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Thread: Blister Labs

  1. #1
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    Blister Labs

    It was announced 7.5 months ago.
    Blister has been publishing articles, podcasts, and videos about it for 7.5 months.

    Why are there zero instances of "blister labs" mentioned on TGR?
    (...Until just now, when I posted 2 instances of it, to start this thread.)

    And only 3 instances mentioned on SkiTalk.com.

    Does anybody here care about the potential?
    Am I the last nerd on Earth?
    Did a Nerd Extinction-Level Event happen without me noticing?
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    .
    Last edited by Vitamin I; 09-12-2022 at 12:05 PM.
    - TRADE your heavy PROTESTS for my lightweight version at this thread

    "My biggest goal in life has always been to pursue passion and to make dreams a reality. I love my daughter, but if I had to quit my passions for her, then I would be setting the wrong example for her, and I would not be myself anymore. " -Shane

    "I'm gonna go SO OFF that NO ONE's ever gonna see what I'm gonna do!" -Saucerboy

  2. #2
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    I noticed that the membership was not cheap and did not look forward.


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  3. #3
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    I can probably wind up buying the right gear without paying $6.95 a month or $20 something a month.

  4. #4
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    Blister membership is only great for the discounts. They are so slow with reviews lately, itll be 3/4 of the way through the season and just putting out reviews. Kinda late to the show by then. If companies are going to keep releasing in the spring, they need to be testing all summer and getting reviews out quickly. By the time February rolls around they should just be doing follow ups and getting skis for the next year, it seems that manufacturers aren’t getting them skis early.

    I dunno. But the discounts, if you use them, definitely offset the $70 a year it costs

  5. #5
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    If you think I’m paying for anything Blister you’re out of your fucking mind.

    That’s a big no for me, dawg.


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  6. #6
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    I gladly pay for blister, think their insights (mainly verified weights, verified dimensions, and estimated flex patterns) are invaluable, and am very keen to see what the labs look like in reality. But I also hadn’t thought about it since spring.

  7. #7
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    I'd be interested at the OpenSnow subscription rate. ($19.99/yr)

  8. #8
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    Yes, I don’t buy enough brand new stuff to make it worth it. I would gladly pay $40 to have access to their flash review or comparisons but $85 dollars is steep.


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  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Marshal Olson View Post
    ...am very keen to see what the labs look like in reality.
    In May, Blister published photos of sensors for on-snow measurements at https://blisterreview.com/podcasts/b...humbert-ep-198 .
    Click image for larger version. 

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    Yesterday, Blister published a photo of a tool for in-lab measurements at https://blisterreview.com/podcasts/b...viewers-ep-213 .
    Click image for larger version. 

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    P.S. I don't get it why both Sooth and Blister Labs seem to think it's a good idea to measure skis bases-up relative to a gravitational field.

    .
    - TRADE your heavy PROTESTS for my lightweight version at this thread

    "My biggest goal in life has always been to pursue passion and to make dreams a reality. I love my daughter, but if I had to quit my passions for her, then I would be setting the wrong example for her, and I would not be myself anymore. " -Shane

    "I'm gonna go SO OFF that NO ONE's ever gonna see what I'm gonna do!" -Saucerboy

  10. #10
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    Hey all - just wanted to clarify a couple things:

    (1) All of our full product reviews at Blister are free. And we intend to keep it that way.

    (2) The vast majority of the results we're working on at Blister Labs will be available to everyone, not only Blister members. Seems that some people here jumped to a different conclusion about that?

    (3) Our 22/23 Winter Buyer's Guide: it's a massive book (and a massive undertaking) with over 270 skis in there. It takes a hell of a lot of time to produce something like this. That said, we are working to get the Guide out earlier without compromising the quality of the Guide even as the book gets bigger.

    This year, the digital edition of the Guide will be available this Thursday, Sept 15th. The print edition of the Guide ships out on Monday, Sept 19th. And, as always, we don't take any advertising money from any of the gear manufacturers, so you get our honest assessments based on a lot of time testing on snow, not just a few days.

    Anyway, that's how we do things. And we'll continue to get things out faster *and* cover more gear as we are able to do that without compromising the quality of reviews or just writing bullshit.

    And for those wanting information right now about some particular ski or mtn bike running gear, that's where the Blister Membership might make sense - you can read our flash reviews where we do real-time updates on gear before we drop our full reviews, or you can send us an email and ask a specific question you have about something we're testing.

