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Top 5 Water Ski Brands

Top 5 Water Ski Brands

Water skiing is a popular competitive and recreational sport that has a decades-long history. Much like any sport, the quality of equipment is vital to water skiing, but in the case of this sport, the quality of the skis, bindings, and ropes is absolutely essential. So, what brands offer the best water skiing equipment? Read on to find out.

  1. O’Brien
  2. Radar
  3. Airhead
  4. Connelly
  5. HO Sports

1. O’Brien

O’Brien has an awesome range of water skiing products aimed towards beginner to intermediate skill sets. With more than 50 years of experience, O’Brien has always been a known name in the sport, and the quality that they provide for the prices of their products is the reason the business is so sustainable in the water skiing market.

They are the most popular brand for their equipment’s versatility and the expertise and support they provide to their customers regarding having the best possible experiences with their products. O’Brien sells slalom skis, combo skis, training skis, as well as life jackets, tow ropes, and gear for other watersports such as wakesurfing, wakeboarding, paddleboarding, kneeboarding, and tubing.

2. Radar

  • Founded: 1972
  • Website: https://radarskis.com/
  • Products: Skis, Boots, Vests, Gloves, Ropes, Handles, Apparel, Bags, Accessories

Radar has some of the top skis available on the market and easily earns a top spot. Two of the most popular and well known products that they produce include the Senate Alloy and the Lyric ski. They combine lightweight carbon and aerodynamic technology in order to give their customers the best water skiing experience.

The company is also well-known for their unique ARTP bindings in which work to instill maximum comfort all day long. In addition they have a wide range of skis targeted towards a large range of skill type and experience from intermediate to advanced athletes.

3. Airhead

Airhead has gained a ton of popularity throughout the water skiing community, with their S-1399 Combo ranking as one of the best water skis on the market. This brand also earns such a high spot on the list because of how large their range of products is.

Although their products tend to be more heavy-duty, they have something for everyone no matter your age or skill level, from beginners all the way to veteran water skiers you are guaranteed to find the perfect skis with Airhead.

4.  Connelly

Connelly was founded in 1965, and they are all about the recreational aspect of water skiing as a sport. Their brand motto is all about making summer fun since they started and their versatility as well as price point is what has kept this brand legacy alive for so long.

In addition, the quality of their products and their aim to constantly improve upon the gear they provide to their customers is what allows them to be a top leader in the industry.

5. HO Sports

  • Founded: 1982
  • Website: https://www.hosports.com/
  • Products: Water Skis, Ski Boots, Ski Bindings, Towables, Outerwear, Accessories

HO Sports was established back in 1982, and they have been and still are a top water sports product provider. Although they provide much more than just water skis, they do make some of the best models on the market currently.

With both the HO Hovercraft and Fusion Freeride models, the company continues to improve their products and compete with the greatest brands in the business. In addition, what makes them so unique is that their products are all about being able to be used in any conditions, focusing more on the skills and the individual’s abilities rather than on the skis.

Honorable Mentions

Reflex

Reflex Water Ski was founded in the 1950s as a manufacturer of wooden water skis. For many years, they specialized in competition skis, supplying a number of award-winning athletes and events. In the 1990s, Reflex moved on to making leisure water skis, and also to perfecting its technologies, such as by creating the first hard-shell releasable binding for slalom skis.

Today, Reflex continues to specialize in high-quality water skiing equipment, selling both slalom and trick skis, bindings, liners, plates, and accessories. They are especially known for their bindings, such as the Reflex Supershell 8DC Direct Contact Binding, a plateless binding that increases the aerodynamic shape of the binding and incorporates a new release setup to improve responsiveness and comfort.

Rave Sports

Rave Sports is a brand that makes equipment for water skiing as well as other alternative sports. The company was started in 1996 by a team of entrepreneurs seeking to bring innovative recreational products to market, with RAVE standing for Recreational Alternative Vehicles & Equipment. Notable products that gained early attention include the Aqua Jump water trampoline and the Sun Kat two-person electric boat.

Today, Rave Sports produces a wide range of products for several niche aquatic sports, including paddle boards, wakeboards, water ski and wakeboard trainers, towable tubes, water trampolines and bouncers, water slides, pool floats, and water park rafts. Rave Sports’ water skis are priced on the affordable end of the spectrum, making them a great choice for beginners or when outfitting the entire family.

D3

  • Founded: 2006
  • Website: https://www.d3skis.com/
  • Products: Water Skis, Ski Bindings, Slalom Skis, Trick Skis, Jump Skis, Apparel, Accessories

D3 Skis is the only brand that focuses solely on three-event water skiing. Producing some of the best water skis in the world, D3 makes a full line of skis for slalom, trick, and jump events. Several water skiing world record have been set using D3 skis. The brand was founded in 2006 by legendary water ski designer Denny Kidder, who had previously sold water skis under Kidder Skis and KD Skis.

D3 has added several accomplished designers to their staff, and the brand continues to build some of the most advanced water skis available, out of high-tech aerospace materials and ultralight laminates. The brand is based in Auburn, Washington, and all D3 skis are made in the USA. D3 also sells bindings, gloves, and accessories.

FAQ

What is the best water ski brand?

The best water ski brand is O’Brien Watersports. O’Brien offers a wide range of water skis, including slalom skis, combo skis, and trainer skis. Other great water ski brands include Radar, Airhead, Connelly, and HO Sports.

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