Hello and welcome to my Lib Tech Box Knife review.
In this review, I will take a look at the Box Knife as an all-mountain-freestyle snowboard.
As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the Box Knife a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how it compares with other all-mountain-freestyle snowboards.
Overall Rating
Board: Lib Tech Box Knife
Price: $549
Style: All-Mountain-Freestyle
Flex Rating: Medium (5/10 to 6.5/10, depending on size)
Flex Feel on Snow: Medium (5/10)
Rating Score: 83.1/100
Compared to other Men’s All-Mountain-Freestyle Boards
Out of the 27 men’s all-mountain-freestyle snowboards that I rated:
Overview of the Box Knife's Specs
Check out the tables for the Box Knife's specs and available sizes.
Specs
Style: | All-Mountain-Freestyle |
Price: | $549 |
Ability Level: |  |
Flex: |  |
Feel: |  |
Smooth/Snappy |  |
Dampness: |  |
Playful/Aggressive: |  |
Edge-hold: |  |
Camber Profile: | Hybrid Rocker - Lib Tech's "C3" camber profile |
Shape: | |
Setback Stance: | Centered |
Base: | Sintered |
Weight: | A little heavier than normal |
Sizing
LENGTH (cm) | Waist Width (mm) | Rec Rider Weight (lb) | Rec Rider Weight (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|
148 | 250 | 80+ | 36+ |
151 | 251 | 90+ | 41+ |
154 | 252 | 95+ | 43+ |
157 | 253 | 100+ | 45+ |
157W | 262 | 100+ | 45+ |
160W | 262 | 110+ | 50+ |
Who is the Box Knife Best Suited To?
The Box Knife is most suited to anyone looking for a resort board that is freestyle oriented. Whether you want that freestyle to be over the whole mountain or in the park. But also a board that is fine for laying into some carves and that can handle a bit of speed (without being a speed demon).
Not well suited to powder and certainly not a beginner board. You don't have to be an expert to ride it by any means, but best to be at a solid intermediate level
The Box Knife in More Detail
O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Box Knife is capable of.
Demo Info
Board: Lib Tech Box Knife 2022, 157cm (253mm waist width)
Date: March 3, 2021
Conditions: Temp 0°C (32°F) but -6°C (21°F) with wind and that wind was quite chilly but not overly strong - 10kph (6mph)
Overcast but 90% visibility
24 snow: 0cm (0")
7 day snow: 24cm (9")
On groomer: Soft on top. Not slushy but kind of like when it's slushy but the snow wasn't wet. It's like it was ice overnight but softened up.
Off groomer: Very hard/crunchy.
Bindings angles: +15/-15
Stance width: 555mm (21.9″)
Stance Setback: Centered
Width at Inserts: 260mm (10.24")
Rider Height: 6'0"
Rider Weight: 175lbs
Rider Boot Size: US9.5 Adidas Tactical ADV
Bindings Used: Burton Malavita M
Weight: 3120grams (6lb 14oz)
Weight per cm: 19.87 grams/cm
Average Weight per cm: 18.43 grams/cm*
*based on a sample size of around 100 models that I’ve weighed in 2019, 2020, 2021 *& 2022 models. The Box Knife is quite a bit heavier than normal. On snow however, it didn't feel super heavy. Felt a little heavier than normal, but not by a lot.
Flex
The Box Knife felt stiffer than the last time I rode it. But it's still not stiff by any means. But right around that 5/10, true medium kind of flex to me.
Powder
Didn't have any powder to test in but based on specs and the small amount of powder I got plus the small amounts of powder I rode previous models of it in, it's not great for powder.
True twin, mostly camber boards aren't typically that powder friendly.
Carving & Turning
Carving: Could lay down a good carve on it. Wasn't amazing at railing big carves at higher speeds, but fun for slower speed carves.
Turning: At first I found it a little grabby, but as I got used to the board that feeling went away and it was a nice board to turn on. Not effortless, but pretty fun nonetheless.
Maneuverability at slow speeds: It was pretty quick edge-to-edge when you were stuck in those tighter spots. Usually a board that takes a little effort to turn isn't overly nimble, but the Box Knife was a quick tight turner.
