Boswell’s New Flex Review

[larasea]

I posted this review of the Merlin on "AreoHunter Merlin - anyone not like it" prior to the Boswell video:

I hunt out of the Flex and the Merlin. I really like both a lot. I mainly sit while hunting and my last sit in the Merlin was 6 hours. The last hour or so I got uncomfortable around the bottom of my legs where saddle rides. So the next day I sat in the Flex and had no discomfort. After closer examination, the Flex lower portion is wider that the Merlin. I suspect the Flex distributes my weight a little better while sitting. With that being said, I find both of them really comfortable. This my first year in a saddle.

My Flex is the previous design to be clear. I also have noted during my hunts that the design of the Merlin is lighter and I like the linemen loops better than my Flex. To be specific the loops are a little more forward on the Merlin. Being older and less flexible the loops are easier to access.

I have had nothing but positive experiences dealing with AreoHunter and their products. I for one will continue to hunt out of the AreoHunter products.

 

[Red Beard]

Aero Hunter is the only company going backwards in innovation... I wish they'd bring the OG Kestrel back with the heavy buckles and all. It's a shame to see a company that originally led the charge going the opposite direction they should be.

Bring back the Evo. Bring back the Evo! BRING BACK THE EVO!!!

 

[mattsteg]

I have had nothing but positive experiences dealing with AreoHunter and their products. I for one will continue to hunt out of the AreoHunter products.

I just wish their marketing was run a bit differently. The guy in question has come up before - and I'd had semi-unpleasant impressions of him in the past as well (I didn't realize at the time he was officially affiliated, I considered him the sort of arrogant, overzealous fanboy that you're kind of embarrassed of as a company and hope that he gets tired and reigns himself in)

I suspect that comfort will vary a lot depending on how you use the saddle and how long you sit. What's most comfortable at hour 1, hour 2, hour 6 might be (will be) different.

 

[Ontariofarmer]

I can say that I had a flex. Well made above average comfort. Bulky. I could recommend it. But I like my TX5 better or the Cruzr XC or my JX3 more.
The flex is a good saddle IMO, many people will be happy with it


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[gcr0003]

I can say that I had a flex. Well made above average comfort. Bulky. I could recommend it. But I like my TX5 better or the Cruzr XC or my JX3 more.
The flex is a good saddle IMO, many people will be happy with it


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Are you saying you have tried the new flex or are you referring to the old design?

 

[Ontariofarmer]

Bring back the Evo. Bring back the Evo! BRING BACK THE EVO!!!

Well Boswell helped design it. I prefer the Cruzr XC


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[Ontariofarmer]

Are you saying you have tried the new flex or are you referring to the old design?

Well, I am not sure, got it in March. So I expect the old design.
You know, I have stopped caring about new saddles because I am content with my choices
There are lots of fine saddles today. I have tried 10 saddles and don’t care about the new ones

The Dunning Kruger effect just struck me


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[elk yinzer]

Tough to innovate when you perfect a saddle (OG Flex). But waaaaaahhh the plastic coating was rubbing off, waaaaaahhhhh. Greatest saddle ever made and the Karens ruined it.

 

[gcr0003]

Well, I am not sure, got it in March. So I expect the old design.
You know, I have stopped caring about new saddles because I am content with my choices
There are lots of fine saddles today. I have tried 10 saddles and don’t care about the new ones

The Dunning Kruger effect just struck me


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Yea we are talking about the newer flex. It’s the same as the merlin except the fabric I do believe.

 

[bowhuntr09]

Aerohunter earned my respect with the way they handled my OG Flex replacement, solid customer service for sure. They lost some respect with the way they block someone for a negative review that appears to be based in fact. There is nothing about the new Flex or Merlin that would make me open my wallet.

 

[Aaronpaul14]

I personally did not have the same issues as him with my Merlin. Have sat in it for a few decent sits and have had no hip pinch/pressure points. At first I had slight uncomfortable sit but once I did some adjustments it’s super comfortable.

Also if the 3rd loop worries you for clipping in the dark just make the leg loops the lineman’s belt loops. I like all of the adjustments and if you spend the time it’s really comfortable.

I will add I am at the top of their sizing chart for a size 1 and he looks a lot skinner so maybe that had an issue with his comfort. I’ve got a little junk in the trunk so the saddle is filled in pretty good.

A TX5 is probably the only saddle I could see myself selling the Merlin to get. But I don’t see myself going that route anytime soon.

