Armada Magic J unchanged? Similar Recs?

[lowsparkco]

Jumped on a pair of 2021 Magic J’s today (big cat across both skis top sheet) for the first time. Really liked just about everything about this ski for the conditions today… lots of variable density PNW precip beat to shit by everybody and their brother. I might like a bit longer than my friend’s and he’s trying to sell with Dukes which I don’t need. Is the new Magic J same dimensions and construction? What’s a similar fairly heavy camber under foot with some stiffness but fat as, 127 or so, big rockered tips. Something that doesn’t just suffer through the junk but fights back and makes getting back to the lift fun. Not going to hike with them at all.

And of course, these lit the soft untracked up, best float and control in deep snow I’ve felt since OG Pontoons.

[lowsparkco]

Looks like these have changed, seems Armada is experimenting with UL branding which I assume to mean "ultra light."

I liked the heft of the 2021 - no recs of a mustache rocker heavy super fat? Would be nice if I could find it cheap at the moment, unmounted, new. What about the new Pon200ns?

[Vitamin I]

...no recs of a mustache rocker heavy super fat? ...

If you find a pair of Magic J's, keep in mind their weights are not necessarily consistent coming out of the factory. I have 2 pairs of 190cm that seem identical, except: One pair is 2368g, the other pair is 2546g (which is a noticeable weight difference).

If you're into 185cm lengths, the old Nordica Radict is much heavier (like 2790g).

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[lowsparkco]

If you find a pair of Magic J's, keep in mind their weights are not necessarily consistent coming out of the factory. I have 2 pairs of 190cm that seem identical, except: One pair is 2368g, the other pair is 2546g (which is a noticeable weight difference).

If you're into 185cm lengths, the old Nordica Radict is much heavier (like 2790g).

.

Thanks for the response.

What's the difference between the two skis in each pair of your Magic J's? 200 grams seems like a pretty big discrepancy between two pairs branded the same, nearly half a pound. Curious if each ski in each pair is close to the other one in the set?

[Vitamin I]

...What's the difference between the two skis in each pair of your Magic J's? 200 grams seems like a pretty big discrepancy between two pairs branded the same, nearly half a pound. Curious if each ski in each pair is close to the other one in the set?

The 2 skis of my 2014 pair weigh 2439g & 2297g. That's ~6% difference between each other.
The 2 skis of my 2015 pair weigh 2558g & 2533g. That's ~1% difference between each other.

No idea if there were any intentional changes by Armada between 2014 and 2015. Also not sure how big the variation can be for the amount of epoxy that ends up in each ski (because I assume they just lather the epoxy onto each layer without measuring how much goes into each ski).

.

[lowsparkco]

New UL Magic J is quoted as around 2 kg per ski.

Anyone else have any recommendations?

Heavy, side cut and camber under foot, fat?

[kc_7777]

I had the 2022 180cm Magic J (the non- UL heavy version) in the quiver briefly last year.

Liked the “heaviness” for my inbounds pow crud ski. They ski packed pow like a truck. But it definitely skied a bit short. I know it was a 180cm….I’m 170cm. You had to stay pretty centered in pow. Real centered. The rec mount felt a bit too forward even for me. I think it’s around -4.5cm?
Maybe it was the massive tip rocker.

I liked my 183cm Faction Candide 5.0’s better. The Magic J’s were pretty stiff but the shape is still easy to ski. Candide’s were more balanced feeling and more versatile. Ended up selling the Magic J’s locally after only a handful of days on them. They’re great looking and seem well made/finished.

Recommended mount and rocker pics for info:






Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[JackSkier]

Seeing what Tof Henry used to get up to on his Magic Js has got me real interested in these as a semi-playful fat ski with backbone.

Will have to pick up an older pair as Armada has succumbed to the industry trend of making lightweight skis.

[lowsparkco]

I had the 2022 180cm Magic J (the non- UL heavy version) in the quiver briefly last year.

Liked the “heaviness” for my inbounds pow crud ski. They ski packed pow like a truck. But it definitely skied a bit short. I know it was a 180cm….I’m 170cm. You had to stay pretty centered in pow. Real centered. The rec mount felt a bit too forward even for me. I think it’s around -4.5cm?
Maybe it was the massive tip rocker.

I liked my 183cm Faction Candide 5.0’s better. The Magic J’s were pretty stiff but the shape is still easy to ski. Candide’s were more balanced feeling and more versatile. Ended up selling the Magic J’s locally after only a handful of days on them. They’re great looking and seem well made/finished.

Recommended mount and rocker pics for info:






Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

Good recommendation, thank you.

Ended up scoring the ones I tried last season. Yes, 180 is a bit short, I’d rather have the 190’s and I definitely don’t need a 16 DIN duke, but they’re mint. Sometimes the solution is right in front of you. Let’s hope La Niña don’t spoil the mood 😉

[lowsparkco]

The 2 skis of my 2014 pair weigh 2439g & 2297g. That's ~6% difference between each other.
The 2 skis of my 2015 pair weigh 2558g & 2533g. That's ~1% difference between each other.

No idea if there were any intentional changes by Armada between 2014 and 2015. Also not sure how big the variation can be for the amount of epoxy that ends up in each ski (because I assume they just lather the epoxy onto each layer without measuring how much goes into each ski).

.

Just rereading this after a month or two.

Seems looking at all 4 ski weights, that 3 are within 120 grams of each other then that one ski is much lighter… 150 grams lighter than the lightest of the other three. I wonder if those three don’t represent a pretty wide range and then the 4th was a mistake? Can you tell any difference in flex?