dksix

I'm looking at buying a dropper. I had all but made up my mind on the KS eTen but have found a pretty good deal on the X-Fusion Hilo but a about 50% more I was wondering if I could get some feedback from actual users of either of these posts.

Canker

I have both of those. I bought the KS eten first and immediately had to send it in for warranty work because it wouldn't stay up. They claimed there was nothing wrong with it but went ahead and replaced the guts anyway and I haven't had any issues since. I've had it a year and half I think. The x fusion also had a problem as soon as I got it, it slowly leaked air. I was having to add air to it every two weeks or so and I was about to send it in for warranty work when it just stopped leaking on it's own. It has been around four or five months since I've messed with it. Both are a bit slow on the return, popping back up, speed but not annoyingly slow. I had a Fox DOSS dropper for awhile too and that thing could really hurt you it returned so fast. The x-fusion as I've already stated you can add air too but you have to remove block off plug in the bottom of the seat tube to get to the air valve. They started putting that plug in there to discourage people from putting too much pressure in the chamber and blowing the seals out of the dropper and then sending it in for warranty work when they caused the problem. Think the limit is 20-24psi depending on the model so check and don't go over that if you fool with it at all.

As for actual comparison. The eten is limted to 100mm drop which is way better than 0mm but not as good as the 125mm of drop you get with the x-fusion. The dropper lever for the x-fusion is way better. I can't really get the eten's lever where I want it because it either hits the brake lever or I can't access bolts to tighten things down so its placement is a bit awkward. I bought the eten as a cheap enough to give droppers a try post and the xfusion as a I like these things and want a better one thing.

dksix

Thanks for the info. I'm limited in options because I need a 27.2 mm post. Another factor is I need a long post, 400+ as I prefer to be deeper in the tube than the minimum. I had been weighing the benefits of the remote vs lever options of the eTen. I like the clean look of not having to route a cable from the post to the bars but that grabbing a pushing the seat down seems too cumbersome for some of the times I'd be trying to actuate it.

That put me between the eTen remote and the Hilo. The prices are $125 vs $180. In your opinion would you say the extra cost is worth it?

Canker

Yeah you definitely don't want the lever version of the eten. While that would still be better than no dropper I use mine way more than I ever expected to and having to deal with pulling my hand off the bars all the time to raise and lower my seat would be a huge PITA. Any dropper is better than no dropper so it just comes down to weight, lever, and 25mm of extra travel. The xfusion is a hair lighter and has a way better lever but if you look around on youtube you can find videos on how to turn an old front shifter into a dropper lever and that would fix that problem. That was my plan with my ks eten but it has been relegated to my back up bike and I just haven't gotten around too it. With your lever setup the ks eten's stock lever may not be a problem anyway. I should add one of the big reasons I went with the x fusion hilo is because I scored a deal on the SL version which is way lighter than the regular version. Either one is a huge upgrade over no dropper so you will be happy with either.

You might want to look into how hard it is to rebuild each one yourself and how much it cost if that is something you are capable of doing. The ks eten you just pop out the old cartridge and pop in a new one while the xfusion is an actual rebuild and both cost around $30-40 to do.

dksix

I had emailed the seller that had the 27.2mm listed at $180 about it's cable rounting and was told the one he was selling was internal. The others listed were $200 so I ordered an eTen earlier today. Since then it seems 2 others were marked down to $180 but too late now.

I watched a YouTube video where a guy had modified an old shifter to as his dropper control on an eTen and there are aftermarket dropper levers on eBay, though pricey. I give it a try and go from there, thanks for the help.

jwalther

I've got one of these: Brand-X Ascend Dropper Seatpost | Chain Reaction Cycles

Mountain Mitch

I've had two X-fusions. Way more pop for your $ than anything else! I now run a Thompson elite and a Rokshox reverb. The Thompson is better. The Revrb is only marginally better. Only the Thompson doesn't have a little play. The Revrb is minimally faster than the X fusion. You will be amazed at what a huge difference riding with a dropper makes. As others have said, don't waste your money. Get a remote.