 

[Ontariofarmer]

View attachment 41100
Yea we are talking about the newer flex. It’s the same as the merlin except the fabric I do believe.

Me wrong. That said I will take a potentially unbiased view.



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[gcr0003]

Me wrong. That said I will take a potentially unbiased view.



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Has ole madhunts or whatever his channel is called done a review on the new flex or Merlin yet?

 

[Ontariofarmer]

I personally did not have the same issues as him with my Merlin. Have sat in it for a few decent sits and have had no hip pinch/pressure points. At first I had slight uncomfortable sit but once I did some adjustments it’s super comfortable.

Also if the 3rd loop worries you for clipping in the dark just make the leg loops the lineman’s belt loops. I like all of the adjustments and if you spend the time it’s really comfortable.

I will add I am at the top of their sizing chart for a size 1 and he looks a lot skinner so maybe that had an issue with his comfort. I’ve got a little junk in the trunk so the saddle is filled in pretty good.

A TX5 is probably the only saddle I could see myself selling the Merlin to get. But I don’t see myself going that route anytime soon.

I will take this viewpoint over a potentially biased one


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[kyler1945]

I have no dog in the fight, but take issue with the mental gymnastics occurring here.

if you search keyword hybrid, with my username as the filter, you’ll likely turn up hundreds if not thousands of posts. Though I’m not paid, and am not “pro staff” in the sense we use the word around here, to say I’m biased towards the hybrid is the understatement of the year. I am extremely biased towards the hybrid.

what I take issue with is saying that a review can’t be useful or taken seriously because of personal bias is insane. Why? Every time a person opens their mind or mouth, they’ll be doing so with bias. It’s unavoidable.

having said that, I have a couple questions.

With my content on this site dripping with my overt bias, when I say that the hybrid is more comfortable than any other saddle, is it wrong? No. Why? Because comfort, in the sense we’re discussing, is a function of force and pressure. The more surface area the forces of gravity are spread across, the less uncomfortable those forces will be. Lower force = longer time to sit still before getting uncomfortable. If you are a person who prefers to stand and doesn’t like sitting - you’re not buying a hybrid, so your interpretation of comfort doesn’t really matter for the conversation.

does my clear and present bias change the fact that you don’t need a 3-6 pound platform with the hybrid? No, it’s simple physics. Increase in force applied to the rest of your body results in less force being applied to the bottom of your feet. Thus, less surface area needed below them.

I could go on, but you get the point.

don’t sell yourselves short. People aren’t dumb. They’re just often lazy. Remember - everyone is biased. Everyone has an axe to grind. Everyone suffers from cognitive dissonance. Everyone neglects to mention tradeoffs that weaken their position on a product or technique. But there are things that can be learned from someone who gives the time and effort to give a thought out response or review on a product. It’s up to you to take a long position on the facts presented, and a short position on the circumstantial information that doesn’t apply to you. It’s not the content provider’s responsibility to be pure. It’s on you to consume it responsibly and thoughtfully.

 

[gcr0003]

I have no dog in the fight, but take issue with the mental gymnastics occurring here.

if you search keyword hybrid, with my username as the filter, you’ll likely turn up hundreds if not thousands of posts. Though I’m not paid, and am not “pro staff” in the sense we use the word around here, to say I’m biased towards the hybrid is the understatement of the year. I am extremely biased towards the hybrid.

what I take issue with is saying that a review can’t be useful or taken seriously because of personal bias is insane. Why? Every time a person opens their mind or mouth, they’ll be doing so with bias. It’s unavoidable.

having said that, I have a couple questions.

With my content on this site dripping with my overt bias, when I say that the hybrid is more comfortable than any other saddle, is it wrong? No. Why? Because comfort, in the sense we’re discussing, is a function of force and pressure. The more surface area the forces of gravity are spread across, the less uncomfortable those forces will be. Lower force = longer time to sit still before getting uncomfortable. If you are a person who prefers to stand and doesn’t like sitting - you’re not buying a hybrid, so your interpretation of comfort doesn’t really matter for the conversation.

does my clear and present bias change the fact that you don’t need a 3-6 pound platform with the hybrid? No, it’s simple physics. Increase in force applied to the rest of your body results in less force being applied to the bottom of your feet. Thus, less surface area needed below them.

