How We Design and Test 5th Element Gear
Why Make Our Own Products in the First Place?
When we first created 5th Element it came from a very specific need. We had all “grown up” working in snowboard shops when affordable brands like 5150, Morrow and LTD were plentiful, snowboarding was booming, and buying a complete setup for a couple hundred dollars was the norm.
As the years went by, many of the larger brands moved away from those pricepoints as the cost of development, pro teams, marketing anad everything else continued to grow. We felt like the industry still needed that affordable snowboard gear to get beginners out on the hill so we set out to make it ourselves!
If you're wondering how we're able to keep our prices low, read more about why affordable snowboard packages don't have to mean low-quality gear.
Where Do We Make Our Gear?
After a lot of research and multiple trips to different factories, we found manufacturing partners we trusted, including factories that produce gear for many of major brands you're likely familiar with.
We’re in direct contact with these factories almost daily and make sure to visit as much as possible to ensure the quality of our production and to brainstorm new products.
How Do We Design Our Products?
This is where it gets fun! Our team members have each worked in the industry for over 20 years, which means we’ve seen and demoed A LOT of product over the years - both good and bad.
Our products are often the culmination of that experience. For example, we may start with an existing snowboard binding mold from our factory but then tell them “change the toe strap to stretch more”, or “make the footbed padding thicker”.
We’re constantly trying out what others have on the market and then adapting our own product to what we think works best for our customers.
Test, Test, and Then Test Again…
Sometimes we feel a little guilty calling a riding day a work day, but the reality is that every time we test a product it’s incredibly useful.
Sometimes we find something minor like a logo that’s positioned wrong and prone to wear off. Other times we discover something we'd like to change about the way a product performs—and sometimes we don't change anything at all.
Putting our products to use with riders of different sizes and ability levels is the best way to ensure that they do exactly what we want them to do.
Listening to Our Customers
Whether it’s one of our retailers or our direct customers, we know that they’re our best resource for feedback. Our products have a 2 year warranty, but we take every issue as an opportunity to tweak our product and make it even better.
Customers have also helped inspire new products and features. Requests for smaller sizes in our kids' snowboards and adjustable footbeds in our kids' boots have inspired us to make new products or tweak existing ones to meet customers needs.
We believe these are all things that help us give you a better first-time experience which shape your likelihood of continuing the sport. Because of this we take the responsibility of making beginner-friendly gear seriously.
If you have any feedback we’d love to have it!