Quality of boards?

138jobe · Outlaw Joined: 30 Jan 2005 Posts: 174 City: Calgary

It just clued me that, a lot of these subjects about boards in general, most of the time, hyperlite, liquid force are always mentioned. I know they are good quality, nice to ride and look good.

Is there a reason you dont hear much about O'brien, Jobe, Gator...etc...etc.

Do HL, LF just have better advertising, word of mouth, which catches peoples eye more?

03Belmont · Wakeboarder.com Freak Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Posts: 4656

RUSSIAN · Posted: Mar 17, 2005 3:15 pm Post subject:

wakeman101 · Outlaw Joined: 06 Mar 2005 Posts: 104 City: ATL

the reason IS the quality of the boards but Hyperlite and LF have the best riders out there that promte the company and the boards the pros use

hands dwon i think Hyperlite is the best company out there and have the beat riders and there boards are just amazing LF is aslo good

BelmontWake · Soul Rider Joined: 16 Mar 2005 Posts: 278

So you want to know why some companies are more popular than others?

One Word-

Hype.

Liquid*Force*Rider · Posted: Mar 17, 2005 5:01 pm Post subject:

Liquid Force and Hyperlite have the most money to get the best riders and the best advertisment. Cool

LFADAM · Posted: Mar 17, 2005 5:59 pm Post subject:

About quality of boards, yea they are great, but so are CWB, blindside, and double up. Just more LF/HL boards are available and advertised more. But for bindings, I would have to say HL bindings are a little weak on quality. Not just because I love LF, but because I have heard soooo many stories about problems with the B.O.A. system and torn overlays.

03Belmont · Wakeboarder.com Freak Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Posts: 4656

smlparksguy133, EVERY company has binding problems... You wouldnt belive the number of lower end cwb bindings we sent back last year because they ripped... I have never had anyproblem with the boa but have torn a couple hyperlite overlays but the new rubber they are using this year is sick

LFADAM · Posted: Mar 17, 2005 6:39 pm Post subject:

03Belmont, there are always screw ups. In everything! Just HL is known for it. (They have had a lot/the most in the past few years)

138jobe · Outlaw Joined: 30 Jan 2005 Posts: 174 City: Calgary

So does that mean the "little guys" do not have good quality.

Im not sure on this, but is Jobe, made by HL?
correct me if Im wrong cause I may be wrong.

03Belmont · Wakeboarder.com Freak Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Posts: 4656

138jobe, herb obrien owns both hyperlite and Jobe..

smlparksguy133, No, people just are hyperlite haters because they think it makes them cool or a "core rider" People that are in love with CWB, Liquid force or any other company would rather tell you about how in 1993 there hyperlite bindings broke or how there friends, cosins, sisters, friends new byerly bindings BOA broke because they cranked them to tight and and then tried to fix them with wire cutters insted of talking about how there Liquidforce bindings broke the 3rd time they used them. I agree, Hyperlite has had problems over the years but so does everyone but they dont get as much fiddlesticks talked about there product because people think its "cool" to talk crap about hyperlite!
You can say what you want about hyperlite but if someone brings me a wakeboard that's cracked of delamed that I can tell has never hit a slider or was droped off a 10 story building I will give them a new board off the rack because I know that hyperlite will send the shop a new one to replace it. Now if someone brought in an obrien board I would most likely make them wait until I was sent a new board to give it to them...

smlparksguy133, How many hyperlite boards have you busted and how many overlays have you torn??? And did hyperlite help you out when you busted it or did you bitch on the message boards before you talked to a shop about it?

RUSSIAN · Posted: Mar 17, 2005 9:51 pm Post subject:

isn't it herb obrien.
And doesn't kent sports now own all of them

Flying Tiger · Criminal Joined: 17 May 2004 Posts: 70

Most the big wakeboard companies make a budget line too.
I forget who makes what, but usually on the labels, box or tags the name of parent company is mentioned. And the lower cost stuff made by the big names seems to be good.

