Bocks Comparison

From Bockipedia

This table compares the features and specifications for the most common varities of bocks.

Manufacturer		Flying Locusts			Poweriser		7Leagues	PowerSkips		StiltWerks	Skyrunner		Pro-Jumps
Model		Flying Locusts	Flying Locusts Pro	Flying Locusts Elite	Poweriser	Poweriser 2007	*-Rex	PowerSkip	PowerSkip Pro	Velocity Motion Stilts	Skyrunner	Skyrunner Pro	Pro-Jump
Leg Bindings	Attachment	Kneebar	Kneebar	Cuff	Kneebar	Cuff	Kneebar	Kneebar	Kneebar	Cuff	Kneebar	Kneebar	Kneebar
	Cuff Upgrade Available						Yes						Yes
Foot Bindings		Plastic Ratchet	Cloth Strap	Cloth Strap	Plastic Ratchet	Metal Ratchet	Plastic Ratchet	Pixie Boot	Bolted Shoe	Velco Straps			Cloth Strap
Joints		Brushings	Bearings		Brushings	Bearings	Bearings	Brushings	Brushings	Brushings	Brushings
Footplate		Fixed	Tilting	Tilting	Fixed	Fixed	Fixed	Fixed	Tilting	Fixed	Fixed	Tilting	Fixed
Spring		Fibreglass	Carbon Fibre	Carbon Fibre	Fibreglass	Fibreglass	Fibreglass	Fibreglass	Fibreglass	Fibreglass	Fibreglass	Fibreglass	Fibreglass

(Table based on original table by XarnuSoci [1]))

Contents 1 POWERISER 2 7LEAGUEBOOTS/ 7MEILENSTEIFEL 3 FLYING LOCUST 4 POWERSKIP 5 SKYRUNNER 6 Velocity Motion Stilts 7 Things to Come

POWERISER

Brand-wide characteristics Produced in S. Korea, assembled in the Philippines (Hitech & c., co). They are cheap, tough bocks. They weigh 9.5-10 lbs/4.4kg each, just like most other cheap bocks. The hooves seem to have recently gotten crappy in durability, are whitish tan in color, and do not scuff. The springs run in large increments: 5070s (for people between 50 and 70kg), 7090s, and 90120s are the adult spring classes. The springs are tolerable in quality and last a long time. They also require breaking in and start off quite stiff. Powerisers get loose at all joints, and this appears to be OK. It's unsettling, but does not appear to result in problems. I know of no sudden frame failures involving Powerisers. Their center of gravity is about where your heel rests, for what that's worth. The hoof lies directly under the ankle. Either Poweriser model makes a good first pair.

Baseline Powerisers: They run around 300 USD, UK price unknown to me. They are tough cheap bocks, good for beginners. Bindings consist of knee loops and standard plastic ratchets, which are known to be a bit unreliable, but they get the job done. They are identified by the white hooves and red bindings, on a dull gray frame. Picture here

Poweriser Advanced (AKA Poweriser 07 in USA or Poweriser 08 in UK): They run a little under 500 USD, usually around 200 pounds. Said to be a bit tougher than the baseline model and have better bearings, the only obvious difference is in the bindings. They have cuffs instead of the knee loops, and they more comfortable and much more stable They have no calf pad, and the block that holds the cuffs is of a tougher design than bocks with knee loops, in order to hold the cuffs tighter. The cuffs require a stronger hold because they are not supported by each other and are much easier to twist. Poweriser Advanced also has snowboard bindings on the foot, which hold better, look better, and are more comfortable than standard plastic bindings.PR Advanced picture

