# Union Factory vs Rome Targa



## black300zx (Sep 28, 2015)

This season I'm finally ditching my ancient 12+ year old Lamar and getting a new board/binding setup. Last month I picked up a Rome Anthem 159, and now I'm getting ready to pull the trigger on bindings. I spend 80% of my time on the mountain carving and bombing down groomers, so I really don't care about buttering, hitting rails, etc. 

I've spent the past month or so narrowing down my binding choice, and I'm stuck between the Union Factory and Rome Targa. From everything I've read, they're both on stiffer side of medium flex, which should match up well with the Anthem. Both are priced similarly, and right now I'm leaning towards the Unions.

I've spent the last 12+ years riding a set of Liquid bindings that came with my old board, so I'm sure I'll be blown away by either choice, but does anyone have any input on the two?


----------



## linvillegorge (Jul 6, 2009)

If I was buying a binding that fits this description from one of these two companies, it'd be the Rome Katana.


----------



## black300zx (Sep 28, 2015)

Forgot to mention that I've primarily been looking at 2014 closeout equipment. Budget is in the $200 range.


----------



## linvillegorge (Jul 6, 2009)

Not sure if the size will work for you, but...

Rome Katana Snowboard Bindings 2015 | evo outlet


----------



## SkullAndXbones (Feb 24, 2014)

i have a 2013 rome anthem (163) and i use targa bindings and i love them. they compliment the board extremely well. i've never used union bindings so i can't compare them. the factorys seem like a good choice too though.


----------



## black300zx (Sep 28, 2015)

linvillegorge said:


> Not sure if the size will work for you, but...
> 
> Rome Katana Snowboard Bindings 2015 | evo outlet


Hmm - I'm right on the upper end, with a 10.5/11 boot. Now I have three choices to decide between...Thanks!



SkullAndXbones said:


> i have a 2013 rome anthem (163) and i use targa bindings and i love them. they compliment the board extremely well. i've never used union bindings so i can't compare them. the factorys seem like a good choice too though.


Thanks for the feedback. How do you like the Anthem?


----------



## BFBF (Jan 15, 2012)

black300zx said:


> Hmm - I'm right on the upper end, with a 10.5/11 boot. Now I have three choices to decide between...Thanks!
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks for the feedback. How do you like the Anthem?


The factory is middle of the road stiffness, 
Targa or Katana all day.:jumping1:


----------



## linvillegorge (Jul 6, 2009)

I'd definitely rate the Factory stiffer than middle of the road. I'd say it's in the 7 or 8 out of 10 range - I'll go 7.5. It's fairly stiff.


----------



## Tatanka Head (Jan 13, 2014)

I ride Factory's and would say that they are stiff. They are way stiffer than my SLs. And they SLs are considered medium stiffness. The difference is night and day. With that said, I've never ridden Rome bindings so I can't add anything on the comparison of the two (or three).


----------



## UVMboarder (Aug 6, 2015)

I switched from my old Rome 390 boss bindings to the Union Factory last year and I will never get anything but Union bindings again. The factory bindings are bomb proof and the responsiveness is incredible.


----------



## BFBF (Jan 15, 2012)

Tatanka Head said:


> I ride Factory's and would say that they are stiff. They are way stiffer than my SLs. And they SLs are considered medium stiffness. The difference is night and day. With that said, I've never ridden Rome bindings so I can't add anything on the comparison of the two (or three).



Hmm...I have Now Overdrives , factories and genesis.(Also order of stiffness).
And for years ran nothing but Co2s

The overdrives are noticeably stiffer than the factories which is why they don't feel stiff to me -- I'm also 6'1 190 lbs and pretty strong.

Different strokes for different folks.:eyetwitch2:


----------



## SkullAndXbones (Feb 24, 2014)

black300zx said:


> Thanks for the feedback. How do you like the Anthem?


love it. very fast and very stable. i flat base with it all the time with no problems. rides through choppy/bumpy snow without a problem.


----------



## black300zx (Sep 28, 2015)

SkullAndXbones said:


> love it. very fast and very stable. i flat base with it all the time with no problems. rides through choppy/bumpy snow without a problem.


Awesome - pretty much the same as every other review I've read.

So I found a pretty killer deal on Factory's on steep and cheap ($135), but they're only in Size M/L which goes up to size 10. I'm and 11 :/ At least I've got another month and a half before I can even think about hitting the mountain.


----------



## Nivek (Jan 24, 2008)

Am I the only one who got calf bite out of the Factory/Rice? Stock forward lean and no recurve don't do well with me in highbacks.

Katana. And an 11 will fit the M/L


----------



## Singu1arity (Jan 2, 2014)

Targas are my current favorite binding, I have the 2014s.

I have gotten used to them after initially not liking how stiff they were and now use them for almost everything. 

