S Lines

[Skoot1123]

Ordered the Competition and the R3 yesterday. Can’t wait to give them a whirl - will be interesting to see how the different ropes affect skiing (or not).

[Mastercrafter]

@Sedge you getting any sleep these days?

[MI3Eventer]

@Mastercrafter glad to say we got to go out and test some today!

[RAWSki]

Hope to see you in GA next month @MI3Eventer!!

[MI3Eventer]

@RAWSki I was hoping to go down, not sure I'll make it now we have a tournament the following weekend at our site and I'll most likely be putting buoys in still at that point haha

[Sedge]

@Mastercrafter I am making sure to get some sleep. Thankfully my wife makes sure I take care of myself. Have to stay well rested to keep making ropes. And yes we got out on the water yesterday. Took a minute to enjoy the warm weather. Making sure we take time to have fun skiing.

 

@RAWSki We are beyond excited to provide ropes for the tournament and I am looking forward to coming down there.

 

We love all of the posts on here and the feedback we are receiving. We keep collecting all of the information and data so we know what to work on and improve for the next generation of ropes.

 

We are in the process of getting the right rubber for the handles and will have updates on those as information is available.

 

Very excited for everything coming down the line!

[LeonL]

Like my competition (medium stretch) rope. Got it with slide loops and starting at 29 off. Early in the season I start at 22, but I've got several of those laying around. Nice to have that option. Eager to see handles.

[VONMAN]

@Sedge are you looking at the U S Gear handle design? Great design that is missed my many skier's. (l know that master line sells one, sorry it's not the same. Close but no cigar) A U S Gear double bent bent handle is the Mac Daddy. Those of you that use them know what I mean.

[Skoot1123]

Look what came in the mail today! They look awesome!

A competition and an R3.

[wettek69]

So glad to see a high quality alternative to the (in my opinion) grossly overpriced Masterline.

 

[ScottScott]

Before everyone criticizes Masterline for their prices, keep in mind that they are selling through retail stores such as Performance, and many others. A big part of the cost of Masterline is offering the opportunity for businesses like Performance to make money and have a business.

[Andre]

@ScottScott But 190$ compare to 70$? 4 sets on my S and plenty good for this mid 35 off wally...

Was on a 2021 ML 2.0 Opt. and can't feel no difference.

I'll put gas with the extra $$$!

[ScottScott]

@Andre I'm just saying they don't deserve the criticism. It is the fair market options. Small businesses selling direct vs a larger company that sells through retail and allows the existence of those retail outlets. Do you know what Performance buys their lines from Masterline for? If they weren't selling Masterline products for a profit, and all of the other products they sell at a profit, they wouldn't exist.

[wettek69]

@ScottScott . You are absolutely correct, but that is a massive difference in price. While I am sure S Lines is keeping their prices as low as possible to get their product out there to build a customer base and reputation, I doubt they are selling at a loss.

It's like the "old days" of electronics/audio, where Sony ended up being products that were more expensive than other brands just because they had the "Sony" label.

[ScottScott]

@wettek69 90% of the lower prices of S line is that they sell direct, and not through retail stores. The other 10% is the lower overhead of a small business....or maybe it's 80/20....or 70/30. Either way the point is the same.

[dave2ball]

Thank you @ScottScott for sticking

Up for Masterline. Who else out there ML sponsors all major events. Those sponsorships are not cheap. They’ require upfront money. If S lines get bigger they won’t be 85.00. If you have retailers who sell your products you cannot sell factory direct at wholesale prices. These ropes are not the same quality as ML. the competition version stretches more then the ML optima 2. The fact that a person had to change there Zbox setting from B2 to C3 says alot. When going to a new rope you should not have to change your ZO or Z box setting. Yes I have skied on they and so has 3 of my ski partners who have pretty much the same opinion. It was 17 cm out after remeasuring the rope.

[Deanoski]

S-lines and In Tow are DTC a different animal.

 

 

All fun to ski with!

[Wish]

ML = good.

SLine = good.

 

Market competition = GREAT!!

 

Let the market decide what works for them. Less expensive options means more access to those that need it.

[dave2ball]

@wish I agree but you cannot compare prices when one MFG has retailers that sell there product at recommended prices which VS. a company which is just basically selling at wholesale because there are no retailers to protect. Time will tell on the quality of S lines product. 90% of Every product looks like good quality fresh out f a box.

[Wish]

@dave2ball not comparing. Actually relieved there is good option for skiers on a budget (me). They are both “good” for the market for their indavidual reasons. Now if we could just get a ski manufacturer, a boot manufacturer a boat manufacturer to do the same as SLine has done (almost half price), growth in the sport would increase. Let that sink in. Pipe dream unfortunately. Hats off to SLine in hopes it’s an industry trend

[dave2ball]

@wish I don’t believe you see my point. The only reason S Lines are cheap is because they don’t have a retail base to support yet. If they get into a retail environment the 85.00 price will not hold unless the retailer sell for the same price. You are not comparing apples to apples. If ML was just factory direct like S Lines with not retail support the price would be much different. Keep in mind other the T Whisper S Lines are not sponsoring skiers like Masterline. Right now it’s not a level playing field.

[Drago]

You can get a ML through -39 for $80 that skis better than the optimized (imo)

[dave2ball]

@Drago i agree 100%.

[UWSkier]

@dave2ball please don't misrepresent what I said about my Zbox setting. I was coming off a Radar mainline, which is one of the, if not the stiffest in the industry, not a Masterline. I have not skied ML for some time so I can't comment on Slines vs ML.

 

I had my best set of the year this morning on my Slines competition rope, so I'd say the adjustment period is over after 3 sets.