7LEAGUEBOOTS/ 7MEILENSTEIFEL

Brand-wide characteristics Designed in Austria, produced in Asia (FutureTech). 7leagueboots are the most expensive "cheap" brand, but they are also the highest quality. They are known to be the quietest bocks on the market and have the longest-lasting hooves around. Said hooves are black and thicker than the other brands. It is also possible to get non-scuffing versions of the hooves. Their rather crappy bindings can be upgraded to snowboard bindings and Pinhead straps for a little extra. Their bearings in all joints are designed to be service-free, and the special coating they use can be ruined by most greases. The spring classes are identical to Poweriser, but the springs are softer. However, they still deliver the same height. They are extra soft at the top of the compression and extra stiff at the bottom (good for running without sacrificing total power), and all around more energy efficient, allowing them to bounce you up more for the energy you put in. A 7league spring is about as hard to bottom out as the next level down of Poweriser spring. 7leagueboots has had one or two incidents of catastrophic frame failure, but these incidents appear to be in their past, perhaps due to a bad batch of aluminum or something. The problems happened in a small space of time, and since then there have been no problems at all. Finally, all 7leagueboots can be identified by their ostentatious bright yellow spring covers, which are tough enough to make taping unnecessary.

Raptor and T-Rex models:

They run around 240 pounds, no USA price available because nobody sells them here yet. These differ only in spring strength.  The Raptor is 50-70kg, and the T-Rex is 70-90kg.  They weigh the same as Powerisers, 9.5-10 lbs or 4.4kg.  They are all-around pretty high quality, little else to be said not listed above.

Picture here

S-Rex types R and X : They run around 250 pounds, no USA price yet. These models also only differ in spring strength. The R-Rexes are for 90-110kg and are optimized for running. I believe this means a better character: even softer at the top and stiffer at the bottom than most other 7league springs, but I am unsure. They are still powerful springs to bounce on. The X-Rexes are made for bouncing high. They are rated for 90-120kg. The two models share a somewhat beefier frame and larger knee loops. They are slightly heavier than your average bocks, at 10.5 lbs or 4.7kg. There has been a lot of complaint about the large knee loops, as the bocks are mostly used by lighter people looking for more height. The springs are very large and require a little drilling to fit onto other frames. Interestingly enough, despite all the differences and the hype over their introduction, they do not supply any more height than any other spring of equivalent weight rating.Picture here

FLYING LOCUST

(Projump, Flyjumper, Powerizer, Powerstrider, Jollyjumper, Air-Trekker, and a few other names)

Brand-wide characteristics Produced in China. The numerous names are given by the different vendors. They all come from the same factory owned by a company called Flying Locust. Flying Locust has gained a bad reputation for two big reasons: first, it's made in China, and second, FL stilts have kinda sucked in the past. They have had batches of fragile hooves, fragile springs, and fast-wearing hooves. Even though all of those issues have been fixed for some time now, the bad reputation still hangs over them and they receive a lot of undue criticism from people who are poorly informed. The fact that they are made in China does not help throw off the stigma. These days, Flying locust stilts are quite respectable. Here's a chart showing Pro-Jump's experience with the various permutations of FL stilts they have sold:Chart here, not mine. There are more permutations, but nobody has bothered to document them all. The current hooves are innovative in that it is possible to replace just the rubber part of the hoof rather than the whole metal part, saving money and aluminum. The hoof rubber is intermediate in durability. The springs are the only black springs currently on the market. They are claimed to be carbon fiber, but in reality they are somewhere around half carbon fiber, half fiberglass. These partly carbon fiber springs, although they are stiffer than their all-fiberglass predecessors, are still a little on the soft side and it is recommended that beginners buy springs 10-20kg higher than their actual weight, depending on athletic tendencies. Flying Locust springs come in 10kg increments from 50-60kg to 110-120kg. The quality of the springs is on par with Poweriser, perhaps better. There is little objective comparison between the two. Most FL stilts have knee loops, but cuffs are available in some countries, and will be coming to the UK and USA in due time. FL stilts are recognizable by their black springs and black hooves, but their bindings come in a variety of colors, usually dependent on the vendor.

Baseline FL stilts:

These run around 300 USD, sometimes a bit more, and in the UK they are around 135 pounds.  Good starter bocks, especially in the UK due to the price.  They come with knee loops as mentioned above, and the foot bindings are standard plastic ratchets.  Normal weight, really not much to say that hasn't been said already.

