PSA Faction CT 1.0 for $222 a pair!

[GregK]

Is the recommended mount point -3.5cm from the true center? If so, I think I will move 1.5 cm back to by at -5cm like my Deathwish.

-2cm from Center on these skis. More symmetrical than the Deathwish but around -2cm would have a similar feel.

 

[Mendieta]

Question: are folks base grinding your CT 1's ? Mine haven't shipped yet. But trying to plan ahead. I do think @GregK mentioned that the bases of this Fischer made generation are pretty good ...

 

[GregK]

Always check the tune and if the base is flat on any new ski. All my CT haven’t been too bad but were definitely better after a full tune. Even skis that were “pretty flat” were improved after stone grinding. I usually just get them ground before doing much tuning now.
The CT 1.0 and Prodigy 1.0 are all going in for stone grinds once the local shop starts ski tuning in October. A no brainer to have them done and get the full potential out of the skis.

I have any place run 8-12 passes on the semi auto stone(stone only, no sandpaper) and then I set the edges myself at 1/3 on all my CT skis. That many passes is usually enough to fix most issues and some places only do 3 or 4 normally which might not be enough to fix.
Sharp tip to tail and then round with file/diamond stones above the widest points(above the effective edge) on the tip/tail. Makes sure they aren’t catchy in deep snow and prevents top sheet chipping in bumps.

 

[Mendieta]

Sounds like a good idea. Except that I will do 1/2 - I'm a hack of a skier and 1/3 is too hooky to my taste (also, change the side is easy for my with the diamond stone, if i really wanted -- I do go through the edges quite frequently). I need to take them to the shop anyways, to get the demo bindings mounted ...

 

[GregK]

1/2 is factory on these skis but making sure they are uniform(especially the base bevel) is a good idea especially after a stone grind as the base angle might be reset.

 

[Wilhelmson]

The 178s arrived today in good condition, no rust. Haven’t checked the bases for flatness yet.

i think some reviews say they are made in the premier Swiss facility, but these came with a made in Ukraine sticker

The graphics look better in person than online.

The local shop wants $249 for Attack 14 plus $30 for the install. Last year it was like $220 plus $15. That is a bit more of a premium over online than I prefer to pay. Can’t say I didn’t try.

 

[fatbob]

The local shop wants $249 for Attack 14 plus $30 for the install. Last year it was like $220 plus $15. That is a bit more of a premium over online than I prefer to pay. Can’t say I didn’t try.

Might be a keeping the lights on price but what happened to giving the customer a break when buying at retail price?

 

[Wilhelmson]

Might be a keeping the lights on price but what happened to giving the customer a break when buying at retail price?

It’s their shop and my money so nobody is right or wrong. But it is a putoff, perhaps to the extent I would prefer to do business elsewhere. If it were $250 all in I would be fine with it.

 

[GregK]

Attack 13 go from $120 US and I’m sure you could find the new 14 from around $150 US.

Fisher plants are in Austria and Ukraine. Fisher does their Ranger line in Ukraine and Faction skis have been made in both plants in 21.
Faction’s headquarters are Swiss, so you will usually see the tagline “designed & tested in Verbier, Switzerlan”

 

[mdf]

PSA: Received my CT 1.0s from The House today. They came with a lot of rust on the edges. Not sure if I was just unlucky or this is a wide spread thing? @SpeedyKevin has been able to get most of it off with a gummy stone, and a stone grind should do the rest, but just letting everyone know to watch out for that

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On a different note, these things actually flex a lot softer than I was expecting! Considering how stiff my CT 3.0x hand flexes, I was half expecting these things to feel like a Mantra. But they're not super stiff at all, flex feels very natural, and no weird hinge points. Seems like it'll be a really fun ski! And I'm glad I sized up now, I was torn between the 158 and the 165 but after feeling these in person I think 165 was the way to go

Although this color scheme really makes crave McDonald's...

