marketing vs. actual technological improvement
I was checking out this season's higher end Salomon boots, where the big
improvement is "the killer minus one liner," for more "sensitivity and feel." This seems to me to be basically a linerless/one piece boot. It used to be that linerless boots were from the low end of the product line, because liners provided better fit and support, right? So has anyone tried these? Are they in fact better than the old high end Salomon boots w/ liners, with "serious foot-to-board-to-snow feel?" If so, how come the old low end linerless aren't better than the old high end w/ liners (yes I understand there are probably other technological improvements at work here other than liner/no liner)? Any other examples of new marketing blatantly conflicting with old marketing? Sam |
marketing vs. actual technological improvement
I was checking out this season's higher end Salomon boots, where the
big improvement is "the killer minus one liner," for more "sensitivity and feel." This seems to me to be basically a linerless/one piece boot. It used to be that linerless boots were from the low end of the product line, because liners provided better fit and support, right? There have been other high-end linerless boots, e.g. the Shimano Cornice from a few years back. However in my experience, boots with liners have in fact been more comfortable. So has anyone tried these? Are they in fact better than the old high end Salomon boots w/ liners, with "serious foot-to-board-to-snow feel?" I tried on the 02-03 Salomon F which was the first model they made using said technology. They claimed that the footprint was one size smaller than their linered boots, meaning that for example a size 9 "F" boot would be the same size on the outside as a size 8 linered boot. Well, that was true, except it didn't matter because I needed a size 9 "F" and a size 8 Malamute (which is what I alreday had from the previous year). I didn't try them on snow or anything, so I can't comment on "serious foot-to-board-to-snow feel". As a side note, I thought the Salomon Malamute went backwards from 01/02 (which I own) to 02/03. I never bothered checking out the 03/04 but from what I hear they took another step back. Specifically, the whole appeal of the Malamute was the stiffness - they are/were supposed to be about the most responsive soft boot one could get their hands on, a good choice for those who like to carve hard in their soft boots. They seem to get softer and more freestyle every year! If so, how come the old low end linerless aren't better than the old high end w/ liners (yes I understand there are probably other technological improvements at work here other than liner/no liner)? It semes like all they've done is introduced a "high-end" line of linerless boots. The layout of their website an catalog, and perhaps their pricing, might lead one to believe that all the linerless boots are "higher end" than the Malamute (their high-end linered boot) but in terms of fit, comfort, and performance that may or may not be true. Any other examples of new marketing blatantly conflicting with old marketing? Sure - the Burton Fish from a year or two back came in the "one size fits all" 156. Their website actually did claim that anyone could ride that one size! The next season they promptly introduced a 150 and a 160 as well as making the 156 in two stiffnesses. And the most common thing is to change colors / graphics on a boot, binding or board, maybe add one minor change and then call it vastly superior to the previous year's model and jack up the price. |
marketing vs. actual technological improvement
So has anyone tried these? Are they in fact better than the old high end
Salomon boots w/ liners, with "serious foot-to-board-to-snow feel?" If so, The F boots arn't linerless so much as they have 2 cuffs and a single sole. So imagine cutting the cuff off your inner liner on a 2 liner boot, and sewing the inner cuff inside the shell. That's about how it works. I tried them on in the shop, and I liked the feel of the plastic tounge insert. Unforetunately, they don't seem to fit as narrow as the salomon malamute, so I won't be buying them. I don't know if that's specificly due to the liner design, or just that they made them a wider fit. It's a real shame that I haven't managed to find a boot I like better than the 01/02 malamute. There's some boots I've heard good things about that I haven't had a chance to try on, but everything I've checked out at the shops here isn't as good. The job of a marketer is to make a product look good to customers... so I really tune out most of it. The only way I've found good snowboarding equipment was by trying it. Even independent reviews online sometimes lead you horribly wrong (I have a long tale to tell of my recent glove problems ;P). |
marketing vs. actual technological improvement
It's a real shame that I haven't managed to find a boot I like better
than the 01/02 malamute. There are worse problems to have than not being able to find a better boot than an 01/02 Malamute IMHO! I'm glad I have a spare unused pair. Mike T |
marketing vs. actual technological improvement
Which boot is stiffer thought... Malamutes or F24's?
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