Park? 0 forward lean and no ankle strap insert. 
Pow? Forward lean for responsiveness and stiff ankle strap insert.

The Yes I Can't system really does make my knees take less wear and feel a lot less sore even after a full day of riding. Also, I love the rubber toe straps that conform to your boot.

They are a little on the heavy side, but they are bombproof in my experience and have infinite adjustability. I've taken landings to flat and dropped off cliffs I shouldn't have with the Targas and banged out landings I wouldn't have on a lesser binding. Fully expecting to find something broken on the bindings when I got to the bottom of the mountain, they hadn't taken any damage, only minor paint chips at most.

Highly recommend them, I hear the Katana's are good but I haven't ridden them. I expect to buy another pair of Targas in the future when I get the itch for another set of bindings.


----------



## alchemy (Apr 28, 2014)

I love my Factories.


----------



## linvillegorge (Jul 6, 2009)

Nivek said:


> Am I the only one who got calf bite out of the Factory/Rice? Stock forward lean and no recurve don't do well with me in highbacks.
> 
> Katana. And an 11 will fit the M/L


It's why I returned the Factory/Rice after two days of riding.


----------



## taco tuesday (Jul 26, 2014)

Nivek said:


> Am I the only one who got calf bite out of the Factory/Rice? Stock forward lean and no recurve don't do well with me in highbacks.
> 
> Katana. And an 11 will fit the M/L


I have Factory high backs on Charger baseplates. I have no issue with calf bite. The stock forward lean on Union bindings is almost an exact match to my Burton Driver X's and the boots are taller than the Highbacks.


----------



## Tatanka Head (Jan 13, 2014)

taco tuesday said:


> I have Factory high backs on Charger baseplates. I have no issue with calf bite. The stock forward lean on Union bindings is almost an exact match to my Burton Driver X's and the boots are taller than the Highbacks.


Same here. No bite,and the lean matches my Insanos just fine. I love my factories.


----------



## black300zx (Sep 28, 2015)

Nivek said:


> Am I the only one who got calf bite out of the Factory/Rice? Stock forward lean and no recurve don't do well with me in highbacks.
> 
> Katana. And an 11 will fit the M/L


An 11 will squeeze into a M/L? The size chart only goes up to 10. Any downsides to pushing the size limits of a M/L?


----------



## linvillegorge (Jul 6, 2009)

I had a 10.5 in a M/L with plenty of room to spare. An 11 should be no problem.

The only downside is of they don't fit. If I'm borderline on sizes in bindings, I tend to bump down usually. I just find that if you're on the low end for the size there's quite a bit of room in width that I have to make up for by really cranking down the straps. But, YMMV and I'm sure there are boot/binding combos that bumping down wouldn't work.


----------



## ryannorthcott (Dec 17, 2010)

Size 10 here in Rome katanas as well. Nothing but good things to say about these bindings and yes your size 11s will fit, you will just extend the footbed to the furthest setting.


----------



## black300zx (Sep 28, 2015)

well I pulled the trigger on M/L Factory's. For $135, I figured it can't hurt to give them a shot. If I don't like them or if my boots don't fit right, I can sell them and get some Targas or L/XL Factory's without eating much money.

Thanks for the help guys.


----------



## black300zx (Sep 28, 2015)

Bindings came in a few weeks ago, and as I expected, the ankle strap was a bit short for my boots. I could get a few teeth latched, but that was it. Called up C3 and they sent me over a set of the longer connectors from the prior year, and everything fits much better. I can get 3 teeth or so of engagement by hand, and a few more when I strap down. If I had both the m/l and l/xl versions available at the same price, I'd have preferred the L/XLs to give myself more room for adjustment, but for ~$80 off, these will work just fine  The Anthem has a ~1" setback, so right now I've got the bindings pushed all the way forward in their slots for about a 0.75" setback since I'm used to riding centered. If I find some powder to ride I'll be able to push them all the way back for about a 1.25" setback which should help it out. Should work well for my normal riding.

Thanks for the advice - now I just need to get the board sharpened/waxed and wait for some snow 

My old ride next to my new one:


----------



## nybe0010 (Dec 5, 2013)

Nivek said:


> Am I the only one who got calf bite out of the Factory/Rice? Stock forward lean and no recurve don't do well with me in highbacks.


 @Nivek; forces, team, and factory highback have a decent amount of stock lean i've noticed. Have you tried removing the forward lean adjuster?


----------



## Tatanka Head (Jan 13, 2014)

Nivek said:


> Am I the only one who got calf bite out of the Factory/Rice? Stock forward lean and no recurve don't do well with me in highbacks.
> 
> Katana. And an 11 will fit the M/L


The forward lean on the Factory's are the same as my my Insanos. I haven't ridden them with my Spark Summit boots, but there will definitely be some resistance with that combo.


----------

