Good floatation, good traction going up, down, and laterally. They feel nice and light on the feet. The bindings fit snuggly and my boots don't come out in mid-stride (a big concern of mine in past snowshoes). These snoeshoes also come with snaps for the attatchment of a heal lift for climbing and you can buy other accessories as well.

You have to be carefull the ratchet bindings aren't done up too tight because it is hard to undo them afterwards! Also, I have a concern over the laces in the front doing the freezing and loosening thing although I haven't encountered this problem yet. I may eventually but all new Redfeather EPIC bindings for these snowshoes.

Similar Products Used:

Tubbs, Atlas, TSL, Sherpa, MSR, Yuba, and Ridgeway.

I also had some homemade wood and rawhide ones.

Pro: good value for $$$$$. The ratchet strap snugs my boots securely; I've had no problems with the shoes coming off. Good flotation (for me). Fairly rugged though I worry a bit about the little plastic snap thingies breaking off

Con: The string part of the binding tends to snag the grommets/eyes on my plastic mountaineering boots; it's not a "show stopper" but it's a serious nuisance to be fiddling withthe thing when wearing heavy mittens or when it's *really* cold. IMO, the fixed rotation binding makes it more difficult to kick steps on a steep snow slope. It (fixed rotation) also works against the crampon when ascending a steep, icy section; IMO Tubbs (Katahdin?), Atlas, and Sherpa Mountain are better climbing shoes than the Blackhawks.

I was able to but the shoes for about 25% of retail, so I'm quite satisfied from a price/performance perspective. If I'd paid full retail I would probably be a bit disappointed.

Similar Products Used:

Tubbs Katahdin, Atlas, Sherpa Mountain

Great bindings. I have had problems with my feet rotating within other shoes' bindings. No such problem with the Blackhawks. Excellent traction. Float is ok, but not so good in deep powder. Good value for the money.

Customer Service

None

Similar Products Used:

Tubbs, Redfeather Redtails (too small/not enough float for me)

I used these snowshoes, along with a pair of Redtails, over a weekend a few weeks ago. While I can't say much for long-term durability(2 days), their traction, loft, and weight were top notch. They are easy to adjust and put on, and I hardly noticed them on my feet.

Similar Products Used:

Redfeather Redtails, some Atlas model whose name escapes me.

I've owned these shoes for about 5 years.
They are great light weight shoes, but won't hold up to long term heavy snowshoeing.
I weigh 180lbs and they are bending behind the heel and about to break.
If you are looking for short-term performance, then you've found the right shoe, but for long term durability, you should opt for a heavier pair.

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Sherpa

Great shoe. Used them for two years now. Had problem with shoes falling off in deep snow.

Customer Service

Called about above problem. Sent me a pair of their new cotrol trac binding free of charge.

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None

These are my first pair of aluminum snowshoes and I am not disappointed. My 1998 Blackhawks are great in deep snow and for trailbreaking. They are light, track straight ahead, thanks to the tail, and have good traction. I like the bindings (I am not a fan of the new ratchet bindings). Redfeather also sells handy toe covers that snap right onto the binding to keep your toes warm and dry. Good idea! The bindings handle anyhting from a sneaker right up to my full size Asolo 520 GTX boots.

Cons include the fact that the nice paint job is vulnerable to rocks and other obstacles hidden in sometimes shallow eastern snow. The decking also is starting to fray at the edges which does not look good.

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I own Redfeather Redtails, Blackhawks, and experimented with a pair of Tubb's Frontiers last year. The Tubbs Model compared to my 'feathers was like comparing a Yugo to a Mercedes. Redfeathers perform well and are fun.

These are pretty good shoes. They're the only pair I've ever had and I'm satisfied with my purchase. I weigh in at about 200 pounds and was worried at first about breaking or bending the shoe when I'm carrying some extra weight. They haven't broken yet. The laces are a bit clumsy when you have gloves on, but once you get them on, they don't come off easily.

I have rented these from the local outdoor store for day hikes with the scouts, they are very light, functional, are easy to fit to your boots, and work quite well in everything but deep soft powder. A good all-around snowshoe for sports hikers...

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None

I rented these at Mt. Bachelor. I like the narrow tail. They provide more clearance and help cut down on the chance of stepping on your shoe. The bindings are not as easy to use as they could be.

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None