Matt N
CF Legend
Hi guys. I’m in a poll kind of mood today, so today I ask; of the two main traditional wooden coaster manufacturers (GCI and Gravity Group), which one do you personally like more? The reason I’m not including other companies like RMC and Intamin in this is because they build very different types of wooden coasters to your more traditional ride; the main two that tend to build more traditional wooden coasters are GCI and Gravity Group.
As for my answer, I’ve ridden one coaster from each company; from GCI, I have ridden Wicker Man, while from Gravity Group, I have ridden Mine Blower. Now, I personally rank Wicker Man more highly than Mine Blower, so I’m controversially going to go for GCI here. Now don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoy both, but my enjoyment of Wicker Man when I last rode felt like it was a tier above my enjoyment of Mine Blower; Wicker Man is a 10/10 coaster for me, while Mine Blower is a 9/10, and I think there are numerous reasons why this is:
But which do you prefer?
As for my answer, I’ve ridden one coaster from each company; from GCI, I have ridden Wicker Man, while from Gravity Group, I have ridden Mine Blower. Now, I personally rank Wicker Man more highly than Mine Blower, so I’m controversially going to go for GCI here. Now don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoy both, but my enjoyment of Wicker Man when I last rode felt like it was a tier above my enjoyment of Mine Blower; Wicker Man is a 10/10 coaster for me, while Mine Blower is a 9/10, and I think there are numerous reasons why this is:
- I think I personally find Wicker Man’s trains/restraints nicer than Mine Blower’s from a comfort perspective. Those GCI Millennium Flyers are very comfortable and nicely cushioned, and the lap bar is comfortable and offers plenty of room. On the other hand, even though I’m not particularly big in any way, I seem to remember the Gravitykraft Timberliners on Mine Blower weren’t as cushioned, and I remember the restraint being quite tight/restrictive around my lap.
- Even though neither coaster seemed rough by any means, and they are both pretty smooth compared to the other wooden coasters I’ve done, I think Wicker Man is a bit smoother than Mine Blower, or at least, the trains seem to track with a little more ease. I sat on the front row of Mine Blower, and while I wouldn’t call it a rough coaster, it seemed to have a little more of a rattle than Wicker Man when negotiating the elements. While this didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the ride, I’d say it was definitely noticeable, and something that would maybe have made me enjoy it slightly more if it wasn’t there.
- Even though both coasters are two of the most fast-paced woodies I’ve ridden (pacing is definitely a strong point of both coasters, in my opinion), I’d personally say that Wicker Man seemed to have slightly faster pacing throughout, and seemed just that little bit faster than Mine Blower, but that is literally just me being pedantic, and to be fair, Mine Blower’s train was practically empty bar my family, so maybe that made it feel slower?
But which do you prefer?