Hello and welcome to my K2 Raygun review. In this review I will rate the Raygun as an all mountain snowboard.
As per SnowboardingProfiles tradition I will give the Raygun a score out of 1oo and show how it compares to other all-mountain snowboards.
Overall Rating
Board: K2 Raygun
Price: $399 (USD recommended retail)
Style: All Mountain
Flex: Medium (5/10)
Rating Score: 77.5/100
Compared to other Men’s All-Mountain Boards
Of the 35 men’s all-mountain boards I looked at overall:
- The average score was 81.7/100
- The highest score was 91.2/100
- The lowest score was 68.1/100
- The Sugar Banana ranked 24th out of 35
Overview of the Raygun’s Specs
Check out the specs and sizes available for the Raygun in the tables below.
Specs
| Style | All-Mountain | Flex | Medium (5 out of 10) |
| Ability Level | Intermediate to Expert | Feel | Stable |
| Weight | Normal | Turn Initiation | Medium-Fast |
| Camber Profile | Flat to Rocker | Shape | Directional Twin |
| Stance Setback | Setback 20mm (0.75″) | Edge-hold | Medium snow |
| Price | $399 (USD) | Base | Extruded |
Sizes
| Size (Length) | 150 | 153 | 156 | 159 | 161 | 157W | 160W | 164W |
| Waist Width (mm) | 245 | 247 | 249 | 251 | 253 | 262 | 265 | 268 |
| Weight Range (kgs) | <68 | <72.5 | 59 – 95 | 59 – 95 | >68 | >68 | >72.5 | >77 |
| Weight Range (lbs) | <150 | <160 | 130 – 210 | 130 – 210 | >150 | >150 | >160 | >170 |
Who is the Raygun Most Suited to
The Raygun is great for anyone looking for one deck for doing a bit of everything. It doesn’t rate as well as a lot of other all-mountain decks but it’s a great price.
So anyone on a tight budget looking for a deck that can take them to any part of the mountain and riding different styles would be well suited to the Raygun.
It scored less than the average score but it did score higher than the average score for boards costing less than $400. The average score in that price range was 76/100.
The West in more detail
O.k. let’s take at a look at the Raygun’s performance in detail then we’ll check out the score breakdown.
Powder
The Raygun’s actually pretty darn good in the powder. This is helped by having a 20mm (0.75″) setback stance and by the rocker sections outside of the inserts.
Carving
Edge-hold isn’t amazing on this board so it can be a bit washy on hard carves – particularly in harder snow conditions. It’s not terrible but it’s not awesome either.
Speed
One of the downsides of a lower priced deck is that they usually come with an extruded base rather than a sintered one. And that’s the case with the Raygun.
An extruded base is fine for beginners who don’t actually want the extra speed of a sintered base and for park riders who sometimes do and sometimes don’t want extra speed, but you definitely want it for an all-mountain deck. The Raygun’s speed definitely suffers as a result.
That said, if you’re not a speed demon and want the lower maintenance of an extruded base then it’ll suit you fine.
Uneven Terrain
It ride’s the bumps pretty well and chops through rough stuff decently too.
Switch
For brief moments of riding in switch and for switch landings the Raygun is ok. Which is all you really expect out of an all-mountain deck and all you really need. There are better boards if you like to ride a lot of switch but for occasionally changing direction the Raygun is perfectly fine.
Jumps
It’s not the king of jumps. If this is a huge part of your repertoire then I’d look elsewhere.
Jibbing
Holds it’s own on boxes, rails etc. Not made for it for sure, but if you hit the occasional jib then it’ll handle it.
Pipe
This isn’t really a pipe board – it’s too slow and the edge-hold isn’t good enough. If you’re a pipe rider then I’d check out other options.
Score Breakdown and Final Verdict
Check out the Raygun’s score breakdown in the table below.
| FACTOR | RATING (OUT OF 5) | CONTRIBUTION TO FINAL SCORE |
| Powder: | 4.0 | 12/15 |
| Carving: | 2.5 | 7.5/15 |
| Speed: | 2.5 | 7.5/15 |
| Uneven Terrain: | 4.0 | 12/15 |
| Switch: | 3.5 | 7/10 |
| Jumps: | 2.5 | 5/10 |
| Jibbing: | 3.0 | 6/10 |
| Pipe: | 2.5 | 5/10 |
| TOTAL after normalizing | 77.5/100 |
If you’ve got the cash to splash – or just willing to invest more to make sure you have super quality gear, then I’d be inclined to choose something else.
But if you’re on a tight budget then the Raygun is one of the better boards in the under $400 price range.
Check out the links below if you’re interested in the Raygun or check out my top 10 all mountain snowboards post if your keen to check out some other options.
Hello,
I hesitate between the K2 Raygun and the nitro team gullwing?
Which is the best on the groomers ?
The more fun ?
The more stable ?
The best in carving ?
Thank you
Pat
Hi Pat
Thanks for your message.
I would say that the Raygun is a little more stable and a little better in powder.
But the Team Gullwing definitely better on groomers and better for carving. And overall, I found the Team Gullwing to be more fun.
Hope this helps
Hi Nate, great review dude. I’d have to go for the Rome Tour from what you’ve said here. I’m thinking longer term suitability. You pay a bit a bit more but assuming there’s no damage, will last longer in your learning curve.
Cheers, Tony.
Hey Tony – yeah good point. Certainly if you’re looking for a board to last longer term the Tour is a better option – sound logic there!
Great post! Very deep insights and awesome reviews! I will surely come back for more posts! 😀
Thanks Srijan – appreciate it. More review battles every Friday!
Really great review! With the season already started / knocking on the door these reviews help us a ton! A BIG thank you for putting the time and your expertise to work 🙂
Thanks Jesse! Glad to be of service. Keep coming back – a new review every Friday.