Bean Snowboards - Handmade

Posted: 11 September 2010 07:58 AM

Hello,

First let me say that I am not affiliated with Bean Snowboards. I only discovered them through the list of boards on this site. After visiting the Bean website, I have to say that I am feeling some guilt. I just bought a new snowboard (an 09/10 model) from an online giant. Shortly after it arrived I discovered the Bean site. They are a small company from Boston, Massachusetts and make about 100 boards per year. Well anyway, back to the guilt. In America (as with many or most industrialized nations) it has become the norm for companies to move production of their goods to China and other Asian countries to save costs. Good for the Chinese I guess, but not always good for quality and certainly not good for a workers who lose jobs at those companies. I bought a board from a company that has moved production to China. And I bought it from an online giant. Now, I am a capitalist, and I believe that the market will go where the market will go, but I missed a great opportunity to support a small manufacturer in my own country. Bean themselves are committed to doing business with local companies. Every component in a Bean snowboard is American made. Even the eco-friendly wax they use comes from a local Boston company. If I had it to do over again, I would give Bean my money instead. I live in the Southeastern U.S. so owning 2 boards is ridiculous considering I will only get 10-15 days on the snow this season. If I need a board next year, I will definitely give them a shot.

Sorry for the politics…let me tell you what I have learned about the boards.

Their line currently consists of 2 boards. The Violator is their jib board and the Commonwealth is their all mountain offering. Both boards come with sintered bases and stainless steal edges, and both boards are cambered. Their website explains the board “tech” clearly and concisely, so you don’t have to be an engineer to understand it. The good news right now that Bean is having a 40% off “garage sale” on all of their 09/10 merchandise. The Violator is now going for $255 and the Commonwealth is now $275 with free shipping. These boards were originally over $400. What a deal….a handmade board for less than 300 bucks! They may not have the tech you are looking for but definitely drop by their site and take a look. It’s a really good site with videos, and photos and some information on their processes. I shot them an email with a couple of questions and they got back quickly. They look like the type of guys that would really be fun to ride with. Snowboards by snowboarders. What a novel idea. Made near New York in Boston.

Posted: 11 September 2010 08:24 AM

There is a similar story here in Calgary.

Clyde makes boards right here with one dude, I actually emailed him a few months ago if needed some help around the shop but I never got a reply.  Anyways his boards look sick and for the price being handmade it’s not bad at around $500.  However I went with a big name from a big store and ended up paying almost half of that for a board and bindings at the end of last season.

I know what you mean and I do encourage people to shop locally at least to support stores in your area but sometimes you can’t beat the prices that the mass manufactures have.

Posted: 11 September 2010 03:22 PM

Hey ian,
it’s always good to have such thoughts! I do totally get your point and so one of the reasons for going with an Amplid deck was the small writing on the sidewall: “made in Austria”.
I paid quite some money for it (~500€ pre-season because I just couldn’t wait anymore) but knowing the small shop near my hometown and knowing that the guys at Amplid are absolutely dope, I know that my money at least reached the right persons which just makes me feel a tiny bit better everytime I strap on my ride =)

Support your locals!

Posted: 13 September 2010 03:23 PM

I love this post!

Guys like Jason @ Clyde, Peter @ Amplid and the folks at Bean would absolutely love to see your guys on local brands.

There is a lot to be said for supporting local brands. It feeds money into the local economy, creating jobs; local brands support local riders and local events, it’s a good way of making sure that your hard earned cash is working its way back into your local snowboard scene; finally, local riders build boards inspired by the conditions they ride day in day out, odds are it probably works on your hill.

I can’t big up local brands enough, but sometimes the capitalist in all of us wants the best board for the least money, and local brands just don’t have the scale to buy enough materials to keep costs down. It’s definitely a discussion worth having.