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The "worst" Premier Manufacturer?

Worst 'premier' manufacturer?

  • B&M

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Intamin

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Vekoma

    Votes: 8 44.4%
  • Mack

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • RMC

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Gerstlauer

    Votes: 2 11.1%
  • Maurer Sohne

    Votes: 2 11.1%
  • Premier

    Votes: 3 16.7%
  • S&S

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • GCI

    Votes: 1 5.6%
  • Gravity Group

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Other

    Votes: 2 11.1%

  • Total voters
    18

GuyWithAStick

Captain Basic
New topic plus a poll, yay! Mods, please either merge this topic with the last, or just delete the last altogether. Also, I decided to add Vekoma to the list because everyone else considers it a top manufacturer.

Quite obiously, I consider Vekoma a pretty bad manufacturer one for the loads of clones and crap they make. But like said in the other topic, they can make some decent rides when making custom rides. Especially in recent years.

Premier does make some decent rides, but they all are pretty similar. Almost all the decent ones are launched/cloned, and when they're not launched, they're pretty bad. I haven't heard too many good things on Runaway Mountain at SFOT.

Mack has been pretty good in the last few years, making quite a few really interesting rides like Helix and Blue Fire. But they do clone things quite a bit. Their wild mice, their Water Coasters, their bobsleds, all are very similar. They're good clones(for the most part), don't get me wrong, but they seem to rarely make 100% custom rides.

Gerstlauer has been known for making rough rides, and are really only known for a few models, but they seem to be quite popular with smaller parks. But their Infinities and Hyper coasters look fantastic. They also really like cloning rides.

S&S is an odd one. They don't make as many rides as other companies, and they don't make as many notable ones. Their Asian launch coasters do look phenomenal, as do the New Batman clones. But their El Locos and Arrow 4Ds are reported to be quite rough. If they make more rides, they'll be a lot more well known.

Gravity Group is one of my personal favorites. They make beautiful, long, intense rides with buckets of airtime, have some nice overbanks, and was the second company to make a successful inversion on a woodie, and currently have more inverting wooden coasters than any other company. However, their older rides are known for being terribly rough. They also don't have as many rides as other manufacturers.

GCI is GG's sister. They both came from CCI, which hasn't been known for making the best rides(with a few obvious exceptions, however), yet has made two distinctly different, yet very prestigious manufacturers. GCI is known for their rapidfire banks and transitions with hidden airtime. Their problem, much like their sister, is that their older rides are very rough, and even sometimes considered bad. But come the 2000's, and they've constantly made world-class woodies.

Maurer is another oddball. They make good rides, but few are considered world-class. They do make distinctive rides, that's for sure. Some of their rides are considered rough, others silky smooth. They do clone quite a few rides, and make some decent spinners. But they really don't make much of anything that cuts top 10s.

Rocky Mountain Construction is the newest manufacturer, and has been making rides that are in the top 10s of everyone who's ridden one. They are quite fab. They mastered the wooden inversion, overbank, and pretty soon, launch. Their only problems are that they don't have much diversity, only 2 types of operating rides, with only 2 more in development(as far as we know), they're only in North America(until Wildfire comes along), and they don't have the best restraint system ever. But almost all of these problems will be solved in the next year or two.

B&M has been around for more than 20 years, and are at their 100th coaster. They make very high-quality rides that require little to no maintenance, are universally praised for their creations, and are just good. Their main problem is that they make some pretty tame rides. B&M makes gentle, graceful rides, unlike some competitors. They also don't like to go outside their comfort zone. They only just made a launch last year, and made a giga 4 years ago. Their layouts do tend to get a bit repetitive at times, and they reuse a lot of elements when they can do a lot more than what they currently do.

Intamin is regarded as the best of the best in terms of rides. If you've ridden one, chances are it's in your top 10. But the rides they're most known for are quite recent. For a company that was founded in 1967, and started making coasters in 1979, they've only made coasters that are top 10 material for only 20 years. The 80s was the time when they made things like Z-Force/Flashback, Shockwave(Drayton), their Bobsleds, and making only 1 new ride a year, sometimes only relocations. Also, some of their newer rides are still very rough and sometimes need track replacements. Restraints were never Intamin's strong point, nor was reliability. They also made that disgrace that just barely classifies as an Intamin at PA. Take that info as you wish.

