# Flow vs Regular



## judoant (Jan 18, 2010)

So I bought my first set of Flows. They are M9's. I would have to say even though they are quicker to get into, I would rather have traditional rachets. 

Say you want to sit down or get stuck in pow, they are a pain in a** to get out of. Even though they have mini rachets, they are exactly that. MINI. They are hard to disengage. 

Just my 2 cents


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## adammalik (Feb 22, 2010)

yea never go with flows


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## sook (Oct 25, 2009)

judoant said:


> So I bought my first set of Flows. They are M9's. I would have to say even though they are quicker to get into, I would rather have traditional rachets.
> 
> Say you want to sit down or get stuck in pow, they are a pain in a** to get out of. Even though they have mini rachets, they are exactly that. MINI. They are hard to disengage.
> 
> Just my 2 cents


I don't ride flows but some of my friends do. If they have to unstrap, they always get on their knees facing uphill, digging their toe edge in, and then disengage the highback to pull their foot out. On the rare occasion they have to undo the ratchets, I've never noticed them having problems but I can't say first hand (of the flows I've ridden, I've never unstrapped that way) I'm sure some flow people will chime in with some more helpful advice.


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## Leo (Nov 24, 2009)

Having a problem with the mini ratchets? User problem, not Flow problem. You are just too used to how traditional bindings unstrap. Lift the ratchet into unlock position, press and lift it off. Simple as pie. Just undo the outer straps and get on your way.

Better yet, get the SE versions of their bindings.


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## Cavman (Mar 1, 2010)

I just came back from two weeks of boarding using a friend's board that was fitted with the older style Flows. Took a day to get them correctly adjusted so they were firm enough to support but not that tight that I had trouble getting my feet in and out.

No ratchets at all on these older ones, which was a bummer. You had to adjust and then slip the foot in. Lots of little tweaks throughout the day until I got them right.

As a result of my experience with the Flows I just purchased some 2010 K2 CTX bindings to give me the best of both worlds, quick step in with no sitting down and double straps for when I get stuck in deep powder.

Cm
Australia


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## Leo (Nov 24, 2009)

Powder riding is non issue with 2009 Flows and up. If you have issues, you aren't used to it yet. Or just do not know how to undo the binding ratchets :dunno:

K2 Cinches are nice though no doubt. I actually love the 2011 K2 Autos.


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## Tarzanman (Dec 20, 2008)

Nothing is perfect. Flow bindings are rear entry. This means that there is exactly ONE way in and out of them. Out the back after the highback is put down far enough.

Traditional bindings have two ways out of them. Straight up or out the front. It makes sense to me that a rear entry flow binding would be harder to get out of.

Traditional bindings are also easier to get into than flows. The problem/slowness with traditional bindings comes from the fact that after you get in them you have to line them up to latch them and then ratchet/adjust the two straps individually whereas flows are fire-and-forget.

They both have their good points and bad points. The flows keep snow off my boots a bit better than the straps. The slowness thing isnt a huge issue until the end of the day when you're tired & worn out and bending over to strap in for the 20th time takes a lot of wind/energy out of ya

Different stroke


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## Leo (Nov 24, 2009)

Actually, Flows can have two methods of entry/exit. Through the back, or undoing the outer ratchets. It's much easier with 2009+ models, but I can do it with the older ones too. Just takes longer on the older ones and the fit isn't so snug.

The new ones? Especially the SE models? Unlock ratchets, lift off top and take my foot out. Sit back down, enter from top, tighten with ratchets, lock and go. Easy peezy.


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## Cavman (Mar 1, 2010)

Tarzanman.... So true, after a full day that last sit down and strap in is a lot of work.

Leo...... The bindings I was using were a pair of the first style... very old... yet I still liked them... well I liked the idea...just not the actual implementation on that model.

CM
Australia


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## Leo (Nov 24, 2009)

Cavman said:


> Tarzanman.... So true, after a full day that last sit down and strap in is a lot of work.
> 
> Leo...... The bindings I was using were a pair of the first style... very old... yet I still liked them... well I liked the idea...just not the actual implementation on that model.
> 
> ...


You shouldn't knock Flows based on that one you tried though. They have come a looooooong way. K2 or Flow is a preference, but I like Flows. No foot pains no matter how much I ride.


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## Cavman (Mar 1, 2010)

Leo..... I am not really knocking them... it is more simply that I like the K2 canterlever action when the high back goes down the ankle strap lifts to facilitate foot entry/exit.

If the K2 canterlever system wasn't around then I would have gone with Flows. Loved the step in concept from the day I saw it.

I have always struggled to stand up from the sitting position. I am 6ft5in and 225lbs. Not easy to do that in my size. I found most times I had to flip over onto my hands and knees to get up....embarrassing

At least with step ins, once I learnt to not slide away whilst clipping in, I didn't have to sit down. Now I can clip in as I am sliding away, so no issues at all.

