Additional info…. 1/05/22 At the time these Gladiator range overview videos were filmed (several months ago), SUPboarder was informed Gladiator was a Latvian registered company and at that point the team didn’t look any further into it. More recently, following the start of the conflicts in Ukraine, and online discussions following the videos becoming live, SUPboarder has done further research to understand the background and ownership of the brand. Our research shows that Gladiator is a Latvian registered company, with Iurii Dunin being the owner who lives in Latvia with Latvian residency, Originally born in Russia. The boards are made in a Chinese factory that is owned by Iurii with the help of Aquatech Solutions Limited who are the investment capital from Hong Kong . SUPboarder organised these reviews in autumn 2021 with FC UP, the UK distributor of the brand (a UK company) who manage a lot of the product development and marketing of the brand. Gladiator is not a direct sale brand, and therefore has many distribution partners around the world. SUPboarder is always committed to delivering honest information to help you make the best informed decisions throughout your SUP journey. And we therefore felt it was only right to share this additional information with you following our research More info here: docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vRm3Q81fjlzy8L5DN4cJlC9FMi2TNcj_NmrToVJ90G5o40hXQk6UdFJ60oCE39qLHwkJusj-in25c_C/pub
Great review, I’ve checked out the origin, pro and now elite videos. Will certainly be going for the elite but my god didn’t gladiator just give up with the colour way/ design at this point. The cheaper boards look worlds apart in design and colour choices.
The construction looks very similar to the Red Paddle Co. sport line, from the materials to the new bungy cords... how does the package and quality compared to the Reds? there's a significant price difference (although Red do offer a 5 years warranty).
The package and quality is comparable with Red, but of course Red do provide slightly higher quality accessories like the bag and their history of being top quality is backed up with years of experience and customer reviews. We are very impressed with Gladiator boards/package and if this is within your budget, you will be very impressed with the board and package at those prices. Hope this helps. Thanks, Beau
Unfortunately my Red Paddle Sport broke down in a way you would'nt expect from this expensive brand. I purchased a Gladiator Elite LE as replacement. Despite having no battens like the Red Paddle Sport, the Gladiator feels much stiffer (pumped to 20 PSI) the Gladiator is really a lot faster but also a bit more demanding. But i like that actually. Because i wanted more contact with the water i bought the 4.7 thick version despite my 185 cm height and 90 kilogram weight. It's just an exciting first class board.
Great review; how would you compare the Gladiator Elite 11.2 to the Red 11.3 Sport for a small, lightweight rider in terms of speed and maneouvrability for flat and choppy water? From the specs, there seems to be only a slight difference in volume with the Red having a slightly smaller volume.
The Gladiator is narrower and even slightly lighter in weight when compared to the Red Sport. You will get better glide and speed from a narrower board and the less weight will improve your manoeuvrability in all water states. Of course, the price is very different too. Hope this helps. Beau
You didn't really talk much about the shorter boards in the range as in what they're for and who they're for. Right now I'm paddling the obligatory 10ft 6" x 32" 'beginners' board and looking for an upgrade. River paddling the Thames mostly. Any help would be truly appreciated.
If you want speed, then going longer and narrower will help. A smaller board will suit a lighterweight rider searching for manoeuvrability from the board. Thanks, Beau
Hello. Do you have plans to test Jobe Duna or Neva? I chose the second sup and looking at STX, Gladiator Pro or Elite series, size from 11' to 12,6' appr. or Jobe Duna 11,6', Jobe Neva 12,6'. You tested STX and Gladiator. They both quite stiff, but what about others consumer properties? Which sup you prefer? Thank you.
Hi Alex, the SUP you choose will depend on what you want to use the boards for. We can't recommend a favourite as your paddling might be different to ours. We don't currently have plans to review Jobe products, but we do contact them brands on a regular basis. We also haven't ridden the Jobe boards, so we can't make a direct comparison. But we have heard good things about them if you are considering purchasing one. Hope this helps. Beau
We would recommend another board for tandem touring adventures. There are quite a few out there to choose from like the RED Tandem, Aquatone Tandem, Aqua Marina Tandem and Shark SUP tandem. If you need some advice, please let us know. Thanks, Beau
Oooh tough choice. Both great boards. We think you would be happy with either purchase. Quroc doing some really great things as a company in terms of sustainability and support for charities which might sway the decision. Hope that helps. Thanks, Beau
@@atmega64 A search shows its 100% Russian: "Weihai Black Sea Marine CO., Ltd was established in 2011 with 100% foreign investments (Russian DV-EXTREME Branch)," And that is the company that has the Gladiator brand.
@@mikaelvalen-sendstad9392 I'm from Ukraine. I know that brand. Unfortunately, a lot of people buy it still, because "it does not matter" or "sport is out of politic" (spoiler: not) ...
@Kostiantyn Pryliepskyi I wish you, your family and your friends all the best. What we choose to do does matter. Also when it comes to who we give our money. People that has already bought one can relax though. Past is past, and what matters is the choices we make from now.
For correct Gladiator information please click this link. - docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vRm3Q81fjlzy8L5DN4cJlC9FMi2TNcj_NmrToVJ90G5o40hXQk6UdFJ60oCE39qLHwkJusj-in25c_C/pub
![[PADLUJTE.CZ] Recenze paddleboardů GLADIATOR ELITE 2022](/img/n.gif)
Additional info…. 1/05/22
At the time these Gladiator range overview videos were filmed (several months ago), SUPboarder was informed Gladiator was a Latvian registered company and at that point the team didn’t look any further into it. More recently, following the start of the conflicts in Ukraine, and online discussions following the videos becoming live, SUPboarder has done further research to understand the background and ownership of the brand.