Picture here

Flying Locust Pro: They run around 450 USD, unsure of UK price. I haven't seen them around in a while, as they are very unpopular. Very similar to the baseline, but they have pivoting footplates and are half a kilogram lighter, or so I've heard That puts them at 9 lbs or 4kg. However, they took that weight out of the footplate so it is very narrow and consists of bare metal. And the plastic ratchets have been replaced with cloth straps. Information is sparse, but I doubt they hold very well. The other problem with them is that the axle for the footplate was placed too far back, so you have to hold your toes up all the time. Definitely not worth the extra money. Up-Wing/Redoxx: They varied in price from 250 USD in an eBay promo sale to $450, no idea as to their price in the UK. I cannot think of a better application of the phrase "epic failure" than the Up-Wing. They were a failure, and they have made a legend out of how bad they were. A failure that is epic. They had a radically different frame design that would have made them the greatest running bocks ever if they didn't suck so much. The diagonal support under the footplate attached directly to the spring, allowing them to get rid of the metal part of the hoof. The footplate could pivot, although it had the same crappy straps that the FL Pro had. The footplate could also be locked. The footplate was adequate, though. Up-Wings had no support rods, and two tubes replaced the normal single square column. The upper bindings were cuffs that could slide up and down the two tubes. They weighed 7.5 pounds or 3.3kg, and their mass was concentrated higher up, which makes running easier due to leverage factors. However, the footplate was placed wrong so nobody ever used its pivoting function, and the pins that locked it were so prone to breaking that they came with spares. Pre-market prototypes had alignment issues and put weird pressures on the knees, I don't know if that flaw made it to the final version. The cuffs were exceedingly uncomfortable because some idiot decided to put some healthy juju magnets into them, and they pinched. They could be removed, but under them was the rough side of Velcro. And that's just the solid back of the cuffs. The front was made with stretchy fabric that Velcroed in place. Nobody wants their cuffs to be stretchy, it makes them unstable. And finally, the killer: they had a tendency to collapse, breaking at the heel or (I think) where the diagonal support attached to the spring. Would have been wonderful if they didn't suck so much. Up-Wing picture

POWERSKIP

Brand-wide characteristics Produced in Germany. These are the originals and the best bocks on the market. They are also by far the most expensive. They were invented in either 1999 by Alexander Boeck, then patented in 2003. Their springs are made in occasionally overlapping 20kg ranges. They are: 460: 55-75kg/ 520:75-95kg/ 580: 85-105kg/ 640: 95-115kg. They also make 720s, which are seriously powerful but prone to breaking. Other than 720 springs, all Powerskip parts last unusually long. The frames lasted Swebounce six years. The springs last years for most people, they calculated around 500 hours of heavy use. The hooves are around 50 hours, longer than Poweriser but not as long as 7leagues. The hooves are white. Powerskips are around 7.5lbs or 3.3kg. Their springs come with very tough clear rubber tubing and do not require taping. Frankly, I'm not sure how you'd cut through that stuff if you wanted to save weight or whatever. The springs are also top quality: softer than 7leagues, but still providing at least as much height. The difference between the top and bottom of the compression is extremely pronounced and they are very energy efficient, hardly seeming to lose any at all. I have heard that they require smaller bolts to fit onto the spring brackets of other brands, but the pair I had fit just fine. However, I got them off eBay already attached to Poweriser frames, so maybe the guy drilled them, not sure. They also broke in two days (seriously abnormal for Powerskips), leading me to believe that he did (Note: drilling springs is a really bad idea and so is eBay). All Powerskips come with knee loops, but the foot bindings are unique and vary with the model. Powerskips are distinguishable by their bindings, white hooves, and pale yellow bare-looking springs.

Baseline Powerskip: They run around 850 euros, 750 pounds, or 1600 USD. The only facet of their design not described above is the foot binding, which consists of a bright yellow plastic over-shoe that is laced up over your shoe. They are very obvious and distinctive, sometimes referred to as "yellow pixie boots". Perfect for cheerfully spreading awesomeness all about the land. They seem like they might be more stable than other binding systems, but there is little comparison. picture here

Powerskip Pro: Same price as above, pretty much the same weight too. The difference is that they have pivoting footplates, and these ones are done right. Instead of having anything like a normal binding system, you bolt a pair of well-fitting shoes right onto them, further securing yourself with a single strap near the ankle. Nothing more to say, they rock the house and Powerskip Pros are currently the best running bocks. pictures here Shoe not included.

