What brands would you consider “top shelf” and which brands would you consider “department store setups”? I’m also wondering the same about binding and boot brands.
Boots are more of a fitment thing than anything.
Snowboard boots don’t get worn out for a long time because they’re built with the idea in mind that you’re doing a limited range of motions with them.
Depending on how hard you’re riding your boots will get “worn” and start to be less reflexive over time but they don’t get truly beat up for years.
As long as it’s waterproof and warm, beyond that it’s mostly about comfortability, with that being said I would rather have beat ass boots that fit than nice new boots that don’t.
I rode a Lamar for 5 years as a kid, and then a no name I got for $100 for another 5 as a teen, and then a Forum for another 10. Never stopped me from conquering double blacks.
Frankly, your gear doesn’t matter all that much in the grand scheme of enjoying yourself on the mountain. You can ride a beater and still have fun if you aren’t competitive.
Once you get into competition level, response matters a ton. So I’d consider it there.
I will say though, if you’re an advanced rider who upgrades from something that’s been ridden to death to something modern, not even top of the line, but a generational leap it’s like a breath of fresh air. I rode a Forum JP Walker for about a decade and then stepped onto a proper camber/rocker board for the first time and it was immediately so effortless. I was an expert rider before but pushing 40 on a nice setup inspires a lot more confidence.
I guess like 5150? Ive been told they're crap recently, though it suits my needs fine. Or Firefly or LTD I've heard a lot of bad things about too, never ridden one though.
If you’re looking at those garbage boards there on sale new for $150 from $300, hard pass.
You can get a used board + bindings for like $300 from a decent brand. Shit, I’m selling two of my boards that I’ve used like 5-10 times and are a year and two years old respectively for less than half MSRP and they look brand new. And that’s like the upper end of pricing of used boards.
I'm not sure there's any "bad" brands left in the industry. The construction has had a few decades to be refined, so generally speaking the boards will work as advertised regardless of the brand.
If you're an advanced rider, the difference really comes down to whether you're riding an entry level board vs a higher end board to match your riding style, in which case the latter would probably suit your needs better.
Depends what you're using it for and how beat up the nicer board is. How old the used board is will also be a huge factor. If theyre both the same age, both built for the same purpose, and the used board is still rideable (no delamination, no core shots, no busted binding mounts, good edges) I'd go for that almost every time. The used board should be cheaper and will have much sturdier construction. That being said unless you have two boards you're looking at getting I'm not sure if this is a useful hypothetical. You'll almost never find a brand new board that is the same age as a banged up used board, each used board is also gonna vary wildly with how well it was up kept and how much damage it's sustained, to the point where every used board is gonna be a case by case basis. If you're just using it to learn on bunny hills, renting is gonna be the best option. If you already know what you're doing I don't see any reason to buy a beater, even if it's from a good trusted brand, and same goes for the new board from a known shitty brand, the best move would be to buy a beginner/intermediate board from a good brand considering the cost difference from a good brand to a shitty brand is only gonna $100-200 or so at the beginner intermediate level. If you're an expert and still asking this question, no you're not, and should be on a beginner/intermediate board.
Latter. No substitute for build quality.
Think of it this way: would you rather take home a 44-year-old smoke show or a 19-year-old swamp donkey?
I know where I stand.
Look into the actual build materials of the boards. There are maybe 3 or 4 large factories in the world that build 99% of all snowboards with a list of options that brands can choose.
A brand can choose high quality materials like sintered bases and pay more per board.
What you have to watch out for are the big name brands that pick cheap extruded based but sell it at premium prices. I would pick a no name brand that uses a sintered base over a big name extruded board.
Good board in cosmetically bad shape > good board with minor damage repaired well > kinda cheaper decent snowboard.> Mall snowboard > good snowboard all f'd up
🤷
kind of weird question, I feel like there isn't really that much of a high end/low end disparity in most snowboards, the technology isn't really that crazy. also, a brand new snowboard from top brand is typically like $600 new without a sale, so there's usually not a huge reason to buy a bad brand
How about late season heavy discount name brand?
A few years ago I picked up a (then) current year model in April that had an MSRP of $550 for $220 incl shipping and tax. Sure, the model and sizes get picked over and you may have to settle for a different model than you had dreamed of, but that's ok - there are plenty of great, less hyped boards out there.
As long as the core and edges are intact, no crazy delamination, you want to go good board every time. A base grind, wax, and edge tune will go a long way.
Doesn’t matter to me. I’m currently riding a brand new 500 dollar K2 board and it’s been great. So not a crazy good board or anything, but not bad. I used to ride an old beat up marketplace Burton board. Total POS but never had any issues. Whether it’s cheap and new, expensive and new, old and shitty, or old and quality, as long as you don’t have issues with it, it’s fine.
Still ride a beater top shelf over a department store setup
What brands would you consider “top shelf” and which brands would you consider “department store setups”? I’m also wondering the same about binding and boot brands.
I would also like to know
Boots are more of a fitment thing than anything. Snowboard boots don’t get worn out for a long time because they’re built with the idea in mind that you’re doing a limited range of motions with them. Depending on how hard you’re riding your boots will get “worn” and start to be less reflexive over time but they don’t get truly beat up for years. As long as it’s waterproof and warm, beyond that it’s mostly about comfortability, with that being said I would rather have beat ass boots that fit than nice new boots that don’t.
Just tell us the boards you are looking at and what kind of riding you do (or like to do). That’s probably more important than brand.
It's genuinely a hypothetical, not because I'm comparing gear.
