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What makes your #1 better than your #2?

Rob Coasters

Rob Coasters

Rob Poster
This might be something that a lot of you have probably already answered in the Top 10(ish) thread but whatevers.

My #1 is Cú Chulainn and my #2 is Megafobia. So what makes Cú Chulainn better than Megafobia? Well Cú Chulainn is just simply a bigger, better, faster, smoother, and longer version of Megafobia which makes its spot at #1 an incredibly easy decision to make. I also love Cu's pull over the first drop, the airtime, and the tunnels. I LOVE TUNNELS. The one thing that Megafobia does better is its location on the lake compared to Cú Chulainn being on a flat rectangle, but I'm still a bit torn on which coaster's trains I prefer. Timberliners or PTCs, I'm not so sure. I need to ride a lot more coasters with Timberliners to get a better answer.

So we've all seen your rankings... but it's about time you justified them. Why is your #1 better than your #2?
 
Interesting thread!

My #1 is Mako at SeaWorld Orlando and my #2 is Silver Star at Europa Park, so my top 2 are both the same ride type (B&M Hypers). That naturally encourages a comparison between the two!

To be honest, there’s not a huge amount between Silver Star and Mako, but Mako currently sits higher because from memory, no individual airtime moment on Silver Star quite matches the raw impact of some of Mako’s best (in my view) airtime moments, such as the first drop, the first big hill and the speed hill. Mako also has (or at least had in 2016) a sublime feeling of 100% glass smoothness that Silver Star lacks; while perfectly smooth enough in its own right, Silver Star doesn’t have quite the same 100% refined feeling of “gliding on air” that Mako does, and the 100% glass smoothness is one of the many things that I loved about Mako in 2016.

With that being said, I would say that Mako does not quite win in every category. In my opinion, Silver Star has a stronger ending than Mako, with those sudden ejector airtime pops after the MCBR being phenomenal and that very nicely executed s-bend ending the ride on a real high! Mako’s ending with the overbanks is still really nice, but I do prefer Silver Star’s more airtime-focused ending.

Overall, there really isn’t a whole lot in it. My reasons for putting Mako higher are really quite picky in the grand scheme of things; they’re both sublime rides!
 
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#1 Is Iron Gwazi and #2 is Velocicoaster.

Honestly, as an overall experience, I'd say Velocicoaster wins. It has great theming, two pretty decent launches, airtime, hangtime, near misses...it's just great! I was expecting to have this as my #1 before my trip to Florida last year.

But then Iron Gwazi is just THAT good at what it does, I couldn't help but love that little bit more. Yes, it's not got the theming and storytelling experience that VC has, but it's what i'd call the perfect roller coaster (or the nearest too, anyway). It's got the best ejector airtime i've ever experienced, it's got the best drop i've ever experienced, and it just doesn't let down its speed at all!
 
#1 Steel Vengeance and #2 Iron Gwazi.

Iron Gwazi is outrageous. The drop, death roll and ‘wave turn / twist and shout’ over the station’ are highlights but saying that feels a disservice to the whole. It’s just relentless.

Steel Vengeance is more surreal. The amount of wood in the structure makes it have a massive presence - as if it’s a cathedral for enthusiasts. Then, the ‘in the structure’ sections at night are otherworldly; you get the all the ‘wonder’ of a spectacular ‘makes-you-gasp-in-astonishment-dark-ride’ whilst experiencing pure “WTF!” RMC madness. Praise the lord 🙇‍♂️
 
It's a question I ask myself frequently because it feels like I'm splitting hairs and sometimes I feel nuts for placing one in front of the other.

#1 Helix vs. #2 Zadra

There's no denying that Zadra is an absolute monster. It hauls throughout the entire layout and features what is probably my all-time favorite inversion in the zero-g/wraparound dive loop thing that is completely buried within the structure of the first turn. I love everything about it except the giant airtime hill that really needs to be several feet shorter in order to match the insanity of the rest of the ride. It's the only flaw of the layout.