Our research shows that Gladiator is a Latvian registered company, with Iurii Dunin being the owner who lives in Latvia with Latvian residency, Originally born in Russia. The boards are made in a Chinese factory that is owned by Iurii with the help of Aquatech Solutions Limited who are the investment capital from Hong Kong .
SUPboarder organised these reviews in autumn 2021 with FC UP, the UK distributor of the brand (a UK company) who manage a lot of the product development and marketing of the brand. Gladiator is not a direct sale brand, and therefore has many distribution partners around the world.
SUPboarder is always committed to delivering honest information to help you make the best informed decisions throughout your SUP journey. And we therefore felt it was only right to share this additional information with you following our research
More info here: docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vRm3Q81fjlzy8L5DN4cJlC9FMi2TNcj_NmrToVJ90G5o40hXQk6UdFJ60oCE39qLHwkJusj-in25c_C/pub
Great review, I’ve checked out the origin, pro and now elite videos. Will certainly be going for the elite but my god didn’t gladiator just give up with the colour way/ design at this point. The cheaper boards look worlds apart in design and colour choices.
Yes, they really do. Thanks for your thoughts and comment. Thanks, Beau
The construction looks very similar to the Red Paddle Co. sport line, from the materials to the new bungy cords... how does the package and quality compared to the Reds? there's a significant price difference (although Red do offer a 5 years warranty).
The package and quality is comparable with Red, but of course Red do provide slightly higher quality accessories like the bag and their history of being top quality is backed up with years of experience and customer reviews.
We are very impressed with Gladiator boards/package and if this is within your budget, you will be very impressed with the board and package at those prices.
Hope this helps.
Thanks, Beau
Unfortunately my Red Paddle Sport broke down in a way you would'nt expect from this expensive brand. I purchased a Gladiator Elite LE as replacement. Despite having no battens like the Red Paddle Sport, the Gladiator feels much stiffer (pumped to 20 PSI) the Gladiator is really a lot faster but also a bit more demanding. But i like that actually. Because i wanted more contact with the water i bought the 4.7 thick version despite my 185 cm height and 90 kilogram weight. It's just an exciting first class board.
Great review; how would you compare the Gladiator Elite 11.2 to the Red 11.3 Sport for a small, lightweight rider in terms of speed and maneouvrability for flat and choppy water? From the specs, there seems to be only a slight difference in volume with the Red having a slightly smaller volume.
The Gladiator is narrower and even slightly lighter in weight when compared to the Red Sport. You will get better glide and speed from a narrower board and the less weight will improve your manoeuvrability in all water states. Of course, the price is very different too. Hope this helps. Beau
You didn't really talk much about the shorter boards in the range as in what they're for and who they're for. Right now I'm paddling the obligatory 10ft 6" x 32" 'beginners' board and looking for an upgrade. River paddling the Thames mostly. Any help would be truly appreciated.
If you want speed, then going longer and narrower will help. A smaller board will suit a lighterweight rider searching for manoeuvrability from the board. Thanks, Beau
Hello. Do you have plans to test Jobe Duna or Neva?
I chose the second sup and looking at STX, Gladiator Pro or Elite series, size from 11' to 12,6' appr. or Jobe Duna 11,6', Jobe Neva 12,6'.
You tested STX and Gladiator.
They both quite stiff, but what about others consumer properties?
Which sup you prefer?
Thank you.
Hi Alex, the SUP you choose will depend on what you want to use the boards for. We can't recommend a favourite as your paddling might be different to ours.
We don't currently have plans to review Jobe products, but we do contact them brands on a regular basis.
We also haven't ridden the Jobe boards, so we can't make a direct comparison. But we have heard good things about them if you are considering purchasing one.
Hope this helps. Beau
What shoes/boots are you wearing in the video?
Reuben is wearing Prolimit boots.
Is this board capable for tandem, like im 80kgs nd my sis is about 55kgs, or can you recommend something better for tandem tours?
We would recommend another board for tandem touring adventures. There are quite a few out there to choose from like the RED Tandem, Aquatone Tandem, Aqua Marina Tandem and Shark SUP tandem. If you need some advice, please let us know. Thanks, Beau
Gladiator Elite 12'6" s or Quroc 12'6" ??? Help me decide 🙏
Oooh tough choice. Both great boards. We think you would be happy with either purchase. Quroc doing some really great things as a company in terms of sustainability and support for charities which might sway the decision. Hope that helps. Thanks, Beau
@@SUPboardermag It doesn't 🤣, but thanks for the reply, Beau.
Does anyone know which country the owners of the Gladiator brand lives in? I couldn't find it, and it makes me suspect it is Russian.
right. that's it.
@@atmega64 A search shows its 100% Russian:
"Weihai Black Sea Marine CO., Ltd was established in 2011 with 100% foreign investments (Russian DV-EXTREME Branch)," And that is the company that has the Gladiator brand.
@@mikaelvalen-sendstad9392 I'm from Ukraine. I know that brand. Unfortunately, a lot of people buy it still, because "it does not matter" or "sport is out of politic" (spoiler: not) ...
@Kostiantyn Pryliepskyi I wish you, your family and your friends all the best.
What we choose to do does matter.
Also when it comes to who we give our money.
People that has already bought one can relax though.
Past is past, and what matters is the choices we make from now.
For correct Gladiator information please click this link. - docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vRm3Q81fjlzy8L5DN4cJlC9FMi2TNcj_NmrToVJ90G5o40hXQk6UdFJ60oCE39qLHwkJusj-in25c_C/pub