Update on the rusted skis. The-House gave a few options. The partial refund amount is determined by photos of the damage, so if anyone else has issues, make sure you take lots of good photos of the broken wrapper as well as the rust.

1. Free label to return for full refund
2. Free label to return for replacement
3. 15% Refund to Visa to keep as is ($41.62)
4. 20% Credit to E-Gift Card to keep as is ($55.50)

I still haven't decided which option to pick...

Well heck.
I hadn't looked that closely at the Nordica Navigators I bought from them, since the wrapper was mostly intact and I haven't gotten around to mounting bindings yet.
But yeah, a fair amount of rust. The wrappers are mostly torn now from moving my skis a few times to accommodate house projects, and I've had them several months. But none of my other skis have rust, so I think they arrived that way.

 

[mikes781]

Attack 13 go from $120 US and I’m sure you could find the new 14 from around $150 US.

Fisher plants are in Austria and Ukraine. Fisher does their Ranger line in Ukraine and Faction skis have been made in both plants in 21.
Faction’s headquarters are Swiss, so you will usually see the tagline “designed & tested in Verbier, Switzerlan”

I think I’m going to put attack2 13s on mine. Have found a few for sale between 110 and 120.

 

[Mendieta]

Oh my, it's a happy day.

A little rust, but at this price, it's a steel (pun intended). Full tune, demo bindings on, and i'm a friggin' park rat in the wild





@GregK , I so seriously owe you a few

 

[SpeedyKevin]

Double whammy, my 183s arrived pretty rusty too. Think ill exchange them.

EDIT: Looks like they are sold out of the 183 on their website. Going to ask for an additional discount. $200ish for this ski...I'm willing to take a gamble.

 

[Wilhelmson]

Double whammy, my 183s arrived pretty rusty too. Think ill exchange them.

EDIT: Looks like they are sold out of the 183 on their website. Going to ask for an additional discount. $200ish for this ski...I'm willing to take a gamble.

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Dang that is not a good look. I don’t like it when the rust bleeds into the base.

 

[Ogg]

Dang that is not a good look. I don’t like it when the rust bleeds into the base.

It's hard to tell with the plastic on how bad it really is but I agree. I hope the pair I sent my brother don't look like that but figure they might since they were one of the last pairs of 183s.

 

[SpeedyKevin]

Wiped down a small area just to see how bad it was. Worse than my wife's CT1.0, especially on the side edges. Rust has corroded up some of the steel. looks like the rust originated on the side. Base edge just looks to have rust stains in the area i checked/wiped.

If I can get them to refund another 20% or more, I may be tempted to keep them and get a stone grind.

 

[GregK]

My 183s are supposed to arrive tomorrow or Tuesday so we’ll see what mine are like. That’s disappointing that they must have gone through some high humidity situations along the way.

I think those base stains should easily come off with a file or grind and same with the side edges. If I had to guess, I think the side edges were dinged a bit before installing on the ski.
I got a automated tune at when on vacation at Lake Louise because of rock damage and requested a “non standard” 1/3 tune on the edges. They must have done the side edges free hand as it was too much of a pain to change the automated machines settings. The side edges looked similar to these. They were visibly uneven and rough tip to tail. File/diamond stones when back home and they are good again.

So definitely, try for a big refund and get them tuned. Should be good after that. See no more 183cm when I looked at Skis.com or at The-House.com so might be all gone.

 

[ilovepugs]

Alas, mine also came with very rusty edges. Will ask for a refund as well.

 

[mdf]

The cynic in me wonders if this was a salvage buy, not just poor warehouse conditions.

 

[SpeedyKevin]

The cynic in me wonders if this was a salvage buy, not just poor warehouse conditions.

That is a possibility. @chasinghorizons CT1.0 arrived with a wrapper that seemed to have been in a fire-affected warehouse due to the soot/ash/debris on it. A local shop went up in flames last year and the skis that survived had a similar feeling/texture...