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June, 2025

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Do you think its possible armada lied to me about the S7 base being sintered?

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dolanslebensraum
Posts: 5959 - Karma: -13,093
I want to believe what they emailed me but theres a couple issues. Here is what they sent me:

“Skis need to be waxed regularly to keep them in good condition and to keep the base from drying. Depending on conditions and the type of skier that you are, skis should be waxed approximately every 3-8 days of riding. When the base starts to look dry and flaky or white it is a sign that it's time for a wax. This applies as well for the ARV 106 ti.

S7: Our S7 base, that is used on our ARV 96 Ti, is a sintered base. It is fast durable and hold wax well.”

— My first issue is why they would say you could go 8 days without waxing, bc pretty much every online reference says every 3 days/4 days at most between waxing for a sintered base.

— The second issue is that the so called “race base” on the Edollo, is loudly labeled as “sintered” by pretty much every vendors product info. If sintered bases are so good you want to advertise everywhere that the Edollo base is “sintered” then why not advertise the S7 base as sintered as well?

— The S7 base is also advertised as “low maintenance” by many vendors which suggests extruded rather than sintered.

— I might be neurotic right now thinking armada lied to me, but to be honest i think im being pretty reasonable to be having doubts. As for the elephant in the room, i think when they said the arv 96 ti they meant to say 106 ti and it was a typo.

— I wish it didnt matter, but it really kind of does matter according to what i have read.

— Nobody wants to be told their ferrari was given a weaker engine but the bonus is it doesnt need an oil change. Same goes for a premium price ski that the buyers are supposed to covet. Changing the oil on your ferrari and waxing your high performance skis are supposed to be part of the fun.

**This thread was edited on May 4th 2020 at 12:13:00am
5 years ago
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VT_scratch
Posts: 8865 - Karma: 6,829
dude what. corona.
5 years ago
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Danke
Posts: 253 - Karma: 852
fo sho lying bro, who would believe you could go 8 days without wax on sintered bases?!?! ridiculous!!
5 years ago
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gravychute
Posts: 34 - Karma: 47
Dude seriously this is the lamest post I ever seen.. stop bitching about Armada because you have nothing to do....go for a hike or something. Your not gonna ski any better because your bases are sintered or whatever the f*** that means....
5 years ago
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dolanslebensraum
Posts: 5959 - Karma: -13,093
blackops98Dude seriously this is the lamest post I ever seen.. stop bitching about Armada because you have nothing to do....go for a hike or something. Your not gonna ski any better because your bases are sintered or whatever the f*** that means....

Meh. You feel free to be the tool happily waxing his skis that dont absorb wax. Not for me.
5 years ago
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Mixy
Posts: 8358 - Karma: 50,514
I haven't waxed my skis in like a year doing it every week sounds like a chore
5 years ago
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rubberpantaloons
Posts: 506 - Karma: 3,102
Idk might be, i had extruded k2s before and they didnt feel much slower than my friends arv96 which probably have the same base as urs.
5 years ago
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skierman
Posts: 8618 - Karma: 9,456
The ski industry hates kids like you
5 years ago
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eheath
Posts: 61969 - Karma: 126,913
Imagine waxing your skis.
5 years ago
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eskeet
Posts: 46 - Karma: 168
eheathImagine waxing your skis.


Imagine skiing
5 years ago
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SofaKingSick
Posts: 9817 - Karma: 66,335
i was in another thread about this with you. the consensus is that the s7 base is sintered but it doesn't seem to be a particularly fast one and details are surprisingly murky lol. armada told me unequivocally that they're sintered (and all evidence points that way over the years) but they didn't offer anything more specific than that to me

i did get my memory jogged a little too though. so up until a few years ago the only ARV was the 96, it was just called the ARV. and i had a few pairs of those over the years, the last one being probably the 2015 model year ones? and those i was reminded had the "50/50 base" which they said was a split between the s7 base and armada's faster base. and now most of armada's current line have the s7 base

as said on here, it's not that big a deal. as with all skier gear nerd talk, it gets waaay overthought online. but i must admit i'm a little disappointed because i just bought a pair of Zero Series skis and those are supposed to be premium skis so their having mediocre bases is kinda bush league imo
5 years ago
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JibbaTheHutt
Posts: 2132 - Karma: 1,597
i have a pair of arv96 ti, never had an issue with them being slow, I maybe wax them every 10 days of use at very best, probably closer to 14.

