Black Series HQ - Any Reviews?

[Exeter]

Hey all! My wife and I are looking to grab a trailer to make our travels a bit more comfortable. We are currently looking at the Black Series HQ15 or HQ19. To be frank, we haven't found any other trailers that feature that level of capability, comfort and what seem to be really good build quality. The closest we have found is the No Boundaries which I am not crazy about.

The problem is, I am having an awful time finding actual reviews on them or first hand experiences. My local RV dealer just got a 19 in on trade that was used once and the reason he is telling me the guy gave is because it has a 25g fresh water tank when it was supposed to have a 50g, but I can't make sense of why the guy wouldn't just warranty it on a $50,000 camper. Something seems off to me so I'm going to check it out.

Outside of that, does anyone have any first hand, actual reviews or experience with these units? How are they holding up? How is the quality? Really want more information before I spend the kind of money on these things. Any other trailers you recommend that we can take off road (mostly dirt/forest roads, not hard core wheeling) that you recommend? Looking for some creature comforts like AC, shower, toilet, etc.

Thanks!

 

[dreadlocks]

Check out InTechRV Flyers, far better than any nobo.

there's a thread here on Black Series, quality is not up to the price tag IMO..

 

[Exeter]

Thanks for the reply! I searched but only found the tips and tricks thread. Maybe I missed it? I've looked at the InTechRV as well. They seemed nice, but didn't have the shower, toilet, etc. Not completely disqualifying, but nice to have.

 

[Exeter]

Just read about the lawsuits and thread being removed on here. That is insane to me that a company would potentially threaten legal action for consumer reviews? Depending on the price I may still consider the used model, but will be really looking it over. Concerning to say the least...may look elsewhere.

Still curious any other first hand experiences?

 

[dreadlocks]

I hadn't realized that got removed.. well then, leme be the first to say: Black Series is overpriced chinese junk, there I said it sue me.. dare yeh.

yeah If I were you I'd run

 

[Hillbilly Heaven]

I hadn't realized that got removed.. well then, leme be the first to say: Black Series is overpriced chinese junk, there I said it sue me.. dare yeh.

yeah If I were you I'd run

Glad someone said it before me. Yeah the over zealous dealer claimed he could do an impartial review.

 

[Hillbilly Heaven]

I hate to sound like a broken record but check out OutdoorsRV Mountain Series. Limited dealership no dealers east of the Mississippi. More rugged construction than sticks and tin. 70-80 gallon fresh water. Half the price of Black Series.

 

[Exeter]

I hate to sound like a broken record but check out OutdoorsRV Mountain Series. Limited dealership no dealers east of the Mississippi. More rugged construction than sticks and tin. 70-80 gallon fresh water. Half the price of Black Series.

Why would you sound like a broken record? Think you may have recommended them to me before but I didn’t give them a good look. Checking them out now.

 

[HQ15fan]

Hey all! My wife and I are looking to grab a trailer to make our travels a bit more comfortable. We are currently looking at the Black Series HQ15 or HQ19. To be frank, we haven't found any other trailers that feature that level of capability, comfort and what seem to be really good build quality. The closest we have found is the No Boundaries which I am not crazy about.

The problem is, I am having an awful time finding actual reviews on them or first hand experiences. My local RV dealer just got a 19 in on trade that was used once and the reason he is telling me the guy gave is because it has a 25g fresh water tank when it was supposed to have a 50g, but I can't make sense of why the guy wouldn't just warranty it on a $50,000 camper. Something seems off to me so I'm going to check it out.

Outside of that, does anyone have any first hand, actual reviews or experience with these units? How are they holding up? How is the quality? Really want more information before I spend the kind of money on these things. Any other trailers you recommend that we can take off road (mostly dirt/forest roads, not hard core wheeling) that you recommend? Looking for some creature comforts like AC, shower, toilet, etc.

Thanks!

I owe a HQ15, had it for a good week so far, took it out to some good dirt roads here in western Colorado. It handles those like a dream. So far all good. Yes, minor things did need fixing, but that doesn't bother me. The comments about it being crap I haven't experienced so far. As for the 25g vs 50g, the HQ15 and I assume the HQ19 has four tanks. 26g black water, 26g water, 16g water, 55g water. You can get your dealer to route those three water tanks how you want them. Black Series has two water pumps inside the camper, one for "drinking water" and one for "general" water. "Drinking" water is filtered three times, general only once. "Drinking" water only comes out of the kitchen faucet (general does too, it has two spouts). To me it doesn't really matter. If you fill the tanks with potable water, you can drink out of either. Anyways, you can configure those three tanks of 26, 16 and 55 as general, drinking and gray water, in whatever configuration you want. Mine came as 26 general, 16 drinking, 55 gray, and that is how I wanted it. The only other configuration that seems to make sense is 16g drinking, 55g general and 26g grey. But then you likely fill up your grey before you empty your general tank.

If you want more first-hand experience, be happy to chat.

