Build Quality Question

[supersonicus]

Hi Gang,

Going to be choosing a new ski. As far as build quality goes, how does Goode, Mapple & D3 compare?

Thanks,

Matt

[Ilivetoski]

you take the most risk with a Goode

[supersonicus]

Interesting, what's the deal with Goode?

[MISkier]

Years ago, Goode had a frequency of delaminations and breakage - I had a 9100 delaminate twice. I believe they may have improved. I still ski on a Goode, but I buy them used.

[Horton]

@supersonicus‌ Goode builds a great ski but perhaps more fragile than others. They believe lighter is better. Lighter means less robust.

[supersonicus]

Makes sense. Thanks.

[Zman]

what @scotchipman‌ said - go with what works. All three mentioned TODAY are fine quality skis you need not worry about. No need to worry about what happened with 9100's 15 years ago. I have only purchased used Goode skis starting with the 9800 and the only issues I have had were from a couple handle dings due to my lousy skiing. One of those the factory fixed and shipped back to me free. The other one Dave fixed it on the spot at a tournament. Just my 2 cents...

[supersonicus]

Cool. I've been out of the sport/market for a long time, so I'm bringing myself back up to speed. Thanks for your help guys.

 

Matt

[Ilivetoski]

If you are looking for quality and if good customer service matters to you, I would consider Radar. Vapor is the best ski I have ever been on and if anything goes wrong I have had absolutley nothing but perfect interactions with their customer service

[A_B]

I will jump in and say Radar makes a great product. Don't they make Mapple skis too?

I have seen flex #'s from Radar very consistent from one ski to another, and that seems like a good indication of a controlled build process. Not only that, have you seen the graphics on the Lithium Vapor for 2015?

[Ilivetoski]

@scotchipman here in KY 10 days before a G2 skier was about to go to nationals, her 9800 broke. I am sorry but the whole "you put the ski on a platform, therefore your warranty is not valid" just pisses me off.

[Chef23]

@ilivetoski you keep grinding your axe regarding Goode. The 9800 was a fragile ski and granted Goode's warranty service wasn't that good 4 or 5 years ago. A 9800 that just broke was an old ski (or potentially new old stock). The current Goode skis all come with a 5 year warranty and when I had an issue with my ski last year (which I bought used) Goode went out of their way to get me a replacement ski at no cost.

 

I have had no issues with Goode and their service has been excellent for me.

 

I am not comparing them to any other vendors I have never had an issue with them and I believe they all make very good product. I don't think someone can go wrong today buying a ski from Goode, Radar, HO, Connelly, D3 or Mapple which I believe represent the major US manufacturers.

 

[Than_Bogan]

Yes, poor customer service from Goode is very old news. Today they have excellent initial quality, warranty, and service. Really all the brands are good right now from what I hear.

[ChadW]

My ski partner just sent his Goode N1 back due to a catastrophic break after less than 1 year of use. To Goode's credit, they are sending him a new one. I've skied Radar products for the past 4 years and have never had a problem.

[gregy]

Never had a Goode. 2 Radars, 1 D3, 1 Mapple. I have never had any problems with these skis or companies. Had excellent customer service from all. Great support on #s etc.

[BraceMaker]

I'm 1:1 on broken goodes. But as noted, 9200 is not a current production ski.

 

I've had top decks delaminate off a few Obrien's but haven't owned anything newer than a Mapple siege.

 

Between the Radars, D3's, and HO in my immediate family I'd call fit and finish nicest on the D3, but they are all pretty nice all things considered, I like the inserts in the D3 the best.

 

Honestly more skis have been retired in my family due to rubber binding parts being NLA than actual problems with skis.

[mwetskier]

Goode has suffered bad reputation for ski failures and poor customer service in the past, plus i have never been impressed with their fit or finish even when new. but one of my ski buddies just got a new xtm and i have to say i have never seen a more beautiful ski for just purely perfect workmanship. the way the top deck is fitted into the ski with a perfect edge around the graphics is actually unbelievable. plus my buddy loves how it skis.

[Onside135]

@livetoski...could you please expand on your comments regarding '"you put the ski on a platform, therefore your warranty is not valid" just pisses me off.' I'm not following you here....

 

@scotchipman...I've never owned a Goode, but I'll admit I'm slightly hesitant based on rumors I hear about them having shelf lives of only a few years. Is this bad gouge, or do Goode skis really fade in performance in a relatively short duration compared to other skis...

 

Thoughts from anyone...?

[Waternut]

Moving away from "this ski company sucks because they did me wrong and this ski company is the best ever because I love it".....

 

Could be slightly off topic here but in regards to @supersonicus. You said you've been out of the sport for a long time. You may just want to buy a used 2013 or 2014 ski off www.ski-it-again.com at first. Depending on where you left off and what your expectations are for a ski, you may find it easier to jump on a slightly used ski until you get your bearings back. Most say you should test a ski before buying but if you haven't skied in years, testing may not tell you a whole lot.

 

Also what was your ski level when you left the sport? Were you skiing open water or running the slalom course more seriously?

[supersonicus]

A lot of skiing in open water and played on my lake's course frequently back in the day. Now I'm back in and all about improving my course skiing. I've busted out my old 96 Connelly Concept which has been serving me well as I'm regaining my bearings. Figure I'll sit tight for now and treat myself next spring. I've learned from other sporting endeavors that its about 10% equipment, 30% training/preparation and 60% in the head so I figure I'll just buy a ski that I'm geeked out about and go have fun. This forum is good stuff!!

[Horton]

@supersonicus‌ anything from 1996 is a POS compared to the worst new ski.

[DW]

@supersonicus: You will want to certainly upgrade to a newer ski as all brands have significantly stepped up the performance level. I would certainly demo before you buy as all the brands ski and perform quite differently and each skier tends to like a specific brand or style of performance and will not like other(s). If you like you Connelly, I would certainly give the new variant a try, it is also one of the most budget friendly offerings of the new breed of skis.

 

Horton has managed and provided information / analysis / comparisons on several skis and managed the IST (Independent Ski Tests) which you should be able to find via a web search. Some good reading.

 

As for quality, a few brands tend to stand out, the European ski manufacturers tend to be very high quality although expensive, D3 to me tends to be a very high quality ski and offer a wide rider performance window. Connelly skis appear to be good quality also. The Goodes tend IMO to need more maintenance than the average ski, but performance is stellar, at least for my style.

[Than_Bogan]

I went from a very similar Concept to a Goode 9100 and got a new PB later that day. In tournaments I basically gained a full pass. And the 9100 is now very old tech as well. Given my own experience, I'd be confident to recommend any newish Goode to you, but in truth there are just so many good skis now.