# Lib Tech vs. Burton (New Board)



## Nivek (Jan 24, 2008)

In Colorado between those two brands...

Burton Custom Twin FV or Trick Pony. Those would be my choices. In fact I own a TP.


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## 24WERD (May 9, 2012)

you can't compare the two in terms of just the name.

lib-tech is considered on the higher pricepoint of snowboards, while

Burton is a snowboard company that has many price points from low-end board to very high end specialized boards and at the higher price point.

Burton is doing all marketing segments at all price point as well as grass root level marketing, just as long as they use Burton.


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## SickTrickz96 (Jan 1, 2015)

24WERD said:


> you can't compare the two in terms of just the name.
> 
> lib-tech is considered on the higher pricepoint of snowboards, while
> 
> ...


this is true, instead of just comparing burton to lib tech you should compare specific boards instead

id also look into Never Summers boards, the proto/snowtrooper and cobra specifically

I have a never summer proto and its a great all mountain freestyle board, havent tested it really in true pow though


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## cbrenthus (Feb 12, 2014)

I hate Burton and will never buy one, and I honestly have no viable basis for this opinion 

Always wanted a Lib-Tech, bought one last year, and was disappointed to find out the edges don't wrap all the way around. 

Ride quality really comes down to the rider - what feels good to one may be weird to another, but as for board quality I think anything above the bargain basement stuff is going to last longer than most people use a board these days


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## kdirt (Jan 28, 2011)

Why do you need the edges to be wrapped all the way around? The Travis Rice is a great board. I can recommend it from experience if you want to charge, Jump, ride switch. It's all there as a do it all but o visually it's kinda stiff and won't do well in the park. Get the Hp if you can. It's softer and lighter.


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## JohnnyO83 (Nov 7, 2014)

My local board shop won't carry the HP edition of the T Rice Pro. Although Merlin is all about being green ad boasts that their workers don;t need to wear masks in the factory because there are no harsh chemicals used in the production of their boards, the "Bio Bean" topsheet on that board is known to be a weak point and will wear more quickly than you would expect from a premium board. If you're T. Rice and can have a new one whenever you want, great. However if you want something that will be durable, the NS proto and Cobra have the same RCRCR profile and are known to be far more durable.


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## Nivek (Jan 24, 2008)

JohnnyO83 said:


> However if you want something that will be durable, the NS proto and Cobra have the same RCRCR profile and are known to be far more durable.


Wut? Are you counting the tip kicks as a rocker zone there bud?


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## F1EA (Oct 25, 2013)

JohnnyO83 said:


> My local board shop won't carry the HP edition of the T Rice Pro. Although Merlin is all about being green ad boasts that their workers don;t need to wear masks in the factory because there are no harsh chemicals used in the production of their boards, the "Bio Bean" topsheet on that board is known to be a weak point and will wear more quickly than you would expect from a premium board. If you're T. Rice and can have a new one whenever you want, great. However if you want something that will be durable, the NS proto and Cobra have the same RCRCR profile and are known to be far more durable.


Wow.
This is pretty much all garbage.


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## F1EA (Oct 25, 2013)

The debate is pretty simple:
Both Burton and Libtech/Mervin offer good products of reasonably the same quality (and add many of the remaining leading brands).

Your decision would be more based on specific interests. Look into a few boards you may be interested in and see what they offer in profile/shape/size/price/graphs/whatever to suit what you want.......


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## cbrenthus (Feb 12, 2014)

kdirt said:


> Why do you need the edges to be wrapped all the way around?


Good point, probably don't need it, but I prefer it. And I'm not saying not to buy a Lib Tech, just kind of pointing it out because I had no idea until it arrived. Just seems like it might provide slightly more protection for the board


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## tanscrazydaisy (Mar 11, 2013)

Loffs said:


> Hello all,
> 
> I'm looking to buy a new board. I am looking for a board on which I can float and turn excellent in powder, but also ride switch and be stable when going off big jumps.
> 
> ...


a new board won't make you a better rider automatically.

Powder, you want to shift your weight back. You can always mount the bindings back, but, if you ride switch a lot, then it's not ideal.... so shifting your weight back will help you float better on powder days.

the catching of the edges... it can be part technique that needs to be worked on and/or maybe additional detuning of the nose and tail.


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## JohnnyO83 (Nov 7, 2014)

F1EA said:


> Wow.
> This is pretty much all garbage.


