Hello and welcome to my Rossignol Sawblade review.
In this review, I will take a look at the Sawblade as a freestyle snowboard.
As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the Sawblade a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how it compares with other freestyle snowboards.
NOTE: This review hasn’t been updated beyond the 2023 model. We haven’t tested it since the 2019 model and whilst it hasn’t changed a lot since then, there have been some changes. We will update once we’ve had a chance to re-test it.
Overall Rating
Board: Rossignol Sawblade
Price: $469 (USD recommended retail)
Style: Freestyle
Flex Rating: Medium-Soft (4/10)
Flex Feel on Snow: Medium-Soft (3/10)
Rating Score: 81.0/100
Compared to other Men’s Freestyle Boards
Out of the 37 men’s freestyle snowboards that I rated:
Overview of the Sawblade’s Specs
Check out the tables for the Sawblade’s specs and available sizes.
Specs
Style: | Freestyle |
Price: | $469 |
Ability Level: | |
Flex: | |
Feel: | |
Turn Initiation: | Fast |
Edge-hold: | |
Camber Profile: | Hybrid Camber (80% rocker 20% camber) |
Shape: | |
Setback Stance: | Centered |
Base: | Sintered |
Weight: | Normal - just on the heavier side of normal (2900 grams for the 155) |
Sizing
LENGTH (cm) | Waist Width (mm) | Rec Rider Weight (lb) | Rec Rider Weight (kg) |
---|---|---|---|
145 | 253 | 110-165 | 50-75 |
150 | 253 | 120-185 | 54-84 |
155 | 253 | 140+ | 64+ |
155W | 264 | 150+ | 68+ |
160W | 264 | 160+ | 73+ |
Who is the Sawblade Most Suited To?
The Sawblade is best suited to those who spend most of their time in the park and spend a good amount of time hitting jibs, spinning off jibs or hitting small jumps or natural hits. Not really a big jump kind of board, IMO.
Also, if you like to butter/press a lot, this board is super buttery
Really easy and forgiving to ride. Super easy-going. So, if you’re a beginner looking for an easy board to ride the groomers or if you’re just starting to get into the park, then this would be a great choice.
Not for the backcountry, at all! And not for those that want to bomb the mountain hard, carve it up or get big air.
The Sawblade in More Detail
O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Sawblade is capable of.
Demo Info
Board: Rossignol Sawblade 2019, 155 (253mm waist)
Date: April 14, 2018
Conditions: With 27cm of fresh snow in the 24 hours prior there was plenty of fresh snow about. Visibility (at least the part of the mountain where I was riding) was great. There was a bit of wind (which was surprisingly cold for April) but only noticed it on the chair lift. It was around -8 degrees with wind chill.
Bindings angles: +15/-15
Stance width: 595mm (23.4”)
Stance Setback: Centered
Width at Inserts: 262mm (10.32”)
Powder
Feels pretty sinky in powder. It’s nice to ride in the trees in the sense that it’s quite nimble, but I felt like I was constantly fighting it to keep the nose above the deeper snow. In wide open terrain, super deep powder, it would be hard work.
There’s a good bit of rocker tip and tail, but that’s about the only thing that helps this board in powder. And the only reason it didn’t score less here.
Carving & Turning
It’s not a carver, by any means. It’s a casual easy going board and trying to get into an aggressive carve on it felt wrong. But that’s not what this board was designed to do.
Super easy going and forgiving for skidded turns and very easy to throw around – very agile, particularly at slow speeds – which is where this board excels.
Speed
It gets wobbly when you try to bomb this board, real wobbly. Not something that I would feel comfortable pointing and bombing down a steep slope, at all.
It feels great going slow but not so good fast.
Uneven Terrain
It’s really forgiving on uneven terrain. It rides bumps well and messy resort snow is easy to mange on it.
Jumps
For small jumps its decent. It doesn’t have a lot of pop, but what pop it does have is easily accessible (easy to get the maximum pop it has to offer, without having to put much effort into it).
Landings are fine on smaller jumps but both landings and on the approach for bigger jumps (where you need more speed) it felt wobbly. Not what I would recommend for big jumps.
Great little board to spin though. So spins off small jumps is the best part of jumping for this board – but yeah not a killer jumping board.
Switch
It’s true twin and centered, so felt the same going in either direction.
Jibbing/Buttering
This is where this board really excels.
It’s super easy to butter, super easy to press and just feels confidence inspiring on jibs. Even for a jib novice like me, I felt comfortable trying things that I wouldn’t on most boards.
It’s made for it with a soft flex and plenty of rocker.
Score Breakdown and Final Verdict
Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.
RATING | Contribution to Final Score | |
---|---|---|
JUMPS | 3.0 | 12/20 |
JIBBING | 4.5 | 18/20 |
SPINS | 3.5 | 10.5/15 |
SWITCH | 4.5 | 9/10 |
BUTTERING | 4.5 | 9/10 |
UNEVEN TERRAIN | 4.0 | 4/5 |
POWDER | 2.5 | 2.5/5 |
SPEED | 2.5 | 2.5/5 |
CARVING | 2.5 | 2.5/5 |
TURNS/SLASHING | 4.5 | 4.5/5 |
TOTAL after normalizing | 81.0/100 |
Overall the Sawblade is super forgiving and easy going and really likes to butter press and hit jibs. It prefers the jib line over the jump line (though its good on small jumps) and is nice to spin.
Definitely not a bomber and is most at home in the park, rather than the rest of the mountain.
Would be great for a beginner or for a more advanced rider that’s just starting out in the park or as a specialist jib board/butter board in your quiver.
More Info, Current Prices and Where to Buy Online
If you want to learn more about the Sawblade, are ready to buy or want to research prices and availability, check out the links below.
If you want to see how the Sawblade compares to other men’s freestyle snowboards or want to check out some other options in that category, check out the next link.
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