Review and Comparison of the 2010 Burton Blender and Capita Space Metal Fantasy Snowboards
When I hit the road for Boobcon, Chappy happily sent me on the way with a couple of boards for the ladies to demo and enjoy. Among them were the Burton Blender and the Capita Space Metal Fantasy. As the girls tried to decide which board to test each day, I received numerous questions about the boards (what they were like, how they were different, what the tech of each board was) and in answering I noticed that the Blender and the Space Metal Fantasy had many similarities.
For example, both boards are true twins (meaning both the shape and the flex profile are the same on the nose and tail). Both boards boast a catch free riding experience and both feature a similar reverse camber profile. Burton call’s their version Party Rocker while Capita has chosen to call it Flat Kick Technology; whatever you call it you end up with a board that is flat between the bindings and rockered from the bindings to the tip and tail. Despite the surface similarities, there are definite differences between the two types of rocker. You can tell just by looking at the Space Metal Fantasy that the Flat Kick is just that, an angular kick at the tip and tail of the board starting at the inserts. Meanwhile, the Party Rocker is more of a radial rise from the binders out to the tips.
This difference in rocker profile gives each board distinct advantages and disadvantages. The Flat Kick allows you to effortlessly lock into a nose or tail press and ride it out forever with ease. However, the sweet spot is rather small and it is easy to go over the nose or tail and end up pressing yourself into the snow rather than your board. That said, a little experimenting and you’ll quickly learn where that spot is. The Blender’s radial rocker makes for a less ‘lock and load’ style press. The sweet spot on the Party Rocker is not nearly as definite as the Flat Kick and takes a little more effort to maintain. However, this allows you more leeway and I found myself much less likely to over press and tumble.
There are several other differences between these two boards that I would like to highlight. The Space Metal Fantasy provides a more forgiving (meaning you’ll hopefully catch an edge less often) ride by raising the nose and tail with their flat kick. Burton took this idea one step further and added Park Scoop to their already rockered board and ensured that even while buttering, the contact points are raised and almost catch proof. Additionally, the Scoop provides just a little bit more float when venturing out of the park and into the fluff.
I had the opportunity to ride both boards and found both to be easily pressed and possessing of more ‘pop’ than any of the true reverse camber boards I have ever demoed. I pushed both boards as fast as I could but due to the fact that the Capita was a 147 and the Burton was a 148 I felt rather uneasy on both at high speeds. Both had a loose skate-like feel and felt even shorter than they actually are. The Burton felt a tiny bit more stable at speed, which was probably due to the fact that its effective edge was 2 cm longer than the Capita. Conversely, the Capita felt stiffer between the bindings and made riding through chop a little less jarring.
Personally, I prefer the Blender for the sintered base and ICS system, but those are just little things that I have grown fond of and when faced with two similar boards I would choose the one with over the one without. On the other hand, (minus the skull) the Space Metal Fantasy’s graphics are enough to make one wonder if such features are really necessary. Additionally, the Space Metal Fantasy comes with 4×2 inserts and an extruded base but at $349 it is 80 dollars cheaper than the $429 Blender. Both boards boast 2 year warranties so no matter which one you choose you’re covered for a couple seasons.
Just so you know I’m being fair, I’m going to throw in one of the Boobcon girl’s opinion of the Space Metal Fantasy:
“Fantasy is not what happens when you ride this board. It’s a jibby wonder with huge amounts of flex. I’ve been riding a 155 troop that is super stiff. The Space Metal Fantasy was refreshing and friendly in the park. I wouldn’t ride it for a powder day, but it definitely could tempt me to skip out on the powder and stick to the park. Handled well on small jumps. I would definitely buy this board.” (And she did!) – Kristina
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14 Comments
hahaha, you wanted to hate the Capita didn't you Suze?
To be completely honest, I absolutely hated that board the first time I was on it. It has a lot less torsional flex than I am used to in a board. I went back to it and tried to be as objective as possible and still ended up preferring the Burton. I probably would have liked it more if it hadn't been a 147 though. Both boards were sketchy at any sort of speed for me, but the Blender was managable. It seems like a good price point park board for girls, but i have never minded paying more to get what I want.
how much does a sodder cost?
Initially, very little. However, the upkeep costs are astronomical. Not to mention housebreaking classes… And beer.
11 seconds in, you can see the remnants of a snowball on your hat. That was my favourite bit
hahaha, pwned?
Booth review leftovers. Good eye.
I take full credit for sed snowball!!
i need to teach my girl to shred. that was rad
I havn't seen my sunglasses since that day.
jus' sayin'.
lotso' torsional flex = happy midge. extruded base = sad midge. stoked that 2 out of 12 girls at boobcon liked the capita, though. flat kick is great in the park (though i'd still like to have more twitchiness than the capitas – they feel like riding a closet door to me), as it doesn't have the weird pivot point nature that rockered boards do. i was watching some friends of mine work on boardslides the other day and those damned bananas just wouldn't lock on without serious effort. flat kick really eliminates that problem. if you're riding the alternative-camber train, check out some flat stuff. i've tried the blender, stairmaster, and the K2 airdu, and of the three, the airdu was actually my favorite. it felt the most stable out of the park of the three.
i want to make a review video with yall……looks so fun. idk why.
Stairmaster is not flatkick
Stairmaster is not flatkick
Whororscope is.