# Advice: Flow NX2 vs SP sLAB.one vs Gnu Freedom



## WilcoMeijer (Dec 7, 2017)

Hi all,

I'm looking for new rear-entry bindings for my Lib Tech Travis Rice Pro (The Fourth Phase), and I find it hard to choose between the Flow NX2 and the SP sLAB.one (or Gnu Freedom, also a fastec binding). I did search on the forum, but cannot find much on SP bindings. I did find threads where heellift in the Flow bindings is an issue, thats why I'm also considering the SP binding.

Does anyone has any advice for me?

With regards,

Wilco


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## Bataleon85 (Apr 29, 2017)

I think you'll be happier with the Gnus. I used to do the flow thing and decided to get a pair of Gnus on a whim and found that they actually perform a lot better than the Flows both in terms of ease of entry/exit and overall control and board feel. The button release buckle on fastec bindings is a lot better than how Flows work. It actually lets you get in and out exactly where you set the bindings, unlike Flows which I always used to find myself having to loosen the ratchets and retighten them every run because they're hard to get out of when cranked down. I can't say much about other fastec bindings but I'll definitely stand behind Gnus if you want a rear entry binding. They're designed better than Flows, they're made well and Mervin has good customer service, so really can't find anything to complain about. 

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## Nivek (Jan 24, 2008)

I have had the exact opposite experience. I always had to reposition the straps on Fastec and they never were really any quicker or easier than regular bindings for me. Flow takes setup and tweak time to find the right balance between right enough to perform and loose enough for easy entry. The way the straps are centered, the forward lean, and the strap tightness all matter, and the straps do "break in". Not to mention I actually charge to work on Fastec bindings now. They are a huge pain in the ass with a ton of small parts. In all of my experiences Fastecs have been sub-par bindings and I have pretty much always said if you want rear entry Flow in the only choice. 

And if performance is a concern, go find and hang out on a soft boot carving forum, a large portion of them ride Flow. 

Despite there being more adjustment spots, the Hybrid strap is easier to get dialed than the Fusion and it wil also offer a more "traditional" feel if you're coming from 2 strap bindings. 

At the moment I have NX2s on my Ego, which is my carving deck.


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## supham (Feb 14, 2011)

I have tried the K2 Cinch, a Flow Hybrid, and the GNU Mutant. 

By far my favorite has been the GNU.


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## Bataleon85 (Apr 29, 2017)

Different strokes for different folks I guess. I still ride Flows on a couple of my boards, but overall just have an easier time with the Gnus. Never been able to get my Flows "dialed in." They grab me tight no matter what boot I wear and I have to half way pop the toe buckle to get out of them. The hybrid Flows just suck. They don't stay put at all. Worst toe caps I've ever seen. But again, I guess different strokes for different folks. Never had an issue with Gnus. They're virtually identical to Flows in how they work, they just have better ergonomics. 

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## Funks (Dec 28, 2015)

Anybody out here tried the Gnu Freedoms or the slab.one Multientries? 

Wondering how easy it is to unbuckle on pow. Hard to find these guys in stock


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## Rip154 (Sep 23, 2017)

Forget about it in powpow, these are carpet bindings.


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## cutback (Jan 30, 2019)

Funks said:


> Wondering how easy it is to unbuckle on pow.


I have Flow NX2's and they are fine to deal with in powder. What people forget is you can unbuckle and rebuckle them like normal bindings with the highback locked up... you don't have to lower the highback. So no worse than regular straps heelside, and a little quicker still if you are on your toeside trying to buckle in while in deep powder.

I like the NX2's as they are stiff and responsive, but they are only marginally faster to get into as I need to unbuckle the ratchets slightly to get my boot in each time. Still, I always strap in standing up with them as its a quick motion to flip the highback up and then ratchet again as I start moving.


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## Funks (Dec 28, 2015)

cutback said:


> I have Flow NX2's and they are fine to deal with in powder. What people forget is you can unbuckle and rebuckle them like normal bindings with the highback locked up... you don't have to lower the highback.


