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Stun Gun 158

12K views 46 replies 11 participants last post by  F1EA 
#1 ·
INCREDIBLE board. Wasn’t even in the market for a new board and can’t even tell you how I learned of it, but sure glad I did. Just the other day I was thinking about what boards I’ve owned that I feel REALLY noticed a difference. Going back years ago I would have to say the 1650 Kidwell, the Mystery Air, 158 Ride Jason Ford and more recent the 2005’ish Burton Malolo 163 and now this 158 Burton Stun Gun.

This morning we received 7” new which it’s a ton but I knew a good day to try out my new deck. First turns on it was from the lodge down to the chair (approx 100 yards) on my way down I purposely made some quick turns and noticed right away how fast it was from edge to edge and how fast it was.

The first run was a fresh groomer to the secret spot to drop off our backpack, linking turns was very easy, fast edge to edge and very stable at speed. We made our first powder turns after the drop through some thick steep trees, floatation was perfect even for my 6’1” 240 frame, the short tail is super quick. The board feels light under your feet and very dependable on high speed groomers.

I would label this StunGun the All Mountain FISH, I have a 160 FISH and the similarity in riding powder was very close.

So if you’re looking for an All Mountain board, that can rip powder, bomb groomers/flat spots and carve as good as anything I’ve owned over the last 34 yrs, get the StunGun
 
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#3 · (Edited)
I was talking about this earlier with a guy looking for a board in the current lineup that rode like a Fish, but not super volume-shifted like the Bottom Feeder

https://www.snowboardingforum.com/boards/258943-japan-pow-board-10.html

But yeah, an all mountain Fish is a good reference. Or I prefer calling it.... a Fishyfied Flight Attendant :giggle:
But yes, it rides similar to the Fish (much more to the older camber Fish).

I wouldn't say it's a very stable board, at least not compared to Flight Attendant, Landlord, Archetype, Dupraz, etc. Short effective edge, very poppy, lots of setback and soft-ish flex... doesn't make for a super stable board. But, the board grows as soon as you hit some powder. Super cool feeling.
 
#4 ·
Really surprised you feel it wasn’t stable or stiff ? I have the full camber Fish and the Landlord, the first thing I thought when I was checking out the board at a LBS was that it felt stiffer then the Landlord. Yesterday was the first day on it and I would put it up against any other board I’ve owned/ridden on groomers, I was paying extra attention to the feel of the edge carving with no slip and running it flat I had no fear of an edge catch (scorpion).

I was a little worried of the short effective edge, but then I thought shorter e/e the more pressure is being applied to that edge, similar to slalom race skis and I felt that to be true. I have this section of a groomer run that knowone ever runs (not sure why ?) the Stun Gun was laying hard euro carves on that section all day
 
#6 · (Edited)
Nah absolutely not stiffer than the Landlord. Not even close. It may have felt a certain way at the shop; but I have both boards and the LL is considerably more stable and stiffer. I rode them back to back same day last yr and have ridden those 2 boards the most this season. No comparison. Was also on the Cheetah this weekend, and that's also a more stable and speed-capable board.

The LL has the same core as the Custom X, the Stun Gun has the same core as the regular Custom.

Also, I never said it is not stable or that you can't carve on it. It has some stability and you can certainly have a ton of fun on groomers.

I was just looking into this board, I was looking at the 158 which I am just out of the recommended weight range for (155 lbs) but it gives it the longer effective edge, the 158 actually has a pretty similar effective edge and running length to the 159 flight attendant, which I was also looking at.

Since the stun gun actually has a softer flex rating I figured oversizing could just make it more comparable to an appropriately sized FA but just better in powder. I want something with great float that can charge through choppy powder after its been tracked out and carve decently. Thoughts?
I actually thought about that when i tried the SG last year. I rode the 155 and it was super fun, but I stayed thinking about the 158... In the end I got the 155 because it was closer for my weight at 175lbs, but also because the 155 fell in a better spot within my other boards.

Not sure what to say in your case. But even for my weight, the 155 floats super well. But I see what you mean about edge. For it being med stiff I dont think it would be a major problem being undersized for it, but.. who knows. You'll definitely lose a bit of how quickly you can whip it around vs gaining stability... personally, I can totally ride the 158, but Ii have US 10.5 boots and heavier than you.

