Capita Kazu Kokubo Pro Review
Our Verdict
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Capita Kazu Kokubo Pro | |||||
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Awards | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | |
Price | $649.95 at Backcountry Compare at 3 sellers | $700 List $699.95 at REI | $549.95 at Evo Compare at 2 sellers | $679 List | $500 List $499.95 at REI |
Overall Score ![]() |
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Star Rating | |||||
Pros | Manufactured with 100% hydropower, beautiful graphic, playful | Great edge hold, lots of pop, incredibly stable, torsional flex pattern | Float, precise edging, good construction, playful | User friendly, turning experience, versatile, playful | Great value, pretty easy to ride, versatile, stable, beautiful graphics |
Cons | Back half of the heel side edge feels like it can slightly disengage under certain circumstances | Narrow waist width, hard to butter, suited toward advanced riders, limited size offerings | Switch performance, harder to control in uneven terrain | Topsheet scratches easy, topsheet is slippery | Plank-like feel, decent edge hold in hardpack |
Bottom Line | Built for riding every condition with power and finesse | Our first pick when we demand exceptional performance anywhere on the mountain and won't accept many compromises | Our board of choice for advanced riders on groomer and deeper powder days | Has a playful merit to its high-performance abilities | A great value option for those looking for an engaging ride on a budget |
Rating Categories | Capita Kazu Kokubo Pro | K2 Alchemist | Yes. Optimistic | United Shapes Cadet | Jones Frontier |
Edging (25%) | |||||
Float in Powder (20%) | |||||
Stability at Speed (20%) | |||||
Playfulness (20%) | |||||
Pop and Jumping (15%) | |||||
Specs | Capita Kazu Kokubo Pro | K2 Alchemist | Yes. Optimistic | United Shapes Cadet | Jones Frontier |
Riding Style | All Mountain Freestyle | Big mountain | Alternative Freeride | Freeride | All Mountain |
Shape | Directional | Directional | Directional | Directional | Directional |
Camber/Rocker | Hybrid- Rocker/Camber | Rocker/Camber | Hybrid-Rocker/Camber | Camber | Hybrid-Rocker/Camber |
Flex | Medium | Stiff | Stiff | Medium | Medium Stiff |
Weight | 5.4 lbs | 6.8 lbs | 6.2 lbs | 6.22 lbs | 6.44 lbs |
Tested Length | 157 cm | 157 cm | 151 cm | 156 cm | 159 cm |
Available Lengths (cm) | 151, 154, 157, 160 | 154, 157, 159W, 160, 163, 164W | 151, 154, 157, 161 | 144, 152.5, 156, 159, 162 | 152,156,158W,159,161W,162,164W, 165, 167W |
Construction Type | Sandwich | Sandwich | Sandwich | Sandwich | Sandwich |
Core Material | Wood | Bamboo, Carbon, Wood | Carbon-wrapped wood | A11x (poplar, bamboo) | Wood |
Waist Width | 25.5 cm | 25.0 cm | 26.6 cm | 25.6 cm | 25.4 cm |
Radius | 8.4 m | 7.8 | 6.5 m | 7.5 m | 7.5 m |
Taper | 9 mm | 6 mm | 6 mm | 20 mm | 0 mm |
Our Analysis and Test Results
Updates to the Kazu Kokubo Pro
Capita revised some aspects of this board since our test period. In addition to new graphics, the board now boasts a HyperDrive base. This base is sintered and custom engineered with high-density polyethylene, and Capita claims it's best for speed junkies! It also has a new topsheet and ash woodgrain.
Hands-On Review of the Kazu Kokubo Pro
The Capita Kazu Pro is one of the company's all-mountain freestyle offerings. Built for your favorite snowboarder's favorite snowboarder this model is supportive and versatile. It can handle anything from small side hits to big lines in AK. The Kazu Pro is best suited for riding groomers in those everyday variable conditions, hitting jumps, and accessing the hike-to terrain at your local resort to get first tracks.
Edging
The Kazu Pro has a medium flex pattern that supports short and long radius turns. When on edge, its performance with short radius turns was pleasantly surprising. The user-friendly camber allowed for explosive turns at all speeds. When the flex and sidecut were properly engaged, our testers could accelerate out of turns. If we got too far over the nose of this board, we could feel the back half of the heel edge start to disengage. This was an inconsistency in edge engagement that was not felt with other models in the same turn.
The wider waist width mitigated toe and heel drag without comprising the board's ability to roll edge to edge. It was nimble enough to move through bumps when riding without feeling like it had to be thrown around. Collectively, this board has a user-friendly edging style that can be driven or ridden relaxed and laidback.
Float in Powder
The rockered nose of this model kept us floating when others would let us down and tomahawk. It seemed at home in all types of terrain such as trees, open slopes, and natural powder hits. There were other boards that floated better, but we would be more than happy and have a great time taking the Kazu Pro out on any powder day.
Stability at Speed
Even though this board has a medium flex, its mostly cambered profile made it feel like a precise bullet at high speeds. We could either be straight lining on the balls of our feet or quickly moving edge to edge. The ratio of stability to playfulness in this model is very impressive.
Playfulness
We found Kazu Pro to be incredibly playful given its edging and stability performance. Our testers enjoyed buttering, turning, and slashing around on this well-made board. We were also surprised at its versatility and the number of situations where this board excelled.
Pop and Jumping
The first time our tester hit a jump on the Kazu Pro, he sent it to the depths of the landing. There is plenty of pop on this board. The camber dominant profile produced strong pop that doesn't require significant pre-loading.
Value
There is something to be said about companies that just do things right. This board is produced with 100% hydro-power in Capita factory that is leading the industry in sustainability for large-scale brands. When you factor in the performance, quality, and unique manufacturing of this board, it's a great value.
Conclusion
The Capita Kazu Pro is for the environmentally conscious rider who demands performance in every attribute but doesn't like to sacrifice a playful experience.
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