# Burton Ion vs dual BOA



## struts (Dec 29, 2013)

I know this question has been discussed for years before.
I just wonder, coming into the year 2014, i bet all the problem with
BOA ( with the dual and triple BOA, lifetime warranty etc ) has probably been solved. 

I would like to get opinions regarding the dual BOA boots vs the Ion which
is what i have been shopping for, until I tried the dual BOA, Flow Talon focus.
The lacing is even more convenient than the speed lacing.

It will be the best combination if the Ion comes with the dual BOA. 
Is there any reason that Burton does not offer BOA ( other than the Tyro)?

How does Ion compare with the following BOA boot,
Flow Talon Focus, Ride Trident ( triple BOA ), Vans Cirro, and other similar boots ? 
They are alll similarly priced. 

I like the Ion's stiffness, the liner. The speed lacing is nice, but the
dual BOA seems to be even better.

Thanks.


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## Lamps (Sep 3, 2011)

Personally I find the speed lacing very convenient so even if the boa was much better it's only a marginal improvement. 

Kind of like flow bindings, I find the benefits vs conventional bindings is only a couple second of time, not much difference to me.


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## ICary (Aug 2, 2013)

I can only speak for the trident. It's a medium to stiff boot to me. The triple boa is really nice (easy to fix as well) it allows you to control the bottom and too laces separately which is why some people don't like single boa because the whole boot has to be tight. But also this year ride devolved tongue tied (I have the lassos) which is the third boa literally inside the boot that pulls the tongue closer to you. The idea is to prevent heel lift. IMO I think it's amazing and works really well. If you are worries about it breaking don't rest your boot on your side wall rest it on your heel cup on the chair lift and you are golden. If it does life time warranty take it to a shop and have it fixed in 5 minutes. But back to the flex I think it might be a tad softer then the ION. Best bet is to get in a boot place that has both and try them up and compare comfort wise. 
Hope I helped. (All my opinion)

I think burton doesn't offer boa because boa is it's on company and burton would have to spend money to put it on there boot. I know that there smaller youth boots offer a weird "cheap" string boa with a real big knob.


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## Mel M (Feb 2, 2012)

Doesn't the Ion come with a dual tightening system with it's speed lacing?

If it does, then the dual Boa probably isn't that much better of an upgrade. The only two advantages I can think of is that you can get a boa system to vein constricting tightness, which doesn't make sense, and supposedly it tightens around the ankle area a little better to prevent heel lift.

Otherwise, it's vastly more important to get a boot that fits your feet snug all over. Trust me, I'm not knocking on dual Boa. In fact, I am currently rocking a pair of dual boa Solomon Synapses, but I only picked that specific model because it fit my feet perfect.


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

Yes get the boot that fits best. You probably can find a good fitting BOA boot though. Plenty out there. 

The only problem with speed laces is that they are not so easy to replace. BOA cables are fairly easy to find and you can always bring a spare set with you. When I've broken cables it has always been the upper cable for me. Put a 24" voile strap in your pocket. If you cable brakes wrap it around your boot and tighten to you preference. Saved a great day doing that. Not ideal but it works in a pinch. Fixed the boot that night.


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## struts (Dec 29, 2013)

Thanks guys for the advice.
I started looking to upgrade my beginner boot since last season and found the review of
ION really good and tried it in store, liked it. the speed lacing is quite good ( obviously, when
compared to the traditional lacing of my boot ).
This year, I tried the dual boa on the Flow Talon focus and found the dual boa is even more convenient.
However, I agree with MelM that it is the good fit and feel of the boot more important. 
Definitely, the ION fits much better with the infinite liner, and with all the great reviews.
I googled more and came across the Ride Trident. It got even better review on
Ride Trident Boot

than ION 
Burton Ion 2014-2010 Review, Price Comparison & Buyers Guide


Agree with Lamps that the boa is marginal improvement. 
I am kinda greedy trying to find a boot as good as ION and the lacing as convenient as possible and 
with the same adjustability like the ION speed zone lacing.
so with the Trident tripe boa and high ratings on the boot overall, it seems it got the best of both ION
and boa. 

so i am now judging between ION and Trident.

with the life time warranty on the BOA and I saw video how to replace the wire which is quite easy, and the improvement in the durability of the wire,
there is no worry about the wire breakage.
does BOA warranty cover the dial ? what if the dial itself broken or the click gear worn out? 
also can the part of the dial that attaches to the boot be replaceable ? 
If that part attaching to the boot not replaceable, once it breaks, the whole boot is useless. 