I remember the worst pair of skis i ever had was a pair of k2 domains. those things were straight up furry after a days skiing.
5 years ago
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AsherDonati24
Posts: 213 - Karma: 936
You know to wax your skis when you can barely move
5 years ago
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elm.
Posts: 1510 - Karma: 13,606
You can tell if your bases are sintered by running your nail across them horizontally. Sintered bases will be somewhat bumpy when there is no wax on them and they are harder. Hard to explain over the internet without a pair of sintered and non-sintered in your hand.
5 years ago
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dolanslebensraum
Posts: 5959 - Karma: -13,093
elm.You can tell if your bases are sintered by running your nail across them horizontally. Sintered bases will be somewhat bumpy when there is no wax on them and they are harder. Hard to explain over the internet without a pair of sintered and non-sintered in your hand.

The only comparison shot ive seen on the web is this below. The poster said the top board was sintered and the bottom one was extruded. To me the extruded board looks more like see through jello and the sintered board looks more textured (like you said) and opaque. To be fair the bases on my Arvs 106 tis are black and bumpy like the sintered bases in this picture but i still have buyers paranoia because of how sketchy armada seems to be about calling their bases sintered.




5 years ago
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dolanslebensraum
Posts: 5959 - Karma: -13,093
SofaKingSicki was in another thread about this with you. the consensus is that the s7 base is sintered but it doesn't seem to be a particularly fast one and details are surprisingly murky lol. armada told me unequivocally that they're sintered (and all evidence points that way over the years) but they didn't offer anything more specific than that to me

i did get my memory jogged a little too though. so up until a few years ago the only ARV was the 96, it was just called the ARV. and i had a few pairs of those over the years, the last one being probably the 2015 model year ones? and those i was reminded had the "50/50 base" which they said was a split between the s7 base and armada's faster base. and now most of armada's current line have the s7 base

as said on here, it's not that big a deal. as with all skier gear nerd talk, it gets waaay overthought online. but i must admit i'm a little disappointed because i just bought a pair of Zero Series skis and those are supposed to be premium skis so their having mediocre bases is kinda bush league imo

Interesting. I agree it seems weird that armada doesnt label their bases as sintered when all the other ski manufacturers seem to loudly brag about their skis bases being sintered. It doesnt make sense to me that armada would use an extruded base on their skis with the only apparent benefit being that you dont have to wax them as often—because to my knowledge most ppl who buy their armadas love them, and they would be happy to wax them regularly in exchange for a tougher, faster base on their skis.



if armadas market strategy is to advertise their skis as hardly needing to be waxed bc they have an extruded base, then they need to come out and say they have an extruded base, instead of half ass straddling the issue and trying to get the best of both worlds.

It kind of reminds me of the bones bearings strategy in skateboarding, where bones purposefully does not say what the ABEC rating on their bearings is—in an attempt to transcend the issue and say their bearings are better despite their ABEC rating.
5 years ago
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dolanslebensraum
Posts: 5959 - Karma: -13,093
Also does anybody else have arv 106s?

**This post was edited on May 7th 2020 at 10:45:53pm
5 years ago
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skierman
Posts: 8618 - Karma: 9,456
DolanReloadedTo be fair the bases on my Arvs 106 tis are black and bumpy like the sintered bases in this picture but i still have buyers paranoia because of how sketchy armada seems to be about calling their bases sintered.