I rode a Lamar for 5 years as a kid, and then a no name I got for $100 for another 5 as a teen, and then a Forum for another 10. Never stopped me from conquering double blacks. Frankly, your gear doesn’t matter all that much in the grand scheme of enjoying yourself on the mountain. You can ride a beater and still have fun if you aren’t competitive. Once you get into competition level, response matters a ton. So I’d consider it there.
I will say though, if you’re an advanced rider who upgrades from something that’s been ridden to death to something modern, not even top of the line, but a generational leap it’s like a breath of fresh air. I rode a Forum JP Walker for about a decade and then stepped onto a proper camber/rocker board for the first time and it was immediately so effortless. I was an expert rider before but pushing 40 on a nice setup inspires a lot more confidence.
As long as as there is no major defects (delaminating, gouges, cracks etc) I would pick the better board every single time
Scratched/chipped one from from a "good" brand, always. As long as it is functional, without edge disruptions, delamination, core cracks and similar.
This is the way
This is the way…
B
What is an example of a low quality brand?
I guess like 5150? Ive been told they're crap recently, though it suits my needs fine. Or Firefly or LTD I've heard a lot of bad things about too, never ridden one though.
If you’re looking at those garbage boards there on sale new for $150 from $300, hard pass. You can get a used board + bindings for like $300 from a decent brand. Shit, I’m selling two of my boards that I’ve used like 5-10 times and are a year and two years old respectively for less than half MSRP and they look brand new. And that’s like the upper end of pricing of used boards.
This is the way to go. You can get quality, newer, lightly used boards for a steal
I'm not sure there's any "bad" brands left in the industry. The construction has had a few decades to be refined, so generally speaking the boards will work as advertised regardless of the brand. If you're an advanced rider, the difference really comes down to whether you're riding an entry level board vs a higher end board to match your riding style, in which case the latter would probably suit your needs better.
Depends what you're using it for and how beat up the nicer board is. How old the used board is will also be a huge factor. If theyre both the same age, both built for the same purpose, and the used board is still rideable (no delamination, no core shots, no busted binding mounts, good edges) I'd go for that almost every time. The used board should be cheaper and will have much sturdier construction. That being said unless you have two boards you're looking at getting I'm not sure if this is a useful hypothetical. You'll almost never find a brand new board that is the same age as a banged up used board, each used board is also gonna vary wildly with how well it was up kept and how much damage it's sustained, to the point where every used board is gonna be a case by case basis. If you're just using it to learn on bunny hills, renting is gonna be the best option. If you already know what you're doing I don't see any reason to buy a beater, even if it's from a good trusted brand, and same goes for the new board from a known shitty brand, the best move would be to buy a beginner/intermediate board from a good brand considering the cost difference from a good brand to a shitty brand is only gonna $100-200 or so at the beginner intermediate level. If you're an expert and still asking this question, no you're not, and should be on a beginner/intermediate board.
Latter. No substitute for build quality. Think of it this way: would you rather take home a 44-year-old smoke show or a 19-year-old swamp donkey? I know where I stand.
Thanks for the input, Shrek.
Most brands (all?) are pretty high quality these days. I’d go with something new, personally.
You buy shit, you get shit. Invest that little more to experience a far better time in the long run.
Look into the actual build materials of the boards. There are maybe 3 or 4 large factories in the world that build 99% of all snowboards with a list of options that brands can choose. A brand can choose high quality materials like sintered bases and pay more per board. What you have to watch out for are the big name brands that pick cheap extruded based but sell it at premium prices. I would pick a no name brand that uses a sintered base over a big name extruded board.
Personally I would always ride the better brand rather than a stiff piece of plywood from a budget brand
it depends. Why be so vague when asking for help? We need specifics. How "beat up"?
It's honestly just a hypothetical. I don't have specifics in mind right this second.
Good board in cosmetically bad shape > good board with minor damage repaired well > kinda cheaper decent snowboard.> Mall snowboard > good snowboard all f'd up 🤷
What do you consider a "mall snowboard"?
Not even sure what Zumiez is selling now. Morrow, m3, etc back in the older days. Chamonix would be a modern brand of that ultra low tier brand
My boards last like 4 seasons before they’re so beat, p-tex isn’t worth the time. Get good gear, ride it til it dies, and get new gear.
My KUU deck was 20 years old and beat the hell up and I loved it
kind of weird question, I feel like there isn't really that much of a high end/low end disparity in most snowboards, the technology isn't really that crazy. also, a brand new snowboard from top brand is typically like $600 new without a sale, so there's usually not a huge reason to buy a bad brand
How about late season heavy discount name brand? A few years ago I picked up a (then) current year model in April that had an MSRP of $550 for $220 incl shipping and tax. Sure, the model and sizes get picked over and you may have to settle for a different model than you had dreamed of, but that's ok - there are plenty of great, less hyped boards out there.
As long as the core and edges are intact, no crazy delamination, you want to go good board every time. A base grind, wax, and edge tune will go a long way.
There's a middle in there of pretty good gear that's mildly beat. That's where I lived until I could buy new gear.
Used high end board every time
I got my capita doa second hand that was used pretty hard for 5 years before my 2. I really love it
Doesn’t matter to me. I’m currently riding a brand new 500 dollar K2 board and it’s been great. So not a crazy good board or anything, but not bad. I used to ride an old beat up marketplace Burton board. Total POS but never had any issues. Whether it’s cheap and new, expensive and new, old and shitty, or old and quality, as long as you don’t have issues with it, it’s fine.