Armada is now made by head

B

bikerocker

Active member
so our armadas showed up this year, and lo and behold they came in a head box. This would explain armadas capped skis this year, and a few other quirks. Now armada was being made by atomic snowboards, which are mad burly. But how does everyone feel about what's going to happen to our beloved armada skis this year?

I for one, am not pumped.

 
head's skis last for fucking ever they never die, but who gives a shit, it's probably still going to be quality shit
 
no they come in the boxes from which factory they came from. armada doesnt actually make their own skis they are really just the designers and advertisers i think. the skis are actually pressed whereever the the HEAD factory is. is head out of france or where?
 
i don't see how you would say that. they make some of the burliest, strongest skis out there.
 
You kidding me? Toughest skis out there man, my friend when of this little 10ft jib thing and landed on a rock pile covered by like a foot of snow and his skis got way fucked up, base dented in, but the edge didn't break! it was amazing. he used them on urbans and just beats the fuck outa them and the edges still haven't broke.
 
There are only so many manufacturers out there. I think it says something when you can convince a ski company to make what you think is a great ski. Basically Armada has convinced Head to produce a ski for them, and different from Head's own production line. I think that says a lot about Armada's designs...
 
what are you talking about convincing head to make that ski? they have contracts which means armada pays head to make the skis, head makes a profit from making armada skis
 
Shouldn't Head's own ski designs they use be the 'best' out there? If Head's own skis are so great, why are Armada's designs working and selling? That's all I meant. It almost makes Head seem to be inadvertently admitting there is another ski out there equal or superior to their own.
 
Head is making money. Every ski manufacturer makes skis for others. Fischer makes a large percentage of Salomons skis believe it or not. Its just how it works.

Head has a facility that isn't running at 100% with their production line. Armada wants skis made, Armada pays Head, Head makes more money to make more Head skis.
 
That's not necessarily true. While Armada skis may be good, their sales are drastically supported by the brand image they portray and the athletes they sponsor. There's almost no value difference between a bag of lays chips and a private label brand, but the lays cost $1 more b/c of the brand image.

This is a general statement and not directed at supersquid. For anyone to complain about one ski company making another company's skis is pretty crazy. Armada's benefiting from the economies of scale and operational efficiency of Head's production facilities. If Armada purchased their material inputs separately and built their own skis, you'd be paying nearly twice as much for them. Likewise, Head can drive down the cost of their skis as well as the price for anyone else they manufacture for because material inputs as well as machine and labor costs are spread among all companies. i.e. It's cheaper for 1 company to purchase 10,000 wood strips to be used as a core vs. 2 companies to buy 5,000 each.

Back in the early to mid-90s, over 90% of all ski boots were made in 3 factories on the same street in Italy. If Head supported morally wrong practices such as child labor, then I think we'd have every right to complain. That's not the case here.

 
I'll tell you how Armada skis have been selling since their inception:

Tanner Hall

Julien Renier (sp?)

JP Auclair

JF Cusson

They've survived almost entirly on their "core" image despite incredibly horrible customer service. From what I've seen, they've only recently began producing a decent product.

Makes me wonder why they have been moving from manufacturer to manufacturer. They originally were making skis out of the old LaCroix Skis factory in Quebec and since gone from ELAN to ATOMIC and now HEAD. What gives?

 
You sir are grossly misinformed. Have you ever owned a pair of Armada's? They are amazing, brought my game up big time. Secondly, they honor their warranties well past a skis average life span in most cases.

You don't know anything do you? How embarrasing.
 
i think elan makes most of the skis out there. companies like armada just slap graphics on em and market em.
 
Well I have worked in a ski shop where we sold Armada. I'm sorry but 3 months to determine whether or not something was a valid warranty claim is absolutely rediculous. Do you believe that's an acceptable turnaround? So basically my customer was off snow for 3 months waiting for them to make up their minds. I'm not the only person on here who has seen this.

To answer your question, no I have never owned a pair of Armadas or any other independant company for that matter. Why would I pay in some cases an addition $200 for skis from an independant? Doesn't make sense.

You own Armadas, good for you. I'm not giving you shit for owning them.

 
Marketing is key, and is a major reason why Armada has done well.

Not saying their ski designs and ideas aren't good, but their marketing is top-notch.
 
Armada has built themselves from the ground up in about only 5 years. I think that says alot. All the other big companies have been around for 20+ years. Now they are all kinda copying Armada. I think that says alot.