Barthold

 

[PSea]

I hate to sound like a broken record but check out OutdoorsRV Mountain Series. Limited dealership no dealers east of the Mississippi. More rugged construction than sticks and tin. 70-80 gallon fresh water. Half the price of Black Series.

not at all similar to Black Series' popups, which is all i'm interested in. I want light(er), low towing profile, minimal systems to maintain, no ladder required to climb into bed and can fit in my garage.

in my opinion, black series can easily fix these problems. improve the electrical wiring, stop installing no name crap like their "proprietary shocks" (which others are saying are toast with as little as 10k mi), increase the quality of the tire lugs, etc. There's tons of input on the net. These aren't new. Just new to the U.S. Then, offer different packages. ie, the do it yourself package would not include any batteries, no charger, no inverter. Upgrade package would replace stock shocks, charger, inverter w/ a much higher quality offering, etc. These aren't insurmountable. They just need someone at the helm who has half a brain, leadership skills and understands you only get one chance to make a first impression.

there's still a dealer's youtube video posted where he's claiming you can load the roof rack w/ 2500 lbs. I told them about it in May. They haven't done a darn thing to protect their offering from unscrupulous dealers and their puffery.

 

[Exeter]

I owe a HQ15, had it for a good week so far, took it out to some good dirt roads here in western Colorado. It handles those like a dream. So far all good. Yes, minor things did need fixing, but that doesn't bother me. The comments about it being crap I haven't experienced so far. As for the 25g vs 50g, the HQ15 and I assume the HQ19 has four tanks. 26g black water, 26g water, 16g water, 55g water. You can get your dealer to route those three water tanks how you want them. Black Series has two water pumps inside the camper, one for "drinking water" and one for "general" water. "Drinking" water is filtered three times, general only once. "Drinking" water only comes out of the kitchen faucet (general does too, it has two spouts). To me it doesn't really matter. If you fill the tanks with potable water, you can drink out of either. Anyways, you can configure those three tanks of 26, 16 and 55 as general, drinking and gray water, in whatever configuration you want. Mine came as 26 general, 16 drinking, 55 gray, and that is how I wanted it. The only other configuration that seems to make sense is 16g drinking, 55g general and 26g grey. But then you likely fill up your grey before you empty your general tank.

If you want more first-hand experience, be happy to chat.

Barthold

Any concerns with the quality of the electrical wiring on it? Heard it wasn't fused properly from the batteries and there was concern with solar chargers and setup. Would you buy it again so far? I know you are only a week in, but just curious. It's a hell of a lot of money to spend. I wish we had some of the real Australian caravans here like the Kedron or Lotus. I looked at Bruder, but at 95k I simply can't stomach that. The Conqueror seems to be a tent style which is what I'm looking to get away from. Can't find much else that fits the "caravan" model and does it all like the Black Series. Also really not sure how I feel about not having it setup for all seasons with no protection or heat for the tanks and lines. Really limits the vehicle. Tough decisions!

 

[geanes]

not at all similar to Black Series' popups, which is all i'm interested in. I want light(er), low towing profile, minimal systems to maintain, no ladder required to climb into bed and can fit in my garage.

in my opinion, black series can easily fix these problems. improve the electrical wiring, stop installing no name crap like their "proprietary shocks" (which others are saying are toast with as little as 10k mi), increase the quality of the tire lugs, etc. There's tons of input on the net. These aren't new. Just new to the U.S. Then, offer different packages. ie, the do it yourself package would not include any batteries, no charger, no inverter. Upgrade package would replace stock shocks, charger, inverter w/ a much higher quality offering, etc. These aren't insurmountable. They just need someone at the helm who has half a brain, leadership skills and understands you only get one chance to make a first impression.

there's still a dealer's youtube video posted where he's claiming you can load the roof rack w/ 2500 lbs. I told them about it in May. They haven't done a darn thing to protect their offering from unscrupulous dealers and their puffery.

Agreed on all points. 2500 lbs!? That's insanely misguided. Heck, the GVW is not even 1k over dry weight. That rack will hold 350lbs max. Too bad the dealers know so little. I saw a Patron in person and the salesman called out his manager as I walked through it showing them all the features they had no idea it had. To be fair, they usually sell Rockwood popups and bigger 5th wheels.

 

[Exeter]

Agreed on all points. 2500 lbs!? That's insanely misguided. Heck, the GVW is not even 1k over dry weight. That rack will hold 350lbs max. Too bad the dealers know so little. I saw a Patron in person and the salesman called out his manager as I walked through it showing them all the features they had no idea it had. To be fair, they usually sell Rockwood popups and bigger 5th wheels.

My dealer is the exact same way...they just have no clue about it. I can't fault them as I know it isn't what they typically sell, but still. My biggest concern right now is company reputation and quality though. Just can't find much, especially with that deleted thread now.

 

[geanes]

My dealer is the exact same way...they just have no clue about it. I can't fault them as I know it isn't what they typically sell, but still. My biggest concern right now is company reputation and quality though. Just can't find much, especially with that deleted thread now.

Yup. Definitely has me nervous. Manager said the trailers just showed up with no reps to show or educate them on them. And they are a LARGE RV vendor in the South. That concerns me because who is going to handle warranty work? The dealer who wasn't educated on the trailers at all? The deleted thread on this forum and the countless examples of the company strong arming/black balling consumers has me pretty much turned off of them. Might buy used and let someone else eat the huge depreciation.

 

[Exeter]

Yup. Definitely has me nervous. Manager said the trailers just showed up with no reps to show or educate them on them. And they are a LARGE RV vendor in the South. That concerns me because who is going to handle warranty work? The dealer who wasn't educated on the trailers at all? The deleted thread on this forum and the countless examples of the company strong arming/black balling consumers has me pretty much turned off of them. Might buy used and let someone else eat the huge depreciation.

Agreed. Spent a lot of time looking but won't buy new. Interested to hear what they price this used unit at. May make it much more worth my while to take the risk versus paying retail.