slightly soft, beats in within a season. Perfect for the test and for practice putters. KC Pro is the stiffer, longer-lasting version most experienced Aviar putters carry; Star is grippy and durable; Champion runs a touch more stable and is slick when wet.
• Luna in Putter Line ($13): firm base plastic and the cheapest way to try the flat rim. Rubber Blend ($17–$19) is the plastic the Luna was designed around — tacky, slightly soft, grips in cold and wet — and it’s what most owners mean when they praise the feel. Big Z / ESP are the durable choices for a throwing Luna.

Buy the two base versions, putt a hundred putts with each, and the answer will be obvious. Then buy the plastic you’ll keep.

What owners who’ve used both say

The switching pattern is one-directional and consistent: players go from an Aviar to a Luna because of wind or because they want a throwing putter, and they mostly stay. Players who start on a Luna as a first putter more often move to something more forgiving — an Aviar or a Judge — and sometimes come back once the stroke is settled. Both discs have a long tail of five-star reviews; the Luna’s three-star reviews are almost all “great feel, but I lost strokes on short putts,” and the Aviar’s are almost all “wind” or “DX wore out.”

Which one should you buy?

Buy the Aviar if:

• You’re learning to putt or buying a first putter.
• You lob your putts or rely on glide.
• You play mostly calm courses.
• $9 matters, or you want three identical putters to practice with.

Buy the Luna if:

• You putt firm and flat and want consistency rewarded.
• You play in wind.
• You want one putter for both putting and driving.
• You like a flat, beadless rim and a tacky plastic.

Buy both if you can spare $25 — the rim will decide, and the loser becomes a fine throwing putter.

Our pick

For most people reading a putter comparison, the Aviar — it’s the safer first putter, it’s cheap, and it’s neutral in a way that helps a developing stroke. The Luna is the better putter for the specific player it’s built for — firm stroke, windy courses, throws putters — and that player usually knows who they are. If the bead question is what you’re really deciding, Aviar vs Judge covers it; for the rest of the Discraft short game, Buzzz vs Zone is the companion piece.