Excuse me? Get fucked and then get informed.


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## Loffs (Jan 16, 2015)

I appreciate all this advice. I realize getting a new board won't make me a better rider, but I don't think a camber board is best for deep powder and the park. Would putting the bindings back an inch or so change the riding that much?


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## jamesdthomas2 (Nov 22, 2011)

Hi. I personally have owned the board u ride Burton twin (camber). I currently ride a lib tech skate banana. But between these I was all burton. I have owned Burton bullet, sherlock, and custom x. Lib Tech skate banana is the best board I have ever ridden. I do think burton top sheets do not chip as easy. But that is where burton advantage stops with the burton twin. Well I will say the twin is more fun while carving with speed. Skate banana greatly improved my riding. Easier to ollie, and butter. I could not really do these before this board. This board has opened up freestyle for me. Now I can 180 in all directions and I can do a backside 360. I was thinking I needed powder deck but this can do that too. I was riding waist deep powder with ease. I used to ride my burton twin in powder and my back leg would hurt. I know a lot of people exaggerate but I swear I am not. While the skate banana supposed to be a park board, it can do it all if u ride less than 30 mph.


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## Loffs (Jan 16, 2015)

Do you move your bindings back with the skate banana? I believe that's the all rocker board. That concerns me a bit as I've heard it's straight rocker while other lib tech boards have hybrid rocker cambers that can be more effective in powder. Camber has been killing me in the park, did your riding drastically increase after that?


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## Phedder (Sep 13, 2014)

I love my Skate Banana, great all around board and certainly easy to ride. But I'm selling it to get a RCR board in which to progress my jumping more, as the SB is just too unstable for anything much bigger than a small/medium kickers. It works fine in powder as most rockered boards do and it's stiff enough not to fold up on itself there, but unless you're wanting to focus more on boxes, rails, and small jumps, I wouldn't suggest the Skate Banana. Given you said this;



Loffs said:


> and be stable when going off big jumps.


One of Libs CRC profiles will suit much better, or RCR if you still want the locked in feeling of camber, but the rocker in the tips making them slightly more forgiving.


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## Loffs (Jan 16, 2015)

Is there a significant difference between RCR and CRC in jump stability and powder float/stability?


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## Loffs (Jan 16, 2015)

From what I've heard the CRC is not much of a powder board in anything deeper than a few inches, but I could be wrong.


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## jamesdthomas2 (Nov 22, 2011)

Loffs said:


> Do you move your bindings back with the skate banana? I believe that's the all rocker board. That concerns me a bit as I've heard it's straight rocker while other lib tech boards have hybrid rocker cambers that can be more effective in powder. Camber has been killing me in the park, did your riding drastically increase after that?


I normally have my board set up as twin because I do a lot of switch riding. So when I first rode the waist deep powder, it was twin. The board floated with very little effort and easy to turn. I was impressed because I had cone from the burton custom x (camber). But when I set the bindings back, the board really came alive in the powder. I was powder slashing all over the place. The board would turn on a dime. It just give u a lot of confidence. 

I have heard many people say it's straight rocker. When I look at the website, it still has small camber under foot. In regards to the park. This board is kind of like how training wheels help on a bicycle. For example, I was very weak on 180s when I first got the board. But even when u don't land clean, it lets u scrub it around without falling. Now that I can do them solid, I can do them on my friends camber board. Right now I am learning backside 360s. Sometimes I only make it 270, but this board is kinda like training wheels. I still make it around. Even when I change boards for a more aggressive ride, I will always have a skate banana for learning new tricks. Oh, magnetraction is real. I denied this for a long time because I was a Burton fan. Demo one and purposely hit some ice.


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## Loffs (Jan 16, 2015)

I just bought a landlord for powder, but seeing as it's mainly camber, I suppose the skate banana is a better choice as it can do park and powder with ease. Do the bindings need to be set back even with the camber rocker camber design for powder or not? 
Also if I'm 5' 9" 160 lbs what size would I get for the skate banana? Currently I'm on a 151.


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## jamesdthomas2 (Nov 22, 2011)

Loffs said:


> I just bought a landlord for powder, but seeing as it's mainly camber, I suppose the skate banana is a better choice as it can do park and powder with ease. Do the bindings need to be set back even with the camber rocker camber design for powder or not?
> Also if I'm 5' 9" 160 lbs what size would I get for the skate banana? Currently I'm on a 151.


