Swoard vs. Scalpel vs. Vantage vs. Extreme Carve

[mabu]

Hi everyone,

I am about to buy a new board and am deliberating whether to buy a Swoard Extremecarver, Virus Scalpel, a F2 Silberpfeil Vantage or a Goltes Extreme Carve. I was wondering if anybody of you can give me some additional ideas, aspects to think about or simply experience reports on these boards. I myself have ridden both the Swoard and the Scalpell BUT NOT the Vantage or Extreme Carve yet. Here is a short summary of what I think of these boards so that you get an idea of what I like/am looking for.

Swoard:
+ best edge grip I have ever experienced
+ allowing me to make fully laid down turns
+ making it possible to remain a carved turn for a relatively long time

+/- once I was in the process of making a laid turn, I found it rather difficult to abruptly stop the turn (for whatever reason) because the board is such a "beast"

- far less agile than the the Scalpell, making it more difficult to switch edges very quickly (I'm aware this is not the main purpose of the Swoard)


Scalpel:
+ Very agile (almost or even like a Speedster GTS)

+/- Very good edge grip, but slightly less than the Swoard
+/- Less agressive than the Swoard (however not in a bad way, rather in such way that it gave me better control when I had to stop a carved turn abruptly)
+/- Allowing me to fully lay down...

- ...but not remain the laid turn for as long as with the Swoard

Overall, I would say that the Swoard is the best board for pure Extremecarving. The Scalpel is slightly less (really just a bit) suitable for EC but more agile instead and therefore better for allround purposes.

Now I am about to decide to buy any of these 4 boards. The decision between the Swoard and the Scalpell I could make by myself. However, given the cheaper prices of the Vantage and the Extreme Carve and my small student-budget, I feel particularly tempted to buy the Vantage as it seems to be a blunt copy of the Swoard and I would expect it to have very similar features. About the Extreme Carve by Goltes I haven't really made up an opinion yet, however, given its price it is an interesting option for me to think about.

Can anybody of you compare (based on own experience) any of the boards I have mentioned. Opinions and insights are highly appreciated!

Cheers!

[Zanci]

go buy a SG or a Sense, cant miss with that.
Get a swoard if you ride 90% in great conditions.

[Tomba]

Get a swoard if you ride 90% in great conditions.

Can you explain that? Because I really can`t see why...

I only rode my swoard about 10 times, but in almost every condition! I can`t say I noticed that board would have any disadvantages in bad conditions.

Sure it is better to ride it in perfect piste, but the same stands for every carve board on the market.

cheers

[Zanci]

Get a swoard if you ride 90% in great conditions.

Can you explain that? Because I really can`t see why...

I only rode my swoard about 10 times, but in almost every condition! I can`t say I noticed that board would have any disadvantages in bad conditions.

Sure it is better to ride it in perfect piste, but the same stands for every carve board on the market.

cheers

Swoard is a great board, but has problems on hard ice because of the lack of titanal. Dont flame me now, I dont mean to put a bad word on the swoard, I rode it just 14 days ago, and its awesome on good snow.
However, I didnt buy it because I get conditions like that 5 times a season....

[joemzl]

However, given the cheaper prices of the Vantage and the Extreme Carve and my small student-budget, ...

Why do you want to buy a new one

I´m sorry, but I will never understand, why people are looking for a new, cheap board, instead of a used original one

If there is a reason in riding, .... ok, but it can´t be the price.

[Transistor Rhythm]

What was the length of the Swoard you tried?

[mabu]

It was a 168 cm Swoard. A 170 cm Scalpel.

[Mineral]

I´m sorry, but I will never understand, why people are looking for a new, cheap board, instead of a used original one

Maybe because we heard some horrible stories about second hand boards ?

[joemzl]

where?

[pokkis]

There are some horro stories about new boards too

[luomu]

To the four mentioned boards I would add a 5th option - the Coiler VSR (Variable Sidecut Radius), which you can order with measures similar to Swoard. I changed from 3rd gen. Swoard to the Coiler (177cm with 22.5 cm waist, rocker nose) because it allows the same riding but has far better edge hold - likely because of the titanal construction. The Swoard, though a superb board, for me was more difficult to handle especially on icy conditions.
The VSR does not have as big difference in the sidecuts as the NSR or NSR+ models which - in my opinion - makes it more suitable for EC.
Downside: Bruce only produces limited quantities per year so you can't get one as fast as a Swoard.

[Zanci]

To the four mentioned boards I would add a 5th option - the Coiler VSR (Variable Sidecut Radius), which you can order with measures similar to Swoard. I changed from 3rd gen. Swoard to the Coiler (177cm with 22.5 cm waist, rocker nose) because it allows the same riding but has far better edge hold - likely because of the titanal construction. The Swoard, though a superb board, for me was more difficult to handle especially on icy conditions.
The VSR does not have as big difference in the sidecuts as the NSR or NSR+ models which - in my opinion - makes it more suitable for EC.
Downside: Bruce only produces limited quantities per year so you can't get one as fast as a Swoard.

Couldnt agree more, one of the easiest board to ride.

[KTManni]

I would also compare the price of these four (five) boards. The Swoard is cheaper than a Scalpell...