    Hope that clarifies things a bit.

    - Jonathan Ellsworth

  11. #11
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    This week is shaping up. Rode Filthy Ape today, bought a new bike, and now I get to read another Buyers Guide cover to cover on Thursday. YEEhaw.

  12. #12
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    Lol how did this thread go immediately from OP asking about Blister Labs (an actual lab for outdoor sports testing/science) to "no I won't buy a dang darn membership for reviews!!!"

    Do people even read anymore or just get triggered by the sight of Blister and gotta let everyone know.


    PS you can get a cheaper priced membership with just deep dive reviews.

    PPS I'm surprised a company that focuses on elevating snow/outdoor sports gets shit on here so much. Even if I didn't buy any new gear because of their reviews, I'd still say the $60 membership was well spent on a company that's trying to make the ski industry do better, instead of being another magazine printing bullshit reviews of every piece of gear they "review".

  13. #13
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    I just bought a Blister Membership ($89) cause I like reading their stuff. Plus I got a 1 time 20% off 4FRNT code from Blister. Bought Hojis for me, Rens for my son, new poles, a 4FRNT toque….saved about $400CDN on the order. Works for me.


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  14. #14
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    In all honesty at least blister is 15x better then those morons at ski essentials in steaux. Up there dolphin turning with bushwhacka

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by JFE24 View Post
    Hey all - just wanted to clarify a couple things:

    (1) All of our full product reviews at Blister are free. And we intend to keep it that way.

    (2) The vast majority of the results we're working on at Blister Labs will be available to everyone, not only Blister members. Seems that some people here jumped to a different conclusion about that?

    (3) Our 22/23 Winter Buyer's Guide: it's a massive book (and a massive undertaking) with over 270 skis in there. It takes a hell of a lot of time to produce something like this. That said, we are working to get the Guide out earlier without compromising the quality of the Guide even as the book gets bigger.

    This year, the digital edition of the Guide will be available this Thursday, Sept 15th. The print edition of the Guide ships out on Monday, Sept 19th. And, as always, we don't take any advertising money from any of the gear manufacturers, so you get our honest assessments based on a lot of time testing on snow, not just a few days.

    Anyway, that's how we do things. And we'll continue to get things out faster *and* cover more gear as we are able to do that without compromising the quality of reviews or just writing bullshit.

    And for those wanting information right now about some particular ski or mtn bike running gear, that's where the Blister Membership might make sense - you can read our flash reviews where we do real-time updates on gear before we drop our full reviews, or you can send us an email and ask a specific question you have about something we're testing.

    Hope that clarifies things a bit.

    - Jonathan Ellsworth
    This was enough for me to eat crow and get the membership.

  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by SoVT Joey View Post
    In all honesty at least blister is 15x better then those morons at ski essentials in steaux. Up there dolphin turning with bushwhacka
    Seems a little harsh. I really like their reviews and think they and Blister are very comparable. Good to have reviews based on our terrain here in northern Vermont too. Both sites are usually pretty close when it comes to their assessment of skis.
    I’m a very satisfied Blister member and love all the podcasts as well.
    Last edited by Brewski2; 09-14-2022 at 07:48 AM.

  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by JFE24 View Post
    And, as always, we don't take any advertising money from any of the gear manufacturers, so you get our honest assessments based on a lot of time testing on snow, not just a few days.

    Anyway, that's how we do things. And we'll continue to get things out faster *and* cover more gear as we are able to do that without compromising the quality of reviews or just writing bullshit.

    - Jonathan Ellsworth
    Thank you for the best reviews in the industry, hands down.

  18. #18
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    I’ll just chime in that Blister reviews have informed pretty much every ski purchase I’ve made for the last 5 years.

    Thanks for all you do.

  19. #19
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    Yup, Blister is great. Single-handedly has made me enjoy skiing more by teaching me a ton about skis and helping me to get on the right skis. Membership is well worth it.

  20. #20
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    The complaints about paying for Blister are asinine…. If you don’t want their service, don’t pay for it.

    Similar to Trailforks, Strava…. These for profit entities are providing a service…. We got used to 20 years of everything on the internet being “free”. That experiment only goes so far. Now it’s time to pay up… and that’s either done with a paid subscription, sponsored material, or intrusive, algorithm based ads. The point of blister is to avoid brand marketing influence, so that leaves them with one option….


