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Full tilt vs other boots

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nugeynuge
Posts: 388 - Karma: 254
More than half the people I see in parks are wearing full tilt and they seem to be the stereotypical park boot. Is there any reason they are so highly considered? Does it have to do with superior quality, or are people just buying them for the brand name. I know all the kids with them buy them for the name. Also, what makes them different from let's say dalbello or other park boot companies. Are full tilts really better?
May 27 2013 9:04AM
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a_burger
Posts: 5206 - Karma: 20,187
A lot of younger kids get them because practically every pro wears/wore them over the past 30 years. They aren't a bad boot either, you can change the flex by switching out the tongues and stuff, but from what I hear you have to have pretty small/narrow feet.

Ask your bootfitter if they fit you, and see what they say if you want them.
May 27 2013 9:14AM
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tomPietrowski
Posts: 7099 - Karma: 17,043
Yeah they just have great marketing. They are a little like fks bindings, they were off the market for years but then park rats started things just for park. K2 got the moulds from raichle and brought them back. Park guys loved them straight away as they full tilt focused on making the boots look cool where most brands did not make an effort with looks.

Performance wise they prett old school but can work fine for park. But things are moving forward the spk for example was great for years but now it's not really up to modern skiing. The same is happening with ft. Modern boots are so much better and as new brands start making an effort to make the boots look good ft should become less of the only choice for park
May 27 2013 9:21AM
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nugeynuge
Posts: 388 - Karma: 254
bump
May 27 2013 9:59AM
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Skiingsnow
Posts: 1567 - Karma: 797
plastic buckles for superior stregth and durabilty
May 27 2013 10:05AM
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VD.
Posts: 4054 - Karma: 4,564
To be honest it's all down to marketing, the features aren't that great - plastic buckles, soft flexes, and they were plastic soled up until this season. The interchangeable touches are a nice feature and I suppose you could argue the weight.
May 27 2013 10:26AM
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FullTiltBoots
Posts: 477 - Karma: 2,761
Thanks for the comments on our massive marketing prowess! Our budget & resources are pale in comparison to the likes of Red Bull & Nike. Kidding, kidding we're just really good at telling the story of the function of the boot (flex, lightweight, comfy) and the advantages.

The massive team of riders is exactly how we tell the story, they're simply riding the boot because they feel it is the best boot for them to do what they do. This sounds like more and more marketing but please watch this video (it's a bit old but still works) and have an open mind about our boot vs the rest.



Thanks! - FT
May 30 2013 8:02PM
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tomPietrowski
Posts: 7099 - Karma: 17,043
What your really good at is getting them on the right riders feet. You know as well as any one that if the right riders were them you will sell to half this site however good the product is.

I like your product, i have skied it but there are better boots out there. Wht I look forward to though is where full tilt can go. If I design from 30 years ago can sell that many boots today surly you guys can improve upon it and make a boot which will destroy all completion. And by improve I don't just mean a bigger toe box and replaceable soles.
May 30 2013 8:43PM
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tomPietrowski
Posts: 7099 - Karma: 17,043
Jesus I hate how badly this phone auto corrects things. Sorry that post is such bad English. I really wish they would add an edit post function to this site
May 30 2013 8:52PM
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kung_powpow
Posts: 1990 - Karma: 3,669
I finally bought 12/13 full tilt drop kicks before last season and it was probably the greatest gear decision I've ever made. I used to get tired after 3-4 hours of skiing and couldn't wait to take my old boots off in the lodge, even if it was for 20 minutes to give my feet a rest at lunch. Toebang and shin bang were frequent since I ski east coast ice and I got shin splints a couple of times as well.
After riding Full tilts for an entire season, I can safely say I'm never going back. I got 35+ days on snow and I NEVER got shinbang. Thats right. Never, not even once. Toe bang also was almost completely eliminated and I only got it a couple times from taking landings to the gucci plateau. Even still, it didn't even really hurt that bad at all. I could wear my dropkicks for the entire day with only a mild discomfort by the end of the day (8+ hours later). The pain at the end of the day was nothing compared to any other boots I've owned.
Damn I sound like a Full tilt rep but I have a few cons, which actually can easily be solved. My main complaint about the boots is the price. I paid $450 for my drop kicks which was a stretch for my broke ass. Full tilt might not like this but honestly go on Ebay and buy last years boots for half of the price or wait until Full Tilt has an end of season sale or something like that. I made the mistake of buying them through preorder so I easily could have saved $100-150 that way.

When I first got my dropkicks, I actually found them to be pretty uncomfortable. I didn't understand the hype surrounding Fulltilts. I wore them around the house for a couple hours each day to try and break them in but my ankles felt like they were throbbing in the boots. I had been fitted by a boot fitter just a couple of weeks before that so I was confused as to why they were so uncomfortable. I decided to go to my local shop and get them heat molded for $10. It was like light and day. The difference was incredibly and it practically felt like I was wearing a tennis shoe. They are insanely comfortable for ski boots. The discomfort might have been because of the shape of my feet but even if yours are pretty comfortable when you first get them, they will be even more comfortable after being molded. If you get full tilts, GET THEM HEAT MOLDED.

