LF SST or Ronix Zariel.

Both took a pretty long time to be developed and they are both new to the 08 line for both companies. Which one do you think will be sold more and which one do you think well perform better?

I have not personally seen the SST, but i have seen and toyed with the Zariel a bit.

I liked the concave and feel of the zariel, and the general shape of the whole board. I did not get to ride it on the water, but its one of those skates that you touch your feet too and go "this was meant for me". I did some carpet shuvs and big spins, and when its under your feet, it feels nice, and takes alot less to spin around than you would think a 13 pound board would. One of my friends rode it at radar lake, and said that the pop on this board was incredable, way more than any other skate he has ever been on (he sells LF and Ronix skates).

In talking to the Rep, i learned that the board is also practically indestructable. since reed hansen has started riding them, only one has been destroyed, but it wasnt from the water, apperantly, at the toe jam, a bunch of the riders made a fire out of their skates, and somebody threw in the zariel

The rep had no idea why that happened either haha.



so keep it out of fire, and the zariel will keep you happy.

haha.. all the kids that would kill for a zariel and one was burned.. lol. still thats funny. cant wait to try one out.

dunno about the zariel... but i've heard nothing but really positive stuff about the sst. everyone thats ridden one wants one from what i've heard... pops good, but a little pricey

but then again they both are
and it looks good in person too!

LF started developing the SST in 2004. Ronix took about a year to make the Zariel, and it's really only their version of the Cassette Bi-level that Reed digs so much. So no, the two aren't exactly equal in the "pretty long time to be developed" department.

That said, both are "premium" skates that the majority of recreational wakeskaters won't ever buy. That leaves the more advanced skaters- the guys who prefer a smaller, more managable skate- buying these high end decks, and the SST is being offered in the sizes that'll appeal to these skaters. The SST will be available in a 40.5" and 42" size, and the Zariel will be in 42" and 44." I'm thinking there won't be too many people buying that 44" size...

I haven't ridden the Zariel, but if it rides anything like the Cassette Bi-level does, it should be a good board. It supposedly has the ride of a wood deck with the durability of a compression molded deck. I definitely can't wait to ride one. I can say that the SST is awesome, though! That thing had some nice snap to it.

Scott, i was shocked too hear that they would even consider selling anything above a 43, but everyone that has rode the skate says it feels about an inch and a half smaller than it really is.

I think most people who wakeskate know that you don't need a 44 inch wakeskate.

Caleb, when i was standing on the skate and doing what you were doing it still felt really long. The zariel has a nice shape to it.
the kicktails on the zariel are closer to the sst then a cassette bilevel in my opinion. they come out at a straight angle instead of a curve like a cassette bilevel kicktail.

i havent ridden the zariel yet but i did get to shred the SST. mmm.... it was good. I felt comfortable right off the bat with it because it has a similar concave as a standard concave deck. but it had the snappy ollies that made me fall in love, when you push down on the tail that nose wants to come right up.

to me the SST has the snap of a bilevel but with the great traditional feel and ride of a concave deck

i cant wait to get the 40.5.

I WANT MY SST!

Took my first set on the SST and loved it! Great pop and the concave is perfect! 42 is perfect for me so finally! I got my board to skate on. Aaron reed has his own Pro model, but he still prefers the SST. Hope we see more on store shelves soon!?