All I know about wakeboards is that the cheapo off name brands just break kids hearts because they usually break the first or second time out.

No name Wall Mart specials kinda junk ect.

We run Hyperlites because they never let us down,, but I'm sure the other big names are good too.
Just avoid the junk that disapoints kids.
Damn I hate junk wakeboards.

wake_quake · Posted: Mar 17, 2005 9:59 pm Post subject:

i thought nash owned them

Kento911 · Addict Joined: 07 Dec 2004 Posts: 958 City: Devore

wake_quake, NASH owns HYDROSLIDE. . Kent SG owns Hyperlite, LF, Blindside, D-up(for now), and Jobe did I miss any?? guys. . Herb Obrien was the principal for HO and Jobe for a long time after Jeff Jobe, looooooong before that he started Obrien too as I recall.

138jobe, to answer your question Obrien is questionable quality in my mind. . CWB had problems a long time ago (when Parks rode for them) but their stuff is nice now, Gator stuff is nice, the advantage is not only advertisin gbut longevity in thew wake market imo.

itch · Posted: Mar 18, 2005 3:45 am Post subject:

in the 12 years I have been involved in this sport. the best finished boards i have ever seen came out of the triton company they pressed blindside, d-up and gator. as far qaulity they all are about the same standard, every company has warrenty issues hyperlite and liquid force have more because they make three times as many boards as everyone else. when i worked for gator one year we had only 13 boards come back.
Herb is the principal in ho hyperlite and jobe the rest is owned by kent which also owns or has control in cwb obrien, liquid force, blindside, d-up. and the are all one managament roof as one big happy family. e-snow did i leave anything out?
itch

LFADAM · Posted: Mar 18, 2005 3:58 am Post subject:

138jobe · Outlaw Joined: 30 Jan 2005 Posts: 174 City: Calgary

What problems are people having with boards? delaminating? cracking?

03Belmont · Wakeboarder.com Freak Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Posts: 4656

Beating them to death on sliders, and last season I cracked the tail of my 04 LF subjekt by landing really tail heavy... Don't ask me how but it cracked..

Wakebrad · Ladies Man Joined: 11 Dec 2003 Posts: 12257 City: Dallas

I don't think it has to do with the quality of the boards. It has to do with the number of riders. If a bunch of people ride Hyperlite you'll hear a lot of people talk about hyperlite. It just happens that HL and LF are the 2 largest board companies so thats why you hear about them the most (on this board anyways). And generally the bigger companies do the most advertising.

chavez · RIP MHL 04/25/1958 - 01/11/2006

ty540 · Addict Joined: 14 Feb 2003 Posts: 603

itch, you may as well just tell people that some dude named Bob owns all of us.

Bambamski · Posted: Mar 18, 2005 8:53 am Post subject:

In our family we have Blindside, Liquid force and Hyperlite boards. My first three boards with Blindside, these boards were rock solid. The main reason I went to Hyperlite was because BS was in financial difficutly and hadn't put out a new design for a couple of years.

Over the past couple of years, how much have boards really changed? I really don't think there's going to be any big break throughs in board technology or design in the years to come.

I think all the boards now days are great, you have so many choices that will fit what you look for and how you ride. I honestly don't think you can go wrong with any of the new boards out there (last 2-3 years).

To not support one company because they're the biggest is completely retarded IMO. Hyperlite does a ton for the sport, they have local Hyperlite tours that come to your region where you can ride and hang out for the weekend with people from your area. They have demo days where you can try new things.

