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April, 2025

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Are all Factions skis garbage?

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sam.clausnitzer
Posts: 4 - Karma: 53
I got a pair of faction prodigy 4.0's last year and after 7 days of early season riding the base delaminated from the ski. I thought no big deal ill just use some JB weld on keep on truckin. Could just be a lack of epoxy from the factory. On the 8th day of riding I rode over some small rocks which most skis would have held up, in fact after that day i switched to my ON3P's and probably rode over some worse preseason conditions. not a scratch on them. tried to warranty faction prodigy's and got denied warranty because they claimed it was "mY rIdInG tHaT CaUsEd ThEm to BrEaK". keep in mind I really don't think I rode them very hard. Has anyone had any other related experiences with Faction? I refuse to buy another pair because if im paying $800 for skis i expect them to last more than 7 days...
5 years ago
37 1
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VT_scratch
Posts: 8848 - Karma: 6,705
my buddy landed back seat on a double backflip and snapped a pair of factions. took em to the shop and got em warrantied.
5 years ago
21 0
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VT_scratch
Posts: 8848 - Karma: 6,705
VT_scratchmy buddy landed back seat on a double backflip and snapped a pair of factions. took em to the shop and got em warrantied.


shot in question at the end of this vid, don't get to see the landing though
https://www.newschoolers.com/videos/watch/978359/Private-video-on-Vimeo
5 years ago
14 1
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beepbeepski
Posts: 154 - Karma: 1,462
a friend of mine has the Candide 3.0's (i believe) and he absolutely rips them. charges pretty dang hard, and they seem to be holding up fine. however it seems that plenty of people have had bad experiences with Factions, so maybe the construction just isn't consistent.
5 years ago
9 1
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brett_fisher
Posts: 2419 - Karma: 10,518
I've never owned a pair but from friends, it seems they either last forever or snap like a twig at a young age. They do have a pretty good warranty I've heard as well.
5 years ago
19 0
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weastcoat
Posts: 6502 - Karma: 75,359
They don’t look fun at all and I’ve seen way too many snap. POS skis.
5 years ago
5 12
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e.littt
Posts: 414 - Karma: 2,348
I had a friend go through 3 pairs of Candide 3.0s in a season, one delamed during a backflip attempt (overrotated), the second top sheet ripped out during a quick compression, then the third pair delamed over some rocks. Excellent warranty though haha
5 years ago
17 0
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migidimigi
Posts: 453 - Karma: 3,292
Faction's people were on Blister Gear 30 podcast a month or two ago and they straight up admitted that their quality isn't as consistent as it should be and they are working on it.

On the other hand, i have two pairs of candide 2s and i haven't had any problems with them even though i ski rails and park pretty hard on them, so quality varies a lot

At least Faction has pretty damn loose varranty
5 years ago
25 0
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dwt802
Posts: 3362 - Karma: 33,164
I had a friend who went through 4 pairs a season via warrantee. He put up with that because he liked the skis but fuck Id never buy a pair and go through that. Hear so much about them breaking.
5 years ago
17 0
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LukeTheWaffle
Posts: 1847 - Karma: 8,889
For me my candide 2s lasted as long as any ski should, my prodigy 2s are holding up great.

Snapped candide 3s because all of them that year had a manadafacturing defect and got a pair of prodigy 4s in less than a weak that have been holding up great to me skiing park on them lol

It seems it's super hit or miss
5 years ago
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AmissBirths
Posts: 14 - Karma: 134
There's a reason you all have heard so much about their warranty ...
5 years ago
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yaeli
Posts: 1 - Karma: 20
I have a pair of Idiom from 2017, the CT 3.0 and the 2020’s Prodigy 2.0 and never had issues with those skis
Maybe ´cause am a girl and my skiing style is smoother ? But sending hard in street sesh with my Idiom and never broke them
The CT looks more fragile...
5 years ago
6 0
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johnblaze
Posts: 1543 - Karma: 2,839
Snapped one in half not doing anything aggressive. No warranty. They wouldn't even send me a tshirt. Probably wouldn't buy again.
5 years ago
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edwina.mccormack
Posts: 2 - Karma: 10
yaeliI have a pair of Idiom from 2017, the CT 3.0 and the 2020’s Prodigy 2.0 and never had issues with those skis
Maybe ´cause am a girl and my skiing style is smoother ? But sending hard in street sesh with my Idiom and never broke them
The CT looks more fragile...


