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Review: 2014 Never Summer Evo 4.0

49K views 90 replies 36 participants last post by  cscsw 
#1 ·
Introduction
This is my FIRST IMPRESSION on the upcoming Evo 4.0. I will be adding to this review as I ride it more throughout this season and the next. I also have a 2012 Evo to compare this to side-by-side, but I will wait until the new one is broken in to make those comparisons so stay tuned!

Stats
Board: 2014 Never Summer Evo 4.0 154cm
Bindings: 2013 Burton Genesis M
Boots: 2011 Burton Restricted Hail 9.5 US
Stance: +18/-12 Regular @ around 25"

I am 5'9, 165lbs (Yes, I lost 15lbs)

Flex/Camber Profile
The new Evo retains the same core as previous years so it is still their softest flexing board. However, they added "Harmonic Dampeners" in this model in the tips. The camber profile has also been tweaked with "Low Profile Tips."

Since this is still a brand new board, I cannot determine it's true flex. As it is now, it's stiffer than the old Evo by a good notch, particularly in the tips. I can still press this easier than my 2012 Proto though.

Handling
Simply put, the handling is excellent. The HD in the tips definitely makes this board very quiet. The previous Evo would very noticeably chatter at speed or on less-than-ideal terrain. Not the case with the Evo 4.0. Mind you, I downsized this time around.

Edge-to-edge is not quite as responsive, but again, I'm going to wait until the board breaks-in to definitely say. I'm expecting the torsional flex to give a little more which should help with that.

With the newfound dampening system, I did not hesitate to lay down drawn out carves at speed. No chatter whatsoever. A stark contrast from the old Evo. I know this is a park board, but I like to add these types of tests to get an all-around opinion on the board's limits. I'm looking forward to trying this on the bigger hills around here. Yea, yea, more like bunny hills. Regardless, I'm gonna tackle whatever resemblance of a steep we have here in beautifully flat Michigan.

Pop
Very satisfying pop. The Proto still has it beat by a noticeable margin though. Compared with a DH2, the pop is just decent.

I want to emphasize the word "satisfying" though. Ollying on the Evo 4.0 is a pleasure. It gives you a stable platform to launch off of. It's reminiscent of a flat rocker (I'm not a fan of them, but this is one aspect I love about them). I reported this to Vince and he told me that it was due to the Low Profile Tips. All-in-all, my ollies felt real solid on this thing.

Other Thoughts
I'm really hoping the flex goes back to that of the more familiar mid-soft flex from the previous Evo. That flex with dampened up Tips is going to make for a superb freestyle board.

I'm really liking the low profile tips. Not only does it give you a stable platform to load up and pop, it also gives you a nice stable landing platform.

Conclusions
So far, the Evo 4.0 is well on its way to replacing my old Evo as my go-to. I'm looking forward to breaking this bad boy in more. By the way, I forgot to mention the graphics... sick is all I can say especially on the matte topsheet. I wish it had an orange sno-glow base though. Would match the Orange NS logo on the topsheet nicely.

Stay tuned for more in-depth thoughts on the upcoming Evo as I ride it more and some more side-by-side comparisons to the older model.
 
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#3 ·
I'm glad you went ahead and posted your initial impressions. I also have a 2012 evo and am about the same size as you, so this was very interesting for me. I know what you mean about the chatter from the 2012, it is very loud and can get somewhat annoying. Im looking forward to your review; it sounds like an awesome board!!
 
#6 · (Edited)
I've had an order in since before xmas (for a 154 evo)...hopefully waiting this long will pay off(as in '14 harmonic thingys!)....my proto needs a week at the Dr. so bad...

Not sure I understand the new camber profile but I'd like to. :icon_scratch:

The last 2 years (13 and 14) the graphic on the Evo has been really really sick imo, fugly the Cobra all they want...
 
#7 ·
Not sure I understand the new camber profile but I'd like to. :icon_scratch:
It's not really a new camber profile. It's more of a tweak to the profile of the board in general.

What they did is lower the rise of the tips. So if you lay the old and new Evo on the ground and then step on their tips, the other end of the old Evo will stick up higher than the new Evo.
 
#12 ·
Leo do you find it is easier to press the board now on rails and boxes? When I had my parkstar the lower rise of the rocker got you that locked in feeling faster on nose and tail presses. I am excited for the HD tech they added so it will sound more more like my blacklist out of the park when bombing the school kids. As always thanks for the review.
 
#15 ·
To be honest, I'm a jib noob. I haven't taken it to many boxes yet. Been hitting the jumps. I will be doing more jibs next time out.

Extremo is the jibber of the group so he'll be able to get more in depth with that aspect of riding.

I will tell the few boxes I hit were good. You're correct about the low profile tips. Way more stable/locked-in. Of course I still manage very well to eff it up haha.

HD on the new Evo is a welcome addition I my book. I can't wait to hit the natural stuff with this up north.

About my bindings...

Awesome match! Next time I will put my Bosses on it though just to see the difference and give you guys thoughts on both setups.

I LOVE my Genesis bindings though. I can probably rock those on just about any board. The heelside response is there when you need it, but the highback still remains tweakable.


Sent from Verticalsports.com Free App
 
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#21 ·
thanks leo sounds like that's what I need to get next year with the hd in it. I cant stand the bitch sounds it makes when you come out of a dynamic turn with speed and it freaks on you. Only other thing I wish ns did on the evo was detune the tip and tail I know it is something small, but made my day on the blacklist.
 
#25 ·
I agree with Leo, next year's Evo is so sick.

It's soooo fun to ride (same as before - I own a 2012) but the dampening tweaks seem to improve it even further. It's fun but solid at the same time. It looks great (the matt finish is nice too). I rode it in the park and on the piste. It handled steeper stuff just fine and I could even lay down some fairly serious hand-on-snow carves on it. Though when really pushing these, hitting a bump caused the nose to deflect and slip out a couple of times. I was really pushing it to find the limit though. My favourite ride out of all next years NS boards. Huge smile on my face all day.

(Though i would still probably buy a Proto rather than an Evo for a 1 board quiver).

 
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