Skidded Turns: It wasn't bad for skidded turns. Better than I though it would be. It was easier for skidded turns than the GNU Essential Service and Lib Tech BRD I rode that day, but not as easy as my control board (Terrain Wrecker).
Speed
It feels pretty stable at reasonable speeds, but does get a little bit of a wobble when you really start to open it out.
Good glide for flats.
Uneven Terrain
Crud: It's not a crud destroyer when it comes to just smashing through it, but it's a little more smashy than my control board (Terrain Wrecker). Didn't get bucked around too much, but wasn't un-buckable either. Was decently good at correcting itself when it did get a little bucked.
Bumps: Weaved well through the bumps. Quite quick edge-to-edge at slower speeds. Hugs bumps pretty well too, when going over the top of them.
Let's Break this text up with a Video
Jumps
Overall a good board for jumps and side hits. At first I didn't like it as much as my control board (Terrain Wrecker) but it grew on me and became it's equal (in my eyes) by the end.
Pop: Good pop and easy to access too. Ollies were better than the other boards I rode that day in the Essential Service and BRD and good pop off jumps and side hits.
Approach: A good mixture of stable and maneuverable. Not super stable for bigger jumps but decently so.
Landing: Solid on landings.
Side-hits: Really good. Still not quite as good on the setup as my control board, but good easy pop and sets up/lands well switch.
Small jumps/Big jumps: Medium is the sweet spot for this board.
Switch
Felt good riding switch - and no surprise given it's a twin.
Spins
Good for setting up and landing switch and good, easy pop. Getting the spin around is fine, but it's on the heavier side so takes a little more effort to throw around.
Jibbing
A little trickier on the setup than my control board, but not by much and popping on and off was good and felt quite confident jibbing with this board. Not ideal for it, but decent enough.
Butters
Not as buttery as my control board, but pretty good. My control board is pretty buttery!
Score Breakdown and Final Verdict
Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.
RATING | Contribution to Final Score | |
|---|---|---|
JUMPS | 4.0 | 16/20 |
CARVING | 3.5 | 7/10 |
TURNS/SLASHING | 3.5 | 7/10 |
SWITCH | 4.5 | 9/10 |
SPEED | 3.0 | 6/10 |
SPINS | 4.0 | 8/10 |
BUTTERS | 4.0 | 8/10 |
JIBBING | 3.5 | 3.5/5 |
CRUD/CHUNDER | 3.5 | 3.5/5 |
TREES/BUMPS | 3.5 | 3.5/5 |
POWDER | 2.5 | 2.5/5 |
TOTAL after normalizing | 83.1/100 |
Overall, the Box Knife is a board best suited to the resort, particularly if you have a freestyle flavor to your riding.
More Info, Current Prices and Where to Buy Online
If you want to learn more about the Box Knife, or if you are ready to buy, or if you just want to research prices and availability, check out the links below.
If you want to check out some other all-mountain-freestyle snowboard options, or if you want to compare how the Box Knife compares to other all-mountain-freestyle snowboards, then check out the next link.
Hello and welcome to my Lib Tech Box Knife review.
O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Box Knife is capable of.
Thanks for your review. Would you recommend the 151cm or 154cm for 150 pound rider with size 9 boot and 5 foot 7. Been riding for 20+ years. Ride with kids, but like to take dad trips too.
Hi Ryan
Close call between the 2. If it’s your one-board quiver, then I’d be leaning 154, but if it’s mostly riding with kids (assuming they’re slower, which certainly isn’t always the case!) and focusing more on freestyle, then I think the 151 would work best. It’s not as wide as the Jackpot, as per our other discussion, so you can go a bit longer with it than I would with the Jackpot. But the 151 still certainly an option, depending on what you want to optimize mostly (maneuverability/freestyle, then 151 – speed, stability, float, then 154).
Hi Nate,
I am struggling between LIB Tech Box knife and Burton Process, I mainly spend time on resort with my kids, like to do some carving/turn, also park sometime as well. which do you it is more suitable, btw I am 5.7ft and 168lb, what size works for me for both ?
Regards
Sean
Hi Sean
Thanks for your message
Both would definitely work for what you’re describing, so I don’t think there’s a bad decision you can make between them.
