Volkl Deacon 76 vs Deacon 84 & V-Werks?

[DGrogan]

A couple years ago I bought a pair of Rossi Hero Elite Plus TI 174s and I never really jived with them…just did not like the feel at speed. I gave them to my son and picked up a pair of 2020 Volkl Deacon 76 (176) and I really like them. I have traditionally always liked the GS type of ski.

This weekend my son and I swapped skis so he could give the Deacons a try and he really liked the feel of the ski. Much more stable at speed, better edge grip, and smoother feeling than the Hero Elites.

I am looking for a ski that is more like the Deacon 76s than the Heros. It would be easy to just buy another set of the 76s but was thinking of getting a little different that still has most of the same qualities as the 76s

How much of a difference are the Deacon 84s or Deacon V-Werks in the edge grip, dampness, and stability at speed than the Deacon 76s? I see the 84s have a radius closer to the Heros but they are also 3D…how will the 84s feel in radius compared to the Deacon 76s 18.3?

 

[trailtrimmer]

If your goal is front side carving, the 76 is a better ski. Quicker edge to edge, less effort to keep on edge, a little more grip while you have them on edge. They are also a little more knee friendly on firm snow. The 72 would fit right in here too, it's a shade away from being the beer league racetiger with a tighter radius.

The 84 is starting to get pretty wide for a carving biased ski, but they will handle 6" of fresh snow better than the 76. The 84 is more of an all arounder than the 76. I've never tried a VWerks so I can't comment on the differences between it and the regular 84. I'm beyond bummed the Deacon 74 is no more, as it was the best one for me. Loves speed, grips hard and has a tighter, more playful turn radius.

Demoing a Deacon 72. head Rally, Curv GT, Stockli AX may be worth your time too, otherwise, just get another Deacon 76 and call it good.

FWIW, my Sunday ski group is almost all volkl Deacons now. Three of us on 74s, two on 76s and one on an 84. The outliers are on a Rally and a set of Shaggy Brockway 80's.

 

[DGrogan]

I see the 2023 Deacon 76 now has done away with the UVO dampening and went with the tailored carbon tips. Looks like they also widened the tip and tail to shorten up the turn radius from 18.3 to 17.6 (176 length).

Has anybody skied both version of the 76 that can give a comparison? Mainly wondering how the carbon feels in comparison to the older version without the tailored carbon tips. I can always pick up the 181 length to get the longer radius back if needed.

Thank you

 

[anders_nor]

76 master to change it up?

 

[jrc17]

any thoughts? I've been looking at some deacon 76. I have code psi in 176 now. they are easy to turn and pretty stable .they seem to be a good fit for me. If I got Deacon 76 (which are the same under foot) would 177 be the appropriate length?

 

[trailtrimmer]

any thoughts? I've been looking at some deacon 76. I have code psi in 176 now. they are easy to turn and pretty stable .they seem to be a good fit for me. If I got Deacon 76 (which are the same under foot) would 177 be the appropriate length?

The deacon does everything the code does, it just does it better. A slightly larger sweet spot, a little more refined, all the same grip and more.

 

[jrc17]

The deacon does everything the code does, it just does it better. A slightly larger sweet spot, a little more refined, all the same grip and more.

Thx I'm liking that. So if 176 is good for me on one then that length would be good on the other?

 

[trailtrimmer]

Thx I'm liking that. So if 176 is good for me on one then that length would be good on the other?

Likely will be ideal unless you had some major weight loss or gain or some type of significant physical changes that have impacted your skiing.