Replying to Dalbello vs. Full Tilt
I know this sort of equipment comparison is always sought after (be it skis, boots, bindings etc). The Dalbello/Full Tilt one is a popular one, so I thought I'd do a service and add my 'review' after using both last season.
Background: I'm 70kg, came off a traditional 2 piece boot 110 flex. I ski a bit of everything, from the park, to ripping up a groomer, to some moguls, or back country powder. I was due some new boots this season, and after demoing some Dalbello's a year or so ago I went into the shop specifically after a 3 piece boot as I liked the flex and feel.
I got fitted in both some Dalbello's and we tried some Full Tilt's. Both boots fit well, I was tossing up between them for ages, but decided to throw caution to the wind and try the FT's - the First Chair 6. I'll fully admit that in the end it just came down to the look of each of them, and the sleek matte black got me.
FT Fit: I got them fit with a footbed and heat molded etc. All felt good and I was stoked to get on the snow. First few days I had some cramping but figured it was as to be expected for new boots. After a solid week or two they were still giving me a bit of cramp across my forefoot, so I went for round 2 of heat molding, and we modified the footbed a bit too. They were pretty sweet after this, cramping had gone. I was almost maxing out the cables though - particularly the middle and upper. I'd start the day a few notches from the end, but after readjusting the boots after a few runs I'd be maxing them out. I thought this was a bummer as I new inevitably I would need to buy shorter cables as it's only natural for the boot to pack out further over time. I also found the stock booster strap was shit. I mean they are on most boots, but I found it extra shit on the FT's. I just felt it was always loosening off around my shin and I would be needing to adjust it. Like the cables though, I thought this can be reasonably easily fixed with an actual Booster brand strap.
FT Skiing: It took a bit of getting used to the soft flex. But at first I thought I was enjoying it. It was more cruisy so to speak. But I kind of changed my mind as the weeks went on, as I felt I was skiing sloppy, I couldn't get the power into my ski's like I wanted, and wasn't getting the feedback I wanted. When buying them I always thought if I wasn't into the soft flex I could grab an 8 or 10 tongue down the line so no biggy.
So this is about when the doubt and regret started to sink in. I decided the 6 flex while sometimes fun wasn't cutting it and I needed to get stiffer tongues so I could swap them in when I needed. I also new I'd be up for some replacement shorter cables at some point, and I probably needed to replace those crappy booster straps. So suddenly this was going to be like an extra $150 bucks. That takes you to $650-700 boot territory and a pair of FT First Chair 6 ain't worth that and don't compete with other boots in that price range.
Meanwhile I had heat molded them again because I was trying to tighten up the ankle hold on them. When heat molding them the second time I noticed a couple of loose threads on one of the liners where the upper meets the soul on the outside of my foot. I didn't think too much. But pulling them out weeks later when we went for heat mold round 3 it was literally about to blow out, completely unravelling. I claimed warranty on them, and instead of replacing them I traded them in for Dalbello Krypton 110's.
Krypton Fit: After sliding back into these a few months since comparing the two boots in the shop - wow the Krypton just fit so much tighter and more snug in all the right places. Even just looking at the liners between the two boots, the Krypton liner is just stitched better, with more bracing and support around the ankle etc. Buckles - oh how I missed proper buckles. I grew to dislike the cable system on the FT. Better yet the Kryptons were buckling up right in the mid point of the buckle system, and even if you were maxing them out there are holes to move the buckles further apart thus giving plenty of room to tighten them up. I discounted all the adjustability on the Kryptons too; buckle adjustments, canting adjustments, rear spoiler adjustments, flex adjustments etc. There is a lot of fine tuning you can do (compared to the FT anyway). As such we had these dialled in from the get go and they felt awesome from day 1. Even the boost strap was way better, I never felt the need to be readjusting them through the day.
Krypton Skiing: It was a wow here too. From day 1 I had a smile on my face, so much better feel and power. I felt way more in control of my skis. Yea nothing more to say really, they are awesome.
So in conclusion - from my first hand experience in both boots this season, the Dalbello's were a clear winner. I totally regret being swayed into the FT's - but on the positive I did enjoy being able to compare the two boots across the season. While the FT's are advertised as being totally customisable and replaceable, that all comes at a cost. Out of the box they really have no adjustability, and as I said I took for granted how important that stuff is (and how basic a lot of that stuff is in most other boots). The Dalbello's have a better feel to them in terms of quality, gave a better fit, and lead to more fun on the slopes.
So there you go hopefully that helped at least one person. If so, nice one.
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