Hey Mags,
Been away for a while ... was wondering if anyone here has skied both the Vulcan and Freedom SL in a comparo. I searched but found nothing specific, and don't have time to wade through the mass of posts on either individually.
I have the Vulcan - love it, but my foot is not shaped like that, and it needs a lot (more) of work to make it fit. The vulcan-like pinch of the heel is great, but too much for my Flintstone foot. I've already punched the entire front toe box, but I need to somehow punch the inside heel out a bit too.
I have a NIB pair of Freedom SL's that I just can't pull the trigger on because they don't feel as low volume / bad-ass as the Vulcans ... at least not while sitting indoors.
So either way I'm looking at working on boots either to take up volume or blow out. I'm not afraid of either, but i'm an old plug boot guy so I'd prefer to make it bigger than try to make one smaller. But then again 'old' being the operative word maybe the Freedom is the way to go ...
Anyone ski both ?
Gracias.
Who cares how the crow flies
^^You could try throwing an intuition plug liner in the Vulcans. HD or FX Race.
"Alpine rock and steep, deep powder are what I seek, and I will always find solace there." - Bean Bowers
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FWIW I tossed the Dynafit liners and went with an Intuition liner I had kicking around. Night and day difference for me. I would highly recommend trying it for yourself. I also threw a Booster strap on them as well, which I'm enjoying.
Lee put out a great comparison between the boots you can read here: http://www.tetongravity.com/reviews/...Review-434.htm
From my perspective, it seems like the Scarpa is a better deal.
"We're in the eye of a shiticane here Julian, and Ricky's a low shit system!" - Jim Lahey, RIP
Former Managing Editor @ TGR, forever mag.
I've got a brand new pair of 13/14 Vulcans in 27/27.5 going for the right price if anyone's interested. The boots are unworn, are boxed & come with all the bits. They've been used to demo the Beast binding at a couple of shows so I've drilled the small holes drilled each side of the heel to fit the Power Insert for use with the Beast but if they're not going to be used with that binding then a blob of silicon/epoxy will seal the holes. Going to be most cost effective if shipped to UK/EU but I'll do my best to make 'em an attactive price shipped to the US.
PM me if interested.
SOLD
Last edited by Spyderjon; 02-02-2014 at 07:08 PM.
Great minds think alike ... I've had a plug PowerWrap in it with a booster strap since day one. I never even tried the stock liner.
Dunfee, thanks for the link. I saw that comparison with the Maestrale (and thanks to LeeLau, as always), but I was hoping to find a similar direct comparison between these two specific boots in a side by side of how they ski. I've read all of the reviews of the Freedom, and all of the reviews of the Vulcan, which is why I currently own both.
However, I can't get a feel for how the Freedom will compare on the hill, and I'm trying to save the $$$ by off-loading it before using ... assuming I can make that decision with the data in hand. Either way I'm getting rid of a boot - one is used, and the other not yet.
Thanks again.
Who cares how the crow flies
For those wondering I've skied the Vulcan, Mercury, Maestrale RS and now Freedom SL.
All really good boots in their own right but very different boots too (expect the Mercury and Vulcan).
The Vulcan offers the most overall performance gram for gram. It is also the least forgiving of all the boots and most finicky/hard to get to work for the most amount of people. It encourages a much more upright style of skiing, is more difficult to get dialed to a skier that falls outside the range of "what it asks" and the flex pattern, with or without the bump stops, is a hate-it-or-love-it variety.
The Maestrale RS isn't as high performing (not as much for/aft or lateral stiffness) but has a much smoother flex. The huge bummer to the RS is the cuff height is so damn low. Still, out of the box, dollar for dollar this is the best boot if a blend of "charging" and "long tour" balance is being sought.
Finally, the Freedom SL is sort of in a class all its own. It doesn't walk nearly as well as either the Vulcan/Mercury or the Maestrale RS. However it skins very well. Confused? It comes down to how the boot articulates while in walk mode.
If downhill performance is first and foremost and you are seeking a damper, more substantial feeling boot with a very smooth forward flex, the Freedom SL is your ticket. Although it looks higher volume than the Vulcan (and may very well be) it doesn't ski as such in my experience anyway. Its a badass boot but completely different than the Vulcan with a different intended user (someone who is looking to tour shorter distances and wants a full alpine-like feel)
I'll post more on Earlyups in the coming weeks/months.
damn JJ beat me to it. In stiffness (increasing to decreasing) - Vulcan Freedom SL Maestrale RS
In progression - Freedom SL, Maestrale RS, Vulcan
Read the Freedom SL review on frontpage for how deceptive that boot is for carpet testing.
The differences are pretty minor though as these three boots are pretty far ahead of most other boots. Instead look to other factors like price and interchangeable sole
Sorry Eddy but you're going to have to do some homework there although it sounds like you already have done some
If you're looking at the Freedom, I think it makes a lot of sense to look at the Tecnica Cochise also.
Dynafit claims the vulcan 28.5 at 314mm bsl; man in the shop claimed it a 324.
typo or derailed sales talent?
It is stamped on the 28 shell as 314. How my spectre, which is also 314 is shorter
..as for the 28. ok.
and what about the 28.5? they do fit into the same shell or size that up?
thx u.
Same shell size as the 28
My other top buckle broke. FUCK. This time, I don't even know how it happened. I got to the top of my run, went to switch into ski mode, and the buckle was snapped in half. They need to make these fucking shitty buckles out of titanium or something
Just spent the evening fiddling with my new Vulcans. These are indeed very impressive and actually as stiff in the living room as I would have hoped.
Question on forward lean adjustment. People have talked about switching to the greater lean angle in this thread, seemingly implying the boots come set stock at the more upright angle. I believe mine came with higher angle setting if i'm thinking about how the mechanism works correctly, so want to make sure I see it correctly. The through hole closer to the top of the boot means more angle, right?
Secondly Q on Liners. Wore the boots with my alpine powerwraps and they felt pretty damn good -and i'm a guy who usually requires a lot of work. Leaning toward the powerwraps as I want the extreme heat mold-ability and don't mind the overlap. Anyone having a bad experience with the powerwraps? Like everyone else, also considering the pro tours. But not the stock liners.
you get more lean by unscrewing/ flipping the metal piece over where the buckle clamps into the cuff
I couldn't use the boot with the stock liner so i use power wraps, yeah they rob a little ROM but you got lots of range so no biggy
try them without the tongues and you may find them stiff enough
Lee Lau - xxx-er is the laziest Asian canuck I know
Mercury comes stock in the upright position, Vulcan comes stock in the more forward position.
My Vulcans also came in the more forward position. I flipped the plate around so they are in the more upright position which feels better to me, but I have yet to ski them so can't say for sure. I think you have it right. The hole is lower for less lean, and higher for more aggressive forward lean. As the cuff slides forward, its notch or hole slides up higher relative to the inside plate.
Different batches came stock in different positions. If the hole is higher then there's more lean.
I don't always remember that mechanical stuff is not so obvious to everyone, in any case whatever you got you have to change it and try, i have never tried the more forward lean position myself
Any body done that boot mod where you have a little 1/2 inch section of plastic tubing shock corded to the buckle which you can slip over the buckle nub and stop the cuff from locking?
Lee Lau - xxx-er is the laziest Asian canuck I know
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