420calvin Posted November 5, 2004 Report Share Posted November 5, 2004 I'm interested in Prior snowboards, and am trying to get to the bottom of something: what makes Priors so expensive, and are they worth the price? Before getting into this, let me qualify that I'm open to hearing all views and am NOT bashing Prior in any way. They are quality boards, that can't be argued -- I'm just curious why they're so darn expensive. Example: I'm looking into buying a Men's FreeRide (MFR) and would like the Quad-glass upgrade (a higher quality fiberglass that's woven in 4 directions instead of the traditional 3 or even 2-cross). If I buy this board, with quadraxial glass, it's going to cost me $600. Now, if I went with a comparable board from Arbor (the A-Frame) -- sandwich construction, quadraxial glass, and made in California -- it would cost me just over $500. And I'd get a 2 year warranty instead of a 1 year warranty from Prior. Go with Never Summer - a quality board maker - and you get a great product for under $500 with a 3 year warranty. So what makes Prior snowboards worth the extra price? And is it a problem that they don't back up their product with a better warranty? One quality I love is big radial sidecuts, something the MFR has (10m). I know it will rail carves, something the A-Frame does very well too with a +/- 8.5m radial sidecut. I'd love to hear your thoughts and experience on this... basically I'm trying to convince myself that I need to buy a Prior. But I keep coming back to that price... and there's gotta be a factor that will sway me one way or the other. And not just cool factor, which is a legitimate reason but not something that matters to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Gendzwill Posted November 5, 2004 Report Share Posted November 5, 2004 The base price of the Prior is $538, not $600 - compare apples with apples, sort of. The very fact that the upgraded construction is available is part of why the price is higher. Prior is a small company which offers custom work. If you wanted, you could also ask them to make the board a little stiffer or softer as per your preference (for a fee). The real mystery to me is how Donek sells a direct competitor at $360. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
420calvin Posted November 5, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2004 I agree it's best to compare apples to apples, which means the $600 price compared to Arbor's $500 is fair. This is because Arbor and Prior both use quad-glass in their construction for this price. Also, the materials used are the highest quality for both manufacturers. When you talk about Prior's custom options, that's a wonderful quality for a board builder to have, but that doesn't have anything to do with the present argument. As you say, they charge for that service in addition to the base price. What I'm looking for is viewpoints about Prior's baseline boards (with no custom options) relative to the industry in general. Why are they so expensive? Or is that part of their "marketing niche"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Houghton Posted November 5, 2004 Report Share Posted November 5, 2004 All things considered, I don't think Prior is out of line. Your comparison is for a factory made board, Prior will adjust the stiffness to your preference no charge. And there are far more expensive factory boards, Virus and Swoard in Europe, Madd in NA (or is that Italy) and for customs, BS and some of the others are higher cost. Why not just call Prior and talk to them? Maybe you'll end up with a board for $500, they do have lightly used demos, and are sometimes flexible on the price. No harm in asking, I'm sure they'd like to see you on one of their boards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
420calvin Posted November 5, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2004 I didn't know Prior would adjust the flex - that's great. I have spoken w/ them before and they've been extremely helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Gendzwill Posted November 5, 2004 Report Share Posted November 5, 2004 Thanks for the correction, Chris. I think they used to charge for stiffness changes, good to know it's available at no extra cost now. Their demo/blem/used page for MFR is here. Prices range from $US325 to $US455 (roughly). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Matt D Posted November 5, 2004 Report Share Posted November 5, 2004 I have a MFR 168XW I got in Nov, 02. 10m radial sidecut. Wicked fast graphite base. I spoke with Chris about what I wanted which was basically stiff and a lot of edge hold. I also mentioned how i thought 27cm waist might have been slightly not wide enough. So my board arrived looking sick, waist of 27.2cm and it was STIFF. That thing rails turns almost like a race board. Its a super nice pow ride too. You talk about warranty only being 1 year. I questioned them about warranty when I was at the factory, and they said they might get 4 boards back a year. Mine feels like a tank underfoot. I've done some stupid ****, and my board looks nearly new. From talking with them I know you can get the waist narrowed/widened (up to 5mm), and get the flex changed for no additional cost. So basically if you know what you want, they will make it for you and you will be extremely satisfied. I have a C$25 coupon if you'd like me to send you 1. e-mail me your mailing address. peace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Gendzwill Posted November 5, 2004 Report Share Posted November 5, 2004 I suspect if it's a real warranty issue, Prior will back it up even after the one year period. I bought a used 4WD from Chris, it was already a year old. Top delammed (they had that problem with the old ones, fixed now) and Chris repaired it under warranty. This is a second owner, out of warranty board. Cost me $50 in shipping charges. Got to pick the top I wanted, too (from their stock tops) so my 4WD looks like one of the old black WCRs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonerider Posted November 5, 2004 Report Share Posted November 5, 2004 Originally posted by 420calvin I didn't know Prior would adjust the flex - that's great. I have spoken w/ them before and they've been extremely helpful. Yea, that's the thing... when you order a board at Prior or Donek (and Coiler) you talk to THE board maker about what you like to do on the mountain and what you want out of a board and then they go and make a board specifically for you. It's that extra bit of service/treatment that you are paying for ... although I don't think Donek does flex customization for you, you get the boards for an amazing $360 (I have an Incline 155). Coiler does custom alpine boards for an also amazingly low price... but you basically have to wait a year for to come... both are fair tradeoffs I think and overall these three small boardmakers offer all the combinations of service/price you could want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
420calvin Posted November 5, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2004 Thanks for the feedback, great info. Matt D -- very generous offer! I'll email you w/ my snail mail. I'd like to return the favor and will speak about that in my email... Now I just have to convince my wife!! (that's the crux) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Posted November 5, 2004 Report Share Posted November 5, 2004 I threw down last year for a birthday present for myself. My Prior 174cm 4X4 is a dream board. Straight up stock 4x4, better than I could have imagined. A carving friend rode my board for two runs and then ordered himself the same board in a different color :) A extra $100 spot that you are considering costs way less than a days work. Spend it and join the Prior gang. As I don't have any experience with the boards that you mentioned, but I hope this helps. The longer sidecut is also a big plus. Hugh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kent Posted November 6, 2004 Report Share Posted November 6, 2004 Well.....I figure it's a combination of Chris being greedy (because he can/market will allow) and the fact that the boards ride nice..... The first snowboard I actually PAID for (got freebies for 12 years straight) was a "custom" WCR 161 w/extra glass two years ago. Quite simply, the best riding SL stick I'd ever ridden. A dream come true........ Everything I'd ever wanted in a slalom board. That was, until the tail delamned with their crappy aluminum protector. A cronic issue at the time. Called for warrany and got the run around....2-3 times. Had a local board builder (who worked for Chris) epoxy & bake it.....5-6 times as it kept coming back. It was so sad to see it keep delaming...... It really wanted/wants to be ridden! Urgggh.....now I'm all pissed off again. Why'd ya have to ask about Prior? Great boards, poor service. (If Chris wants to fix the board, I'd gladly pay for shipping) K Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ARCrider Posted November 6, 2004 Report Share Posted November 6, 2004 Now I just have to convince my wife!! (that's the crux) Hey Calvin Buy your wife one too. She can't complain then can she? more guys than gals in alpine. We need more chicks on sticks. I don't own a Prior but have ridden with guys that love'em. Coiler factory is close by so I have kept my board dealings with Bruce. Have always been pleased with his product. Well worth the little extra for something built just for you. good luck with your purchase(s) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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