Yep, I currently run the GNU Mutants (on my groomer board), and the Union Force (on my pow board). I used to have the Flow NX2s hybrid (2017 model) but I didn't like the hybrid strap as the toe cap required a lot of fiddling/repositioning. The GNU Mutants are superior IMO (after using it a while) primarily because of the toe strap issue, the snap lock system to release pressure quickly, and the snap back lever is resistant to snow buildup ( NX2's were hard to close when there's snow buildup on the lever / channel), moreover - the forward lean adjustment mechanism doesn't auto adjust itself like on the NX2.

Took the Union Force/Warpig to Niseko a few weeks ago, yep - lots of POW but there's also of cruising on catwalks, traversing to get around. I'm hoping something like the GNU Freedom is the one binding that I can use for both my boards so I purchased one, crossing my fingers the buckles it comes with are high quality (similar to the Union Force).


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## kosmoz (Dec 27, 2013)

Have NX2 Fusion 2018, bough without tryin' on, from internet shop. Size L fits my Northwawe decade 9,5 sized boots, would fit something 4 sizes larger as well, since there is much room in the width as well longitudinal. Didn't have problems finding sweet adjustments for my liking.

Easy entry and exit even when I buckle up real tight, to tight (sore foots after a few runs tight).

Forward lean adjusting is easy, but no fixation, need to readjust from time to time, like one time a day during a sandwich and beer break.

Buckles are rubbish compared to regular mid to high end bindings. It's ok since they are only for emergency exit/entry in powder and initial adjustments, otherwise I would burn bindings with only that kind of buckles. 

To sum up - would buy again and would recommend to friends. 

My observations on K2 Cinch Tryst women's bindings: highback doesn't lean back so much, so it's harder entry. When entering bindings with boot, foam on the highback gets killed with heel. After 6 days bindings looks used and abused, foam on the highback destroyed. Highback locking requires more strength than Flow.


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## SEWiShred (Jan 19, 2019)

I have had hybrid NX2s for about two seasons now. The toe caps suck, they never seem to fit right and they do require a lot of adjusting. I usually have to pull them up on my toe for the foot I go in and out of the binding with. Other than that they fit great, the NASTY thing helps a ton with getting a good fit and not having to play with the other straps. 

They take work to get dialed in. I don't have to play with the toe cap ratchets because I have them somewhat close, but they always end up way too low on my foot and I have to pull them up when I pop the high back up. If I could do it again I would get the fusion strap and not the hybrid. I have no experience on the other ones. But I go very often, two or three times a week, so I have a lot of time to dial in the NX2s, which they need. I think the switch to Maysis boots has helped too, since the soles aren't really grippy and they can slide into place a lot better in the binding.

You probably don't see much about SP bindings because they aren't really sold in the states. 

I have no experience with FASTEC but after owning Flow 5s and Flow NX2s I can definitely see the appeal of having the extra latch, though NASTY (on NX2 models) clamps down and does a similar thing without having to do another buckle. 

Heel lift can happen on Flows (and other bindings) if you have the high back too far forward. I was getting some heal lift when I had mine very far forward, but I pulled the back and they are a lot better now. It also helps I got better fitting boots. But this is what I was saying about the NX2 hybrids making poor fitting boots seem worse than they are. 

One thing I noticed with going from 5s with Fusion strap to NX2s with hybrid is that it seems to be like the hybrid flow bindings will amplify the problems from a poorly fitting boot more than other bindings. For me it was a party because it felt like the hybrid strap would pull my foot to the outside of the binding (look at how they are shaped) and because I would clamp them down really tightly. With NASTY you can get them really tight easily, tight enough to hurt after 5 minutes. 

Is there a specific reason why you want rear entry? I've only been out West once and I normally ride little Wisconsin hills. I didn't think they were remotely worth it on a real mountain, but on a smaller hill I think they are completely essential as you can get a lot more runs in if you want to hit it hard.


