Question about quality of board manufactures?

[rscott22]

Hey guys,

I am still pretty new to this forum and I am relatively new to wakeboarding also and I have a few questions about the quality of the board companies out there like RONIX, Hyperlite, Liquid Force, Gator, ETC. I come from a snowboarding background (been riding for 10 years now) and I know what companies have the best boards, bindings and boats out there but, when it comes to wakeboarding I have no idea what a cheap made in china boards look like and rides like compared to quality made in the USA boards ride like. I have really grown great interest in the new Hyperlite boards especially with their system setup since it stems from the snowboarding world. I wasn’t sure if they are a quality company or an outsourced company with a big price tag (an example would be BURTON snowboards big price tag but made in China). I have also been looking into RONIX which seems like a really nice board company and seems to have the philosophy of ran by wakeboarders and built by wakeboarders. These are just some of the questions I have and I good keep going but I don’t want to write a book. If anyone could help me out I would deeply appreciate it.

P.S. I do recognize that boards made in china can be built well if they have great quality control but 9 times out of 10 they don’t and on top of that I would much rather support a company that keeps jobs here in the US instead of outsourcing.

Thanks,
Ryan

[OperationROL]

IMO, Ronix is by far the best quality board you can find. They are years ahead of the others. With that said, I still think Hyperlite, Liquid Force and CWB make good boards. I would never look beyond those.

[rscott22]

[OperationROL]

This is the description of the Ronix One that I ride:

Special Features:Krypto cable – makes the sidewalls the strongest part of the board // A clean bottom design - the board lands with more natural forward momentum // Thin profile reduces swing weight
Rocker and Base Features:3-Stage rocker design
Construction:Directional R3 Technology – Ride the board the way it was intended to be ridden with the carbon maintaining the original rocker line // Mod Pour – this demanding alternative core is new for this year made from Ronix’s exclusive blend of carbon atoms // New side vents – for a stronger grip up the wake.
Rails/Edges:The round rails thru the center with a new angled bevel prevent that all too familiar edge catching a digger, and create an even mellower transitioned carve.

video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vjt7wk3uJg

[mgs917]

one of the things i really like about the ronix line of boots, is the baseplate. if you look at them they are really thin which puts you right on the board. i feel like i get really good edge response. they are also a ton lighter than my last pair of bindings (05 LF shanes). all the brands that you see talked about on this forum have pros and cons. different people will recommend different brands. liquid force, ronix, hyperlite, byerly, cwb are some of the big name manufacturers. if you can, go to a pro shop and look at the different gear. if you can demo it that is even better. it really comes down to feel and personal preference which is what most people will tell you.

[hawkster0001]

from what ihear from people who have ridden the system, its not too good, the main problem being they drag in the water. as far as boards and boots go yep pretty much ronix is best if not up there in most peoples opinions

[Craig-R]

i ride a slingshot, which hasn't been mentioned yet. I love it and they are made right here in the good ol' US of A.

[Chocoholic]

I think most boards and defo the majority of bindings will be made in China.

Liquid Force boards are made here in the United Arab Emirates and the bindings in China - their build quality I've always found is very very good.

Personally I ride Ronix and love their boards and bindings, very solid and well made.

But you know sometimes there can just be a bad run of boards. My friends Ronix delaminated, my last Hyperlite delaminated after 6 months.

My OH rides a Slingshot and loves it.

[Chocoholic]

[Craig-R]

Chocoholic, as long as it's a slingshot that's 2008 or newer, any bindings will fit a slingshot board

[mala1967]

I thought most of the boards were made in United Arab Emirates

[Chocoholic]

[Chocoholic]

[erikneufeld]

Ran CWB stuff for 2 years because its what i had, i would NOT recommend it..
Liquid force on the other hand makes a great setup, board and bindings.

Also i dont know about Ronix boards, but i had a pair of closed toe ronix one bindings and could not stand them. Selling my LF watsons for those was a huge mistake, Sold em and im back in a pair of LF shanes which are awsome.
Your feel welded to the board but the footbed is like marshmellows soft.

[mala1967]

I heard Hyperlite is going to be made in the United Arab Emirates now.

[da Liks]

how can you NOT like the Ronix Ones?? divulge!

[hawkster0001]

maybe he bought a pair of used ones that had been molded???

[erikneufeld]

yes the where used (lightly) but they fit pretty good.
But they dont seat flush to the board they have some rocker motion to them before the front ot back touches the board which delays your edge.
That and they feel so cheap. + everytime i ate it bad the inner boot would come out which is a pain to get back under the laces.

I dunno, to those who love their ronix ones, Have you tried on a set of liquid forces high end bindings with the liquid liner? Its so comfortable and you feel so connected lol.

