# In the Market for a very stiff responsive binding?



## Luvmustycarpet1 (Jan 31, 2014)

I just recently got a T Rice pro HP 155cm board and im looking to get a pair of very responsive and stiff pair of bindings.....I have a couple different kinds in mind. i would like to stay old school and prefer straps then the step in bindings like the Flows or Gnu bindings .... im leaning towards buying a pair of Union Chargers but would like to hear some of your opinions on stiff responsive bindings and the other brands/models that are out there..and if you have any experience with union charger bindings i would like to hear that as well


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## buddhafist24 (Dec 31, 2008)

Haven't ridden these but I think they're supposed to be really stiff.

Ride El Hefe


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## linvillegorge (Jul 6, 2009)

Union Charger, and Flux DL or DM were gonna be my suggestions. I just don't like those Ride full aluminum chassis and baseplate.


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## SnowDogWax (Nov 8, 2013)

Union Charger! Not a fan of Ride bindings either.


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## KansasNoob (Feb 24, 2013)

I have the El Hefe's and really like them. I'm not very good, but not really a beginner. I can do 30 deg groomed slopes smoothly. I like the straps on the ride bindings. The toe strap is made in a way that it rarely slips. I've lost it one time. I don't know why people dislike the aluminum chassis, it seems really tough. I'd much rather have it than plastic.


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## trapper (Jan 15, 2013)

Union Factory is another good responsive binding option. I'm a big dude on a big board and they work good for me. Had the Ride Capos and I agree with linville and Snowdog about the aluminum chassis. They're just not for me and I was really glad to go back to plastic. The Capos just felt clunky to me I don't know why. But YMMV of course.


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## linvillegorge (Jul 6, 2009)

KansasNoob said:


> I've lost it one time. I don't know why people dislike the aluminum chassis, it seems really tough. I'd much rather have it than plastic.


It won't flex. At all. IF they do flex, they bend. I bent the shit out of my SPi's. Even if you don't bend the shit out of them, they create a dead spot in your board that doesn't allow it to flex naturally. All bindings do this to a degree, but it seems noticeably worse with that big chunk of rigid aluminum screwed to your board. Plus, they seem to fatigue the hell out of my feet. I assume it's because they're not flexing in the least which translates more strain to the feet.

No offense meant and please don't take it as such, but you're probably just not good enough to understand why some people don't care for them in terms of how they ride. I originally picked up the SPi's when I was probably about your level and had a similar thought process to yours that aluminum had to be better than plastic. As I progressed, I changed my mind.


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## SnowDogWax (Nov 8, 2013)

Baseplate on the Ride bindings I own are to wide. My boots which are Vans have a half inch gap on either side at the toe strap. With enough force movement seems more likely. So maybe its just my boots.


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## poutanen (Dec 22, 2011)

The Burton Diode is my go to binding. I used to use C60s but these are every bit as responsive, but much more comfortable. In comparison I bought Cartels for a play board and find them soft...

If you want response, they've got it!

Apex Sport, a race board retailer out of Canada sells them exclusively for boardercross and softboot freeriding and carving.

Apex Sport - Good as Gold


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## trapper (Jan 15, 2013)

linvillegorge said:


> Even if you don't bend the shit out of them, they create a dead spot in your board that doesn't allow it to flex naturally. All bindings do this to a degree, but it seems noticeably worse with that big chunk of rigid aluminum screwed to your board.


This is probably the reason I thought they felt clunky as I mentioned. I just didn't know how to explain it. The other thing I didn't like about the aluminum was keeping the screws tight on them. Seemed more susceptible to loosening than the plastic baseplates I've used. It wasn't horrible, but they'd get loose every now and then and that was in spite of my checking them before every day out. Tried the nail polish thing and that didn't seem to stop it either.


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## behi (Feb 27, 2013)

Have you actually tried a very stiff binding? You may very well hate it. Although I used a very stiff aluminum binding (highback doesn't have any give) for years, I now very strongly prefer something in the Cartel range of stiffness. (My board is very stiff.)