Some differences that might help with your decision:
– The Box Knife is more of what I would call a “stable” feel, with the Process stable bordering on semi-locked in.
– The Box Knife is a little better in icy conditions, IMO
– I slightly preferred the Process at speed and slightly preferred the Box Knife for butters and jibbing and for everything else wouldn’t really have a preference – and those differences are fairly subtle too.
Size-wise, I would be looking at:
– Box Knife: 154
– Process: 155
You could definitely ride the 157 in both, but given that you’re mostly riding with the kids (unless those kids are quite speed demons!?) and riding park, then I’d be erring a little shorter. Also, if you’re used to riding something longer than 157, then going 157 becomes more appealing. Also, if you could let me know your boot size to confirm these comments on sizing, that would be great.
Thank you for your reply, my boot size is 8, I think I might go with Process 155, really appreciate your suggestion and info, thank you again.
Regards
Sean
Hi Sean
With a size 8 boot, I would go for those sizes for sure. I think the 157s would be a little big. So yeah, the Process 155 would work for sure, IMO.
Hi Nate,
I am about 5’7 without boots and weight about 140lbs with a size 8.5 boots. I know this is more of a park board but I am looking for an all around FUN board on the slopes that could take some random small jump. Not really looking at riding super fast speed since I’ll be riding with my daughter so really looking into a playful board. I’m hesitating between the box knife and the Yes standard that you have ranked 1st in all mountain. Any suggestions? We don’t really have powder here on the east coast so I’ll be riding in maintained slopes most of the times. Will a size 151 too small or should I go 154 for the box knife?
Hi Shawn
Thanks for your message.
I would go 151 for this board for your specs. I think the 154 would be too big, particularly considering you want to keep things playful. If you were to go Standard, you could go 151, but I would go shorter still to the 149, given you want things playful – and it’s wider than it looks (even though the waist is 245mm on the 149 Standard versus 251mm on the 151 Box Knife, at the inserts the Standard 149 is more like 260mm versus the Box Knife 151 which is likely closer to 258mm at inserts. The 151 Standard more like 263mm at inserts. All of these depend on stance width as well and these are assuming a 22″ stance width. A narrower stance width would make those numbers smaller.
If you wanted to really playful, even the 148 Box Knife is in range, IMO.
Hope this helps
Thank you for your reply, will I lose stability though if I go with the 151 box knife? I am likely looking at a 20″ stance (that’s what my old board has) cause I have a small frame body.
Hi Shawn
Compared to riding the 154 it will be less stable, particularly at higher speeds, but that’s always the case when comparing bigger and smaller boards. I don’t think it will have any stability issues for your specs, particularly given you’re not looking to ride it that fast. But even if you were to want to ride it faster, that size isn’t small for you, IMO, so you should be fine, IMO.
Hey Nate looking for a smaller park twin deck that’s good for east coast ice and speed for bombing. Have riders choice 157.5 for pow days. Thinking either box knife 154, riders choice 154.5, trs 154. I’m 5’5 185 boots 9.5. Also looked at capita doa and never summer proto synthesis. Suggestions?
Hi Bryan
Thanks for your message.
I would be leaning TRS, (or RC C3), DOA or Proto Synthesis over the Box Knife and Rider’s Choice C2X, just because the former are better at speed and you mention you need something that will work for bombing. Those sizes are smaller than I’d typically suggest as an “all-mountain” size for your specs, but it sounes like your looking for something smaller than what you have, so I think it will work, given you already have a longer board in your quiver.
Just note that smaller means less stable at speed, all else being equal, so that’s more reason why I’d be leaning the TRS, RC C3, DOA or PS over the Box Knife and Rider’s Choice.
Hope this helps
Hey man… Love your reviews, and your seem to be spot on. I am looking for a new ride. My current primary board is an old Palmer Honeycomb 4 (156cm) with some Ride SPi bindings. I am on the upper end of Intermediate in skill, and I like to bomb trails, hit random jumps on the trails, and play a little on the park. 6’1″, 180-ish lbs, size 12 Burton Rulers. Really love Melvin boards, so was looking at a Riders Choice 158w or Box Knife 157w. Would a Head Space or Finest fit my needs better? What about bindings…. Looking at Force’s or Cartels. Thoughts? Currently teaching my 9yo how to ride, so I want something I play around on while teaching, but will last into the future.