idk I had a pair of the Prodigy X 2.0s and Id like to think I ride quite smooth but they delamed faster than a ski should. Didn't have a warranty as I skied them for a week before breaking my leg and then picked them up again the season after. But at the same time, a mate skied his prodigy's for going 4 seasons and hasn't had any issues.
I've since picked up a pair of ARW and they hold up.
5 years ago
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edwina.mccormack
Posts: 2 - Karma: 10
yaeliI have a pair of Idiom from 2017, the CT 3.0 and the 2020’s Prodigy 2.0 and never had issues with those skis
Maybe ´cause am a girl and my skiing style is smoother ? But sending hard in street sesh with my Idiom and never broke them
The CT looks more fragile...


idk I had a pair of the Prodigy X 2.0s and Id like to think I ride quite smooth but they delamed faster than a ski should. Didn't have a warranty as I skied them for a week before breaking my leg and then picked them up again the season after. But at the same time, a mate skied his prodigy's for going 4 seasons and hasn't had any issues.
I've since picked up a pair of ARW and they hold up.
5 years ago
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asianshreader
Posts: 3 - Karma: 26
I had a pair of faction somas and they were complete garbage. Edge completely caved in underfoot from hitting a rail on my first day riding them and is broken in at least 10 other places. On the other ski the base and edges delaminates from the core. Fun skis but I’ll never buy factions again. Same shit happened to my friend who had the candids
5 years ago
2 0
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ericforman
Posts: 722 - Karma: 6,213
the blister podcast with faction is good, I would give it a listen. Agreed with the above, faction seems hit or miss with some holding up to insane abuse and some seemingly snapping with ease. Good chance they have fixed it though.

Also, to be far to them, there is a strong correlation between how hard someone is on their skis (rails, presses, big landings) and what brand they ski. Very few people are going to snap a soul7 because well...most people don't exactly bash those around the park. ON3P is an outlier in how well they hold up in general and once you consider the amount of impact they take it is even more impressive.
5 years ago
5 0
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1080noscope
Posts: 20 - Karma: 262
ericformanfaction seems hit or miss with some holding up to insane abuse and some seemingly snapping with ease.


Candide claims that he only destroyed one out of 15 total pairs of skis over the course of filming Ski the World. Either this is a straight up lie, or Faction took extra care to ensure that those 15 skis came from a good batch.
5 years ago
3 0
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methscratchface
Posts: 1204 - Karma: 4,446
my ct 3.0s from 2014 brown/ no camber are still kicking. A way different style of ski than the new ct shapes. More playful in my opinion. Probably one of my favorite skis of all time.
5 years ago
0 0
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freestyler540
Posts: 13224 - Karma: 20,318
Ive been riding my 2016 CT4.0 and they took a beating, but still in great shape. No plans on retiring them. Best freeride skis Ive even bought
5 years ago
4 0
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BigPurpleSkiSuit
Posts: 9611 - Karma: 71,504
freestyler540Ive been riding my 2016 CT4.0 and they took a beating, but still in great shape. No plans on retiring them. Best freeride skis Ive even bought


for some reason the 4.0s seemed better put together and way less flimsy than the 3.0s
5 years ago
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animator
Posts: 4576 - Karma: 26,428
I’ve owned 3 pairs and haven’t had an issue with any of them. Other than regular wear and tear they’re all still in great shape
5 years ago
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washcloths
Posts: 67 - Karma: 649
Damn, I got some 3.0s cheap to be an idiot on in the east coast this season.. RIP
5 years ago
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tri_photo
Posts: 1530 - Karma: 7,195
Most the replies in this thread just further emphasize why I'll never buy a pair of Factions. Just too scared. OP, sorry you are dealing with this!
5 years ago
2 0
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MoneyMakerMike
Posts: 1254 - Karma: 5,764
I would never buy a pair there reputation kinda sucks honestly
5 years ago
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wasatch_rat
Posts: 1773 - Karma: 2,969
had a buddy give me a pair of already beat up prodigy 4.0s, decided to use them as rock skis, and they ripped. They already had an edge repair and plenty of ptex welds, and I beat the fuck out of them. They did require some occasional maintenance in the shop, but what rock skis don't? The core always felt solid.