Other manufacturers like Zierer and Chance are still good, but rarely make major creds. But if you do consider them premier, then ok. Good for you.


So, yeah. Better topic, I guess. Like said, mods can merge, lock or delete the other one if needed.
 

DelPiero

Strata Poster
I had a look at my average ranking for the worst offenders, and the numbers seem about right.

Vekoma's old installations are the absolute worst, nearly every SLC is total crap and their loop/corkscrew model is nearly as bad. Their newer installations do seem to be better, but the quality of their older coasters really counts against them.

Maurer Sohne were next on my list, mainly because only Winjas Fear breaks into my top 50, the rest are close to or below 100, however, they are on the whole inoffensive, with 95% of them being re rideable.

Then Gerstlauer. The only Gerst I like/love is Anubis, some others have placed decently, like Smiler and Cobra, but they are really just Ok. Nearly every one is rough or disgusting in some way or another and I cringe when I hear about a new install.

So Vekoma are the "Worst Premier Manufacturer" based on my experience with their portfolio of installations.
 

Pink Cadillac

Giga Poster
Most Premier coasters look rubbish, and when they do actually look good (without theming), They look the ugliest. I am sad that I'll never get to ride Also, their website is atrocious, but it seems they're doing something about that. The Chiller though, looked like their best ride :(
 

caffeine_demon

Strata Poster
Surprised noone else has answered yet

anyway

B&M - no chance - their coasters are pretty consistent, with the possible exception of some of the standups, even the worst ones are just a little bland

RMC - No way - seems they haven't had a bad ride yet1

Gravity Group - only ridden a few, but they're all good-great

GCI Consistently pretty good family rides

Intamin - Inconsistent, but again no - as the good ones are REALLY good

Mack - a few so so powered rides (and the awful flying fish) and mouse type coasters, but ALPINA BLITZ and HELIX <3

Gerstlauer - nope - Great family coasters, and I rather like eurofighters

Vekoma - SLC's can be awful, but I don't mind boomerangs - and their mine trains are great! (colorado adventure yumyumyum!)

Premier - Revenge of the mummy is great fun, and some of their launchers are fun!

Maurer Sohne - I love their spinners, but the x car coasters can be awful (eg UKKO)

S&S Only done 3 - mumbo jumbo is awful, tranan is ok but should be a bit longer with some more twists, and falken (farup) is ok

so - that means S&S it is - except that you forgot about ZAMPERLA - The family gravity coaster is TERRIBLE, Zoom! and tistosaurus are horrendous, need I say more than VOLARE! (ooOOO-OOOooo), the motocoasters manage to be the blandest launchers out there and then there's thunderbolt at coney island!!
 

DelPiero

Strata Poster
^^ Zamperla and Zierer are excluded as they are not a Premier Manufacturer in any sense of the word.
 

Sandman

Giga Poster
Does S&S also include previous Arrow manufactured coasters? If so, that would be a good contender for one of the worst manufacturers. Of course, that isn't to discredit a pioneering company, it's just a lot of their installations have been pretty crap and aged badly compared to other manufactured rides.
 

ignace

Mega Poster
I don't think you can blame a manufacturer for cloning many rides: it's what the park wants, if it sells it sells.

I think Vekoma can do great. I'm not a fan of Sky Scream, but it's for now my only Premier, so can't say for sure. Maurer can be really bad or really good.

It's gerstlaurer for me. Most looping rides are awful, even Anubis shakes way to much when youre not seated in the front. I love Novgorod though, so they can do it - they just don't seem to really want to do it to me. Some non-looping rides are great (Cobra, Heisse Fahrt, Dragonfly) but most are nothing special.

Zierer FTW by the way: Polar X-Plorer is great, just like Force One and their Schwarzkopf collaborations. Kiddie rides are good enough.
 

Bat Fastard

Hyper Poster
Of all those options above, I'm going to say Vekoma. Disney Vekomas are awesome rides though, that is for sure.
 

MagnesiumPC

Roller Poster
I think that S&S is actually great. When they have their proper restraints (not those annoying OTS Sausage restraints), their rides are phenominal. And as for my worst, I'd have to say Old Vekoma. They were garbage. However, their modern coasters, are quite fantastic.
 
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