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  21. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by nickwm21 View Post
    The complaints about paying for Blister are asinine…. If you don’t want their service, don’t pay for it.

    Similar to Trailforks, Strava…. These for profit entities are providing a service…. We got used to 20 years of everything on the internet being “free”. That experiment only goes so far. Now it’s time to pay up… and that’s either done with a paid subscription, sponsored material, or intrusive, algorithm based ads. The point of blister is to avoid brand marketing influence, so that leaves them with one option….


    Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums
    This.

    They do a wonderful job breaking some of this down and if it's worth it to you, it's worth it.

    I listen to most of their podcasts and I'm not in a situation where I'm shopping for ski gear. When I am, I'll pay for their services.
    www.dpsskis.com
    www.point6.com
    formerly an ambassador for a few others, but the ski industry is... interesting.
    Fukt: a very small amount of snow.

  22. #22
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    Blister member and should have been sooner. I love all the podcasts and the buying guide. I come to TGR for all the reviews also, but it is hard to sift through them sometimes. For instance a ski in my quiver has wildly different reviews from different people on here. I don't know most of the people on here or how they ski, whereas I think Blister makes it easier to cut through the noise.

    Blister reminds me of how TGR used to be. People taking the reviews and info and gear nerding seriously. Still happens but it gets washed out here and is a ton of work for no reward so it has faded a bit.

    I've always considered myself a non gear nerd. I just want stuff that works until I break it, because breaking stuff is where I shine. Blister does it for me? Simple enough.

    Also, my stepson was so inspired by the Blister Labs/Western collab that he enrolled at Western this fall and almost all of his classes are in that new engineering building. That was a direct result of him riding the chairlift with his ski friends at Chestnut who told him about it, having heard about it on the podcasts. So he comes to us with his wild eyed plan to go to Western this fall, we had also heard the podcasts and told him about it also (he doesn't care or listen to what we say though), so we helped him help himself make it happen.

    No idea if he makes a go of it, but he is one kid who is super excited about the possibilities, and his life for once. So there is that.
    Last edited by uglymoney; 09-14-2022 at 10:09 AM.

  23. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by uglymoney View Post
    Blister member and should have been sooner. I love all the podcasts and the buying guide. I come to TGR for all the reviews also, but it is hard to sift through them sometimes. For instance a ski in my quiver has wildly different reviews from different people on here. I don't know most of the people on here or how they ski, whereas I think Blister makes it easier to cut through the noise.

    Blister reminds me of how TGR used to be. People taking the reviews and info and gear nerding seriously. Still happens but it gets washed out here and is a ton of work for no reward so it has faded a bit.

    I've always considered myself a non gear nerd. I just want stuff that works until I break it, because breaking stuff is where I shine. Blister does it for me? Simple enough.

    Also, my stepson was so inspired by the Blister Labs/Western collab that he enrolled at Western this fall and almost all of his classes are in that new engineering building. That was a direct result of him riding the chairlift with his ski friends at Chestnut who told him about it, having heard about it on the podcasts. So he comes to us with his wild eyed plan to go to Western this fall, we had also heard the podcasts and told him about it also (he doesn't care or listen to what we say though), so we helped him help himself make it happen.

    No idea if he makes a go of it, but he is one kid who is super excited about the possibilities, and his life for once. So there is that.
    First of all, thanks to all of you for the kind words. But uglymoney ... this is just amazing to hear: "No idea if he makes a go of it, but he is one kid who is super excited about the possibilities, and his life for once."

    I'm on campus at Western every week working on various Blister Labs things. I'm not sure whether I've met your stepson yet (I've met most of the engineering students), but if he'd ever be interested in talking or just saying hi, please have him reach out and we'll be sure to meet up.

  24. #24
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    Thanks Jonathan. Will do. His name is Addison.

  25. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by Vitamin I View Post

    Does anybody here care about the potential?
    Am I the last nerd on Earth?
    Did a Nerd Extinction-Level Event happen without me noticing?
    Name:  BlisterLabs 2022-09-09 at 8.56.53 PM.png
Views: 1395
Size:  42.3 KB

    .
    Fear not, several of us nerds are following along in the periphery.

    I sure wish Blister Labs existed when I was at Western, or the engineering program at all for that matter.

    I'm not a blister member (yet) but am a faithful podcast listener. I'm excited to see where this project goes.

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