# union force?



## eastcoast og87 (Oct 19, 2011)

im trying to find the best binding for the buck, and so far it seems to be the union force bindings. i have a 2010 burton blunt. i dont do much freestyle anymore, but i couldnt help get a board that i still can. is there any other binding out there comparable to the force for around the same price? Flux or Ride possibly?


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## CheeseForSteeze (May 11, 2011)

Force is about as vanilla as you can get. Burton Cartel ReFLEX is also very nuts and bolts but solid.


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## eastcoast og87 (Oct 19, 2011)

if you had to choose one to ride this season, what would you pick between those 2..or any others you reccomend?


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## CheeseForSteeze (May 11, 2011)

Probably Cartels based on ergos. Union redesigned their toe caps this season and somehow they're even worse than the 2011 and previous. They just don't conform very well; they should look at Raiden's window design.

Anyway, the Union Contact Pro's are good, ergo of the straps aside. I looked at Ride Capo/Maestro/Rodeo, Rome 390 Boss, K2 Auto Uprise and The Company, Raiden Phantom and Burton Malavita/Cartels.


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## eastcoast og87 (Oct 19, 2011)

ok cool, what about flux? do you have any opinion on that brand? im just trying to figure out what the best binding to get for a few seasons


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## CheeseForSteeze (May 11, 2011)

Yea, a lot of people like them. I looked into RK30's, more of a jib oriented freestyle binding and the DS45 which are kind of all around with a nylon blend highback that mimics the feeling of urethane. Their trademark is the urethane backs which give a really buttery feel. TT30's are a bit more toward mid flexing, all mountain freestyle. I haven't demo'd them which is why I didn't throw my lot in with them but if I had, I'm sure they would have been good.


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## Extremo (Nov 6, 2008)

Union over flux any day. I have both, really tried to get used to the flux but ended up going back to the Force. Just liked the feel and responsiveness of the binding better.


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## twin89 (Jan 21, 2009)

I would just say not union... I have had soo much trouble with my contact SLs its not even funny. Even with locktite on the screws i keep having to tighten them, if not my heel cup slides outward and that is not good cause then nothing fits. That was a daily thing for me. 

I just picked up some k2 hurrithanes and i can already tell they are better, they just feel waay more solid compared to how cheap unions feel. Thats just my opinion of union. Now that they have this ugly almost non functional toe strap, i wouldn't go anywhere near them.

I also checked out flux in the store and i didn't like the way they felt, very cheap, but the main reason I didn't get them is cause they just didn't fit my boots very well, they have a pretty wide toe area.

Check out Raiden bindings, Rome, and K2. K2 i feel has the best value having their normal 2 strap bindings under $200 but I am slightly biased cause i just bought a pair.

I had some older ride bindings before my unions and I was actually happy with those. but this was before they redesigned their toe strap with the web, which i have heard is one of the best toe straps.


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## eastcoast og87 (Oct 19, 2011)

ive heard more good than bad things about union, but the bad seems to be opinion based, compared to reviews, but the bad opinions are still bad. i was kinda hooked on getting the union force this year but not so sure any more. what is everyones thought on best binding for 200 bucks...maybe itll ehlp me narrow my search down


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## eastcoast og87 (Oct 19, 2011)

or how bout the burton cobra sharks? i want something more all mountain freestyle than strictly freestyle, so im not sure about the cobra sharks, but i heard theyre good bindings non the less


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## idshred (Jun 20, 2010)

eastcoast og87 said:


> what is everyones thought on best binding for 200 bucks...maybe itll ehlp me narrow my search down



so within that range my suggestions would be force, flux tt30, burton mission, and k2 formula. These are all binders that I currently own or owned in the past 2 or 3 seasons. The mission is a rock solid binding for 200 IMO, basically last years and this years are an updated 08-10 cartel. I didn't like the formulas but they were solid and functioned nicely. I have the tt30's and forces right now, I prefer the forces. The new toe strap on unions takes a little bit of adjustment but from what I have seen it fits most peoples boots just great.


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## eastcoast og87 (Oct 19, 2011)

i might just stick with the forces then as my decision, people seem to keep talking them up. ive never owned a pair, and its gonna be part of my setup that i have for a few seasons, do they hold up nicely?


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## eastcoast og87 (Oct 19, 2011)

o btw, i have vans hi standard boots size 11, if you have any knopw how, do the yadjust nicely to them?


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## idshred (Jun 20, 2010)

eastcoast og87 said:


> people seem to keep talking them up. ive never owned a pair, and its gonna be part of my setup that i have for a few seasons, do they hold up nicely?


different stroke for different folks. If you end up buying the forces you might love em or you could hate them. Only way to find out with any binding is to buy it and try it. I had a friend that put 200 days on a pair of year two forces.. everything was still original down to the ladders. They looked like total shit because back then union was using leather that looked like crap after not all that long.

so with the toe strap... you'll be in l/xl with size 11's. There are two slots in the basplate that adjust the strap forwards and backwards..it is important to try both slots to figure out which one is going to work best, I have also had to use my heel cup adjustment to get my toe straps dialed in before. It also helps to loosen the screw on the toe strap, ratchet the strap down tight on your boot, then tighten the screw.


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## eastcoast og87 (Oct 19, 2011)

ok cool. i think ill probably swoop them, and im anxious to ride them for sure..thanks for all the help!!!


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## idshred (Jun 20, 2010)

this is what you want them to fit like. These are from a member on easyloungin


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## eastcoast og87 (Oct 19, 2011)

ok thats a great reference, thanks much...and does the tru flex thing actually work? how they have less contact on the board? or is that a sale point?


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## idshred (Jun 20, 2010)

eastcoast og87 said:


> ok thats a great reference, thanks much...and does the tru flex thing actually work? how they have less contact on the board? or is that a sale point?



I can't really tell a difference with the force. It is sitting on eva padding on all four corners opposed to something with solid plastic throughout the entire bottom of the baseplate. Maybe it makes a difference.. i'm not really sure. The eva is fairly soft so I would suppose it has a little bit of give to it. Now the contact baseplate... I can see 1/8" of daylight under my contact pros on the sides/in the back. And you can feel it when you ride. As far as "true board flex" from it, ehhh I don't know. I don't think its anything like what burton is doing with re:flex.


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## bdrusse (May 15, 2011)

hope i am not hijacking, as I was wanting the union force's too. However, I keep hearing the same thing about the toe strap. Its too bad too, they seem like such a perfect match for the setup I was going for, but in the end, it is definitely function before fashion.

I am kind of curious about the K2 auto uprise too. A little intrigued about the one ratchet, however, cant help but think Im gonna catch my boot pulling my foot out and trip a few times. anybody have any real experience with them?


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## CheeseForSteeze (May 11, 2011)

I'm a big critic of the toe caps (especially since they somehow made them worse, IMO from the old design) and have been vocal about it as of late. However, to be clear, if the binding is a good match and the toe cap is the only thing you think is wrong, you should probably get them anyway. At the very least, lace up your boots and go to the shop and cinch a pair down.

I just want the best possible ergos if I'm buying brand new bindings. Unions aren't great (for me) but the rest of the binding is pretty solid.

I have personally also had problems with the blowing up Union mounting discs on a pair of Contacts, Contact Pros and Forces, but you may want to give them a shot. I just kept an extra pair of discs with me in my tuning/wax/tool bag that I always took with me to the mountain.


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