# Thoughts on the Burton Cartel X?



## AC93 (May 1, 2020)

Anyone ridden them and maybe got a brief review on them?


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## Phedder (Sep 13, 2014)

They're a solid binding, what board are they going on and what kind of riding will you do with them? 

If you've ridden the previous generation Cartels, the X feels very similar just slightly beefed up. The new highback is definitely stiffer which I liked, and the heel hammock really does work. Wraps around the back of your boot and grips well, snappy toeside response and you don't have to crank down the ankle strap to get it, which is good because it's a little stiff for my liking. I'd probably end up with Genesis straps on it long term. 

Sold them as the Reflex baseplate dented my top sheet with (slightly excessive) nose and tail flexing. I've always loved EST bindings, had been years since I'd owned Reflex and was bummed about the damage. If you're lighter or don't flex into the tip and tail a tonne, doubt you'd have any issues aside from maybe a little binding rub on the corners.


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## AC93 (May 1, 2020)

Phedder said:


> They're a solid binding, what board are they going on and what kind of riding will you do with them?
> 
> If you've ridden the previous generation Cartels, the X feels very similar just slightly beefed up. The new highback is definitely stiffer which I liked, and the heel hammock really does work. Wraps around the back of your boot and grips well, snappy toeside response and you don't have to crank down the ankle strap to get it, which is good because it's a little stiff for my liking. I'd probably end up with Genesis straps on it long term.
> 
> Sold them as the Reflex baseplate dented my top sheet with (slightly excessive) nose and tail flexing. I've always loved EST bindings, had been years since I'd owned Reflex and was bummed about the damage. If you're lighter or don't flex into the tip and tail a tonne, doubt you'd have any issues aside from maybe a little binding rub on the corners.


Im putting them on the Super D.O.A. 
I like to go really fast and hit big jumps.
I have noticed that my Malavita did dent the topsheet on my Asymulator. But that was no big deal for me, the board still rips. I can understand, you selling them after seeing those dents though.


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## Phedder (Sep 13, 2014)

Yeah I'd put them on a Super DOA for sure if you're not bothered by some cosmetic damage. Unfortunately my dent was pretty deep and actually cracked the topsheet, hence selling them. Rode well though!


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## Jack87 (Jan 9, 2021)

I'm at Copper Mountain on a powder day riding them right now for the first time on a new Skeleton Key. They are pretty nice. More responsive then a Genesis set I have.

Although they don't feel nearly as responsive as my burton Step on bindings (not x). Both with Photon boots. They are solid bindings though I recommend them. Personally I'm wishing I had the step ons with me today but they are still amazing!

This photo is from right now. Taking a rest. All blacked out with Cartel X logo on back flows well with the skeleton key and it's X.


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## Needmoresnow (Dec 29, 2019)

Jack87 said:


> I'm at Copper Mountain on a powder day riding them right now for the first time on a new Skeleton Key. They are pretty nice. More responsive then a Genesis set I have.
> 
> Although they don't feel nearly as responsive as my burton Step on bindings (not x). Both with Photon boots. They are solid bindings though I recommend them. Personally I'm wishing I had the step ons with me today but they are still amazing!
> 
> This photo is from right now. Taking a rest. All blacked out with Cartel X logo on back flows well with the skeleton key and it's X.


I've got the same setup but with EST. Love the cartel X bindings and the SK. 

Id second Phedder... The X seems a tad more responsive over last year's cartel. Loving the heel hammock too


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## Jack87 (Jan 9, 2021)

What they did is they made the non x cartel base plate less stiff this year. Yesteryears cartel base plate is about same stiffness as the Cartel X. Cartel x adds stiffer high back and heel hammock which definitely is interesting and works well. Still getting used to it when exiting. A few times I tried to exit and boot still felt like it was strapped in had to double check the straps! It's really interesting!

EST bindings intrigue me a lot! But I like the aesthetic clean look of the re:flex. And mostly ability to swap between boards.


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## fzst (Jan 3, 2019)

How much does the heel-hammock "put on" aka slide the boot forward in the bindings?
I have noticed that in my Malavitas with the older style heel-hammock, the boot sits a fair bit more towards the toeside than in my Cartels, where the boot can sit more flush against the helside. For me it's not that big of a deal with my size 9.5 boots but if you have bigger feet it's something to cinsider. I like the Malavitas highback better because it's stiffer and the rubber thing in the heel seems to add a bit of comfort. I didn't really notice any forces that would keep me heel down more than the Cartel's highback would though, so if you have bigger feet I would probably prefer the Cartel because its highback reduces the chance of booting out.
How does the Cartel X in that regard?