CM
Australia


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## surfinsnow (Feb 4, 2010)

I just got back from two weeks in Tahoe. Rode everything from hard pack to deep pow. My Flow NXT-FRX bindings kick ass, and I had none of the probs the OP mentioned. He's obviously just new to them, and hasn't figured out how to dial them in and get in and out of them. My bigger deal with Flow -- their customer service is second to none. I noticed a worn tension cable as I was packing to leave; I e-mailed Flow, they got back to me within an hour and shipped the part out. I didn't miss one minute on the mountains -- Kirkwood (2x), Mt. Rose, Homewood (3x), Squaw, Alpine and Northstar. No problems at all.


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## jputtho2 (Jan 14, 2010)

Leo said:


> You shouldn't knock Flows based on that one you tried though. They have come a looooooong way. K2 or Flow is a preference, but I like Flows. No foot pains no matter how much I ride.


Yep completely agree with all your posts in here. 2010 NXT ATSE's here.


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## Cavman (Mar 1, 2010)

*International orders*

My K2 CTX's are sitting at a mates place in Texas as I type this.

The Aussie dipshit...sorry....Distributor decided at the time of doing his annual season order (yeah thats right, once a year) decided the Aussie dollar was too weak to justify buying the CTX's. He deemed them too expensive and noone would be interessted in buying them. 

As a result he didn't order any for the 2010 snow season which starts in June. 

The only way I could get them was to order online and have them shipped. But due to contractual arrangements with the manufacturers.... US online stores cannot ship a lot of brands outside the US, like Burton, K2, Libtech, Northface and so on.

I contacted K2 direct and even they did not have any CTX's left in stock to shop to the distributor. So I had to buy on line and ship to a mate in Texas. He is now about to post them to me.... long story short.... at least I got them and in the end for half the price they were going to cost me here in Australia.

The board on the other hand... a K2 166W Slayblade...Nice!!!!! was ordered and will get this month is the 2011 model which has a different colour scheme to the 2010 model (which I preferred). 

At the end of the day, they will both ride the same and I am so looking forward to setting up the bindings on the board and doing my first run. :thumbsup: 

CM
Australia


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## kevq (Feb 1, 2010)

I started out with a pair of Flow Quattro's, and I just ordered a pair of Flow NXT-FSE's. Can't wait to see how the high end bindings will perform.


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## Cavman (Mar 1, 2010)

*Just come across these*

Never seen this make before.

The way the year closes up reminds me of Predator, the way the mouth opened and closed.

APO --- SNOWBOARDS --- SKI Fixations TEAM black yellow



CM
Australia


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## Siren (Jan 16, 2009)

kevq said:


> I started out with a pair of Flow Quattro's, and I just ordered a pair of Flow NXT-FSE's. Can't wait to see how the high end bindings will perform.


I've been on my Muse for two seasons now, and they've been great. I just ordered the Prima-SE & can't wait to try them out. Unfortunately, they shipped to fam in the States, so will have to wait till next winter


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## Leo (Nov 24, 2009)

kevq said:


> I started out with a pair of Flow Quattro's, and I just ordered a pair of Flow NXT-FSE's. Can't wait to see how the high end bindings will perform.


All I know is, I effin love mine. I have the FSE too. I got mine in the gold. So light and has the perfect amount of flex for my style of riding.


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## kevq (Feb 1, 2010)

Leo said:


> All I know is, I effin love mine. I have the FSE too. I got mine in the gold. So light and has the perfect amount of flex for my style of riding.


Awesome, I haven't found too many mentions of the FSE's; usually it's the AT's and the ATSE's that get a lot of reviews. Since me and my cousin ordered the same binding in the same size but different colors, we swapped one. Now I have one blue and one gold.


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## Leo (Nov 24, 2009)

kevq said:


> Awesome, I haven't found too many mentions of the FSE's; usually it's the AT's and the ATSE's that get a lot of reviews. Since me and my cousin ordered the same binding in the same size but different colors, we swapped one. Now I have one blue and one gold.


Nice! I'm half tempted to buy the other color for my next board now just to steal your idea


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## Vanek26 (Mar 4, 2010)

When I used to use regular strap bindings, I had so much trouble getting them to be comfortable. They were either too tight and my feet went cold because of lack of circulation or they were too loose. Since I've had my Flows, it's a non-issue. I cannot fathom why anyone would ride regular bindings anymore. It doesn't make sense to me. I'll never go back to regular strap-ins.


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## bryantp (Dec 1, 2008)

*Powder and Flow*

I've spent many days (never enough) riding waist-high and better powder in Japan. While I certainly had some problems at first, none were with my Flow bindings. I doubt my skills or manual dexterity are all that advanced. 

I haven't had to remove them any way other than dropping the high back although it's nice to know there's other options. 

Still, I have friends who prefer the other way. I don't spend much time trying to convince them to switch to Flow. I just smile.


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