I think there is some inconsistency in their manufacturing, but usually they're pretty good with warranties when they do drop the ball, at least from what I've seen.
5 years ago
1 0
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fucintight
Posts: 298 - Karma: 741
sam.clausnitzerI got a pair of faction prodigy 4.0's last year and after 7 days of early season riding the base delaminated from the ski. I thought no big deal ill just use some JB weld on keep on truckin. Could just be a lack of epoxy from the factory. On the 8th day of riding I rode over some small rocks which most skis would have held up, in fact after that day i switched to my ON3P's and probably rode over some worse preseason conditions. not a scratch on them. tried to warranty faction prodigy's and got denied warranty because they claimed it was "mY rIdInG tHaT CaUsEd ThEm to BrEaK". keep in mind I really don't think I rode them very hard. Has anyone had any other related experiences with Faction? I refuse to buy another pair because if im paying $800 for skis i expect them to last more than 7 days...


i gotta pair of dictator 2.0’s last season after i snapped my armada invictus’s lol. the dictators fucking rip. hit over 70mph on them and they were solid while bombing down mammoth, hella directional but durable and fun

edit: I’m a lifty and used them from december to mid march almost every day and had no real delam, no edge cracks, and no actual base damage. i ski pretty aggressively i’d say if that helps

**This post was edited on Nov 3rd 2020 at 9:21:20pm
5 years ago
0 0
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Idahoe
Posts: 1027 - Karma: 7,539
just backing up what everyone else has said, I had a friend that had 3 pairs of Candide 3.0's snap in a season, they all got warrentied but he said the process of getting a warrenty was a pain.
5 years ago
0 0
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X_MEMESWERVE_XX
Posts: 3945 - Karma: 33,344
I had a pair of prodigy's a couple years ago that lasted about 2 weeks before they delaminated, I know some people with CT's and they seem to hold up fine. I wouldn't buy Factions unless they are CT's, that seems to be where they put all their energy and everything else is kinda trash
5 years ago
1 0
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niklasobe
Posts: 3 - Karma: 59
I think they made big improvements in the new range.
The Candide 1.0 and 2.0 now have a titanal layer under foot which makes them a lot more durable than they used to be. Got to test the new 2.0's last season and they held up pretty good!
5 years ago
2 0
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Ethanvz
Posts: 19 - Karma: 27
I skied a pair of prodigy 1.0s all of last season in the park 4 days a week on average and they held up pretty good. They did have a decent amount of edge cracks though. This season I switched to a set of Moments
5 years ago
0 0
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silent_giraffe
Posts: 1290 - Karma: 2,120
I had some idioms a few years back and the topsheet started cracking at the tips in a couple days. Then I cased a fat jump at aspen snowmass and saw that a 3-inch section of my edge was completely dented in... got them warrantied though!
5 years ago
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MilkPlanet
Posts: 74 - Karma: 354
gonna be on my 2018 Candide 1.0s again this season, they've been fantastic. Incredibly durable, haven't had any delam issues. Can't complain one bit.
5 years ago
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sam.clausnitzer
Posts: 4 - Karma: 53
dwt802I had a friend who went through 4 pairs a season via warrantee. He put up with that because he liked the skis but fuck Id never buy a pair and go through that. Hear so much about them breaking.


yeah, i liked them, but damn that's a lot of work, and if you don't have a backup pair to use while you wait for a replacement that's a couple of weeks of sitting on the couch dreaming of skiing and missing possibly some great days of skiing.
5 years ago
0 0
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Mixy
Posts: 8355 - Karma: 50,397
Haven't heard much but bad things about factions quality, unfortunate because they have some clean looking skis. I knew someone who had Prodigies and broke them on the third day out
5 years ago
0 0
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SugaryEvades
Posts: 1 - Karma: 10
Delaminated 2 pairs of Candide 3.0's now. To be fair the first ones lasted at least 60 days. However, the warranty replacement was the 2021 3.0's and they delaminated after 1.5 ski days....

On the 2021 2.0's now and they are holding up so far...
5 years ago
0 0
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dwt802
Posts: 3362 - Karma: 33,164
sam.clausnitzeryeah, i liked them, but damn that's a lot of work, and if you don't have a backup pair to use while you wait for a replacement that's a couple of weeks of sitting on the couch dreaming of skiing and missing possibly some great days of skiing.


Damn, my homie never had to even send the skis back luckily, they just sent another bc they knew him haha
5 years ago
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Rodigan
Posts: 1313 - Karma: 1,891
i had some factions and now i have some moments, its like comparing tin foil with titanium.
5 years ago
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animator
Posts: 4576 - Karma: 26,428
MilkPlanetgonna be on my 2018 Candide 1.0s again this season, they've been fantastic. Incredibly durable, haven't had any delam issues. Can't complain one bit.


I got some 2016s that besides some top sheet scratches ski like they’re brand new. One of my favorite skis ever
5 years ago
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