Carbon wheels on a hardtail?

I've about to build a pair of wheels for a hardtail build. Cushcore rear. I had thought I'd just use a Convergence rim, but looking at the Enve 630, there's ahuge weight difference, ~180g across a pair. The Enve warranty is pretty good, and Cam's review here on NSMB is glowing.

Has anyone got any experience with the rims, or a perspective to add? My previous experience was that Enve's were harsh and not great on hardtails.

Need a new front wheel for my rootdown and was going to go with a chromag phase30 but now I'm thinking of bucking up a bit more and getting something carbon.  But more on the affordable carbon end like a Bontrager Line Elite, Specialized or LB.

I sure like the idea of less weight and more durability.  If the ride quality is decent then I'm all ears.

Hmmmmm.

Anecdotal rambling, and not even on a hardtail but:

Had a few (3?) pairs of LB's over the years and lately two pairs of Specialized. Bit less cost on the LB, but the warranty is more substantial on the Specialized. Broke one recently (sideways landing on a sharp rock), just drove down to the LBS and they ordered up a new one ($0).

Though in retrospect a pair of WAO's might have been a better investment than half a dozen cheaper carbon rims lol.

Ride quality on every carbon rim I've ridden, (aside from Zipp Motos), was similar: Immediately feels like you've lost a centimeter of travel. Give or take a few millimeter less or more depending on design, but always a fundamental difference in compliance from aluminum.

How about a beefy carbon rear wheel like a Union for the lack of maintenance, and an aluminum front for compliance?

I put a Light Bicycle AM933 (33mm inner width) on to replace the SPANK 350 (?) that I folded and although my comparison was separated by a couple months I believe the new wheel tracked better when pushed into corners/slammed around. It definitely supports my 2.6 Butcher better than the 30mm ID SPANK (also my DT 1700’s). It was stiffer but I don’t mind comfort wise, and I’m pretty sensitive to bad vibes through my hands.

Thanks for letting me know your experiences Hepcat and tashi.  Lots to think about.