Sorry….I meant Mervin boards (stupid autocorrect).
Hi Shaun
Thanks for your message.
I haven’t had a chance to get on Head Space yet – it’s a board that seems to always allude me! But from what I know of it, it’s a more of a park specialist. I mean you can ride anything over the rest of the Mountain, but in terms of bombing at speed, it might feel lacking in that respect. Again, I haven’t ridden it so couldn’t say for sure, but that’s what I’ve heard, so for your purposes, I would look at the other 3.
I would say Rider’s Choice and Finest are kind of made for the same thing and I personally much preferred the Rider’s Choice, so that’s the way I would be leaning between those 2.
Between the Rider’s Choice and Box Knife, I would say both are similar for speed – the Box Knife is a little softer flexing, but still just as good for speed, IMO – I think likely because it has more camber. I preferred the Box Knife slightly for carving. But I did prefer the Rider’s Choice for jumps and uneven terrain and a little better in powder. Both pretty similar in terms of jibs and butters, IMO.
Size-wise, I think you’re right on with 158W and 157W for your specs for those particular boards and the style you’re describing.
Hope this gives you more to go off for your decision
Hey Nate,
I just found this website and I gotta say it’s frickin awesome! keep up the great work!
I’m kind of stuck between the Box Knife and the Salomon Assassin. I currently ride a Salomon Forecast Era that I bought off craigslist 4 years ago. I haven’t really been able too find much info about the board but I think its from 2009 and its a super stiff directional twin. I definitely want an all mountain daily driver and I board in Colorado so I ride a lot of different conditions.
I love the idea of the Box Knife being a more playful all mountain board but I am of scared that it might be a little too soft for what I’m used to riding. I really enjoy hitting 180’s and working on my 3’s, love buttering, riding switch, spending all day in the trees or carving groomers and stomping side hits. Gonna pull the trigger soon, any advice would be awesome!
Also I am about 5’11 165-175 lbs and I wear a size 9.5 currently but have worn 10’s in the past, what size would you recommend.
Thanks again for your help,
Jake
Hi Jake
Thanks for your message.
From the kind of riding you’re describing, I think the Box Knife would certainly be suitable. I think the biggest thing you will notice from going that much softer from your old board is stability at speed. If you’re not really out and out bombing a lot or are willing to sacrifice in terms of stability at speed, then I think it works.
The Assassin would give you a bit more stability at speed back – and would be less of a change. But I would still say that the Assassin is certainly closer, at very least in terms of flex, to the Box Knife than it is to a really stiff board. By my feel the Assassin is like 5 maybe bordering on 5.5/10 in terms of flex and the Box Knife more like 4/10 bordering on 4.5/10, if that makes sense.
Size-wise, I think 157 for the Box Knife and 156 for the Assassin. If you really wanted more in terms of speed/powder from the Assassin, then the 159 is a possibility, but for what you’re describing, I think the 156 is your best bet.
Hope this helps
Great review!
Looking to purchase a new board this season. Currently 5’7, 175-180lbs, 10.5 Adidas boots. Debating between the 154 and 157. Mostly riding Southern California resort, not much pow this way, mainly groomers. Usually split my time 70/30 between carving it down the mountain and playing in the park/hitting small to medium jumps. Been riding a VERY old K2 Spire 154 the past couple seasons. Been researching the board a lot, and advice has been kind of split between the two sizes.
Any help is appreciated!
Hi Stevie
Thanks for your message.
I can see the debate and why there might be differing advice between the sizes. I would be leaning 157 for you. Because you’re 70/30 carving, going on that longer end of the scale will work better for carving/speed – and better float in powder when you get it. If you were going to be predominantly riding freestyle/park, then I would say 154. But just because of how you ride, I would be looking at 157. 157 is what I would consider your advanced level, do-it-all, length (what I like to refer to as “standard length”. Often a good idea to size down for riding park and for beginners. So yeah, assuming you’re a relatively advanced rider and with that 70/30 split, I would be leaning 157 for you.