I am 5'9" and 160 lbs. I have a 156. I think the is the perfect range for this board. I do not wish it was shorter because of the float in powder. I do not wish it was longer because of maneuverability. Moguls runs are pretty easy where on the burton twin they were draining. I do not set back my bindings at all. Perfect twin makes it easy to ride switch.


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## Loffs (Jan 16, 2015)

I've read some reviews on the skate banana saying this is not the best board if you're used to camber, and that there are better banana options out there like the attack banana or something with the C2 BTX instead of the BTX. I've been riding a camber for the last 6 years or so and I'm used to the carving ability and speed.


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## Loffs (Jan 16, 2015)

If I have a camber is it worth it to get a banana board for the park if I want to hit rails and jumps, or should I just learn on the camber?


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## gibby907 (Oct 29, 2013)

*burton antler*

personally....I would go with this years burton antler 154.5


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## SGoldwin (Oct 10, 2011)

I happen to have a Lib and a Burton board.
- Lib Tech TRS HP, 154 (2015). Owned it for a month.
- Burton Antler, 151,5 (2014). 
(I am 5'6" and 150lbs with US 8 boots).

Regarding brand Burton has one tech I like: Infinite ride. Not sure how true it is but you don't have to break in the board. Burton has already done that and it stays that ways for years - if one believe the marketing. So far the Antler hasn't changed regarding flex.
The Lib board softens after you have ridden for a while. That I could feel.

I use the Antler when the conditions are soft and there is a chance of powder. Powder doesn't happen that often around here. I really really like this board in soft condition. It's so playful and fun. But on hard pack and icy conditions I have problem keeping the edge hold. Perhaps it's my technique. Leaves a little bit more scarier ride. If I second thought this board I would go for 154 instead of 151.5. But it keeps me floating in 10" of fresh powder without setting the stance back. Thanks to the rocker nose and scoped edges. If it goes deeper I set the stance further back. Twinish shape - no problem at all to go switch. I got this board to ride switch more. 

The TRS is for morning groomers and harder conditions. It cuts through everything like a warm knife in butter. I bought this board to keep up with me skiing friends. No problem with that anymore. I look to improve my carving and speed with this board. Last two years has been more on butter, jibbing and playing around. The TRS is not that stiff so I figure I can play around with this also. True twin so no problem at all riding switch. Looking to improve my switch carving with this board.

So why settle for Lib Tech or Burton - why don't go both.


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## ek9max (Apr 8, 2013)

jamesdthomas2 said:


> Hi. I personally have owned the board u ride Burton twin (camber). I currently ride a lib tech skate banana. But between these I was all burton. I have owned Burton bullet, sherlock, and custom x. Lib Tech skate banana is the best board I have ever ridden. I do think burton top sheets do not chip as easy. But that is where burton advantage stops with the burton twin. Well I will say the twin is more fun while carving with speed. Skate banana greatly improved my riding. Easier to ollie, and butter. I could not really do these before this board. This board has opened up freestyle for me. Now I can 180 in all directions and I can do a backside 360. I was thinking I needed powder deck but this can do that too. I was riding waist deep powder with ease. I used to ride my burton twin in powder and my back leg would hurt. I know a lot of people exaggerate but I swear I am not. While the skate banana supposed to be a park board, it can do it all if u ride less than 30 mph.


30mph? Who wants to limit themselves to that slow of a speed? Surely it can handle more than that.....


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## wickedsight (Jan 16, 2014)

ek9max said:


> 30mph? Who wants to limit themselves to that slow of a speed? Surely it can handle more than that.....


I hit close to 60mph on my Burton Whammy Bar. That thing is Soft, camber, with risen and blunt edges (conditions were perfect corduroy though). I'm pretty sure a skate banana should be able to handle more than 30MPH if the rider can.


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## snow tribe (Mar 27, 2020)

cbrenthus said:


> I hate Burton and will never buy one, and I honestly have no viable basis for this opinion
> 
> Always wanted a Lib-Tech, bought one last year, and was disappointed to find out the edges don't wrap all the way around.
> 
> Ride quality really comes down to the rider - what feels good to one may be weird to another, but as for board quality I think anything above the bargain basement stuff is going to last longer than most people use a board these days


I started with 2 Burtons, then went to Nitro, then 2 Ride snowboards, and finally tried the Lib Skate Banana. My riding improved 100% in just one season (about 28 days on the snow). As for quality, my board has fallen off the top of my car in Canada at highway speeds, was run over by a pick up truck, and still survived with only scratches, even though the metal Ride bindings got crushed. I have banged up against trees, rocks, etc and still no issues. This thing is probably going to out last me.