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## Needmoresnow (Dec 29, 2019)

fzst said:


> How much does the heel-hammock "put on" aka slide the boot forward in the bindings?
> I have noticed that in my Malavitas with the older style heel-hammock, the boot sits a fair bit more towards the toeside than in my Cartels, where the boot can sit more flush against the helside. For me it's not that big of a deal with my size 9.5 boots but if you have bigger feet it's something to cinsider. I like the Malavitas highback better because it's stiffer and the rubber thing in the heel seems to add a bit of comfort. I didn't really notice any forces that would keep me heel down more than the Cartel's highback would though, so if you have bigger feet I would probably prefer the Cartel because its highback reduces the chance of booting out.
> How does the Cartel X in that regard?


The heel hammock in the Cartel X is relatively thin and has a spot that is sort of recessed into the highback that it sits into. I don't notice my boots any further forward in these compared to last year's cartels.

One thing I will mention, I had originally grabbed the reflex version for my channel board incase I bought a new non-channel deck in the future, but found I could not center my boots well enough due to the limited options on the discs. I ended up swapping them for EST.


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## fzst (Jan 3, 2019)

Needmoresnow said:


> The heel hammock in the Cartel X is relatively thin and has a spot that is sort of recessed into the highback that it sits into. I don't notice my boots any further forward in these compared to last year's cartels.


Ok, that sounds promising. I will grab one to test it if I see a good deal on one. I'm still not quite satisfied with the Malavita highback nor the Cartels.



Needmoresnow said:


> One thing I will mention, I had originally grabbed the reflex version for my channel board incase I bought a new non-channel deck in the future, but found I could not center my boots well enough due to the limited options on the discs. I ended up swapping them for EST.


That's a problem with Burton bindings for sure. If you are not in that sweet spot of 9 - 10 (depending on the boots footprint) you can have problems with centering the boot.


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## Jack87 (Jan 9, 2021)

Needmoresnow said:


> The heel hammock in the Cartel X is relatively thin and has a spot that is sort of recessed into the highback that it sits into. I don't notice my boots any further forward in these compared to last year's cartels.
> 
> One thing I will mention, I had originally grabbed the reflex version for my channel board incase I bought a new non-channel deck in the future, but found I could not center my boots well enough due to the limited options on the discs. I ended up swapping them for EST.


There is a trick with the new disks in the reflex! If you turn the disk 180° the offset hole will shift to your chosen direction! I had no issue centering mine on my channel board using center holes. Medium bindings size 8 boots though.

Edit: I really like the new binding disks making the compatible with all boards without need to swap disks! Less wasted material or chance of losing disks.


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## Jack87 (Jan 9, 2021)

fzst said:


> Ok, that sounds promising. I will grab one to test it if I see a good deal on one.


 Burton demo centers should let you demo a set for $10/day if you were curious enough. 

Again Cartel X vs pre 2021 Cartel main difference is high back. 2021 non x cartel has softer baseplate then in the past.


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## Needmoresnow (Dec 29, 2019)

Jack87 said:


> There is a trick with the new disks in the reflex! If you turn the disk 180° the offset hole will shift to your chosen direction! I had no issue centering mine on my channel board using center holes. Medium bindings size 8 boots though.
> 
> Edit: I really like the new binding disks making the compatible with all boards without need to swap disks! Less wasted material or chance of losing disks.


Ya I tried that with mine, I was still left with either too much toe overhang, or too much heel. The problem is that they should have offset it from center of the disk for more options but unfortunately they didn't. Couldn't get it centered. EST worked better for me. I also think EST is a bit more responsive as the mounting screws are further apart.

Both are awesome setups at the end of the day!


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## SoaD009 (Jan 9, 2020)

How does the 2021 regular Cartel highback compare to the Malavita? Do they have the same baseplate this year?


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## ridethecliche (Feb 27, 2019)

I'm a huge fan of the cartel x. I think I prefer them to the malas by a good margin, but have put the malas on two boards that should be a bit less 'charger' and more playful.


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