Then there's Helix, which just speaks to me in so many ways. I love launched coasters. I love inversion monsters. I love a good terrain coaster. I love a well-paced ride with a unique layout. Nearly everything about Helix's sprawling, hillside layout is unorthodox. The drop out of the station into the corkscrew is just a little teaser before everything gets kicked up several notches. The ride is constantly throwing you out of your seat or firmly planting you in it as you dodge, duck, dip, dive, and dodge your way past/through other attractions and features across the park. The entire ride is a masterclass in building a terrain coaster and integrating an attraction within an already busy park. Despite the numerous obstacles the ride encounters, the entire layout feels so intentional. Nothing feels as if it was forced in order to avoid an obstacle. It has great pacing, strong forces of all kinds, weird elements, great scenery, long duration, and ultra comfortable trains. I love everything about it... except the weak launches. Every ride has a flaw and the weak launches are Helix's flaw. However, that's a known expectation. Mack isn't known for strong launches so it would be foolish for me to go in expecting to have my face ripped off.

So if I had to pinpoint specific things that makes it better, it'd be the longer duration, the variety of elements and forces, and the interaction. And the queue is also better. 😜
 
#1 - Taron
#2 - Taiga

Two Intamin double launches, beginning with T. What separates them? Not much. Really and truly, it is just the theming and larger experience that Taron and Klugheim give in comparison to Taiga. Both rides are phenomenal at what they do, and it is splitting the finest of hairs as to what the difference is for me.
 
#1 Kondaa and #2 Taron. Both Intamins which goes against my traditional bias towards B&M, one launched and one lift hill.

Taron is the ride that finally shifted Nemesis from my #1 spot but what Kondaa has over it in my opinion is the airtime. Kondaa just has so much more of it whilst Taron is more about the twists and turns with Disney-rivalling theming. Those bunny hops at the end of Kondaa seem to decide opinion on here, but I love them.
 
Nothing. By pretty much any matrix I can think of, my number 2 Velocicoaster (and probably even my number 3, Shambhala) beat my number 1, El Toro. However, isn't that the beauty of subjective assessment because I love El Toro. It just spoke to me and afterwards I just needed to sit down in near shock at the amazing experience that I had.
 
#1 SteVe and #2 Taron

Having ridden Taron again last week it is almost impossible for me to say which of these two is better. They are so different that they are almost incomparable, and yet they are without doubt the two greatest coasters of the 350-odd I've ridden.

SteVe has the height, the length, the huge drop, the crazy airtime moments and the amazing finale through the structure. Taron has the theming, the speed, the snappy twists and turns, great airtime pops and what I currently consider to be the greatest moment on any coaster - the second launch. A night ride on either of these two will give you a sublime yet ridiculously wild experience that can only be matched by a ride on the other one.

I give the very, very mild edge to SteVe simply because of the audacious amount and variety of airtime it gives, but the reality is I may never ride SteVe again, whereas I will most definitely ride Taron again and it makes me warm inside to know that it is just a relatively short journey away. 🥰
 
Nitefly said:
#1 Steel Vengeance and #2 Iron Gwazi.

Iron Gwazi is outrageous. The drop, death roll and ‘wave turn / twist and shout’ over the station’ are highlights but saying that feels a disservice to the whole. It’s just relentless.

Steel Vengeance is more surreal. The amount of wood in the structure makes it have a massive presence - as if it’s a cathedral for enthusiasts. Then, the ‘in the structure’ sections at night are otherworldly; you get the all the ‘wonder’ of a spectacular ‘makes-you-gasp-in-astonishment-dark-ride’ whilst experiencing pure “WTF!” RMC madness. Praise the lord 🙇‍♂️
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This precisely. Gwazi is downright powerful, relentless, with mindblowing pacing. Vengeance isn't as much of those things, but the length as well as the combination of insane trimless, halloweekends night rides I've had on it have it solidly locked at #1. Only a few rides out there I could see knocking it out of that spot.
 