Flight Att is definitely more stable, but not as floaty. Also it feels pretty much like a twin. I have a 163 Flight Att split... but when on it, I'm on bigger stuff (ie not tight trees) and carrying a lot more weight on my back.

I would rather be on a 158 SG split (IF they made one) than the 163 FA...
 
#5 ·
I was just looking into this board, I was looking at the 158 which I am just out of the recommended weight range for (155 lbs) but it gives it the longer effective edge, the 158 actually has a pretty similar effective edge and running length to the 159 flight attendant, which I was also looking at.

Since the stun gun actually has a softer flex rating I figured oversizing could just make it more comparable to an appropriately sized FA but just better in powder. I want something with great float that can charge through choppy powder after its been tracked out and carve decently. Thoughts?
 
#15 ·
I know he’ll be stoked, I had mine out last week in about 10” of fresh, with the short tail (same as my Fish) it is very snappy in the trees.
The other thing I’m enjoying on the SG is freshly cut groomers for those runs back to the stashes, it really wants to carve

My buddy has a Dump Trunk so we switched boards for two runs, the DT rode very similar to the SG, the only thing I felt was that the DT seamed a little stiffer.

Any chase I could crash on your couch next August, love to try an Aussie winter. I do dishes and you won’t even see me.
 
#27 ·
So my sons SG 155 went brilliantly in Japan. Never saw him much as he was always disappearing into backcountry. Told me that it's not as radically maneuverable as his Branch Manger 155 but both are very close to each other for float in powder. Tells me that it's very easy to ride and really loves it's performance as a freeride/powder board.
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#30 ·
@Craig51 How did your son enjoy the Stun Gun last season? Was it his primary board? How'd he feel about the size for both powder and groomed? As much as Burton's sizing guidelines lead you to size down, there's not a ton of real-world review info on this board.

@Clayton Bigsby What size do you ride, and what are your stats?
 
#31 · (Edited by Moderator)
My son is 21 @73kg/160lbs and 6'/183cm. Burton has the SG weight range for a 155 at 150-200 lbs./68-91 kg, but my son is a pretty good rider ie all his life from a toddler. So at 73kg he sort of sits at the bottom end of the suggested weight range but as he's at advanced level ability he can override this to a degree.
I grabbed the 155 SG as every year we go to Japan it's soooo powdery and as a result it's good to have volume underfoot here.

He rides a 155 '13 Burton Vapor as his all mountain board and truly loves it. The Vapor is a brilliant board.

I grabbed him the SG for Hokkaido/powder. He also has a Branch Manager 155 so he's comparing it to that side by side a bit in powder. The BM goes unreal and has been in absolutely epic conditions.

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Burton Branch Manager 155 Kamui, Hokkaido.


He said they are pretty similar but the BM turns a lot sharper than the SG. This I'd say would have a lot to do with the sidecut radius coming into effect being BM 5.8 to SG 7.2. The SG has more surface area due to having more of a shovel nose and a very slightly wider tip width ie more volume up front.

We had 2 weeks in Furano/Kamui and he said he loved it. The conditions weren't epic like the year before so it did a bit of piste to powder pockets but he looked like he was smashing it.

He disappears now going backcountry so we don't see him much while I ride with the wife.
 
#32 · (Edited)
@Craig51 Great info, thanks. Your son and I are similar in build from the sounds of it, and I was looking at the 155 as well. Problem is the one closest to me is a 150 cm, which I have trouble believing is the 'right' size -- Burton has me almost right in the middle of the range for it.

I'm still from the "no replacement for displacement" camp as far as powder boards are concerned. I'm also used to riding larger boards until the last couple of seasons when I've been more careful about sizing to the 'recommended' sizes (whatever I was closest to the middle of the range for). So to me the 155's specs look plenty playful and I feel like I would miss the extra float if I went 150 more than I would miss the extra playfulness if I went 155. I sized up with both the Skipjack and the Panhandler and was glad that I did. I get that they want it sized down to be a good mix of playful all-mountain and floaty for powder.

Actually the more I write the more I'm seeing that I'm trying to size the Stun Gun to give me the same type of powder ride as other boards rather than sizing it "Burton's way" to give the type of ride that they want it to deliver. I don't need it to ride the same as the Panhandler.
 
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#33 · (Edited by Moderator)
@Craig51 Great info, thanks. Your son and I are similar in build from the sounds of it, and I was looking at the 155 as well. Problem is the one closest to me is a 150 cm, which I have trouble believing is the 'right' size -- Burton has me almost right in the middle of the range for it.

