The Smiler vs Saw The Ride; which Merlin Gerstlauer do you prefer?

[Nicky Borrill]

Saw for me, but it's not exactly an easy call, I find both to be almost unrideable. Saw's headbanging vs the rattle and god awful final inversions of the world record holder, pick your poison.

Saw gets the edge because of the cool indoor section, Smilers is ****e in comparison, as well as the airtime hill with the camera and the mcbr drop. At least is has airtime. Smilers airtime hills got trimmed a few years back, they are floaterish now.

Those trims were always there, since opening year, and they seem to bite less now (if at all) than they originally did... I haven't seen it stall just after them for a good while either, not sure if that's linked or not.

Anyway, @Matt N I actually came to share this with you, this guy seems to agree with you on the airtime

I have to admit, I'd forgotten about the indoor drop. That was actually a really solid moment, and was even better when the effects worked properly and you felt you were being thrown into the spikes!!! Have to agree with DelPiero, the indoor section of Saw is really cool, or it was when it all worked.

(Though he is still categorically wrong about the airtime hill!)

 

[DelPiero]

Those trims were always there, since opening year, and they seem to bite less now (if at all) than they originally did... I haven't seen it stall just after them for a good while either, not sure if that's linked or not.

Opening year they definitely didn't bite though, got some great airtime off them at first, then it went through a period of really feeling them engage, maybe when we were seeing all the stalls happen.
Still felt a bit bitey on my last ride, definitely not as good as when it first opened that's for sure.

I still remember riding Saw for the first time and that spike drop was perfect.

 

[Nicky Borrill]

Opening year they definitely didn't bite though, got some great airtime off them at first, then it went through a period of really feeling them engage, maybe when we were seeing all the stalls happen.
Still felt a bit bitey on my last ride, definitely not as good as when it first opened that's for sure.

I still remember riding Saw for the first time and that spike drop was perfect.

I'd completely forgotten that spike drop for some reason, it was insane early years, it never failed to deliver, no matter how many times you'd ridden it and knew it was coming, it still took your breath away.

It's not had the same effect recently though, the timing of the strobes is way off, if they are working at all at the time, and the whole area seems lighter / brighter to start with. I know we always knew it was coming, but when you can actually see it coming, it's not nearly as good somehow.

 

[ScottLann]

The whole area seems lighter / brighter to start with. I know we always knew it was coming, but when you can actually see it coming, it's not nearly as good somehow.

I've noticed this as well. You can clearly see all the lights and even some of the walls inside now which definitely takes away from the surprise factor. I'd much prefer the whole indoor section to be pitch black and only have the lights come on at the last second (such as the spikes).

It reminds me of Duel in a way too, as you can also see past the theming and make out the likes of the warehouse ceiling which totally takes away from the immersion. Hopefully Thorpe knocks those lights off for the next season