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Individual Review Faction Dictator 3.0

Guy in Shorts

Tree Psycho
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Feb 27, 2016
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Killington
"There can only be one King" With the Faction Dictator 3.0 fully living up to the billing. This Big Mountain lightweight powerful monster was made for maniacs like me. Took my new boards out on the first day of the season last November on the limited early season snowpack. New boards were not impressed with the early hard groomed surface. Spent the rest of the day skiing No Man's Land under the lift were the junky post holed fun stuff lay. These boards loved the funk smoothing out and creating bump lines. Needed to stash the new skis until most of the mountain opened as the need some acreage to run at full speed.

Stats - 6foot 250# daily Killington skier
Dictator 3.0 @ 182cm 132-105-121
Binding Attack 13 Demo

For the first 3 months of the season I chose between my Renoun Endurance 98's and the Faction Dictators with the Renouns getting the call for 44 days compared to the 15 days the Factions made it out onto the snow. Loved diving the Dictators into wind loaded powder drifts letting the snow explode under my feet. They paved thru chowder and crud without flinching. Eerie how smooth they moved thru broken up snow as they could care less if I wanted to make some carves or just straightline. This is too much ski and just not a fun ski to run on the normal hard eastern snow surface but when we get some snow or softer conditions these boards will come out to play. They are a keeper and will be getting lots of action with the looming spring soft conditions. Will be letting a few friends give them a whirl to get some feedback from others. Not a ski for the timid or faint of heart.

15Dec17.jpg
Faction Tails.JPG
 

surfsnowgirl

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Magic Mountain, Vermont
I never got to try any of the faction skis as they brought nothing shorter than 180 that day. I'd love for my guy to try them if we happen to run into each other at the beast this spring :). He's not a big guy but is an aggressive skier so those sound right up his alley.
 
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Ron

Seeking the next best ski
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Steamboat Springs, Co
I recently demoed and purchased the Faction CT 3.0 in 186. Review to come but this ski is pretty awesome. Many indie brands have "that" feel but Factions are solid, well-constructed and ski super well. I never thought I would say a 108 underfoot ski ripped soft groomers but damn, float like a butterfly in the pow and sting like a bee on the groomed. :thumb:
 

ski otter 2

Making fresh tracks
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I'd like to try the Dictator also. Been wanting some charger pow skis. (The 102 Faction Candide T. 2.0 184 was one of my favorite demoed skis this year - almost bought a pair. Great edge, carve. feel, but playful.)
 

ski otter 2

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Nope, sorry.

But this past winter I finally got to demo the 182 Dictator 3.0 at Loveland on a soft snow day, powder into crud.

To me, sorry again, but I was really disappointed. It must have been the tune, from what I've read in the reviews. Or I must be missing something. They seemed just needlessly unforgiving, not enough give back for the trouble. Sort of dead. Why this ski? Carve, carve, carve, lots of effort for very little extra. If the snow got deeper, maybe a different story? don't know. But in 4-5 inches, then crud, then almost skied off, at Loveland, just not a lot of fun, relatively speaking. They reminded me of a wanna be fat race or carving ski for crud. But....... for me, at least, almost none of the fun of a race ski, let alone a big mountain charger. Again, maybe it was the tune. (I demoed them at the Faction tent, and if the tune, then the first time I've gotten a poor tune from them.) Shucks.

For me, a pair of FIS GS 188/30 skis would be better in the same conditions- better carve in crud, better hold, much more forgiving and predictable, more pop and roller coaster in a blizzard - and better at chop also, because so easy and predictable, and impervious to crud, pretty much, as long as the slope is fairly even. (I do enjoy skiing the GS FIS sometimes in a blizzard, up to maybe 4-5 inches, snow falling, because skied normally, they are so dependable, just like roller coaster heavy tanks if kept to what they do best, which is accelerate through the turns, looking for speed. Like softly singing songs in a blizzard. They barely notice the extra snow. So fun.

Why do I bring these GS race skis up? Because the overly demanding carve/edge of the 3.0 Dictators (and their flex) seems as if it's meant for super carving/charging, as if on a high wire, but there's too little if any real rebound, life or acceleration, when the truly unforgiving nature of the ski, one would think, was there for ....... what? Just to handicap yourself while you ski? Sort of like using telemark bindings just to make skiing more difficult, more challenge? Dunno.

Maybe they transform magically into something else for a heavier, stronger skier. Not sure. Must be the tune. Faction makes great skis.
(For me, the various C.T.s, Primes and Prodigies are great, in that order.) Peace.
 
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Ken_R

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I demoed the Dictator 3.0 188cm's and really liked them. They did like to run but are definitely more tame than the Kastle MX99's but of course being wider the softer the snow the better.
 

fatbob

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Maybe they transform magically into something else for a heavier, stronger skier. Not sure. Must be the tune. Faction makes great skis.
(For me, the various C.T.s, Primes and Prodigies are great, in that order.) Peace.

I'm a heavier skier and like you would go a CT above a Dictator. A lot more fun playful, pivoty, slarvey. More sympatico in bumps. That said I'm not really one for full charge. I skied an original Faction Thirteen (which I think is the spiritual ancestor of the CT) to death (and it had already had a tough paper round when I acquired it)
 

Wasatchman

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I demoed the Dictator 3.0 188cm's and really liked them. They did like to run but are definitely more tame than the Kastle MX99's but of course being wider the softer the snow the better.
Haha, tame compared to the MX99!