I'm still from the "no replacement for displacement" camp as far as powder boards are concerned. I'm also used to riding larger boards until the last couple of seasons when I've been more careful about sizing to the 'recommended' sizes (whatever I was closest to the middle of the range for). So to me the 155's specs look plenty playful and I feel like I would miss the extra float if I went 150 more than I would miss the extra playfulness if I went 155. I sized up with both the Skipjack and the Panhandler and was glad that I did. I get that they want it sized down to be a good mix of playful all-mountain and floaty for powder, but my mind wants to size up a bit because I can't imagine it not needing it to be more playful than what the 155 specs suggest, haha.

Actually the more I write the more I'm seeing that I'm trying to size the Stun Gun to give me the same type of powder ride as other boards rather than sizing it "Burton's way" to give the type of ride that it's designed for. I don't need it to ride the same as the Panhandler. That doesn't even make sense.
With my weight I generally have a problem being on top end of the suggested weight ranges. If you're a really good rider that extra length doesn't cause that much of an issue. I'm of the belief that you need volume for powder.
 
#37 ·
Yeah probably a mistake said once then copy+pasted.

Measured it's ~304mm nose and ~289mm tail. I have the tape a little bit before the rear contact, but at the widest point it's ~289.

I'd say the "feel" is also sligthly stiffer than it says... it's definitely at LEAST medium flex. I'd say 6/10. And the powder rating... at least an 8/10. That thing floats and TRANSFORMS in powder, feels like a whole different board.
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#38 ·
So I just scored a Stun Gun 158 locally, but it appears that this particular length actually has a 17mm taper, not 15mm like the 155 (and definitely not 12mm like the site says).

The nose and tail measurements are also wider than what’s claimed on the site. The waist width is bang on.

Actual measurements:
Nose - 31.2 cm (Burton claims 30.8 cm)
Waist - 25.8 cm
Tail - 29.5 cm (Burton claims 29.3 cm)

The effective edge and running length do match the website.

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#44 ·
I appreciate the input! I had a Skeleton Key 158 and liked it, but wished it had a bit more oomph (technical term).

In my experience, I find that Burtons are spot-on with their measurements (got my first one in 1994). I think that with the Stun Gun, this is a rare case of a single-year Family Tree model that had a couple of inaccuracies on the spec sheet. I kinda like that I had to get the tape measure out to reveal the truth. :p

With both the SK and the SG having a 50mm setback and balanced freeride geometry, they should have the same amount of rocker in the nose, but with the SG having more taper (15/17mm vs 10mm), there ought to be a more aggressive sidecut blend point toward the nose of the SG. The SK had a mellower entrance to turns but then ripped out of them with a tighter rear sidecut blend point, comparatively. The reviews on the SG all talk about how quick it is edge to edge and I'm thinking it's partly because of this tighter sidecut blend point up toward the nose, along with the extra layer of carbon.

Gonna shred it on Wednesday. Might even find some March pow. Will report back.
 
#46 ·
Shred report:
This board is a STUNNER!

My buddy and I got a lucky March pow day at Sun Peaks. It dumped all day, with each run getting 2cm deeper, and nobody on the hill, which meant each run got better and better. Conditions went from variable to 10+cm of fresh flush stuff on top.

The Stun Gun 158 was a perfect tool for the job. It felt very quick and light edge to edge on the rough bits, but then floated like a champ when it got deeper. I expected these traits, but what I didn’t expect was the board’s liveliness. It’s quite possibly the snappiest boards I’ve ever ridden. Medium flex but so much pop! Lots of energy to its rebound. It made for a carving, darting, ollie machine that had no weakness in powder. I’m in love!

Me:
6’0” tall
175 lbs

Stance:
22.5” wide
1.75” setback (moved front foot ahead 0.5” from reference)
+21/+3

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#47 · (Edited)
Daaaamn. Yeah there's still some March storms looming. I bet interior is still getting some.

Stun Gun is a perfect Sun Peaks and Big White board. Suuuuuper floaty, poppy, quick turning, precise... its downsides are not felt that much because interior snow is pretty dry and not as choppy so you'll rarely be getting bounced around; plus BW and SP are not that steep so you can absolutely live with a medium seriousness freeride stick. Also you're on the 158 so that lets you really rip.

Can't think of a better board for Big White or Sun Peaks...

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