To be fair, you're just a jackass.
5 years ago
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shin-bang
Posts: 4106 - Karma: 7,039
Skierman is on point in this thread.
5 years ago
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mattm7
Posts: 355 - Karma: 1,974
Should probably just sell those armadas and get some Head Supershapes if you're so worried about your base material
5 years ago
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weiler
Posts: 735 - Karma: 654
The catalog labels it as as sintered. Pretty sure the S in S7 stands for sintered. What’s the problem waxing skis makes them fast. Just wax them?
5 years ago
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BradFiAusNzCoCa
Posts: 7550 - Karma: 67,106
I have definitely had dogshit bases before so I’m not just blowing smoke.
I just looked up the base on the last Armada’s I had and they were S7. I didn’t know the name, but I always noticed my armada bases seemed tougher and faster. They never got “furry”, so to speak, on me. I was kinda shocked at how much I could neglect the bases actually.
So, my experience with armada bases has been very different than yours.
5 years ago
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HypeBeast
Posts: 10097 - Karma: 76,795
Just stop over thinking it. Do you need a sintered base? Is that why ur being so paranoid? I had the ARV 106 and the only comparison I can make is between line extruded/sintered and on3p skis. On3p durasurf bases are wicked fast compared to the ARV. Like night and day, maybe 25-50% more. When comparing the ARV to line Afterbangs which is extruded, the ARV is much faster. Comparing them side by side with Line Step Ups that has a sintered base, racing a straight line, me and my brother (similar body builds), the line step ups win by a little bit but it's nothing that made me question the quality of the bases. I hit 60mph on those puppies so unless you NEED a specific quality base material for comp, then you shouldn't be tripping. The bases are decent and if they say they're sintered, then that's the end of the story. It's well known there are different qualities of sintered bases so the s7 is probably just lower quality. Is it weird they don't specifically say "sintered"? Yes, but the fact that you got written communication from the manufacturer that it is sintered, then that should be enough. If you really needed a high quality base you would research that before you buy. I'm guessing not. So chill. Don't make another thread (please there's already like 5 on the same subject)
5 years ago
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HypeBeast
Posts: 10097 - Karma: 76,795
One more thing. Just ride the skis ffs and see for yourself
5 years ago
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HypeBeast
Posts: 10097 - Karma: 76,795
And most people don't wax their skis every 3-4 days even with sintered bases. Get real man. Yeah it's optimal but it won't kill you if you don't.
5 years ago
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dolanslebensraum
Posts: 5959 - Karma: -13,093
Turd__AuthorityJust stop over thinking it. Do you need a sintered base? Is that why ur being so paranoid? I had the ARV 106 and the only comparison I can make is between line extruded/sintered and on3p skis. On3p durasurf bases are wicked fast compared to the ARV. Like night and day, maybe 25-50% more. When comparing the ARV to line Afterbangs which is extruded, the ARV is much faster. Comparing them side by side with Line Step Ups that has a sintered base, racing a straight line, me and my brother (similar body builds), the line step ups win by a little bit but it's nothing that made me question the quality of the bases. I hit 60mph on those puppies so unless you NEED a specific quality base material for comp, then you shouldn't be tripping. The bases are decent and if they say they're sintered, then that's the end of the story. It's well known there are different qualities of sintered bases so the s7 is probably just lower quality. Is it weird they don't specifically say "sintered"? Yes, but the fact that you got written communication from the manufacturer that it is sintered, then that should be enough. If you really needed a high quality base you would research that before you buy. I'm guessing not. So chill. Don't make another thread (please there's already like 5 on the same subject)

Yeah. I kind of assumed all armadas used a high performance base because of both the price of armadas and the fact that its marketed as a high performance park ski. It simply doesnt make sense to me how a company would try to target the few consumers who are willing to pay 500-600$ for their skis and then completely neglect them by not waxing them at all bc they are lazy.

and thats assuming they would wax it themselves and not just get a shop to do it for 20 bucks.

it makes no sense for armada to call their bases “s7” without labeling them as sintered. If armada thinks the image of getting stuck on a flat traverse bc of your extruded bases—is preferable bc of their low maintenance needs—-compared to flying through the flats at mach 2 on freshly waxed sintered bases—then they are out to lunch.
5 years ago
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dolanslebensraum
Posts: 5959 - Karma: -13,093
skiermanTo be fair, you're just a jackass.

Bah!
shin-bangSkierman is on point in this thread.

Bah!
mattm7Should probably just sell those armadas and get some Head Supershapes if you're so worried about your base material

Bah!
weilerThe catalog labels it as as sintered. Pretty sure the S in S7 stands for sintered. What’s the problem waxing skis makes them fast. Just wax them?

Do you have a link to this catalog? I believe you im just curious.
BradAusNzCoCaI have definitely had dogshit bases before so I’m not just blowing smoke.
I just looked up the base on the last Armada’s I had and they were S7. I didn’t know the name, but I always noticed my armada bases seemed tougher and faster. They never got “furry”, so to speak, on me. I was kinda shocked at how much I could neglect the bases actually.
So, my experience with armada bases has been very different than yours.

I havent ridden them yet due to the virus. Im hoping mostly they are sintered because well waxed sintered bases(from everything ive read) are faster and more durable due to the wax essentially taking some of the impact on jumps/rails/etc. also the idea of your skis getting faster as they age when you keep rewaxing them is a very appealing concept to me.
5 years ago
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snomaster
Posts: 3348 - Karma: 5,783
You seriously haven’t even skied them???
Armada is not lying. Your base is sintered. All skis need wax. Their explanation is on point. If you take a couple laps and call it a day, you can certainly get 8 days of skiing on a single wax. If you weigh 250lbs, ski super aggressively, ride bell to bell 9a-4p with no breaks except the lift, you might struggle to get 3 days on a single wax.
$5-600 for a ski doesn’t mean shit about quality. Marketing claims are overreaching for pretty much any product on the planet because reality isn’t a spec sheet bro.
I actually paid for the DPS phantom wax this year and that was bullshit too.
That being said, you have a fine ski in your hands. If you are that anal about this subject, you best put a ‘summer coat’ of wax on them until you actually ski them 7 months from now. In the meantime, go do something with your life.
5 years ago
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shin-bang
Posts: 4106 - Karma: 7,039
“Bah!”
5 years ago
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