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## Funks (Dec 28, 2015)




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## Bheine7 (Nov 18, 2019)

Bataleon85 said:


> Different strokes for different folks I guess. I still ride Flows on a couple of my boards, but overall just have an easier time with the Gnus. Never been able to get my Flows "dialed in." They grab me tight no matter what boot I wear and I have to half way pop the toe buckle to get out of them. The hybrid Flows just suck. They don't stay put at all. Worst toe caps I've ever seen. But again, I guess different strokes for different folks. Never had an issue with Gnus. They're virtually identical to Flows in how they work, they just have better ergonomics.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk


Don't mean to narc an old thread but i after with this 100%

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## JHennessee (Nov 9, 2014)

Funks said:


> Anybody out here tried the Gnu Freedoms or the slab.one Multientries?
> 
> Wondering how easy it is to unbuckle on pow. Hard to find these guys in stock


I have Feedoms and they are great. I am pretty old school, mostly freeriding, drops occasionally, powder/trees are my strong suit (park only when the kids drag me there). These bindings are as good and comfy as any traditional I have used and the release mechanism for the lift is amazing! My only complaint is you have to fit your boots if you have mod profile boots like 32. Adidas or Burton you’ll be fine from the get go. 
Oh and the ratchet allow you to get in them like traditional bindings when you hike and have to strap in on powder which is a big advantage to the older versions which did not have toe strap ratchets
The only mining system that makes me consider trying something different is now, the tech looks interesting so I’m buying a pair for my son to try out


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## Terobins (Nov 15, 2020)

Hi, sorry for reopening an old thread but I have some questions.

Some background:
I am 2 seasons in with flow Nx2 bought for 2018 season. Spent the whole season trying to set up correctly. Finally watched the videos and researched on line and helped a little. I guess at the end of the day Im from the school of straps should be tight so I find the active strap technology to be underwelming in that it would be nice if the straps could splay open a little more. 

Seems the concept of a cam lever like Gnu and SP Fastec use could be just what Im looking for. The Gnu psych is about the right price point for me but I am wondering if this is a well constructed binding and more specifically at the longevity of the cam lever buckle. 

Question-1:
Can you / anyone comment on the .... robustness of the cam buckle? 

Question-2:
Does Gnu have a spare parts store similar to Flow? Not just to deal with Customer service under warranty but rather to replace various parts as they wear out or break. 
It would be important for me to be able to replace parts once outside of warranty. Just seems this cam buckle could be a high wear part so might want to buy a few extra to have on hand.

I couldn't find a spare parts store so if one exists I would be appreciative if someone could share a link.

Best.


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## Funks (Dec 28, 2015)

Terobins said:


> Question-2:
> Does Gnu have a spare parts store similar to Flow? Not just to deal with Customer service under warranty but rather to replace various parts as they wear out or break.
> It would be important for me to be able to replace parts once outside of warranty. Just seems this cam buckle could be a high wear part so might want to buy a few extra to have on hand.
> 
> ...


Good luck with getting spare parts from GNU - I contacted them and they gave me the run around. I suggest you get the SP Bindings instead (Multi Entries), and you can get spare parts from The Split Board Shop.

I got a "LARGE" sLab.One Multi Entries for sale, I'm currently running the "XL" sLab Ones.









FS: [USA-CA] - Brand New - SP Bindings Slab One...


Price: 210$ shipped. I'm selling my spare set of SP Bindings - Slab One Multi Entries, these are brand new, and unused. I purchased them from the Split Board Shop (only distributor in the US) for north of 300$, they've been out of stock for a while. These are dual entries, meaning you...




www.snowboardingforum.com


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## Terobins (Nov 15, 2020)

Thanks for the input. 
I am finding the SP spare parts site but I do not see shipment to US as an option?


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## Funks (Dec 28, 2015)

Terobins said:


> Thanks for the input.
> I am finding the SP spare parts site but I do not see shipment to US as an option?


You’d have to contact the US distributor, the split board shop


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## Terobins (Nov 15, 2020)

Got it. Thanks.


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