[dave2ball]

@UWSkier I'm not trying to misrepresent you point by any means. The only time I change my ZO setting is when I go to a different boat or just experimenting with another setting. Not because of a new rope, regardless of brand. Why did you change your ZBox setting to have the boat pick you up quicker? Is it because the S Line has more stretch to where you had to change something the get a close to normal feel? And I do agree Radar ropes are a bit on the stiff side.

After a certain amount of sets a person will get used to what they currently are using and adapt. Glad you skied great.

[skierjp]

@Wish remember the Centurion Carbon Pro? 35-40k total flop. Only built around 30 in its entire existence and most of those were Promos!

[Wish]

@dave2ball no, I get your point. Not sure you’re getting mine though. It’s ok. Again, just glad for competition. Here’s hoping that if they do get in to retail..they can keepm under others cost. If not..here’s hoping they stay on line and let me order direct. We live in an Amazon world now, so no real big deal to buy direct.

 

[UWSkier]

@dave2ball my point is that different equipment feels different but none of that makes it bad or undesirable. I just wanted to ensure you weren't using my statement about changing my Zbox setting as a negative against a new market entrant with an excellent product, with which I'm very happy as a consumer (and already plan to repeat purchase next time I need a new rope). Case-in-point, I also changed my Zbox setting when I went from a 2019 to 2022 Senate Pro. I love both of those skis.

[dave2ball]

@UWSkier new ski fair to change settings.

[wettek69]

@dave2ball I am not bagging the Masterline product, I think they are great ropes. I just think they have got too expensive for the average punter. If the retail costs are what is setting the prices, maybe it's time to focus on on line marketing.

[dave2ball]

@wettek69 Unfortunately prices have gone up on everything in the industry. ML sat on the lower prices as long as they could. You cannot have your product line in a retail store sell at retail prices or there about and then under cut them by selling wholesale to the public. ML is the only company that I see putting up front money to be the official sponsor of major tournaments. And that may add some cost to products. Unfortunately the people see S Lines here just see a cheap priced rope. S Lines have little to no overhead very few employees of any to produce the ropes. I don’t believe the readers of this post don’t see the bigger picture. If ML pulls out of sponsorship for events who will step up? Who will give that upfront money needed?

Where are S Lines and putting up sponsorship money for tournaments? BOS cash prize does not count. They gave white stone the ropes. To my knowledge no other money was exchanged.

[wettek69]

@dave2ball I can't comment on what ropes are used or what sponsorships ML provide as not living in the US, I don't get to go to tournaments. I would guess that the amount of skiers that compete in tournaments is a pretty small percentage of the skiing population, and Joe Average like me is not keen on paying $200-$300 Aus dollars for a rope.

[dave2ball]

@wettek69 it is a lot of money. Where ever you live.

[ski41off_dave]

I am using them and they are great.

[mlusa]

Masterline does make a 10.75m mainline without sleeves with MSRP $80. Combine that with a handle or gloves etc and you can get free shipping. We will event wind it up neatly and it comes with a rope holder. The 10.75m will be stiffer than the R3 rope. From what I've heard from some of the skiers that have tried the ropes, the R3 is softer than the ML Optimized. The 10.75m will ski more like the ML Pro mainline. If you want a "no frills" rope, this is a good rope. I've looked at the ropes and the ropes are not comparing Apples to Apples. Proof will be in the performance in tournaments. As summer heats up, soft ropes with feel really soft. Our Optimized was originally a softer rope, but we had to make changes. If felt great in the winter, but not as good in August.

[ISP6ball]

Why are masterline employees getting so defensive about these S Lines?

[skierjp]

@ISP6ball I didn't read anything that seemed defensive, just stating facts.

[Sedge]

I have been busy since my last comment on here and was informed that the thread has had a lot of traffic. Wow, they weren't joking! We at S Lines are beyond amazed and excited at how fast business has taken off. We knew it would grow but these first few months have been beyond expectation. We are grateful to be a part of some tournaments already and appreciative of the retailers that have taken on our ropes. We look forward to continued growth and more involvement in this sport at all levels.

 

A quick confirmation on our pricing as we received a couple questions. All 3 types of our slalom ropes start at $70 for shortenings to 39.5' off (10.75meters) and go up $5 per shortening loop added. The long for these ropes if requested is added free of charge. Ground shipping in the continental US is free with purchases of $85 or more as it always has been.

 

Thank you to all of our customers and test groups for your support. Very happy to see so many satisfied customers. We love all of the feedback we are receiving on the ropes so keep that coming! We want that continued input on how our ropes are working for you so we know where to improve and make the best rope possible. If we need to make a stiffer or softer rope we are going to do it for you.

 

 

Thank you again and ski it up!

 

S Lines

[APB]

@Sedge well played. Great info.

[mlusa]

@ISP6ball Sorry, but I think it's only fair to compare the right products. Our 10.75m mainline is the comparable product to the S-line. It retails for $80. The S-line has tried to copy much of what ML has done, including the exact pattern and color way of the Youth ropes. To compare their rope to our top of the line ropes and pricing isn't a correct comparison. Our 10.75M line will be slightly stiffer than the R3. For comparison, the R3 seems to fall in softer than the Slide Loop.

[skierjp]

@mlusa ??

[Wish]

Vive la Free Market.!!!

[mbabiash]

It seems like everyone was fine with the original ML main line years ago.

Then came the optimized rope and some liked it but most seemed to either dislike or even hate it. So now they have a rope for 80 bucks that everyone loved. And 2 ropes that are no better or worse for double the price.

Seems like everyone loves SLines including me.

All for 70$.

Makes way more sense to me and for 99 percent of people is the last thing they need to improve their skiing.

My choice will be SLines from here on.

The R3 is amazing for me.

Thanks for a better cheaper option.