ICary said Trident is medium stiff. but according to Ride scale, it is 9/10, so it seems that
it is quite stiff. i think ION is about 8 out of 10.
From what you described the adjustability of the triple boa. It is really cool.

one of the reviewer's comment regarding ION speeding lacing vs double boa from this link
Burton Ion 2014-2010 Review, Price Comparison & Buyers Guide


> Adjustability: What we love about Burton Speed Lace is it allows you to to have complete separation
> between your upper and lower lacing. This gives Burton the Advantage over BOA here
> because even most Double BOA boots don’t have complete separation. They usually share the ankle
> where Burton doesn’t. So BOA win’s on heel hold but Burton is the hands down winner for adjustability.
> Also Speed lace is easy and almost as easy as BOA.


and from the Trident review ...
Ride Trident Boot


> Adjustability: Now this is the kind of BOA boot that I personally love. The Upper and Lower are
> completely separate and that makes a lot of people happy. The 3rd BOA dedicated to heel hold also
> makes people happy who like the Double BOAs that share the ankle and don’t have separate adjustability.
> All in all this is about as good as it gets for dialing out your ride.
> It’s kind of like having a new level of excellence.


How about the fit and feel of Trident itself, the liner and the flex? the design of ION has built in an
articulation point at the heel side, so that makes it flex a bit. 
I don't see that from the picture of Trident.

btw, @ICary, does Trident have the same reduced footprint feature like ION?
The Ride's own website does not mention about it. but goodride review
says it does have the reduced foot print feature.

Weird that there is not many review on the web about Trident. and there is not many stores carry it in Canada.


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## Lamps (Sep 3, 2011)

All your questions about fit, heel hold etc will be specific to your foot shape, you can narrow your choices based on budget and lace style and color and weight, but only you can tell the fit parts by trying them on. 

Someone said on here that you can't creditably review boots, there's some truth to this. 

At this point try them on, fit is your driver.


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## ICary (Aug 2, 2013)

If it's BOA, they will replace, iv replaced wired to knobs to inside parts. Iv got strong legs from track which makes any boot stats stiff not as stiff for me. Thats why it's best to try it on.

For flex it feel and heel hold it's the boot if it's your foot lol. But you won't get heel lift because of the tongue tied and your foot won't be to tight because the lower and upper boa zone are serperate. The liner is different I was shocked when I put it on looking for the linear lacing and there was none. Just Velcro and the 3 boa knobs.


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## SnowDragon (Apr 23, 2012)

My club had a demo from a Ride representative and I was shocked at how comfortable their boots are - at least for me.
I just ordered the Trident online. I got to try on my buddy's Trident and loved it.

Yes, Ride boots are definitely reduced footprint, and the Trident is possibly the most reduced footprint in their line. I don't know why they don't mention this on their website.

The ultimate deciding factor, as mentioned by others, is the fit of the boot for you. Burton boots don't fit my foot well so I can't use them, but I agree with Lamps that their speed lacing is super easy and probably faster than boa - pull the two straps as tight as you need and lock them in. With boa, you do have to crank them, which might take a little bit more time.

Both the Ion and the Trident are terrific boots and very convenient. Get the one that fits you best.


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## destroy (Dec 16, 2012)

Having had both speed lace and a dual boa focus, I prefer the boas. The speed lace is tough to tell exactly how tight compared to the boas, which you can really crank down tight in small increments. For better or worse you can really get the boa tight as hell. 

It's your call. Ions are a good boot with a good reputation. I don't know about anywhere else but the boot selection is pretty limited here. Mostly dominated by Burton, and other than Calgary I can't imagine there being anywhere else in Canada better than here selection-wise... so good luck.


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## jdang307 (Feb 6, 2011)

Can someone tell me the fit on Ride? I have a wide foot but narrow heel. And it gets wide fast, like near the middle of my foot is a camel hump.

Of what I've tried, 32s and DCs are both a little too wide. Burton is just wide enough, maybe slightly so. K2 similar.