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## snow tribe (Mar 27, 2020)

ek9max said:


> 30mph? Who wants to limit themselves to that slow of a speed? Surely it can handle more than that.....


Some of us are not speed demons. I have a skate banana and probably push it to 50mph, but I have been riding it for 3 seasons now and know how to use it. My son is a speed demon, I prefer to go hit the park, trees, and back country and just have fun. But hey, to each their own.


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## snow tribe (Mar 27, 2020)

wickedsight said:


> I hit close to 60mph on my Burton Whammy Bar. That thing is Soft, camber, with risen and blunt edges (conditions were perfect corduroy though). I'm pretty sure a skate banana should be able to handle more than 30MPH if the rider can.


It sure can, but you have to keep it on a slight edge to achieve 50mph+, if you try to do that speed while the board is flat it will get a bit squirrelly. I have been riding a Skate Banana for 3 seasons now and you sort of figure out how the board handles in certain conditions and modes, once you have the board figured out, there is nothing you can't do with this thing.


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## snow tribe (Mar 27, 2020)

Phedder said:


> I love my Skate Banana, great all around board and certainly easy to ride. But I'm selling it to get a RCR board in which to progress my jumping more, as the SB is just too unstable for anything much bigger than a small/medium kickers. It works fine in powder as most rockered boards do and it's stiff enough not to fold up on itself there, but unless you're wanting to focus more on boxes, rails, and small jumps, I wouldn't suggest the Skate Banana. Given you said this;
> 
> 
> One of Libs CRC profiles will suit much better, or RCR if you still want the locked in feeling of camber, but the rocker in the tips making them slightly more forgiving.


I agree, I am not a big jumps guy so am not worried about the SB being a bit unstable on the landings, I mostly ride all over the mountain, hitting the park 30% of the time, but the SB does great in all conditions, and even at speed if you know how to handle it. Will never give up my Skate Banana.


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## WigMar (Mar 17, 2019)

You love your banana!


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## snow tribe (Mar 27, 2020)

WigMar said:


> You love your banana!


Yes I do, after using 5 different snowboard from 3 different companies, I can honestly say that I have had the most fun on my Skate Banana. This thing is so loose and playful, it is impossible not to have a blast on this thing. I don't knock what other people ride, to each their own. I just know what works for me.


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## Rip154 (Sep 23, 2017)

If they made a skate banana split, it would rival the jones solution in sales, even if it's utterly ridiculous.


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## Mike256 (Oct 13, 2013)

At least we know he used the search function before starting a new thread


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## Phedder (Sep 13, 2014)

snow tribe said:


> I agree, I am not a big jumps guy so am not worried about the SB being a bit unstable on the landings, I mostly ride all over the mountain, hitting the park 30% of the time, but the SB does great in all conditions, and even at speed if you know how to handle it. Will never give up my Skate Banana.


You quoted me from 5 years ago... I can now safely say that after 5 years and hundreds of days riding on camber dominant boards, you couldn't pay me to go back to riding a Skate Banana. It served it's purpose for me then, but literally has none of the characteristics I look for in a snowboard now.


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## gnars&guitars (Feb 6, 2021)

kdirt said:


> Why do you need the edges to be wrapped all the way around? The Travis Rice is a great board. I can recommend it from experience if you want to charge, Jump, ride switch. It's all there as a do it all but o visually it's kinda stiff and won't do well in the park. Get the Hp if you can. It's softer and lighter.


My answer to this is durability. While I loved my attack banana and skate banana, both of them ended up eventually getting top tears. For the skate banana I had the edge almost bend outwards and come attached from the board. I may pick up another lib tech sometime just because I love the feel of them, but for now it makes more sense to go with burton for longevity.


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## Snow Hound (Jul 21, 2012)

Phedder said:


> You quoted me from 5 years ago... I can now safely say that after 5 years and hundreds of days riding on camber dominant boards, you couldn't pay me to go back to riding a Skate Banana. It served it's purpose for me then, but literally has none of the characteristics I look for in a snowboard now.


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## Phedder (Sep 13, 2014)

We all make mistakes.


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## Nivek (Jan 24, 2008)

Hey, I was once a Union fanboi. We all have our skeletons.


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