Product
Reviews:
This
section focuses on
products that I have tested personally. I
have not been paid by any of the following companies to post a
review. These are tried and true, honest opinions.
Click on
the heading of each section for a link to their website.Castle X Clothing:
OK so I have had a chance to ride all season with the latest line of Castle X riding gear. I will be honest; I was a bit skeptical at first that it would not be too hot for mountain riding. Erin Kolden from Castle X assured me that their liner would breathe really well and keep me dry. Here is my review of each article of clothing.
I love the Incline jacket. While I feel that it may be a little too warm for the 45 degree days, it has been perfect for every other condition. It is very flexible and extremely comfortable. I wear a long sleeve racing jersey underneath and have found that I stay very comfortable with that combination. It has awesome features like zippered vents, fleece lined pockets, light weight construction, super flexibility, magnetic front flap, and always keeps me dry.
The factor bibs are great too. I just tried switching back to my Ski-doo gore-tex ones the other day to see the difference and got really wet. The Castle bibs keep me dry all the time. My recommendations for the bibs are: the gauntlet is too big so it does not seal around the boot; I would like to see some snaps added to the Velcro area down by the boot because in really deep snow the Velcro gets filled with snow and will no longer stick, so some snaps would keep it closed. I would like to see some additional padding added to the knee area, in mountain conditions we are constantly jumping back and forth from side to side and riding on one knee on the seat. Other than that the pants have been awesome.
The elevation gloves are my favorite glove that I have ever used. My only complaint is that with wet hands the liner makes it be a real pain to get your fingers back in the holes. The rubber "grip" on the fingers started peeling off after about 6 rides but it didn't really bother me. My hands have stayed dry and comfortable all year. I have not had to switch to another glove on any ride this year due to wet hands...that proves to me that the gloves are awesome!
The force boots are nice boots but not my favorite. They are built very well but they just don't fit right. The toe box seems to be too big and your feet move around a lot. This causes my socks to bunch up at the end and become very uncomfortable. I think that they don't have enough toe support or something to that effect. My heel also does'nt’t lock in very well. I had to switch back to my HMK boots because the castle ones were not cutting it. They would probably work fine for trail riders but mountain riding requires a snug fit highly supported boot.
The castle goggles have been great. I use them on every ride. They are very fog resistant and I highly recommend them to all my buddies. I have switched back and forth between my Smith, Haber's, Spy and Scott goggles and next to my Smith's the Castle ones are the best!
If you are a mountain rider like me I highly recommend Castle X clothing. You will not be disappointed and you won't blow your entire paycheck getting outfitted. Castle makes high quality, highly waterproof, very breathable, and very stylish gear. In this day and age, awesome gear for less money gets an A in my book.
HMK Pro Boa Boots: I love the HMK Pro Boa boots! They are super quick to put on, they have heat mold able liners, tons of ankle support, and keep your feet warm. I have had Klim boots, Ski-doo Boots, and Castle Boots, and all them take FOREVER to put on. The Klim boots probably are second choice but like I said before, they are laces...I hate laces.
Star Valley Ski-Doo: Located in Thayne, Wyoming. Over the past few years these guys have become some of my best friends. I have spent lots of personal time with them as well as done lots of business. They are extremely fair and honest. They know Ski-Doo snowmobiles like nobody else. They tune many of the top hill climb racers' sleds (including Luke Rainey, Rick Budge, Tom Roby etc). I highly recommend their services and awesome tuning. They are also the western Rep for Trygstadt Motorsports.
Shockwave Helix: This has been the best clutch tuning tool I have ever used! It allows for perfect clutching every day for every condition. I have never found a clutch kit that gives you "perfect" performance for every condition. The shockwave allows you to make minor helix adjustments for every condition. This has been an absolute "must have" for my turbo XP.
Turbo Performance: Bryce Kendrick the Owner of Turbo Performance knows turbo XP's! He offers a great turbo kit as well as great customer service. I have been running an '08 Turbo XP 800r for over 1800 miles and thanks to Bryce it has been an absolute blast. If you are going to step into the world of Turbo Ski-doo sleds Turbo Performance is the best. Turbo XP's are definitely not for everyone. They require a lot of maintenance continual checks. But if you are a motor head like me then it makes the whole experience that much funner. Check out my Youtube videos for some sweet turbo XP footage.
Comp Turbo: In my quest for the ultimate turbo; I found Comp Turbo. They build an industry leading oil-less Triple Ceramic Bearing turbo that requires no oil supply. This makes the turbo spool much quicker than oil bath ball bearing turbos. This helps drop a lot of weight because no oil tank or oil pump is needed for the turbo. It also removes some of the strain on the 12v system of the sled. It also fixes a few issues that I have ran into with my turbo XP. Even with a totally custom oil tank from Turbo Performance when the sled gets rolled over it lets oil drain back into the turbo. This oil then gets past the bearings and into the charge tube. All year I was constantly cleaning the oil from the charge tube. Comp turbo uses a special grease in the sealed bearing section to lube the ceramic bearings, therefore no oil will ever drain into the charge tube. In the unlucky chance that you burn the sled down and suck a piston through your turbine wheel (ask me how I know...) Comp Turbo can rebuild the center section for much cheaper than a garret or aero.
Van Amburg Enterprises: If you are extending your tunnel or want a custom tunnel Van Amburg is the best. They make super strong tunnel extensions with custom bumpers. I have been running VA tunnel extensions for 2 years now and love the look and strength. Check out their website for pics.
More reviews to come soon!