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Full Tilt or Dalbello

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nwagner23
Posts: 7 - Karma: 10
I was looking to get new boots but I don't know if I should go with Full Tilt or Dalbello. I know the Full Tilt's have the tongues that you can change the flex with. I wasn't really looking at an specific models. I would use them for all mountain use. If anyone could help that would be great!
Dec 3 2011 5:40PM
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iffe
Posts: 984 - Karma: 120
Some Dalbellos are wider, some are not. Il Moro and Krypton Pro, for example, have a very similar fit to the narrow Full Tilts (Hot Dogger, Konflict, Seth etc).
Dec 19 2011 4:21AM
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special_k10101
Posts: 1498 - Karma: 72
This is true. Got new full tilts today and my brother got il moros. They're supposed to be pretty similar in terms of width and they are both originally raichle boots and they are both made in italy. stoked to ski mine for the first time tomorrow.
Dec 19 2011 5:54AM
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BigBadWolf
Posts: 2000 - Karma: 432
Totally unrelated but...










SPKs for the win!
Dec 19 2011 4:25PM
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ianj
Posts: 536 - Karma: 167
Very true. Remember that it goes both ways.

+k sir
Dec 19 2011 4:38PM
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Juice.Doctor
Posts: 2791 - Karma: 293
Dalbello.
Went from FTs to Dalbello Morros and I couldn't be happier with them.
The quality is superb
Dec 19 2011 4:59PM
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meeesh
Posts: 353 - Karma: 56
I was a bootfitter for some years and my shop never sold FTs and I've been in Dalbellos for years. This season I wanted to see what the hype was about and HOLY SHIT ARE THE FULLTILTS COMFORTABLE!!! My feet are in HEAVEN! But then REALITY CHECK, they are made in China... with 80s shell technology.

The "intuition" liner is a technology... dont think of it as a company who makes the liner. FTs = china Dalbello = italy. The ID Intuition that dalbello makes has the memory foam in it when the FT does not. But dang were they comfy and thats all that kept popping into my head... But, wait, so are all 70-80 flex entry level boots with super squishy liners from any company, which I examined a litter further at this point, cause lets face it, comfy boots win.

The tongues are made of different materials and the FTs are really flexy, which could make a real nice park boot, but if you ski any big mountain then you will probably be unhappy with how unresponsive they can be. And my major question is, why the hell are they squared at the top!? Thats not anatomical at all, making you have to flex further into the boot to get full contact out of that tongue before it will do what it is supposed to do.

Also the foot boards are different... the buckles are different....

Basically, I would have blown out the liner & needed to buy a new one by next season... The buckles I probably would have broken ("but full tilts parts are so easy to find!"... I've never needed "parts" for my dalbellos to begin with). I'm not going to lie, I was really into how plush they felt and how happy my feet would have been, but my bank account would have been pissed when Id need new stuff for them in a few months and my Jackson trip would have been lame because this is NOT an aggressive boot. Lets just say, Dalbellos won regardless.

Lastly: you can get different tongues for the Dalbello 3-piece boots as well. Just head to a retailer and they can order them for you.

Dont get me wrong, the FT Soul Sister would have been an upstanding park boot for a season... but its not for me.
Dec 19 2011 8:26PM
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meeesh
Posts: 353 - Karma: 56
Please tell me what boots are made in Italy from Full Tilt? I dont mean this to be a snot, but post a link of where you find this info too... I have been taught to believe that ALL their boots are produced in China (Full Tilt is owned by k2 and all of their production sites are in China)... and the molds are the old Raichle molds, why would they split them up across the world??
Dec 19 2011 8:39PM
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ARMADAR7
Posts: 401 - Karma: 36
I have this years booters and on the side of the boot there is a sighn that says MADE IN ITALY so that might just be this years but the booters are definitively made in italy
Dec 19 2011 8:51PM
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iffe
Posts: 984 - Karma: 120
I'm sorry but this just seems misinformed. It's obvious that you're comparing a cheap FT boot to an expensive Dalbello boot. Something like the Drop Kick vs. the Il Moro.

First of all, so what if they're made in China? That does not mean they're not a quality product. I don't really know what you mean by 80s shell technology. The shell is a bit thin yes, but that makes the boot lighter. Yes, cheaper FTs have cheaper Intuition liners. Then again, cheaper Dalbellos don't have Intuitions at all. I have the FT Konflicts, which come with the Intuition PowerWrap liners. The Dalbello ID liner is the PowerWrap too. So same liners.

FTs come in many different flexes, as do the Dalbellos. I had Il Moros before. Those come with two tongues, medium and stiff. Now I have the Konflicts with the #8 tongue and the flex is somewhere in between the Dalbello tongues. The #10 tongue that comes with Seths is very stiff.

Now this next bit is totally anecdotal evidence and I'm aware of it: the reason why I sold my Il Moros and got Full Tilts was the cuff. The Dalbello cuff had an awkward fit and I couldn't get the top of the liner snug around my foot. No such problem with the Full Tilts.