[LakeIolaLuke]

erikneufeld, You've got the older ones obviously. 09 and newer ronix boots are leaps and bounds better than anything else on the market right now

[erikneufeld]

TBH im not sure what year they where
http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb265/iconicr/100_3805.jpg
theres a picture.^^
They sure look good. and mabey the newer ones are great, in which case im sorry if i spoke poorly of a good product.

[leviwynnyk]

Ya, those look to be the first year they made the One boots, so like LakeIolaLuke mentioned, then 09's a newer are much much better. It's not that those were "bad" but the new baseless ssystem Ronix uses is excellent.

[da Liks]

yeah those dont look like the newer ones.. mine are 010 and are so "the stuff"..

[hawkster0001]

yeah its not exactly that you were wrong, because its your opinion, but ive just never heard of any one who hasnt liked the ones.

[Mark Jones]

Defiantly go for a Ronix board. In my experience defiantly one of the best!!

[The Heez]

Ryan, I hate to break it to you but basically you have asked a question that can only be answered by opinion. Most on here are telling you to ride what they ride. What I'm saying is that all boards are generally manufactured the same way, it's glass and foam and a couple other "special" ingredients. Focus more on finding a shape that suits the way you ride. When starting out ride as many different shapes as possible, you will know when you find a keeper.

The simple fact is this, all boards break, all bindings can come apart. I've broken a few different manufacturers and can honestly tell you I have seen every single brand break from wake riding. It happens. Boards made with exotic cores are more susceptible to breakage. If you are just getting into the sport I wouldn't worry about it as much. If you are really concerned, look at each company's warranty (some are better than others) and deal with a local shop, you get the best customer service that way.

Now to fit in with the other responses, I'll tell you my experience. I've been riding CWB for the last few years and have indeed broken a couple. Their 2 year warranty is great. Their boots have been indestructible, I've not had an issue in the last 6 years of boots.

[GnarShredd]

[Wakebrad]

Any of the board companies mentioned here are going to be fine. As far as boards go - I'd look for the shape. There are more product differentiators than in snowboarding because there are more variables.

Things to look for:
Rocker size - larger rocker means a slower board but pops more vertically
Rocker shape - continuous vs 3 stage. Continuous is more consistent pop and 3-stage is more vertical.
Fins - more/bigger fins means a grippier ride, smaller/less fins means a loose, snowboard feel

More recent factors:
Bottom shape. Back around 06, boards started having features on the bottom like concave sections that soften landings. LF has done a good job with these.

Flex. Slingshot brought this to the market from the Kite realm and it has really taken off. A Slingshot is going to be as close as you can come to a snowboard feel. The bottoms are very flat and the tip and tail are flexible almost like a snowboard. If you land by putting your tail down first the landings are super soft. LF has now added products in its line to match this.

Base materials - newer materials meant to hold up better on sliders.

Admittedly I'm not that familiar with Ronix products. The last few years I've been focused on boards with softer landings as I approach my 30s, to protect the knees. Ronix doesn't seem to have a board that excels at this. The concave that LF and CWB came out with makes a big difference but the new flex boards are even better.

[JeffreyCH]

[TnR6Rida]

LF FTW

[9DROZD]

Dude theres just as many variables in wakeboarding as there is in snowboarding. So edge profile, fin size, fin setup, bottom design, thickness, tip/tail width, rocker size, rocker shape, overall length, different cores, etc, none of that plays an important role in how a board will ride, feel, pop, land. Your on water, theres a lot going on with hydrodynamics between the board and water. I guess your right, theres not much to it.

[JeffreyCH]

9DROZD, What ever man water is water, it's either flat or it's not. You have to consider all those variables (except fins) with a snowboard, then on top of that match those to the terrain, conditions and style of riding you plan on doing. I didn't say that variables(shape) had no effect on a WB, in fact I said the opposite.

Will it kill you if you ride a board that is meant for cable behind a boat? Probably not. Will a jib noodle kill you on an icy double black? Yes more then likely.

Oh well, this is a pointless argument, so I will re-state this. IMO there is a lot more to picking a snowboard then a wakeboard.

[Chocoholic]

Annnnnywaaaaay - we're not talkig about snowboarding, so it's a moot point to begin with.

I have owned LF, Hyperlie and Ronix boards. Tried continuous, 3-stage and hybrid rockers.

Again it's down to personal choice. I think my Ronix with a hybrid rocker is the best thing I've ever ridden, but then it suits my ride style, which is fast a little loose and just going for it.

[JeffreyCH]

[LakeIolaLuke]

I will say in Holdsworth's case, He broke a board that had been discontinued and the replacement wasn't available until the 2010's came out. (I think he broke his '09 PBV2 in like May of '09) Typically Ronix has excellent customer service, If you ever have a problem, speak to one of their reps.

[9DROZD]

JeffreyCH, I guess i fail to understand the need for six or so different types of snowboards all just to ride down the mountain.