Hope this helps
Hi,
So I recently purchased the box knife as a daily. Have not ridden much the past few years. Anyway, I want to ask since I am getting back into it will this be a decent board to ride? I want an all mountain board and I used to hit the jumps and shred all day but it has been years. A lot of intimidating words from people saying this is an expert level board. Hoping I didn’t make a mistake and will fall back into things effortlessly. After taking so much time off I would say I need to get back into it, but have general flow idea. Hoping this is playful but not overbearing for me. What do you think?
Hi Josh
Thanks for your message.
Personally I didn’t find this board overbearing at all. Not an overly aggressive board. It does have the C3 camber, which might be where people are coming from, but it’s also a relatively soft flex (4/10 from my feel), which makes it a lot more easy going than if it was stiffer. Also the Box Knife has a little early rise rocker in tip and tail, which makes it more forgiving than most C3 Camber boards from Lib Tech/GNU. But yeah, it’s easy going enough that I decided it wouldn’t go in the aggressive all-mountain freestyle category, even though that’s where I would put most all-mtn-freestyle boards that are mostly camber. The Box Knife to me is too easy going to go in there. So long as your at least an intermediate level – and I’m guessing you’ll get back there fairly quickly, I don’t think you’ll have any issues in that sense.
The only thing is if you see powder regularly, particularly deeper powder, it might be a bit of a back burner. And if you’re going to be really opening it out and bombing it, straight lining at speed, it’s not super stable at higher speeds. But in terms of being overbearing, in my experience I don’t think you’ll have any issues there.
Hope this helps
Thanks so much Nate, this made me feel a lot better about my buy. A little concerned about powder conditions given I am currently using it out here in Japan, which is highly powder but definitely plan to rip the pacific northwest with it when I get home. Thanks a ton.
You’re very welcome Josh.
If you need a bit more out of it in powder, set the stance back a bit. It won’t make it an easy floating powder king, but it will help.
Hope you have an awesome time riding in Japan!
Oh Nate! One more thing… I am 5’9, weigh 160 and have size 11 boots, what size box knife do you think fits me best? I saw a lot of people saying the board is volume shifted. I want to use it mainly as all mountain.
Hi Josh
To me volume shifted typically means that it’s a wider board and you ride it shorter. I.e. the volume or surface area is channeled more into a wider platform and you go shorter. The Box Knife is a very standard width, so by that definition definitely not volume shifted. But there could be a different meaning for volume shifted that I’m not aware of.
I would say probably the 157W is the best option. Certainly a debate between whether 154 and 157 is the better length, and I think if you were going to be riding it more freestyle, then I think 154 would probably be the better length, but probably too narrow for your boots. However, for all-mountain riding I think the 157 would work for you and with 11s on this board, going to the wide size is a good idea. It’s not super wide even in the wide sizes. The 157 that I rode, with a 253mm waist was 259mm at the inserts, which IMO is too narrow for 11s. You might get away with, but there’s certainly risk for boot drag with 11s. The width on the 157W is likely to be around 268mm, which is a really good width for 11s, IMO and should work really well width-wise.
Hey Nate, which one would you say is more lively/snappy this or the dicey? Thanks
Hi John
I would say the Dicey is more lively/snappy. But that’s not saying that the Box Knife isn’t snappy – it is. Just that I found the Dicey to be particularly snappy. I haven’t released my review on the Dicey yet, but will be coming out later this month – but this is a quote from the draft review “It’s for those looking for a snappy, light, easy going yet more powerful than you’d think, buttery, spinny, lively ride, that doesn’t break the bank.”. So yeah, I would say Dicey is livelier/snappier, but Box Knife is certainly more of a snappy board than it is a smooth/damp board.
Hope this helps
Awesome, both of those boards describe what I’m looking for. Even the new jackpot sounds nice but I want to stay closer to the playful forgiving side but still be able to charge when the desire hits. I’ve spent a lot of time on the basic in various sizes and the camrock profile has always been good to me. I’ll keep a lookout for the dicey review. Thanks
You’re very welcome John. Dicey review should be out by end of the month.