I could go on, but you get the point.

don’t sell yourselves short. People aren’t dumb. They’re just often lazy. Remember - everyone is biased. Everyone has an axe to grind. Everyone suffers from cognitive dissonance. Everyone neglects to mention tradeoffs that weaken their position on a product or technique. But there are things that can be learned from someone who gives the time and effort to give a thought out response or review on a product. It’s up to you to take a long position on the facts presented, and a short position on the circumstantial information that doesn’t apply to you. It’s not the content provider’s responsibility to be pure. It’s on you to consume it responsibly and thoughtfully.

You can’t not post about the JX3 can you lol

 

[kyler1945]

You can’t not post about the JX3 can you lol

haha, guilty as charged. But it’s literally exactly what I just said. My question remains - does it make the things I’ve said any less true?

As an aside - I wish I could draw - I’d sketch a cartoon of a hybrid, sitting in a hybrid, in front of a computer typing a post that reads “I know you asked about the type of acorn that is, but if you were sitting in a hybrid, you’d be more comfortable, and better able to identity it...” as a response to your post.

 

[mattsteg]

I have no dog in the fight, but take issue with the mental gymnastics occurring here.

if you search keyword hybrid, with my username as the filter, you’ll likely turn up hundreds if not thousands of posts. Though I’m not paid, and am not “pro staff” in the sense we use the word around here, to say I’m biased towards the hybrid is the understatement of the year. I am extremely biased towards the hybrid.

what I take issue with is saying that a review can’t be useful or taken seriously because of personal bias is insane. Why? Every time a person opens their mind or mouth, they’ll be doing so with bias. It’s unavoidable.

having said that, I have a couple questions.

With my content on this site dripping with my overt bias, when I say that the hybrid is more comfortable than any other saddle, is it wrong? No. Why? Because comfort, in the sense we’re discussing, is a function of force and pressure. The more surface area the forces of gravity are spread across, the less uncomfortable those forces will be. Lower force = longer time to sit still before getting uncomfortable. If you are a person who prefers to stand and doesn’t like sitting - you’re not buying a hybrid, so your interpretation of comfort doesn’t really matter for the conversation.

does my clear and present bias change the fact that you don’t need a 3-6 pound platform with the hybrid? No, it’s simple physics. Increase in force applied to the rest of your body results in less force being applied to the bottom of your feet. Thus, less surface area needed below them.

I could go on, but you get the point.

don’t sell yourselves short. People aren’t dumb. They’re just often lazy. Remember - everyone is biased. Everyone has an axe to grind. Everyone suffers from cognitive dissonance. Everyone neglects to mention tradeoffs that weaken their position on a product or technique. But there are things that can be learned from someone who gives the time and effort to give a thought out response or review on a product. It’s up to you to take a long position on the facts presented, and a short position on the circumstantial information that doesn’t apply to you. It’s not the content provider’s responsibility to be pure. It’s on you to consume it responsibly and thoughtfully.

Bias becomes a bad thing if you think that it drives someone to present dishonestly (vs just really liking stuff that's designed to their preferences and disliking stuff designed to someone else's). Otherwise strong and transparent opinions make for some of the most useful reviews.

Is it possible that the Merlin/newflex need to be set up and used much differently from older designs from AH, and that Boswell's "bias" in how to set up a saddle is blinding him to that? I guess. Is it possible that his preconceived notions of comfort are overriding his brain on actual comfort? Maybe. Is it possible that he has an axe to grind? Sure. But what he brings up is specific enough that it seems easy to at least ask those with more positive views, how they feel about those specific details. Maybe they're a different shape? Maybe you need to size differently than you're used to? Maybe comfort is part-formula and part personal?

I mean you still get people claiming that the damn mantis is comfortable!

 

[sojourner]

His review kept me from ordering a new flex / Merlin. Every time I find something good, soon thereafter, it is no longer commercially available. My flex size 2 will have to be babied until my thread injecting skills become good enough to make a quality reproduction.

His review stayed on point with the specifics of the saddle. He may, or may not, have an axe to grind. Regardless, his review was based on his observations, not fanboyism or angst filled rants.


And I never had any interactions with the AH “marketing guy”, but my first impression watching his video or two with aero hunter was that, “he is in over his head / out of his element. Doesn’t appear to be a good fit.”

 

[Ontariofarmer]

The JX3 is great but this is about a video review. Maybe Boswells input is true. But bias does exist. Just good to recognize it.
I prefer a review from some one who hasn’t had a falling out from the company being reviewed. I would hate to see people turned away from a decent company because of someone’s possible bitterness

I think I could be satisfied with about 6 saddles out of the ten saddles I have tried including the flex if I did not know about the few I prefer.
They all have some pluses and minuses


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