Why my favorite Board Manufacturer is Awesome!

[Mike T]

I have yet to shell out more than 350.00 for a new board. yah se isa po'boy. I know what I want in a custom board but i'm too cheap; however I 'm givin' up some vices to buy the new scarpa X, 650.00. this new do it all boot I've been waiting for for yrs. the custom board comes next year. maybe some of you could come to schwietzer and let me demo some of these hot boards i'm readin about. that said I love mervin, they never soldout. bought a grocer 186 in '91 and ripped the alpental back country on it for yrs. really learned to carve on my alp, & two primes. love myK2 eldo built on vashon, the '90 TX 170 was my 1st metal edge board.

*GET THEE TO OES* and I'm sure you can borrow some gear for a few runs. I personally don't loan out all my boards but I do loan out some that you will likely find interesting.

And back on topic, I gotta go with Coiler. There is certainly no shortage of incredible board makers in our niche, but Coiler stands out to me for several reasons. First and foremost, the fact that each deck has its flex customized to the buyer means very little chance of getting a board that doesn't work out. Second, Bruce is always looking for a better way to do things. Not only does he embrace new ideas but he finds ways to make them work for the amateurs and hobbyists out there such as myself. Third, if I were running a small business of my own, Coiler would be the benchmark against which I measured my own customer service. Bruce is a class act all around.

(Some ding him on delivery times... I'm happy to wait because I know he's going to give me the same attention he's giving to the people in front of me in line)

[b0ardski]

Thnx Mike, I'm gonna try to make the session at big this Jan.

[scotts.Scheinman]

Where's the love for F2

[Phil]

Where's the love for F2

Seven posts up from yours.

[rocketman]

I rode what ever I could afford until I rode my buddies 184 Free Carve - built for him (for me too cause I'm just as big) and it was like driving a Porche after driving a Miata.

I have two now and now my daughter wants one.

[bobdea]

MikeT said it best about Coiler, overall the best experience I've had by a long shot. The boards have come out the best as well in respect to quality build and design.

Also something that is very noteworthy is that all my coilers have had a grind on them and the edges were not wavy or anything, this is much more than I can say for most other board vendors big or small.

[Pow]

Im a big fan of Pogo snowboards, as many who have read my older posts already know. They have gone above and beyond for me, but besides that the boards are truly spectacular. I love having a board that is completely unique, one that nobody else has (even if the only difference for mine is the topsheet). The construction process they proudly explain makes me very confident that my board isn't going to break down out there in any way. Theyre not afraid to go against the grain and bring out new shapes and designs, especially in a world where snowboards look like [this] and anything else is wrong. I've had a lot of fun the past seasons and ive really stepped up my riding with much thanks to my gear.

And I don't think i can finish this post without pointing out that Pogo's boards look great this year (http://www.pogo.biz/index_gallery.php)

custom shops rock!

[JoelP]

Just a side note on the Coilers. Although Bruce does the best job he can and he's my personal choice for boards, I suggest you still not ride the board until you personalize it with a good hand finish. 1st, he can't wax it for your conditions, I've always had to scrape his wax down and re-wax the base since here in CO we have a very cold dry snow conditions and his wax is usually for a wetter snow type. Not that it didn't run well, just that I could make it run that much better. 2nd and most important and it isn't given its due credit is to redo the edges. They come with a machine finish, a good one but not good enough for me. The base works when the board is running flat but the edges have a HUGE impact on how it runs when on edge which is 99% of the time for us. I'm not talking about the edge holding, I'm talking about the edge gliding. I redo the edges and polish them up to a near mirror finish of an 800 grit stone. You would be amazed at the difference this makes. I personally feel the the biggest thing you can do to improve your ride. I swear you can have a rounded edge but if it's polished it will still cut smoothly. I get about 4 to 5 boards in here a year from Bruce for me and friends and before I let anyone out on the snow spend a good 2 hours on each board. Get a new board and run a file down the edge and you'll feel it cut and grab in different places, this is the machine hardening of the edge and this is the same feel the edge will have when cutting the hardpack, not the feeling you want. I run my files until the file cuts smoothly from tip to tail with out any spot grabbing. Then it's ready to begin the polishing procedure. That smoothness is exactly what you want the edge to do while it's cutting the snow.....smoothly and consistent.....

It's not that they can't be ridden out of the box but the personal finish will improve the board immensly

Enjoy.

JoelP

[bobdea]

agreed, what I was refering to is that they come flat and the edges are not ****ed, I don't know if Prior does their boards in-house or has a shop somewhere do them but their tunes are often not so good where as my coilers have come in a state where I could properly set my bevel where I want it without much trouble and the base has been pretty flat.

wax, I wax temp specific every other time I ride anyway

[Bordy]

If the manufacture sent the board out with a flat base. I am stoked. But every board I get I expect I'll need to personalize the board for my riding. Some manufactures have no tuning gear at all.

I remember reading this thread last year and just laughing about it. Same again this year.

[Algunderfoot]

I think all of us agree that we like what has worked for us, or taken our abilities to the next level. Having said that, I don't recall being "unhappy" with anything I have owned, maybe this was coincidence, or maybe I had a more logical progression than I deserved. I also have a genuine appreciation for the manufacturers who serve this industry, that where/are customers themselves, the purely dedicated to the sport as opposed to the conglomerate production factories. The guys on this forum, who ride the talk, should be commended for taking the sport to where it is today, and putting their name on the line with every order.

Free ride boards aside, it was Burton Alp, Burton Coil, Renntiger, Prior, Prior, Prior, and Prior, do you see a pattern here. I was drawn to Chris' story, and saw the variety of boards he was putting out there for the mono-directional rider / carver. He has obviously been innovative, both with new designs and improvements on others. Needless to say, they are great folks to work with, love every Prior board I have bought, although my relationship with the '08 WCR metal is only in the first date stage. (havn't rode her yet) These guys will tweak any board to your liking, and go full on custom. Dean Thompson is genuinely interested in your objectives. There of course are other builders that do as well, but Prior is tough to beat. Just look how few used ones are for sale, and how few will even consider giving them up. So as with most things in life I will stay loyal and true to a good thing.

I could see trying an exotic someday, the Virus boards are just sick, but luckily the price keeps my desire in check, so it looks like I'll wait to cash in the 401K...

Think Snow!

Al

[bobdea]

If the manufacture sent the board out with a flat base. I am stoked. But every board I get I expect I'll need to personalize the board for my riding. Some manufactures have no tuning gear at all.

I remember reading this thread last year and just laughing about it. Same again this year.

My statements reflect that I do most of my edge work myself until the board needs a grind so long as the board doesn't look too wavy(even if it is I might still ride it but I'll be able to tell). some to tend to come out better than others, I appreciate this because it gets me riding with the bevel that I want and saves me a headache.

as I said, with just about any brand it's a crapshoot, I used to sit in a shop and nights that it was dead I'd put the bar to boards all the time and not many were totally flat but some were real bad. Some companies were worse than others, no one offers total consistancy because it's next to impossible.