Foot boards seem very similar to me, both have some kind of gel padding. Buckles are obviously different. I prefer the FT system, it is lighter and quicker to adjust. With the traditional micro adjustment buckles on Dalbellos you have to spin the buckles around to get precise adjustment. This is really time-consuming. On the FTs you just slide the buckle on a track. The cable system is also a lot lighter. The plastic buckles scare me a bit but my boots have the metal ones.

I've never broken my FTs, but I did break my Dalbellos. The plastic track that the ratchet buckle uses snapped. I thought that the ratchet buckle was a terrible idea anyway. It looks cool but a normal buckle and a power strap would have been a lot more functional and would have probably solved my cuff fit issue. I think that I would be a lot happier with Dalbello had I had the Krypton Pros instead of the Il Moros.
Dec 20 2011 4:56AM
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onenerdykid
Posts: 6674 - Karma: 10,977
Unfortunately, you don't have some of your info correct. Not that I want to help a competing brand, but you should always have the correct info when making decisions.

For starters, Intuition is a brand based in Vancouver, Canada. FT's Intuition liners (and our Intution liner) are produced by Intuition in their Chinese factory. Too many brands use Intuition for them not to be considered a quality product.

Second, FT's boots are produced in Italy, along with the other brands I listed. Now some brands have multiple factories (in sometimes different areas of the world) but as far as I am aware, their entire production is based in Italy for their injection molded parts (shell, cuff).
Dec 20 2011 10:00AM
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Pipe_Munky
Posts: 10888 - Karma: 2,184
All Full Tilt boots are made in Italy.

Yes they are using old designs but they are also constantly working to creat new molds and progress the brand. Last year they released the FTi shell design to satisfy the part of the market with wider feet. Next year they will progress with a new shell design for the Seth, First Chair and Hot Dogger.

Your info is wrong.
Dec 20 2011 2:38PM
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meeesh
Posts: 353 - Karma: 56
no they arent. sorry.
Dec 21 2011 7:22AM
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meeesh
Posts: 353 - Karma: 56
My info could be very much skewed. I'm not going to deny that. but my source did come from a very biased Dalbello supporter... this person is a very credible bootfitter as well as boot salesman. He is obviously very good at his job because he talked me into the Dalbello, but the materials used between the boots are different and are of different quality.

Also, pink name here... they only make 2 womens boots... and the Mary Jane is a high volume boot. Making only one option for women depending on your feet. So yes, I am comparing the Soul Sister with the Dalbello Storm, but these are the boots that would be made for me from the 2 companies. The Soul Sister is not going to be an upstanding boot for all of my skiing. The intuitions from the 2 boots are very different, the footboards are similar in these models but I will be taking my rubber footboards out of my old dalbellos (this will be changing for 2013 in the storms).

I do see the "made in italy" print on the 2 womens boots... So i stand corrected? I wonder if they make part of it in Italy so they can say that and other companies tear at them for being produced in China.

Ive heard great things about FT... but I'm going to stay with that your better bang for you buck is with Dalbello. My opinion but thanks for the info ~ I was indeed ignorant.
Dec 21 2011 7:33AM
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AJizzle
Posts: 1882 - Karma: 522
This, that guy ron_swanson doesn't know shit. And to the op, go get fitted
Dec 21 2011 3:07PM
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meeesh
Posts: 353 - Karma: 56
Update: Just received my Dalbellos in the mail last night. Compared to the Soul Sister FT, the liner is more extensive... But! on the liner it says "Designed by Intuition. Vancouver, Canada. U.S. Patent... MADE IN CHINA" hahahaha.

gotta love it. Cheers.
Dec 22 2011 12:08PM
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kgskiier
Posts: 18 - Karma: 16

Full Tilt Hot Doggers

Dec 22 2011 12:16PM
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.RYAN66
Posts: 5381 - Karma: 237
worst post in the thread
Dec 22 2011 12:20PM
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ESSkiers
Posts: 254 - Karma: 150
Just to make it known Dalbello was formed from former Riachle owners and employees who then redesigned the flexon (mainly changed the pivot point/flex point and middle buckle to make it more natural and to pull your heel down into the boot). They fit very similarly, the dalbellos are going to be a little heaver but are much better made. Dalbello also gives you the ability to purchase parts much like Fulltilt, and Dalbello as one the best warranty departments in the industry. Both liners are made by Intuition but are very different, the dalbellos are much more substantial . As far as price goes, yes dalbello's are generally priced higher, but that is all planned to changed with dalbello making many changes for this up coming season


Dec 24 2011 4:19PM
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Crocodile
Posts: 281 - Karma: 11

Click for larger image

A fitting time to use this (pun intended)

Dec 24 2011 7:13PM
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BmoChop
Posts: 2071 - Karma: 96
its funny because they spelled foolishness wrong in this meme.
Dec 25 2011 11:00PM
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Crocodile
Posts: 281 - Karma: 11
The irony of that meme is fantastic
Dec 26 2011 11:58PM
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