SKYRUNNER

PRODUCED IN CHINA (Boweii Powerwell corporation). They are the cheapest bocks around for a reason. The company pays no royalties to Alexander Boeck, making them illegal to sell in patent-protected countries (Like that'll stop them from trying) and they tend to fall apart. Random breaking welds and straps falling off are hallmark to Skyrunners. There is a great deal of confusion about them due to their tendency to camouflage themselves as one brand or another. The newest model seems to have pivoting footplates (and by God, they put the axle in the right place!) and they have always had knee loops, but every other feature has changed over time. Black hooves, white hooves, lots of different colors of bindings, even a pair trying to copy Powerskip's color scheme has been spotted. Most of them have colored frames, though. And no other bocks have them, so if its frames aren't silver or gray, they are Skyrunners. Their springs come in strength increments identical to Poweriser. Very little is known of their quality aside from the tendency to fall apart, but it's hard to assume they're good. Sorry, but I can't list individual models dues to a lack of information. A .gif with lots of kinds of Skyrunners here

Velocity Motion Stilts

These are Powerskips that have been modified and resold by Stiltwerks, inc. and features vary. They almost always come with a set of three heavy-duty Velcro straps for bindings and Poweriser-like cuffs, but other features are widely variable. They range in price from 2000 to 3000 USD, I don't know about prices in pounds. They are said to weigh less than original Powerskips, but by how much is up for debate and probably depends on the price tag. Picture here

Things to Come

S-Rex Pro Energy/S-Rex Diamond: This is a prototype 7leagueboots bock that was demonstrated during Capital Bocking 2008. It had lighter frames than other 7leagueboots and the springs were more powerful than normal S-Rexes. However, the prototype still had the inferior bindings of un-upgraded 7leagueboots, and the same extra-large knee loops that S-Rexes have. There is no word on what the price tag will be. It seems that 7leagueboots is trying to compete with Powerskip. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

Flying Locust cuffs: There have been some rumors going around that some day, Flying Locust will make Poweriser-like cuffs. Now those rumors have been confirmed and it is currently possible to pre-order them. They are very similar to Poweriser cuffs, but the padding on the inside is ridged, possibly allowing for better air flow and reducing the sweatiness problem. picture here

Up-Wing remake: Flying Locust has been working on a remake of the Up-Wing/Redoxx/Elite model, addressing the numerous flaws. There have been a few pictures and videos released of prototypes, and the list of features to expect are as follows: black hooves instead of those goofy orange ones, better footplates with very nice-looking snowboard bindings, a choice of normal knee loops or Poweriser-like cuffs, bicycle-style quick releases for the cuffs/loops, and the ability to fold at the heel for easy transport. It's hard not to be leery about the latter, but otherwise they are very intriguing. Picture here

Fully carbon-fiber springs: These are currently in development by Dome in Switzerland. They are intended to be superior to even Powerskips in durability, character, and efficiency. His Youtube channel is Jumperdome and has a few videos documenting the progression of his spring development. They will be close to 1000 Swiss francs. There is no definite release date or price as of yet.

Speedjumper Pro: Speedjumper is the German vendor of Flying Locust stilts. However, the company has decided to begin designing their own model which will be manufactured in Germany. This model will use Up-Wing springs Although adapters for normal springs are also in development) and the hooves will not be connected to the rest of the frame, attaching only onto the spring. They claim that this will greatly reduce noise and compensate for the weight of the very thick, durable frames. The frames, although lacking support rods and the metal part of the hoof, otherwise appear relatively conventional. The footplates will be adjustable, allowing for optimum comfort and fit. They do not pivot. The purpose of these bocks is to last a very long time for the price with as few sacrifices as possible.

Thanks to Mr frank at poweriser pages ([2]) See also http://www.x-bocks.co.uk/index.php?page=17#CAT3