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## Luvmustycarpet1 (Jan 31, 2014)

behi said:


> Have you actually tried a very stiff binding? You may very well hate it. Although I used a very stiff aluminum binding (highback doesn't have any give) for years, I now very strongly prefer something in the Cartel range of stiffness. (My board is very stiff.)


Why would I hate a stiff binding like the union chargers ? What are your experiences with stiff bindings and the reasons that you prefer a softer bindings and not a stiff one since u hated it?


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## Lamps (Sep 3, 2011)

Luvmustycarpet1 said:


> Why would I hate a stiff binding like the union chargers ? What are your experiences with stiff bindings and the reasons that you prefer a softer bindings and not a stiff one since u hated it?


Stiff bindings can be uncomfortable and tiring, and unforgiving ( caught edges ). 

Can also be a bit more difficult in tight trees and moguls, makes it hard to pivot. 

Also can be harder to butter or do other tricks ( caught edges for example) due to lack of flex. 

All that said I love my diodes.


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## seriouscat (Jan 23, 2012)

Diode/machine/dm or factory. On the rides, I used to hate them, but the new el hefe is very nice. No longer feels like a bear trap with the new mini disk and highback


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## Luvmustycarpet1 (Jan 31, 2014)

I'm an aggressive rider I don't really butter and I don't pull off any crazy tricks I'm not planning on going to the X games and ccan't really afford to get hurt ..I pretty much bomb down the mountain and carve and hit some jumps to get some air ill hit some boxes but that's about it ....the Burton diode have the sane stiffness/flex rating as the union chargers


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## behi (Feb 27, 2013)

Luvmustycarpet1 said:


> Why would I hate a stiff binding like the union chargers ? What are your experiences with stiff bindings and the reasons that you prefer a softer bindings and not a stiff one since u hated it?


Like Lamps said, they can be unforgiving (with the softer binding I can easily recover slight edge catches that would throw me with the stiff binding) and uncomfortable. If there is some give the binding can act as suspension and help even out chop.

I have major issues foot steering my stiff board with my stiff binding - I need some soft range around neutral, otherwise my joints are kind of locked and I have no power to torque the board (and frequently have to resort to hop turns when going slow/flat stuff). I don't have that issue with a softer board though.

I also can move much better around / shift the weight and throw the board around with a softer binding. E.g. riding crusted snow works much better with the softer binding when the crust sometimes holds and sometimes breaks. With the softer binding chances of getting punished are a lot lower and steering while being in the back-seat (to prevent a nose-dive) works much better.

If you are coming from a Flite Pro, there is plenty of stiffer stuff without going to some extremely stiff binding...


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## SnowDogWax (Nov 8, 2013)

:dizzy:I solve all my problems with 7 boards+bindings!!!


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## Luvmustycarpet1 (Jan 31, 2014)

SnowDogWax said:


> :dizzy:I solve all my problems with 7 boards+bindings!!!


I have two boards not everyone can be. Big Willy pimpin spending G's on 7boards n bindings nah mean ;-)


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## Lamps (Sep 3, 2011)

SnowDogWax said:


> :dizzy:I solve all my problems with 7 boards+bindings!!!


Different bindings?

Last year I had 3 pairs of the same binding. (C60's)


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## SnowDogWax (Nov 8, 2013)

Lamps said:


> Different bindings?
> 
> Last year I had 3 pairs of the same binding. (C60's)


Yes all different! :dizzy::dunno:

Ride Rodeo Never Summer 159 RipSaw 
Union Atlas LibTech 159 HotKnife 
Union Force LibTech 165 SkunkApe HP 
Union ContactPro Rossi 161W OneMag 

Union DLX Rossi 159W Templar
Rome MobBoss Rossi 164W Krypto & Rome 159W Rome Agent Rocker
Flow XE K2 163W ParkStar & Rome 154W Garage Rocker


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## Luvmustycarpet1 (Jan 31, 2014)

SnowDogWax said:


> Yes all different! :dizzy::dunno:
> 
> Ride Rodeo Never Summer 159 RipSaw
> Union Atlas LibTech 159 HotKnife
> ...


