Which brand of split?

BastrdSonOfElvis · 01-05-2006

Now that Prior, Burton and of course Voile all use the Voile hardware, does anybody have experience with all of these brands of boards and have anything bad to say about any of them?

Brand new, Voile is the cheapest option for the total package. Do the dedicated board manufacturers have anything on the Split D or Mtn Gun?

And what about the swallowtail? If I only really plan on riding powder, are there drawbacks to this design?

I'll look to splitboard.com for answers, too, just wanted to see what buzzards thought.

GCass · 01-08-2006

I am riding Voile Split Decision 166. Bought it used off a friend so got a good deal. It works just fine but in my opinion is a bit flimsy, specifically the slider pin setup. I am surprised to hear other mfrs using Voile hardware. I am not too up on the latest trends so maybe this is old news.

OT: Rant about Voile... (but might help make your decision)
I like the way the board rides but will never buy a Voile again b/c of an experience with their customer service. I hope when I am ready to buy another splitboard somebody else is making hardware. I called Voile to ask them for the binding plate screws b/c the heads on them were worn out. I looked in hardware stores but couldn't find the right ones. So I called Voile and the person I talked to was nice enough, took my name and said they would send them out and at the end of the request goes that will be $2.50 for the 8 screws plus $6 shipping. YOU MUST BE KIDDING! These boards cost $700 brand new. Yes I bought the board used from a friend but still. They wanted to charge me $8.50 for 8 little screws. That is not how you build brand loyalty. B/c of that approach they lost a potential $800 purchase in the future over 8 screws that probably cost them 5 cents each.

D_T · 01-09-2006

I do not have experience with the Prior splitboards, but the gf and I have a total of four Prior boards. The quality and performance is phenomenal. I would not hesitate to buy another Prior. If I was to buy a splitboard and after seeing how the gf's Khyber rides/performs, I would definately buy a Khyber split.

BastrdSonOfElvis · 01-09-2006

Thanks for the tip...I think I'm leaning toward the khyber split. I ride a burton fish and I like what it does in the pow and the khyber looks similarly shaped.

And from what I've heard about Voile hardware, it's used pretty ubiquitously now. Burton used to use their own system but I guess it sucked because they abandoned it this year. I'm not sure there exists an alternative now. But from what I've heard it's a pretty good system, Voile's. Yours is the only negative feedback I've heard on it.

Killclimbz · 01-09-2006

Burton abandoned their systerm because of Patent infringement of the Voile design. It had too many similarities. Voile is very active and rightfully so, in protecting their system. Burton has been the same way with their 3 hole pattern and various other designs of theirs.
I haven't had any problems with Voile customer service. For price go with a Voile Board. It works great especially for Colorado and Utah conditions. If you are going to be riding West Coast stuff, a Voile Mtn Gun, Prior, or Neversummer board would probably be a better choice.

danger · 01-10-2006

my opnion backed up by experience:

the new voile mtn gun is the shiat. i prefer a stiff board both in and out of resorts. the voile hardware is becoming an industry stardard not because it sucks. and $10 for binding hardware? oof! what's $10? one 70th of a $700 board.

-dan