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Toys?


Chisolmdb84

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Hey gang looking for suggestions on places to buy wake toys (boards, surfboards etc) been out of the game a while and getting back in as a dad (the last wakeboard I owned was a hyperlite Shaun Murray honeycomb lol)

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+1 for Evo.com and they will beat competitors' prices by 5%. Overtons has some decent sales from time to time as well. Not a great selection but have gotten a few good deals. Often your local shops will price match the online stores.

Edited by Josh4mc
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Like wakbrdr94 said, support local! Customer service and support is worth 15% of sale price all day long for me.

I wish this was even remotely possible here. No one local carries anywhere near the amount of inventory that either Wiley's or Adrenaline carry. These guys live near & visit several factories on a weekly basis. Fat chance of getting that kind of service around here. Believe me, I've tried.

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I wish this was even remotely possible here. No one local carries anywhere near the amount of inventory that either Wiley's or Adrenaline carry. These guys live near & visit several factories on a weekly basis. Fat chance of getting that kind of service around here. Believe me, I've tried.

BOth stores offer THE best selection, best customer service. I have purchased skis, boards, ropes, gloves, drysuits for decades. Darrin, at Wileys, is 1/2 hr from SEATAC airport, should you have a layover.

Edited by WINEGRAPEGROWER
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Like wakbrdr94 said, support local! Customer service and support is worth 15% of sale price all day long for me.

Why? What "customer service" do I need with a board? If they rent them, great. Find what I want and buy it the cheapest place possible. This whole dealer experience thing is WAY over rated.
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BOth stores offer THE best selection, best customer service. I have purchased skis, boards, ropes, gloves, drysuits for decades. Darrin, at Wileys, is 1/2 from SEATAC airport, should you have a layover.

Interesting fact too..... Wileys is one of & possibly THE oldest ski shop in the country. Darren's dad, Paul, opened the place like 50 years ago. Walking in the place is like walking into a Waterski antique shop.

  • Like 2
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Why? What "customer service" do I need with a board? If they rent them, great. Find what I want and buy it the cheapest place possible. This whole dealer experience thing is WAY over rated.

EVERYTHNING breaks! or can break! and returns?

What about info on a particular product...say you are looking at buying a new waterski? what speed, line lenght, level of skier, etc.?

Both stores offer the best knowledge on water ski products, cause Seattle was THE center of the universe for skis making the transistion from wood , to fiberglas to composite.

And they all lived in WA: Kidder, O'brien/HO, Connelly. At one point 90% of all water skis were made in WA...thanks to the aforementioned names and Boeing.

That and the d3 site has the cheapest shirts around...$6/shirt.

Edited by WINEGRAPEGROWER
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EVERYTHNING breaks! or can break! and returns?

What about info on a particular product...say you are looking at buying a new waterski? what speed, line lenght, level of skier, etc.?

That info is all online and available from people in forums that are not trying to sell you stuff.

Also checkout wakehouse.com. It is where I have bought all of my radar stuff. They always seem to have a lot of closeout stuff.

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Not for me it's not. Here a just a few examples of times my dealer (AWS) has hooked me up over the years.

I had the stitching break on a pair of Hylerlite Remix boots once (boat board). Showed my dealer and they said, "go grab another pair." This was two years after the fact... So not only did I walk out with new boots, but they were two model years newer than the ones that ripped.

I was once trying to pull up a particularly big dude on his first attempt at wakeboarding. Like many newbies he was getting pulled under. But he was a strong mofo and would NOT let go of the handle. Ultimately it broke right in half (the aluminum under the suede handle cracked in half). Took it to AWS and they said, "go grab another one."

I was once in the shop looking for a set of combo skis. They asked why. I explained that we'd be on a houseboat for family reunion and my mom wanted to waterski, something she hadn't tried in almost 50 years. Knowing I had no interest in owning or storing a set of beginner combo skis, they grabbed a set and said, "take these and just bring them back when you're done."

As for price, they almost always throw me discounts off their regular price (unless the cashier doesn't know me), and they'll match if I find it cheaper. They regularly run store wide sales (e.g. I recently bought two bottles of Hot Sauce at 40% off), and they have events throughout the year where they bring factory reps and pro riders to the shop, including on-water demo days.

Finally, they have a "performance guarantee" which means if I dont like what I buy I can trade it in on something else.

As you can see, I have absolutely ZERO reason to shop elsewhere.... well, unless I want a Soulcraft or Victoria. Then I have to go across town to another shop run by two standup dudes who let me demo and offer great pricing too.

This exactly. Same treatment from my local shop.

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Not for me it's not. Here a just a few examples of times my dealer (AWS) has hooked me up over the years.

I had the stitching break on a pair of Hylerlite Remix boots once (boat board). Showed my dealer and they said, "go grab another pair." This was two years after the fact... So not only did I walk out with new boots, but they were two model years newer than the ones that ripped.

I was once trying to pull up a particularly big dude on his first attempt at wakeboarding. Like many newbies he was getting pulled under. But he was a strong mofo and would NOT let go of the handle. Ultimately it broke right in half (the aluminum under the suede handle cracked in half). Took it to AWS and they said, "go grab another one."

I was once in the shop looking for a set of combo skis. They asked why. I explained that we'd be on a houseboat for family reunion and my mom wanted to waterski, something she hadn't tried in almost 50 years. Knowing I had no interest in owning or storing a set of beginner combo skis, they grabbed a set and said, "take these and just bring them back when you're done."

As for price, they almost always throw me discounts off their regular price (unless the cashier doesn't know me), and they'll match if I find it cheaper. They regularly run store wide sales (e.g. I recently bought two bottles of Hot Sauce at 40% off), and they have events throughout the year where they bring factory reps and pro riders to the shop, including on-water demo days.

Finally, they have a "performance guarantee" which means if I dont like what I buy I can trade it in on something else.

As you can see, I have absolutely ZERO reason to shop elsewhere.... well, unless I want a Soulcraft or Victoria. Then I have to go across town to another shop run by two standup dudes who let me demo and offer great pricing too.

I do think AWS may be somewhat of an outlier on service, (and wish I had them as my local source based on their rep) but in the interest of full disclosure you do have annual turnover on lsv's and its in their best interest to keep that train rolling.

Just sayin.

  • Like 2
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^^^^^ That's exactly what I was thinking.

Then you guys don't know AWS. This is standard behavior. Ask any of the PDX locals. The Seattle folks will say the same about Bake's.

I forgot about this story... I had a Robix Carbon Powertail delaminate last summer. Same deal... I walked out with a new one 5 mins after bringing it back.

This isn't special treatment. It's not like AWS is eating it on these occasions. The broken stuff becomes a warranty claim to Hyperlite, Ronix, etc. Buying local and developing a relationship just makes it all so much easier. Plus I like demo'ing and seeing what I'm buying before paying.

Edited by IXFE
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People are different. Some value being able to go to a local shop and talk to the guy, some don't.

Also, I've bought many boards/bindings/ropes from local board shops, online (mainly ebay), just not local to me. Usually in the 75-80% off range.

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