Good Stuff ....how do you like the contact pros and are they the 2014 ones with the mini disk ?.. i was thinking about buying the contact pros but overall went with the chargers


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## Deacon (Mar 2, 2013)

SnowDogWax said:


> Yes all different! :dizzy::dunno:
> 
> Ride Rodeo Never Summer 159 RipSaw
> Union Atlas LibTech 159 HotKnife
> ...


Rodeos + Ripsaw seem like a strange pairing.


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## buddhafist24 (Dec 31, 2008)

SnowDogWax said:


> Yes all different! :dizzy::dunno:
> 
> Ride Rodeo Never Summer 159 RipSaw
> Union Atlas LibTech 159 HotKnife
> ...


Sorry for off topic, but can you comment on the Ripsaw vs Hot Knife?


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## SnowDogWax (Nov 8, 2013)

buddhafist24 said:


> Sorry for off topic, but can you comment on the Ripsaw vs Hot Knife?


I favor the HotKnife when conditions are icy, very hard pack conditions, and hitting large and small jumps in the park.

RipSaw fresh groomers, powder, glades, high speeds, moguls RipSaw just feels more stable. 

When on the RipSaw I feel like I can ride forever. The board has a 24/7 sweet spot.

Speed both are similar but the > the speed give me the RipSaw
Powder RipSaw
Jumping HotKnife
Switch Both are great
Fun RipSaw


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## SnowDogWax (Nov 8, 2013)

The Deacon said:


> Rodeos + Ripsaw seem like a strange pairing.


Yes! Union Force next year…


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## SnowDogWax (Nov 8, 2013)

Luvmustycarpet1 said:


> Good Stuff ....how do you like the contact pros and are they the 2014 ones with the mini disk ?.. i was thinking about buying the contact pros but overall went with the chargers


No… 2013 Contact Purple/NeonYellow


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## Redline (Jan 14, 2014)

Those Now bindings with the carbon fiber highback due out next season look pretty legit.


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## linvillegorge (Jul 6, 2009)

SnowDogWax said:


> Yes all different! :dizzy::dunno:
> 
> Ride Rodeo Never Summer 159 RipSaw
> Union Atlas LibTech 159 HotKnife
> ...


Damn, it must be torture owning all that snowboarding gear and being stuck in PA. :blink:


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## SnowDogWax (Nov 8, 2013)

linvillegorge said:


> Damn, it must be torture owning all that snowboarding gear and being stuck in PA. :blink:


Season Pass at JayPeak 25 days :yahoo:
Season Pass Seven Springs 40 days :icon_scratch:


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## ItchEtrigR (Jan 1, 2012)

Cushiony ankle straps & play in the highbacks is what matters most in my world.


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## linvillegorge (Jul 6, 2009)

ItchEtrigR said:


> Cushiony ankle straps & play in the highbacks is what matters most in my world.


Flux :thumbsup:


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## booron (Mar 22, 2014)

Luvmustycarpet1 said:


> i was thinking about buying the contact pros but overall went with the chargers


So what do you think of them then? Do you find them unforgiving or punishing?


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## emc19 (Jan 29, 2014)

Got a set of flux sf45's I'll let go of. Large size with about 10 days on them


Sent from Verticalsports.com Free App


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## francium (Jan 12, 2013)

I've been using union sl's for the last couple of seasons and I like the response you get from the aluminium baseplates. If your riding a stiff board I find high speed turns easier as the force you put into turn makes the board flex easier. Just got some Ride El Hefe for my Jones Hovercraft and it's awesome.


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## hikerman (Jan 28, 2013)

I bought last years ride capo. Asked the shop for the stiffest bindings they have.
They had this and a burton type. The aluminum base looked awesome.
They had last years model for half price, green.
I was sold, money is tight.
I know what was ment by " a clunky" feeling. But still need to up grade my boots the my board for next season. I am still relatively new at this but picked up pretty quick.
But man when trying to carve had or bome a hill, holy crap love the locked in feeling. Is just what I was looking for!! 

I don't play in the parks.


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## Mizu Kuma (Apr 13, 2014)

FLUX DM's!!!!! 

SF's if ya wanna save a couple of bucks!!!!!


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