Tbh from what ive seen theyre handling their QC issues accordingly
IKP trucks inhernetly loosen when you constantly tune them bc youre putting toque on the inner/baseplate locking nut constantly. Idk if people are messing with different bushings etc and washers but i know i would and that would lead to loosening it for sure.
From what ive seen skate wise right down to the tapered hanger/axle area. These seem to boast beefier hangers than whats "out there" IMO in regards to Titanium/price point trucks.
Bent axles are a byproduct of all terrain skating or adding impact to your skate diet. If you add pool coping/grooved trucks and slappys to the equation it seems almost impossible to justify any 80+$ titanium option.
If im skating just flat/pyramid/ledges and mostly metal coping thunders are some of the best trucks ive had for metal to metal grinds I may get better lock/pinch on crooks and smiths/feebles with ventures/indy but the level of speed i grind with thunder has its own "worth price of admission" experience. As all 3 trucks offer their own turning. havent skated aces...also i ride 8.75 axle these days which ace doesnt make. In the past ive ridden 149 thunder malto titaniums that i got on massive discount pretty much as much as standards. I mean if you got the $$$ i can really understand the methodology of these trucks with the weight of the GEN III thunder forged titaniums. As i got older and more injured a truck like that being so light made 8.38 feel like 8" and flip tricks super easy on flat/transition....just the board felt like a toy with any air or airs. And equally dead to ride in transition when trying to pump/generate speed such a lack of board feel/surface feel. Compared to 101a wheels on 6.1 or 159 standards. I like stage 9/X standard height similar to venture highs.
But if youre telling me i can get a titanium truck that grinds like indys on concrete if not better, and grinds like thunder metal to metal, with a hanger life that will be essentially double of the venture titaniums. Id be largely interested IKP issues/dialing in aside. I love the way ventures feel to skate and its encouraging to try 6.1s on 8.8-9.25 shaped boards...the idea of adding a titanium truck with forged baseplate to that equation for massive ollies etc bs airs, seems nice then i remember how easy it is to grind through venture hangers. IMO making titanium ventures/thunders more ideal for those competition skaters or tech/ledge skaters whos parts are primarily park based etc. IDK how people could grind through a chunk of hanger and expect to ride some of these hollows or even titanium trucks on a trip and expect them to not break/bend. Its why most pros run standards on all the brands they ride. Then again if you want a groove asap on fresh trucks ventures can grind away. But these lurpivs look to be some good grinding trucks, if i can lock into a smith like an indy or etc but fly like its a thunder....i mean it could really be that worth it to me at least. I dont skate impact so i have no worries about axle damage.
IKP is more an aspect of practicality...i like to use the "were not pros" logic...pros set up boards as OFTEN as they do....they can ideally tune up their indy mids or other ikp trucks per board set up....they have access to the bottom of their baseplate/s that often compared to people like us plebs that run our main setup and a few in the quiver which rarely get changed/modified or etc. I feel the same way about bones bushings being 10$ and how often meds need to be replaced. Its all nice if youre sponsored and have all the replacement parts on hand. Bones bushings and IKP being loose or not and how often you have to check the inner nut if its moving... or mark your top/cap nut with your yoke/hanger to see if theres "migration. I went back to venture/6.1s bc i wanted to make sure i didnt overlook them, before getting ace 44s. I can already tell these ventures wont last on concrete/slappys and its going to be hard to get a real groove if i keep doing slappys bc theyll just be wavy all over.
The main negative from these lurpivs i can see is if theyre truly "more durable" forming an ideal groove will become a major mission. Usually you just have a local spot/park/pool with a concrete ledge to do repeated grinds on. makes me wonder how many grinds and pin adjusments etc...i mean unless theyre truly GREAT to skate and i put them on a main setup....it takes a while to get grooves on the quiver/shelf.
Titanium trucks on a main setup to me just means id crack a hanger on indys or thunders if i was using them for everything. Thats like years of use/crooks and grinds/hubbas. But still in that case i could buy various trucks and quiver up. From a cost aspect