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Vekoma SLC vs Intamin suspended looping coaster

Which coaster would you rather ride?

  • Vekoma SLC - No pain, no gain.

    Votes: 4 22.2%

  • Intamin Suspended Looping Coaster - More than a plus one.

    Votes: 14 77.8%
  • Total voters
    18
ECG

ECG

East Coast(er) General
Staff member
Administrator
Neither of these coasters are an enthusiast's dream - to say the least.
Vekoma SLCs have a great layout and are fast and fun, but can cause bruising as well as minor concussions.
Intamin suspended looping coasters are a rare breed with only two currently operating. They offer a much smoother ride than the Vekomas, but don't pack any punch.
 
I prefer the SLC.

Tornado at Sarkanniemi was as smooth as glass but it really didn't do it for me, it lacked any real force and gave the feeling it wasn't going to make it through the last couple of inversions. I didn't dislike it but it wasn't as good as I'd expected it to be.

SLC's on the other hand I quite enjoy, yes they're rough, some extremely rough, but never to the point that it becomes painful. I'm not a huge fan of the standard model (Infusion, El Condor etc.) and if I were comparing them against the Intamin, I'd pick Intamin, but The Odyssey and Kumali I really enjoyed, The Odyssey (yup, it's been renamed from Jubilee Odyssey) is extremely rough through the last couple of inversions, but the drop, loop and cobra roll are fantastic! As for Kumali, I found it to be a really enjoyable coaster, I like the simplistic layout and the smoothness, and the long, drawn out swooping drop is excellent.
 
I've only ridden Mind Eraser at SFNE... I actually don't hate it. The inversions are fun and intense, but it's just that damn head banging.

I do think I'd have fun on an Intamin SLC though, but based on what I'm hearing, I'm not sure if I'd like it is much as Vekoma. Would love to try one though!
 
I haven't ridden any of the Intamin SLC, but I have to say that both of Vekoma SLC that I have ridden were, quite frankly, awful. Maybe the new models are an improvement over the older ones, but, for now, it is, IMO, the worst stock model that they offer. On the other hand the only GIB I've ridden was great, so I can say they have a feel how to make a good invert... :)
 
I have ridden enough Vekoma SLC's for a lifetime, but only have ridden Intamin Impulses in comparison.

While I cannot comment on the layout of Intamin SLC's, I can comment on their train design when compared to Vekoma. Intamin is a clear winner, having a natural fit for their OTSRs while giving a comfy, open seat. Vekoma SLC's fit comfortably snug as well, but feature a racheting OTSR with awkward hand grips. In all honesty, it is those hand grips that undoes the Vekoma train design for me.

Vekoma SLC's have their place as an affordable big thrill ride for amusement parks that have a plot of land ready for the cookie cutter design. While it is the joke of every enthusiast, it is also the most popular inverted roller coaster. 32 Vekoma SLCs have been built over the years, greater than B&M's 28.

That being said, Vekoma SLCs are far from being the cream of the crop - I would take the Intamin SLC any day.
 
It's a tough call. I'd probably take the Vekoma over the Intamin on a good day, but if the SLC is starting to get rough then the Intamin would probably take it.

I actually quite enjoyed Tornado at Sarkanniemi, at least until after the roll through the station. After that, it seemed to die off a bit, and got a bit too bumpy for my liking.
 
I have to say here that SLC by Vekoma have greatly improved. El Condor @ Walibi Holland is one of the earliest and is quite rough. Vampire @ Walibi Belgium is 6 years younger and not quite as rough as El Condor.
But i've also ridden MP Express @ Movieworld Germany. This SLC is as smooth as a SLC can get.
 
Intamin Invert hands down. Tornado at Sarkeniemmi is great. I was not allowed to ride the Tornado at Parque De Attraciones - but this is likely due to illogical spanish safety rules - I do not blame the park or Intamin for this.

So far have not ridden a SLC with new trains featuring vestlike OTSR - on sitdown loppers like Python or Speed Of Sound the ride experience greatly improved.
 
ECG said:
Intamin suspended looping coasters are a rare breed with only two currently operating.
Click to expand...
Doesn't Volcano count as an Intamin suspended looping coaster? It's certainly suspended, and have inversions, and it's great! :) I like this ride a lot, hence why I picked Intamin. Haven't been on any of the Tornado rides..

Vekoma SLCs are generally crap, but I kind of like the one at Heide Park since it's smoth enough to enjoy! Not nearly as good as Volcano though.
 
Tornado at PdA was pretty uneventful. Yeah it's smooth, but that counts for **** when its dull as.

I'd take being thrown around anyday.
 
I've been on the both Intamin Tornadoes and I have to agree that they are definitely smoother than Vekoma SLC's but more boring. I did Vampire at Walibi Belgium last year and it was pretty okay I think (a lot better than El Condor), if the layout was different, I think I'd prefer it to the Tornadoes.
 
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