Warranties on alot of shit can take forever, not just skis. This is why most people buy a pair of backup skis in case shit happens. If you have a customer who is off snow for 3 months, either loan him a pair of shitty loaners or tell him to buy some. Dont blame all your problems on Armada when you could just fix your own problem for the time being.
 
as long as they arnt being made by atomic or rossi im still happy - those companies mass produce like crazy and the quality shows

but alot of companies send there lower end skis to be made by big companies, its all bout saving costs - if armadas higher end are made as usual in their factory it will be sweet

having said this nordica are made only in their factories and their quality is pretty sweet

 
armada is still armada, just made in the head factory. dont get your panties in a bunch guys, it's ok.
 
deary me, what on earth has ns come to? both atomic and rossi make absolutely bombproof skis and mass producing doesn't necessarily mean poorer build quality. nonsense in fact, far from it. if you pay attention, companies that have had reputations for poor build qualities in the last few years have been line, 9thward and 4frnt. now line and 4frnt are on top of their game, but it stands to reason that [some] "core" brands will have questionable durability when they start out...

apply some thought in future rather than reproduce misinformation because you think its trendy.
 
Maybe thats an isolated incident? My 06 t-halls edge was barely out out, and they sent me brand mew Ar6's.
 
guys armada is still using the same materials, designs and patterns they have always used, they supply the materials and everything, they are just pressed in a different factory. the skis havent changed over time from factory to factory, and they wont.
 
I never said the company was bullshit. What I did say was that their customer service was less than stellar.

For a shop yes, problems like that turn people off. What happens is the customer then blames the shop and goes somewhere else. Especially when the warranty claim is denied. Not saying it should've been warrantied but large companies are a week and half maximum in processing warranty claims. Not three months

 
fair play man, just sounds like you're hating. I deal with warranty issues all the time, on bikes though. If the company takes the item it can take upto 10-12weeks to hear anything back from them.

It only becomes an issue when they refuse to help you out when you call to find out what the deal is.if every company just agreed to hand out warranty claims quick noone would be buying ne skis.

Though, it is a bitch in such a seasonal sport like skiing.
 
1 - Head is known for making bombproof skis. Ask anyone who ever owned a pair of Mad Trix

2

- I've had/have three pairs of Armada skis & had great luck and

durability with two of them. The third hasn't been mounted yet.

3 - Like Antadam said, Head making the Armada skis is greatly beneficial financially for both companies. He explained it perfectly.

4 - If you don't know what you're talking about (heads blow ass!?)

then just keep your mouth shut and learn from others that do know.
 
all freestyle heads are capped, freeride ski are sidewalls

but cap =|= bad

capped skis are more durable on rails
 
I do find it interesting that Armada has gone from (I think) the option factory, to Elan, then Atomic, and now Head. I mean, jesus, pick a factory and stick with it. Not that I really care to much, but it kinda gives me the impression that All they care about is making a profit, and they are simply price shopping every season to find the factory that will press their skis for the cheapest price simply so they can make an extra $1/pair of skis. I understand working the margins, but how about building a relationship with your manufacturer, and trying to consistenly improve your product ever year.

It's business, I understand, but it would be more reassuring to me to know that the skis I buy this year will be equal or better quality to the ones I bought last year. When you are constantly changing factories, you never know what will happen. Look at the situation that Line got in when they moved manufacturing to China. They went from making great skis one season, to having like half of their stock falling apart because of some stupid adhesive issue.

I love Armada, I really do. But this coming season I have found myself disliking the company more and more every single day. Whereas Armadas were always on the top of my list of gear to have, the ARG is really the only model I desire to own that I don't have. I used to think Armada was "core" or actually cared. I'm starting to think now that all they care about is money and getting the highest number of skis possible in every single shop in the world. Their new models are weak shit, I don't give a fuck about some budget ski. I'd rather you invested the money it took to design those Pos's into maybe trying to make a fat rockered ski, or something that the enthusiast will actually enjoy. I'm currently in the market for a new pair of skis, sorry Armada, you are no longer on the top of my list.
 
Did you ever think they're looking for the best factory to press their skis? Any ski factory is going to make a profit by pressing skis for a competitor. Like we stated before, Head makes bombproof skis. Head making their skis quite possibly makes Armada skis even more durable. Armada skis seem to have gotten more and more durable as the years have gone on, as they've changed factories. Only time will tell how the new batch is.
 
I completely see your point, and it is likely that is what they are doing, just trying to make the highest quality product. If that is the case, I respect that. I just have seen a few other indications that would suggest this is not really the case. The product they have produced the past few years seems top notch, don't really know how much better a mass-produced ski can really get, but we will see. It would be quite unfortunate if they had a production issue with their switch though...
 
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