sst vs zariel

[needaninteg.]

need opinions making purchase either today or tomorrow

[Lollar]

I would say SST since the Zariel isnt out yet.

[needaninteg.]

m2sports.com has them...
or claims to have them

[Kid512]

i have not ridin either of them.. but i would say test em both you cant buy without at least checking it out and see how it shreds.

its all about what you think.

[Poo]

needaninteg., I figured you'd be lookin for an integ

[Lollar]

I dont think they do but give it a shot.

[Volcomstone167]

i doubt they have it cause it says that its coming out in february

[scott a]

I think both of them ride pretty well. I think the SST still feels a bit more like a traditional wood concave as far as how the concave feels and how it edges and sits on the lip, etc. The Zariel is more of a "traditional" bi-level so if you want that feel then I'd wait and grab a Zariel. It also rides higher out of the water so it has more speed, so that might be of interest (or disinterest if you're used to wood decks that sit a bit deeper in the water). But if you don't end up liking the style of rail that's on the Zariel, you can always round the rails a little bit. I've been told that helps.

Regardless, if you wind up not liking the deck I'm sure you could sell it since both boards are brand new.

[awatts]

All depends on what you are looking for buddy
I've had the pleasure to ride both of them the past few weeks and here is what I think.

The Zariel
I loved the concave. It was very "Cassette", the bottom deck doesn't touch the bottom and the side concave is more angled than the SST. The width is drastically narrower than the SST as well. I like a quick deck so the Zariel with the narrower design was a tad faster. I also felt that the Ronix sat higher in the water maybe due to the construction. The shape is non directional if it matters to you. What else...the rail is way sharper than the SST which I could see getting caught up on some moves. It is a prototype that I have and I here the production decks will be more rounded/more forgiving. The weight is also a tad more, it tipped my scale at 14.8 pounds. Durability looked really solid-no signs of any wear. And the compression molded wood seems to be a really good idea in my book.

The SST
The one thing that really stood out to me was the asymetrical shape with the wide tip really gives you a ton of forgiveness and space to stomp landings on. Because of the added width, I feel that the SST was a little slower. I'm sure you have seen in pics how the bottom and top deck rest against each other in the middle. This possibly gives the deck more durability but I feel you loose that dope "bi" feel a little. It is also a 6 bolt pattern instead of 4 and you can remove the two middle bolts for a flexier feel(I didn't notice much if any diff). The deck sat lower in the water and had more drag than the Zariel. The SST had a much more rounded "variable" edge-rounded in the middle, sharper at the tail. Since the SST has taken an insane amount of time to hit our stores I really think that the durability factor should be high. The combo of compression and wood should make everyone happy.

I rode in shiznackle and cold ass conditions here in Nor Cal so it was hard to really push it. The pop was almost identical and the landings were smooth as all bi's should be. Even though the Zariel is heavier on paper I felt that it felt lighter on the water..again I think due to the narrower deck.

Hope this helps out.

Good luck with the either. Riding a bi-level is one of the greatest fealings on the water. Both of these decks are the cream of the crop and both Ronix and LF have put a ton of reasources into the design.

Rip It Up

[NotSoBueno]

awatts, I really wish you could elaborate more

j/k

Nice reviews. Ever think about becoming a journalist?

[needaninteg.]

VinceWhiteman, when the new ones come out , if they ever come out, i will have one. but until then ive given up the search for one that is beat up an someone still wants 300-600 dollars for.