#1- Eejanaika
#2- Steel Vengeance

Steel Vengeance is such a perfect coaster in terms of having almost every element that I hold in high regard, but nothing on that coaster is unique in that I hadn't experienced any of the sensations many times before. What it does so well is that it combines the most perfect coaster elements into one. Eejanaika on the other hand, while it doesn't have much airtime, is like nothing I had ever experienced. Even apart from analyzing elements, I knew the way that Eeejanaika was making me laugh like no other coaster ever had that it would land in my number one spot without much question. Coasters are suppose to be fun, and while I had fun on both my number one and number two, my number one is just set apart by being so unique and out of this world, really.
 
witchfinder said:
#1 SteVe and #2 Taron

Having ridden Taron again last week it is almost impossible for me to say which of these two is better. They are so different that they are almost incomparable, and yet they are without doubt the two greatest coasters of the 350-odd I've ridden.

SteVe has the height, the length, the huge drop, the crazy airtime moments and the amazing finale through the structure. Taron has the theming, the speed, the snappy twists and turns, great airtime pops and what I currently consider to be the greatest moment on any coaster - the second launch. A night ride on either of these two will give you a sublime yet ridiculously wild experience that can only be matched by a ride on the other one.

I give the very, very mild edge to SteVe simply because of the audacious amount and variety of airtime it gives, but the reality is I may never ride SteVe again, whereas I will most definitely ride Taron again and it makes me warm inside to know that it is just a relatively short journey away. 🥰
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Pretty much exactly this for me too - couldn't have said it better.
 
It's very very close between my number one (Zadra) and my number two (Intimidator 305). So close that I often wonder if I have them in the wrong order!

Zadra is just perfection. Everything it does it does so well. It's not often you ride a coaster where both the airtime and the inversions are exemplary, but Zadra does just that. If someone asked "how good can a modern rollercoaster be?" Zadra would be the ride I point them too.

I305 is not perfect but it's like nothing else I've ever ridden. This thing is an absolute monster. I have never slammed into a brake run and had to wipe all the water from my streaming eyes before. I've never not been able to feel my legs stepping out of the train before. The sense of speed on I305 is like nothing else I have experienced.

I guess what Zadra has in balance, I305 has in intensity. The only reason I ranked Zadra above I305 is because Zadra is easier to re-ride. But yeah, it's very close.
 
#1 Ride to Happiness is better than #2 Iron Gwazi because of a few reasons; for a start, the on board audio definitely helps! I'm a huge sucker for that kind of thing and if a ride has it, it's generally a big boost to my perception of that ride. It's also ridiculously rerideable due to the spinning nature. It's made me 'what the ****' more than Iron Gwazi has, that's for sure. They're both incredible rides but Ride to Happiness is my absolute favourite at the moment.

The drop off that top hat is absolutely bonkers.
 
#1 Voyage vs #2 Iron Gwazi

The gap between these two coasters is huge for me. I have Voyage in a whole separate tier above the rest of my 10/10s, it’s that good. I’m tearing up as I type this because I’m thinking about Voyage and even that is almost too much. In terms of what Voyage has that Iron Gwazi doesn’t, it’s hard to explain the sheer vastness of the chasm that separates them. While Iron Gwazi’s layout feels like a bunch of incredible elements stuck together, Voyage is the complete opposite, almost forgoing elements entirely. The layout is “coasters as art” in its purest form. Every moment on the ride has a purpose, and every transition flows effortlessly. Even the oft-overlooked beginning camelbacks serve to distract you from the fact that the terrain is going uphill, to heighten the effect of the subtly downhill return run. The variety of forces is incredible, from positives to negatives to laterals to longitudinals (??). The way the spaghetti bowl is almost impossible to map out while on the ride. The midcourse brakes even find use to build anticipation for the triple down - good lord, the triple down, what a moment in and of itself! If you went into this ride completely blind there’s no way you’d see that coming! A third drop in complete darkness, seemingly 5 times as tall as the first two combined. Then you hit the return run down the beautiful canvas of terrain where the train seems to gain an impossible amount of speed for what should be the end of the ride. The photogenic and punchy cross-lift hill into the dive under the queue punctuates what is quite possibly the greatest stretch of track ever crafted by any designer ever. The train has so much speed left over that it necessitates a whole fourth “act,” a victory lap around the plaza that adds a sense of finality to the ending and dominates the entire area surrounding the ride, letting you know that you are firmly in its grasp.