Thats all I got, if you have any questions and would like an "unbiased" opinion, no offense full tilt, then feel free to pm me.
May 30 2013 9:05PM
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kung_powpow
Posts: 1990 - Karma: 3,669
^ I forgot to mention, I have little experience riding Full Tilts on big mountain and my review reflects my opinion of Full Tilts in the park. I have no clue about their performance on other aspects of the mountain.
May 30 2013 9:09PM
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IDMT_BC024
Posts: 224 - Karma: 129
That's great but the lack of shin bang and increased comfortability over your old boots has only a little to do with getting full tilts (the softer flex and the 3 piece design do have advantages in the park) and everything to do with you buying boots that FIT.
For me full tilts feel like straight hell and I get mad shin bang in them but that's because they don't fit my foot, not because they're shitty boots. I'm not hating, just pointing out that your review doesn't actually have anything to do with full tilts being good or bad boots, just that you found boots that correctly fit your foot shape, especially after they were heat molded. Thats why everyone says go to a boot fitter, because proper fit is the most important feature of a boot, as you've experienced.
May 30 2013 9:28PM
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Beaansss
Posts: 301 - Karma: 985
You also can't beat the smell of full tilts. Full tilts do have a boot for wider feet. They in my opinion are the comfiest boot out there.
May 30 2013 11:47PM
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Miclovin
Posts: 1043 - Karma: 637
Somehow a cheeto got in my boot one day and ever since they have smelled of cheetos... but my full tilts are awesome I love them.
May 31 2013 12:22AM
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bnewbs6
Posts: 1919 - Karma: 1,462
I rode full tilts for two years. They were good, but were lacking something. Making the switch to a dalbello (after I got fitted for them and tried on like 6 other boots including non "park boots" and regular 4 buckle boots) I skied so much better. Full tilts are good. But they aren't for everyone.
May 31 2013 11:09AM
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bnewbs6
Posts: 1919 - Karma: 1,462
Also two words. Tom Wallisch.
May 31 2013 11:17AM
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kung_powpow
Posts: 1990 - Karma: 3,669
I was assuming that OP had already been fitted and knew that Full Tilts fit his foot, like he was choosing between 2 boots that both correctly fit him
May 31 2013 12:21PM
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B-Right-On
Posts: 570 - Karma: 532
I made the mistake of not actually being fitted for boots this last season, i just got a size I thought would fit. I lucked out and the boots (Voodoos) somewhat fit my foot but my shins would be fucked at the end of the day and they were a little too wide for my foot so I didn't as much control as I would've liked. Im hoping FT's fit my feet, the endless customization of them is awesome.
Jun 1 2013 3:22AM
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haggis_hunter
Posts: 399 - Karma: 207
Boot fitting threads are the biggest waste of time out IMO, there will always be people who buy something because its shiny and 'in trend' etc, there will be people who buy another brand as they dont want to be seen on a bandwagon both of which are very silly reasons when making a decision but then again people are silly form time to time we all are.

When it comes to boots it should always be about what fits you and your needs, if your lapping the park and thats all you do you would and quite rightly never consider a race boot, but boot fitters go through training for a good reason to make sure their clients have the correct boots on.

With something as custom as boot fitting its not the case of the 'customer is always right' as in most cases the customer (punters, and a lot of skiers will not actually know what they want) I used to supply built to order race and track and motor sport suspension components and 90% of time time was spent teach customers about what they actually needed (in most cases it cost them less) as they had done a bit too much forum reading.

Jun 1 2013 6:08AM
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tomPietrowski
Posts: 7099 - Karma: 17,043
^ this is spot on. The customer really could not say a word about how they feel an a good fitter will get you in a great boot. Half the time the customer is swayed by what they want rather then what feels good. My fav fittings were when they came in with no idea of what thy wanted and let me sort it out for them from start to finish
Jun 1 2013 9:38AM
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ankhou
Posts: 505 - Karma: 238
I think the Fischer Vacuum Fit process is the future, to be honest. I have the Salomon Quest Max 120s from last season and got them vacuum molded on the Fischer machine at the local shop (the whole boot shell is moldable) and the difference was remarkable. The molded boot ends up following the exact contours of your foot - concave where your foot goes in and convex where it goes out. It's not possible to get a better fit, assuming the boot is the correct last for you. Even then there's some leeway.
Jun 1 2013 12:27PM
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nico.colome
Posts: 27 - Karma: 38
Sorry for my english..
I feel a really lucky guy, I bought a pair of Hot Doggers 2012 this year, used, but almost new. I don't know why, but they fit me perfect! It's like the guy that use them before have the same foot. I NEVER going to change full tilt's for nay other brand. And it's not only because marketing, it's because I feel perfect on that boots. But.. I think that some people can hate full tilt because they don't fit well.
Jun 2 2013 3:53AM
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tomPietrowski
Posts: 7099 - Karma: 17,043
Yeah the vacuum fit is great. The salomon nethod works the best allowing the boot to get bigger or smaller dependent of the foot. Look out for how the new spk will feature this in the next few years. It does allow any foot to go into a boot, this means manufacturers can make less models and put much more work into the few they have
Jun 2 2013 10:53AM
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haggis_hunter
Posts: 399 - Karma: 207

Its called luck in your case but this sort of thing should not be encouraged or people will end up with boots that they hate, theres nothing wrong with Full Tilt if they work for you, ditto any other boot manufacturer provided it meets the needs of the user.

Jun 2 2013 12:04PM
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FreeskiThe603
Posts: 861 - Karma: 1,409

this video contains all you need to know about full tilt boots! REMEMBER! If your gonna cover them then dont even bother buying them!
Jun 2 2013 1:11PM
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VD.
Posts: 4054 - Karma: 4,564
That's my favourite bit of the whole video, "of you're really motivated to that sport, them these are the boots to get" comes a close second though.
Jun 2 2013 4:40PM
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VD.
Posts: 4054 - Karma: 4,564
Sorry missed the first part of my quote off - "if you're a real skier and really motivated to that sport ...
Jun 2 2013 4:45PM
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