Nike too narrow unless I sized up (bad idea). I want to try Ride's tongue tied tech, similar to K2's. Just wondering where they fit along the width line. Slim pickings for boots around here and even if they carry a brand, they usually don't carry my size.


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## ICary (Aug 2, 2013)

I think they are kinda average. In between a nike and 32.


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## blackbeard (Nov 24, 2011)

Ride boots are narrow. I have an average to wide foot and Salomon regular (non-wide) and K2 boots fit me the best. Had some dialogues and now have the K2 Maysis.


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## struts (Dec 29, 2013)

I called all the snowboard stores I could find in Ontario, Canada. None of them carried Trident.
I couldn't even find any canadian online store that carries Trident. 
I just wonder why ?? Ride does not want to push the Trident??
so, I don't even get a chance to try it.
Does anyone know which Ride boot has the closest fit (size and flex) like the Trident ?

I read good reviews about the Intuition Dreamliner liner used in Trident. 
How does it compare to ION's Infinite liner ?

I agree the ION speed zone lacing is the faster. just one pull per lace, and it is done, without the need of cranking the dial.


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## SnowDragon (Apr 23, 2012)

I had to order my Tridents at Backcountry.com and have them shipped to a buddy in the U.S. to forward on to me since U.S. Retailers are not permitted to sell Ride products outside the U.S.
I couldn't find them anywhere in Canada either.


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## struts (Dec 29, 2013)

GreyDragon said:


> I had to order my Tridents at Backcountry.com and have them shipped to a buddy in the U.S. to forward on to me since U.S. Retailers are not permitted to sell Ride products outside the U.S.
> I couldn't find them anywhere in Canada either.


At least u had the chance to try it first before ordered it online.
how much did u pay for ? it is $399.95 regular. Actually even in the States,
I think only 2 online stores carry it, backcountry and dogfunk, and interestingly, the Trident pages from both sites look identical, I wonder if
they are actually the same company. :laugh:

btw, how much was the shipping to Canada ? I also can arrange buddy to ship it to me from the States. The box is quite bulky.

about the reduced footprint of Trident, the Ride Trident does mention it, but in other wordings....


> IN2GRATED™ CONSTRUCTION
> In2grated™ Construction creates the lightest weight, *shortest-length performance boots* on the market, hands down. The removable liner is factory molded inside the shell to create the most efficient “net fit,” leading to less pack out for better overall comfort.


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## SnowDragon (Apr 23, 2012)

Not sure about the shipping cost to Canada yet. They should arrive at my friend's today and then he will forward to me.
These are the least bulky boots I've seen since the Salomon Fusion series a few years ago.


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## struts (Dec 29, 2013)

GreyDragon said:


> Not sure about the shipping cost to Canada yet. They should arrive at my friend's today and then he will forward to me.
> These are the least bulky boots I've seen since the Salomon Fusion series a few years ago.


Did u get a good deal or pay the regular price $399 ?
Please let me know once u know the shipping cost. 
Thanks a lot.


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## Lamps (Sep 3, 2011)

struts said:


> Did u get a good deal or pay the regular price $399 ?
> Please let me know once u know the shipping cost.
> Thanks a lot.


Be wary of duty when shipping cross border as well.


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## tanscrazydaisy (Mar 11, 2013)

I had the Ions around the time when Burton first introduced the Speed Lacing....

they were okay.... but I ditched them for DC Shoes Focus w/ Boa Focus in the 2008-2009 season.... and still using them since. I've only had to replace a knob assembly once.


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## ALshooter (Nov 11, 2013)

jdang307 said:


> Can someone tell me the fit on Ride? I have a wide foot but narrow heel. And it gets wide fast, like near the middle of my foot is a camel hump.
> 
> Of what I've tried, 32s and DCs are both a little too wide. Burton is just wide enough, maybe slightly so. K2 similar.
> 
> Nike too narrow unless I sized up (bad idea). I want to try Ride's tongue tied tech, similar to K2's. Just wondering where they fit along the width line. Slim pickings for boots around here and even if they carry a brand, they usually don't carry my size.


It sounds like your foot is similar to mine. It may not be stiff enough for you, but the Vans Aura fits great for me. Wide enough for the front of my foot and holds my skinny heel well.

YMMV


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