Abubob
Well-known member
Do you trust them?
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Magazine Gear Reviews
- Thread starter Abubob
- Start date
I think they're a good reference. People knock ski magazine a lot, but some of their most highly rated skis in recent years get similar praise from the skiing public. Models like Soul7, Brahma, Hell n Back, Mantra etc.
Rushski
New member
They're an OK guideline, pertaining to dimensions and such...
Of course a demo is the only way to truly figure out if a ski/board is good for you.
Of course a demo is the only way to truly figure out if a ski/board is good for you.
Hawkshot99
Active member
The truly good skis have a proper review. The pronlem is that everu ski in them has a positive review. I have never read a negative review in the ski mags.
The mags are not going to dis on the sponsors who pay for the magazine. ...
The mags are not going to dis on the sponsors who pay for the magazine. ...
Abubob
Well-known member
Of course the only true way to know if a ski is right for you is to try ski out just like trying boots on but of course trying skis on in the showroom doesn't do much except make you look like an idiot. That being said most models aren't available to demo and tracking down demo days is a little like trying to nail jello to a tree.
benski
Active member
I do remember a few funny negative reviews but they may have been a jokes.
I'd say "other". I read them for entertainment and basic information......
Puck it
Well-known member
So so.
BenedictGomez
Well-known member
I voted "no", but would have voted, "HELL NO, do you think I was born yesterday?" were that option available.
dlague
Active member
I think there should have been a third option - sort of! I trust them as far as describing the ski and what they are designed for, however, I prefer individual reviews. I always question the fact that there are no bad reviews. Plus it depends of which trade rag it is.
This, don't swear by them but they are a good reference for making comparisons.
Abubob
Well-known member
Most folks take the reviews with a grain of salt. I personally think it depends on the magazine. SKI mag reviews stink; Skiing reviews are a bit better - at least they've tried to match the type of skier you might be with a certain ski; Powder doesn't offer much for the east coast skier and Backcountry reviews are pretty balanced giving plus and minuses and front and backside use. Anyone use see reviews on Freeskier?
One of the things to consider is that part of the reason you don't see a ton of "bad" reviews is because the only skis that make it to the mags are the top scoring skis. The former VP of Sales and product development for Fischer USA used to post on AZ. He told me over beers and a boot fitting that they'd enter several different models of skis into the tests and not all would make the magazine reviews. Yes, I'm sure they don't want to piss off their advertisers, but when you think about it, there really are 10+ different really good skis for the typical test categories you see. At that quality it comes down to personal preference. My A+ ski, might be the next person's B+ ski and vice versa.
Highway Star
Active member
- Joined
- Sep 27, 2005
- Messages
- 2,921
- Points
- 36
I think the reviews tend to be pretty accurate and honest. Skis these days are a wide variety, and they can ski very different.
However, you have to account for ski size vs. tester size, then quality of the binding used and the tune (specifically base bevel). They also don't test every ski, and don't report on ones that they don't have anything good to say about.
However, you have to account for ski size vs. tester size, then quality of the binding used and the tune (specifically base bevel). They also don't test every ski, and don't report on ones that they don't have anything good to say about.
BenedictGomez
Well-known member
Exactly.
For instance, you're never going to read this write-up:
"These things ski like crap! Honestly, the last time I was on skis this poor, Jimmy Carter was president. It's a real shock these puppies ever made is past (insert manufacturer's name) quality control team, because these skis shouldn't have even made it OFF the production line, let alone ONTO the snow. Why are they so bad? We at (insert magazine) are earth-friendly, and we'd need to kill off an entire Amazon Rain Forest's worth of trees before we could adequately describe for you just how terrible the (insert model name) skis. But suffice it to say they're really heavy - like strapping two Studebakers to your feet, their float is so non-existent that you'll submarine in anything more than machine groomed packed powder, you'll need to explore a bigger planet for their turn radius to work for you, they start chattering at speeds slower than the Magic Carpet, and the topsheets begin to chip just from removing the plastic wrap. Frankly, we wouldn't wish these potential "death planks" on Kim Jong-un"
St. Bear
New member
Interesting. Seems obvious once you think about it. I just never really thought about it.
Skier4life
Member
- Joined
- Sep 17, 2011
- Messages
- 160
- Points
- 16
Only as the part of my research that pertains to specs or purpose when looking for a new pair of skis or board! The manufacturers know why and how they made a product and can give you the best idea as to what or how the product should be used - you can eliminate a number of skis just by reading these reviews from a manufacturers point of view. Eg. if you're looking for all mountain skis and a manufacturer made a pair of skis for the park then you can obviously cross it off your list.
When looking to performance based qualities, I tend to base most of my decision on people that have obviously skied the particular model I am looking at...trying to match up with individuals that best match my ability, weight and height. This part comes from a number of sources like forums, friends, video reviews etc.
When looking to performance based qualities, I tend to base most of my decision on people that have obviously skied the particular model I am looking at...trying to match up with individuals that best match my ability, weight and height. This part comes from a number of sources like forums, friends, video reviews etc.
Abubob
Well-known member
What got me thinking is all the gear reviews coming out. Already got POWDER's gear review. Waiting for Backcountry's.
