Skaters most likely know the name Evol but the name doesn’t hit many snowboarder’s radars. With prices that look amazing, the question really is, are Evol snowboards good? We’ll dive into Evol snowboards and pick them apart like a chicken wing down to the bone. Read on to see if you should put your hard-earned Benjamin’s down on an Evol board or take them elsewhere.
The Selection of Evol Snowboards:
With a selection of less than 10 snowboards in their lineup, you shouldn’t have a hard choice picking an Evol snowboard, but should you? We’ll touch more on it but you certainly get what you pay for.
While the selection of snowboards from Evol is graphically diverse on the decks and bases, they lack a rounded-out snowboard collection that includes splitboards and a larger selection.
At the end of the day, you’ll be able to pick up a park or all-mountain board from Evol but that is about it.
The selection from Evol isn’t exactly up to par with some of the other brands in the snowboard game. They scored a 6.2 out of 10 on selection.
The Quality of Evol Snowboards: It Leaves Something to Be Desired
Does Evol make up for the limited selection with its quality of snowboards? Not really. You are going to have a hard time finding anything except a cheap extruded base on their snowboards. This goes back to making a price point for beginners. They pump out quantity over quality.
Evol can be great if you are riding once or twice a season but if you want a snowboard to hold up and last a long time then just save up a few for pennies and get a more well-known brand for their quality.
We knew one guy who was riding Evol and the bindings loosened up in the deck so much that at the bottom of the run, they needed to be tightened almost every time. Talk about a quality issue. Top that off with it being known that Evol deck laminates can peel and it’s a hard pass for us.
While an infrequent rider may enjoy Evol, the quality of the boards won’t withstand up to them being ridden hard. We score the quality a 5.8 out of 10.
The Price of Evol Snowboards: Save Your Dough
As we said, you get what you pay for. The cool looks don’t justify getting an Evol. Prioritize quality first and you’ll thank yourself season after season. While the price of Evol snowboards may even look cooler than their sick graphics, it’s not.
Most of Evol snowboards fall in the sub $500 range and a lot are even sub $300. At sub $300, you are approaching the cost of a high-end pair of bindings at some companies. So how can Evol offer snowboards so cheap? They cut back on the technology, quality and development costs when compared to larger brands.
The pricing can be good for beginners if you look at it solely but you’ll have to spend a bit more for better quality.
As we mentioned, we would just save our dough and get a used snowboard from a different brand or a new one of a better brand. Evol snowboards score an 7.6 of 10 for their pricing.
Evol Snowboard Graphics
If the price doesn’t get people to look at Evol snowboards, the graphics will. We will give it to Evol, sick graphics. The style might not be for everyone and can be a bit dark but if you appreciate good art then they put that on their snowboard decks.
While some companies are just going with a bland multi-color approach, Evol has full pieces of art on some of their snowboards.
If you want something that will turn heads in the lift lines, Evol snowboards certainly can do just that.
Overall, the graphics on Evol boards are legit. The score an 7.6 out of 10 on graphics.
Notable Evol Snowboards
Just want to get into snowboarding and care more about the graphics than the quality? Then we’d say go ahead and get an Evol snowboard. Some of their coolest snowboards are as follows-
- Space Race: Out of this world graphics on a true twin combined with a camber profile.
- Ocean Dweller: An easy to ride women’s board to hit the resort slopes with cool graphics
- Spoils of War: A strong graphic game on a mid-flex directional twin that is good for resorts.
So, Are Evol Snowboards Good?
While we don’t love Evol snowboards and aren’t going to waste a trail day on one, there is certainly a market for what they are putting out. If you just want to get your feet wet on a snowboard and try it out, an Evol snowboard will get the job done.
If you want to grow in the sport then you might want to start off with a better brand. Overall Evol’s score tallies up to a 6.8 out of 10.
We’ll certainly give you the nod in the lift line on your sweet graphics if we see you riding Evol but question if you are really into snowboarding.
Jessie Gonzalez writes for Proper Peaks and lives in Stockton, CA. One of her favorite things about snowboarding is seeing beginners get started and watching them enjoy the sport.
Great review on Evol. I almost went with an Evol but settled with a Jones board for my first snowboard. I agree the quality is a bit cheap with Evol.
Bought a 2023 Space Race on Black Friday this year for >$200 and after 10+ days of riding this year, I must say it’s better than expected.
The board has good pop and a decent amount of flex. Binding mounting points are solid (so far) and their new diamond cut on the nose and tail is perfect for control during butters. Only thing I’ve seen is the board is a little unstable at high speeds while riding flat but still carves nicely.
I’ve been riding for 7 years and this will be 3rd board, I can easily say this is one of the better decks I’ve been on and definitely hangs with the bigger names that I’ve ridden (Rome, Burton, K2). Overall I’d say 7/10
The price point is certainly the most attractive thing I find for Evol boards. You just can’t beat those prices to get on the slopes but it sounds like you got a steal of a deal for a 23′ Space Race.
To be fair, to many riders, they will find the margin between brands to be thin and brands to be more of a thing of preference. Although it’s fair to say most higher-end boards use a bit better components. It’s awesome to hear your take, that you are enjoying your new board and best of all, getting out there on the slopes!