YOu have to remember even though Hyp and Liquid force may be the biggest they're still pretty small companies in the grand scheme of things.

x vegan x · Addict Joined: 19 Jan 2004 Posts: 857 City: Minneapolis

Threads like this are funny. I don't claim to know everything about this industry, but I have been around for quite a while. The amount of misinformation that flys around this place is shocking.

ty540, I met the infamous man you speak of...not at all what I expected.

jason2454 · Outlaw Joined: 18 Feb 2005 Posts: 240 City: austin

[quote="smlparksguy133"]About quality of boards, yea they are great, but so are CWB, blindside, and double up. Just more LF/HL boards are available and advertised more. But for bindings, I would have to say HL bindings are a little weak on quality. Not just because I love LF, but because I have heard soooo many stories about problems with the B.O.A. system and torn overlays.[/quote]

yea id have to agree with u on the hyperlite binding quality.. i tear at least one overlay a summer and when taking apart the bindings u can tell how cheaply they are put together.. almost like they just take a powerdrill and drill wood screws straight into the bottom of the binding to attach the overlays.. The new liquid force and obrien bindings look sweet this year.. gonna have to try them out.

... as for boards.. i like my prodigy.. ive liked most hyperlite boards ive ridden, and my friend still rides his 8 or 9 year old liquid force squirt and tears it up. Only damage on his board in that many years is from the airport bastards banging it around.

03Belmont · Wakeboarder.com Freak Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Posts: 4656

jason2454, does hyperlite hook you up when you tear your overlays? unless you are going about it wrong the anser is yes...

Liquid*Force*Rider · Posted: Mar 18, 2005 4:10 pm Post subject:

The bigger companys also have better Warrantys.

Kento911 · Addict Joined: 07 Dec 2004 Posts: 958 City: Devore

x vegan x, isnt that how it always is though

Janzy · Newbie Joined: 11 Jun 2004 Posts: 8 City: Victoriaville

itch · Posted: Mar 20, 2005 6:27 pm Post subject:

Bam I don't support HYPE because they are the biggest rather I don't support them them because of their owners illegal activities and under handed buisness tactics. If you don't have the fortatude(SP?) and the integrity to be honest and progressive I wont and don't respect you or your company.
itch

138jobe · Outlaw Joined: 30 Jan 2005 Posts: 174 City: Calgary

hyperrider · Addict Joined: 06 Aug 2003 Posts: 613 City: Edmonton

smlparksguy133, its true though you do hear more about problems with hyperlite bindings then any other company. havnt had any problems with mine but we must be hearing the same stories or something cause ive heard many.

FatBoy · Outlaw Joined: 27 Feb 2004 Posts: 143

I just got a killer deal on an 04 LF Substance. Brand new just left over from last year, I got it for half price and put a pair of LF Alpha bindings on it. The bindings are sooooooo sweet.

SKIPRO · Newbie Joined: 02 Jun 2005 Posts: 14 City: Gotham

X Vegan X! So you met the man! You are correct about disinformation. This thread is a classic example. And the writers are so sure of the story they give.

My favorite one is the illegal activity of the Hyperlite owners. If you know the man you know the present owners are clean and do it by the letter of the law.

BTY - The only people that should care if any company makes money are the employees for job security and the investors. IF you have a board you like, who cares what the company is doing to stay afloat.

You ask why is liquid force and Hyperlite so successful? The answer is Tony Finn and Paul O'Brien! nuff said!

SB_Boarder · Posted: Jun 03, 2005 1:38 pm Post subject:

My 2 cents...
I have owned 2 cwb boards and 3 hyperlite boards. 2 sets of hyperlite bindings, and one set of LF bindings. As far as boards go i think hyperlite makes the best quality(construction) board hands down. I do not think any other company can compare in costruction quality(resistance to scratching, solidness, edge construction, resiliance, etc..). However i think every company can make a board that has great ridabilty. Personally i ride a CWB absolute right now becuase i love the way it rides. What i sacrifice in construction quality ius made up in rideability IMO.
As far as bindings go. I have had two sets of hyperlites, and had the overlays rip once on my 3060's, and twoce on my belmonts. the bindings are extremely comfy and Hyperlite does replace the overlays for free. I now have a pair of LF Sphynx and haven't owned them long enough to make a constructive arguement either way, but so far i love em.