Hi Nate looking at either libtech box knife 157w or 160w which size would suggest. I’m also looking at the gnu headspace 155w.
I’m 5ft10, 224IBs (102 KG) wanting to use freestyle preesing., Rails, jumps for park laps /upto medium kicker jumps and groomer /side hits Ollie’s – freestyle. I alreadyhave other all mountain, free ride boards.
Thanks
Regards
Jason
Hi Jason
Thanks for your message and apologies for the slow response. Have been in the middle of changing hosting for the website.
Given that it would be your dedicated freestyle board, I think 157W, assuming you need/want a wide board, would be your best bet for the Box Knife. 160W would be a better size if you were going to use it as a daily driver, IMO. But for the purpose you’d be using it for, and given that you have other longer, more freeride oriented boards in your quiver already, then I think the 157W would be the better bet.
Going 155W would be getting pretty short, but doable if you wanted something really playful/agile. Probably would feel a little wobbly at speed for you, for getting speed up for medium jumps and not that stable a base for those bigger landings. But if you’re not too concerned about that, and looking for something that’s really playful and not really going to be riding it too fast, then I think that’s doable as well.
Hope this helps
Hi
I want to buy this Lib tech box knife, i have 184cm and 83kg and 44-eu shoe.Mainly I spend my time on resort but i like to jump and make tricks and i wonder which size to chose?
do you thing this board will be good as allmountain?
Hi Michael
Certainly works for all-mtn, if you’re staying on the groomers mostly, but with a very freestyle flavor about it. So, from what you’re describing, I think it would be suitable.
Size-wise, I would be weighing up between the 157 and 157W for this board. You could probably also ride the 160W, if you wanted something bigger, but if it was me (and I’m very similar specs – 6’0″ (183cm), 185lbs (84kg), US10 boot) I would go 157.
Between 157 and 157W, it’s a close call. Since an EU 44 can sometimes be a US10, US10.5 or US11, depending on the brand, it’s hard to say. But based on it being a 10.5, I would say you’d be fine on the 157 regular width, if you ride with binding angles like +15/-15 (or at least a reasonable amount of angle on the back binding) – and/or you have low profile boots. With a straighter back binding angle, I would go 157W.
Hope this helps with your decision
thx a lot for the help Nate !
can you give me a few similar models of snowboards all-mtn type?
Hi Michael
If you can be more significant by similar models, that would help. Similar brand, camber, flex, price?
For some other all-mountain-freestyle and some all-mountain options check out:
>>My Top All-Mountain-Freestyle Snowboards
>>My Top 10 All Mountain Snowboards
>>Top 5 Aggressive All-Mountain-Freestyle Snowboards
>>Top 6 Aggressive All Mountain Snowboards
Hope this helps
Hi!
I am interested in a box knife, 151,. I’ve been looking for a smaller board, I’m 5’7” 167 lbs, and I’m hoping because of the shape that it may be too small. Thoughts ?
Hi Tony
Thanks for your message.
If you’re going to be using it solely for playing around in the park, I think this would be fine and a fun little size for you. But as a daily driver, one board quiver, I wouldn’t recommend going this short for you. So yeah, as part of a quiver, I think this would work (assuming the width is OK for your boots).
Hope this helps
Hi,
What would you choose, capita doa or box knife for an all mountain? Also which of the boards can be sized down to 148 whitout affecting speed and carving?
Thanks,
Alex
Hi Alex
I would consider both of these to be more all-mountain-freestyle, but if you were wanting to use them as all-mountain, then the DOA would perhaps be a little better. Neither are great in powder, so not what I would consider all-mountain boards, thought he Box Knife a little better in powder, IMO. The DOA a little better at speed and the Box Knife a little better in uneven terrain. Both equally good at carving, IMO.
Size affects speed and carving, so, IMO, if you adjust sizing, then the speed and carving will be effected regardless of the board. The size that will be best for you for carving will depend on your specs and ability level. But typically a longer board will be more stable at speed and often better for long/wide carves, but going too long and those benefits are negated if you can’t control the board properly.
But in saying that, the DOA 148 will be better at speed, than the 148 Box Knife, IMO.
Hope this gives you more to go off for your decision