I forgot about this guy's reviews, I enjoyed this comparison. Nice to see him actually riding the stuff too!
BINDINGS
Re: BINDINGS
This season I’ve been lucky to demo a pretty broad selection of bindings.
NOT including my own franked Union setups, I’ve ridden the following companies (and the number of different models): Bent Metal (2), Flux (3), Burton (3 incl. SO), Rome (1), Nidecker (1), Skate-Tech (2), Ride (1), K2 (2), Salomon (1), Union (3)
I’ve tried justifying how any brand might be superior to another. From the components, to durability and warranty, availability of parts, quality of the product at different tiers of price point, to overall performance and offerings catered to different applications of snowboarding. Sure, some brand might make a slightly more comfy strap or a burlier buckle or faster flad, etc., but overall? Union’s top dog and it’s not even close, IMO.
I’m sounding like fanboy #1 but I hated Union bindings for years and years. A bunch of people here have heard me talk shit about Union in the past, in person even. Lots of things sucked about them since the brand’s inception, and I think a good number of us experienced those issues ourselves. But they’ve fixed the things that plagued them and now everyone else feels jankier and less refined.
NOT including my own franked Union setups, I’ve ridden the following companies (and the number of different models): Bent Metal (2), Flux (3), Burton (3 incl. SO), Rome (1), Nidecker (1), Skate-Tech (2), Ride (1), K2 (2), Salomon (1), Union (3)
I’ve tried justifying how any brand might be superior to another. From the components, to durability and warranty, availability of parts, quality of the product at different tiers of price point, to overall performance and offerings catered to different applications of snowboarding. Sure, some brand might make a slightly more comfy strap or a burlier buckle or faster flad, etc., but overall? Union’s top dog and it’s not even close, IMO.
I’m sounding like fanboy #1 but I hated Union bindings for years and years. A bunch of people here have heard me talk shit about Union in the past, in person even. Lots of things sucked about them since the brand’s inception, and I think a good number of us experienced those issues ourselves. But they’ve fixed the things that plagued them and now everyone else feels jankier and less refined.
a bit of taper, a lot of camber