Never demoed the MX99 but it seems like that ski is geared to such a small subset of skiers. I love my MX89s but their shortcoming being the amount of work they are in powder. Still fun (powder is always fun) but definitely more work. Based on my usage of the MX89s, I can't imagine anyone looking at the MX99s unless they are 6'-plus and weigh 200-plus. Because pow is not the MX skis strong point, so I would think very few skiers are out there who would want the characteristics of the MX ski in a 99 width.

Edit: I see the OP actually meets the criteria. Ah. Okay. Yeah, he seems just in the sweet spot that ski would be intended for...... At my height, I hope I never gain enough weight that I would even consider that ski.
 
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anders_nor

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on snow
I've been wanting to get on the dictator, but all reviews are like wow so hard, and you have to drive them blalbalalba.... so kinda on the fence still....

I do love my mantra 102, 191cm.... and can get thoose puppys up to the "mach schnell" same with misc actual race GS skis..... so yay or nay on the dictators?
 

ski otter 2

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To me, the Mantra 102 makes a lot of sense. I connected with it and liked it very much almost instantly (although not so much for powder). Liked also the Faction C.T. 3.0 and Prime 2.0 & 3.0. Unlike the Dictator 3.0, everything about those skis worked for me. But I am not a big guy, like the OP, whose take on skis I've previously liked and learned from repeatedly, very sound. Dunno. (For a "good for charging" ski in that width range, I've found I like best: K2 Mindbender 108/186; K2 Pinnacle 105/184 & 191; and the Katana V-Werks 112/191 (not as much the shorter 184).
 

Ken_R

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I've been wanting to get on the dictator, but all reviews are like wow so hard, and you have to drive them blalbalalba.... so kinda on the fence still....

I do love my mantra 102, 191cm.... and can get thoose puppys up to the "mach schnell" same with misc actual race GS skis..... so yay or nay on the dictators?

The Mantra 102's are a bit more ski than the Dictators but not super different.
 

ski otter 2

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See, maybe it was the particular tune on the pair I tried, which was apparently shorter than the pair @Ken_R tried. For me, the Mantra 102 was not unforgiving, demanding or fussy at all. It just worked. Very relaxing. Intuitive. All things the Dictators should have been but were not.
 

fatbob

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I've been wanting to get on the dictator, but all reviews are like wow so hard, and you have to drive them blalbalalba.... so kinda on the fence still....

I do love my mantra 102, 191cm.... and can get thoose puppys up to the "mach schnell" same with misc actual race GS skis..... so yay or nay on the dictators?

Did you ever try the Movement Superturbo or the original Syverssen designed Whitedot Ragnarok? Not as full viking charge as those 2 skis.
 

Ken_R

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See, maybe it was the particular tune on the pair I tried, which was apparently shorter than the pair @Ken_R tried. For me, the Mantra 102 was not unforgiving, demanding or fussy at all. It just worked. Very relaxing. Intuitive. All things the Dictators should have been but were not.

The Mantra 102's are definitely a more refined and dialed ride.
 
Thread Starter
TS
Guy in Shorts

Guy in Shorts

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Great hearing some discussion on a ski that I love. Was able to ski the Dictators about 30 days per season for the first two years dropping off to a hand full of days this past year. Poor choice for for Eastern based skier as I could find snow soft enough to pull it out only 20% of the time. Great for the ego of an old guy getting props from new schoolers liking the boards in the liftline. Playful with never comes to mind while on this serious damp charger until you air them out. Had to ask myself the question will the Dictators be one these rare skis that I go buy another copy of? Wife told me to make up my mind and pull the trigger on something. Have failed to act so far. My short list
1. Renoun Citadel
2. Mantra 102 V-Werks
3. Faction Dictator
The pull of the top two is strong with the value pick #3. Still have plans to grab some Meier High Noons for myself and some Big Nose Kates the wife. Love supporting the small guys.
 

ski otter 2

Making fresh tracks
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Great hearing some discussion on a ski that I love. Was able to ski the Dictators about 30 days per season for the first two years dropping off to a hand full of days this past year. Poor choice for for Eastern based skier as I could find snow soft enough to pull it out only 20% of the time. Great for the ego of an old guy getting props from new schoolers liking the boards in the liftline. Playful with never comes to mind while on this serious damp charger until you air them out. Had to ask myself the question will the Dictators be one these rare skis that I go buy another copy of? Wife told me to make up my mind and pull the trigger on something. Have failed to act so far. My short list
1. Renoun Citadel
2. Mantra 102 V-Werks
3. Faction Dictator
The pull of the top two is strong with the value pick #3. Still have plans to grab some Meier High Noons for myself and some Big Nose Kates the wife. Love supporting the small guys.
Hi! Sorry I didn't connect with the 3.0 Dictators, though I sure wanted to. Your positive report on them was definitely the reason I wanted to demo them.

If you like them so much, dollars to doughnuts says it's a great ski, I missed something, they require more powder than I had that day, and/or it was just the tune or something that was off on the pair I demoed. (I ran my finger down the edge, but couldn't feel a problem or burr - I'd have diamond-stoned that on the slope if I had.)

Note: UNLESS there has been some very recent change I am not aware of, or I doped off and fell asleep when they came out, the Mantra 102 is not a V-Werks constructionn, but rather a heavier construction along the lines of the M5 Mantra, and the new 108 Katana, rather than a V-Werks ski.
 

mister moose

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Killington
but when we get some snow or softer conditions these boards will come out to play. They are a keeper and will be getting lots of action with the looming spring soft conditions. Will be letting a few friends give them a whirl to get some feedback from others.
Remind me not to trust your forecasts...
 

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