# Now IPO vs Select vs Drive?



## ridinbend (Aug 2, 2012)

onefutui2e said:


> Hey all,
> 
> I was wondering what the difference between all these models were. Aside from some fluff on the company website and retailers I couldn't find much information. A quick Google search didn't yield much either. If anyone has ridden all three or have any advice, I'd greatly appreciate it!
> 
> ...


Type now bindings in the forum search. There is plenty of threads in existence that will answer all your questions.


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## Sudden_Death (Mar 23, 2011)

The difference is in the mainly highback. The Drive has a taller and stiffer back, the IPO has the mid-back and the Select has the mid and super low back. They can all be ridden without the highback though. Sounds like the Drive is the one most suited to your style. Also I think the Drive has a thicker ankle strap.


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## luckboxing (Nov 16, 2010)

I've asked a few local shops the same question. Select includes that little heel cup and I think the Drive/Select have the asym/reversible straps. Drive has the stiffest/tallest highback.

I wanted the Select, but since I think I'll be riding mostly with a highback I think I'm going with the IPO. I actually liked the IPO strap more, but I haven't ridden any of this year's bindings yet. I really liked last year's IPO's that I demo'd except for a few issues which have all been resolved this year.


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## onefutui2e (Jan 25, 2011)

luckboxing said:


> I've asked a few local shops the same question. Select includes that little heel cup and I think the Drive/Select have the asym/reversible straps. Drive has the stiffest/tallest highback.
> 
> I wanted the Select, but since I think I'll be riding mostly with a highback I think I'm going with the IPO. I actually liked the IPO strap more, but I haven't ridden any of this year's bindings yet. I really liked last year's IPO's that I demo'd except for a few issues which have all been resolved this year.


thank you all. i've done a search as ridinbend suggested and this combined with the responses makes things a lot clearer. i'm leaning towards the drive as well!

@luckboxing, i was thinking about buying the IPO last year, but i opted to try the new Flow bindings with the hybrid strap instead. It seemed like the main issue was the ladders being chewed up for the straps, which Now mentioned was fixed going forward.

i'm still not 100% sold on the "skateboard" feel of the bindings; how does emulating the trucks of a skateboard lead to more responsiveness in a snowboard?


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## luckboxing (Nov 16, 2010)

I wasn't sold on it at first either. In theory, it makes no sense to me, but after trying them I really liked them. I'm not positive if it's a matter of being more responsive, but they made riding significantly more comfortable/natural feeling.


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## TorpedoVegas (Dec 25, 2011)

I rode the IPOs last year, and added the Drives to my collection for this season. The Drives feel a lot stiffer and more resposive than the IPOs, but that almost takes away some of the "Now feeling" of the bindings. I almost prefer the IPOs, still not quite sure though. The Drive and Select have nicer straps and the no tool adjustment on those 2 versions is better than what is on the IPOs. My next purchase will be a pair of Selects. The Selects seem like just a slightly nicer version of the IPOs and they include the heelcups, which can be bought seperately for the other bindings. 

Now bindings are either a love it or leave it binding, although I know only one person who hasn't loved them, most people I talk to who have them are just as stoked on them as I am. I find them to be a complete game changer and can't imagine using a different binding system anytime soon.


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## PeppermintRhino (Oct 15, 2014)

I have the IPO's and I can soiay that I really enjoyed them. I had no foot fatigue because of the kingpin technology the binding hinges around, and, while the bushings took some fine tuning to get just right, it was worth it. 

You can see a noticable difference in application of pressure that the design affords. IT's really only skateboard in the sense that it allows for more a more precise application of pressure on heel and toe sides. If I could do it over again, I'd have gotten the select since it seems like a happy middle ground whereas the IPO seems almost exclusively geared towards park riding. I made it work on a TRS HP from Libtech, but I'm going to be trying to get my hands on a set of the selects from last season now that they're on super discount. 

when I asked Now, they said that the drive was more of a back country style binding that was super stiff and responsive. You make the call based on what you want in a binding, but I did find the tech that's part of the whole line to make a difference.


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