I haven’t even mentioned HoliWood Nights yet either. Turning off one set of brakes should NOT make the ride that much better, especially when it’s already such a high quality attraction. But to ride this in the pitch dark, at its originally designed speed, surrounded by people who are enjoying it and appreciating it just as much as you are, it’s undoubtedly the greatest coaster experience in the world, by the longest of shots. Don’t get me wrong, Iron Gwazi is incredible, but it comes nowhere close to the level of Voyage.

It makes me sad, in a way, knowing that nothing will ever beat it for as long as the ride exists, but the immense joy that I feel whenever I so much as brush past the concept of the ride with the sleeve of my thoughts makes up for it tenfold. The scale of my appreciation and admiration for Voyage cannot and will not ever be fully expressed in words, but I do believe that others who have experienced what I have will understand what I’m saying here.

My riding endeavors now culminate in finding my next #2, not #1. That spot will remain taken forever.
 
#1 Steel Vengeance.
#2 Voyage.

It just comes down to personal preference here. Both rides are masterpieces, and both have been nicely described above. I slightly prefer the endless barrage of quirky RMC airtime to the endless barrage of Gravity Group airtime that seems to defy the laws of physics. Both rides offer impeccable pacing.

If I’m splitting hairs, the first couple elements on SteVe deliver sustained, off axis ejector, while the first couple of camelbacks on Voyage offer floater that doesn’t quite hit for me in the same way. You could say Steel Vengeance comes out swinging while Voyage takes a moment to really get going. Both are relentless through the rest of their respective layouts.

Edit: Great topic, btw
 
This is topical for me having ridden Velocicoaster and Iron Gwazi on consecutive days last year, they were both clearly better than anything I'd experienced before. I debated long and hard about which is my new #1 but settled on Velocicoaster in the end as it's longer and much moire refined in terms of the overall experience (the theme and the setting over the lake). I also got some night rides on Velocicoaster which were incredible. I enjoyed the pre-show too with Chris Pratt shouting "I tell them raptors are dangerous, they say let's put a roller coaster in the paddock!". IG is insane though, I absolutely loved it, maybe if I'd got to try that in the dark too it would be an even harder decision.
 
#1: Steel Vengeance #2: Maverick

Steel Vengeance and Maverick are very close but I give Steel Vengeance the win because of the quantity. Maverick has better positives and much stronger airtime but steel vengeance just has some much more of it.
 
It gets really hard to pick a top 10, let alone a number 1 when you get into silly numbers. But for the sake of argument I'm gonna use Iron Gwazi (1) at BGT and Wildfire at Kolmarden (2). It also completely depends on so many things - when you rode them, who you rode them with, how warm was it, all that - but ultimately there's only so much you can control, so you have to judge on face value a lot of the time.

Wildfire isn't the most intense RMC I've ever done, but I really, really enjoyed it. It's a ride that manages to do almost everything brilliantly, it's in a gorgeous setting, and it's incredibly re-rideable.

Iron Gwazi is one of the most ridiculous, intense and completely balls-to-the-wall coasters I've ever done. I know that some big RMCs can be a bit hit or miss, but this one did not disappoint in the slightest when I rode. Came off it a different person, and the memory of riding it at night for a solid hour at the end of the day was glorious, and looking back I think that was what set it apart from Wildfire.
 
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