# Laces or Boa?



## Guest (Jan 17, 2010)

I have laces right now on the boots i have and ive always had somewhat of a tough time really getting it good and tight. but im looking for new boots and im not sure if boa is reliable or not because ive never used it. does it come undone a lot or is it just as good as laces?


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## Milo303 (Apr 6, 2009)

BOA is a tried and proven system.

I highly recommend a dual BOA system so you can get each zone as tight as you want, without over tightening.

BOA works, that's all I can say about it... I own a pair of Vans Cirro boots and they're amazing. It's really nice to be able to adjust your boots while riding.

But they can break... And when they break, it's not like a laced boot where you just toss a new lace on it in the field. I havn't broken one yet, but depending on what you break you may or may not be able to get it fixed at a resort. Busting on in the backcountry would suck.


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## Guest (Jan 17, 2010)

Ok great that was basically my main concern was if it would break or not. Yeah thats gotta be a huge con of BOA is breakin it especially in a place like back country or somewhere when you couldnt just ski down and get it fixed or whatever


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## Milo303 (Apr 6, 2009)

Ya but let me clarify that it doesn't happen often... It's not like your going to slash em up once or twice a year. Could mash one once it's five years old, or the second day of riding. Imo they're badass


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## oxi (Oct 17, 2009)

+1 for BOA! Have a pair of 32s with a single BOA system. Depending one how much lean you put into your boot when winding it up you can adjust how much pressure is put on each zone. I don't find that as much of a problem as some other people seem to but every foot is different and even having said that I'd still prefer dual BOAs if I had enough money.

As Milo303 said, breaking doesn't happen often. I haven't had mine break on me either but I took the system apart when I first got them just to get an idea of how to replace and it's pretty simple. And just carry the spare cable and the kexkey around with you when you ride just in case, they're real small and you won't notice it.


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## Toecutter (Oct 11, 2009)

I wonder how many people here have actually had a Boa break on him or her, versus just hearing about "a friend of a guy I know" who had one break? My current boot (32 Boa Focus) is five or six years old and it's never failed. I just ordered a new pair of Ride Crew boots today with a Boa focus setup. Not afraid.

Edit: since it's not exactly new technology, I wonder how many resort shops are still ill-equipped to replace a boa system? It seems as if every major resort would have the parts and knowledge by now.


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## Milo303 (Apr 6, 2009)

Heh, a guy I ride with had his broke. But it wasn't like the BOA ratchet broke, it was the cable itself.... Got caught on something and snapped the cable.

I don't know anyone who's had the ratchet break


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## Phenix_Rider (Dec 24, 2008)

Toecutter said:


> I wonder how many people here have actually had a Boa break on him or her, versus just hearing about "a friend of a guy I know" who had one break? My current boot (32 Boa Focus) is five or six years old and it's never failed. I just ordered a new pair of Ride Crew boots today with a Boa focus setup. Not afraid.
> 
> Edit: since it's not exactly new technology, I wonder how many resort shops are still ill-equipped to replace a boa system? It seems as if every major resort would have the parts and knowledge by now.


None of the shops or resorts around here know anything. But replacing any of the boa parts is really easy. Best to simply buy a spare cable when you buy the boots (if they don't come with a spare).


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## SnoRidr (Jan 7, 2009)

BOA's have their advantages, but I will probably never stray away from laces,, unless I discover a boot that fits extremely well for me. Laces provide more customized options for the user. I never have a problem getting my laces tight. They can get just as tight as the BOA if the proper lacing method is used. 

I also recommend not limiting your boot options to just the BOA style. You eliminate many other possibilities of a good fitting boot. I have posted this YouTube video on lacing boots in the past. This might help you get a tighter fit with your laces. YouTube - Snowboard Boot Guide - Traditional Lacing This is the method I use, and believe me it works.


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## that_guy (Jan 17, 2010)

I use 32s with the standard lacing system.

I was also looking at Burton Ions with the Speedzone system, and that was impressive, so was the comfort of the boots.

The BOA stuff still kind of worries me, I think that 99.9 % of the people have no problems, but every so often you hear a story about the system breaking or getting stuck. I'd probably avoid that stuff if you're doing a lot of backcountry / hiking, but for regular resort riding they're probably just fine.


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## tschamp20 (Nov 2, 2009)

i use boa and can tell you if you like tight youll like boa.its real easy to over tighten and have your feet fall asleep. its amazing to me that someone could break a steel aircraft cable. but i guess its happened.
btw, the reason they're called aircraft cable is because they're so strong that they use them in airplanes to control the aelerons(sp.?)dont want those to break mid flight.all be it these are much smaller in diameter.
in my opinion,the hazard to boa might be from over tightening putting too much stress on the coiler.but i dont like mine that tight so no worries here.
buy with confidence!


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## earl_je (Oct 20, 2009)

I love BOAs! tighten when I'm riding, loosen when I'm done. Easy on, easy off.


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## NYinfamous2k2 (Aug 5, 2009)

Boa's are the shit, once you go boa you'll never go back, I been rocking boas for the past 4 yrs. my feet never been so comfortable because when your on the gondola or lift ride You can just pop the wheel to loosen them and relax ur feet then at the top reach down and a few clicks and in 2 seconds your good to go again. Now that they have focuz boa with the dual zone it makes it just that much better. Im actually selling a pair of DC judge focus boa boots size 11.5 literally used once because the 11.5 was to big and I couldnt return them So I bought a 11 in the same boot and sellings these (shameless plug ->) http://www.snowboardingforum.com/buy-sell-snowboard-equipment/23559-f-s-selling-dc-judge-boots.html


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## RVM (Jan 31, 2007)

I just posted a reply to a similar thread... but here we go again anyway. 

I have the 09 DC Judge with Focus BOA and I really, really like it. However, I don't think I'll buy it again if I have a choice because I feel like unless you're buying a $300+ boot you're getting less for your money with BOA vs laces. Companies seem to have to cut back a little bit on features etc. in a boot to make up for the expense of adding BOA, so you get less "boot" for the same dollar with it. I also find laces to generally be a bit more comfortable, but then that might be because my current boots don't fit anymore.

I wouldn't let the BOA system be the basis for my decision whether or not to buy a boot. I'd go for fit and quality first and then if it happens to have BOA that's awesome, but if it doesn't that's fine too.

Just my opinion.


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## Guest (Jan 31, 2010)

ehh i prefer the laces mine dont come loose i just tie em once stick em in the boot and its fine for the rest of the session i dont like BOA looks like it can easily snap LOL and just the way they look is kinda gay and n00by my sister has boa and she likes em but nah laces ftw


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## squishydonut (Nov 13, 2007)

i love my focus boas.


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## laviers13 (Jan 13, 2010)

ehh i had a pair of celcius with a single boa and i broke it on my second season. if you keep your edges sharp and you like to rest your board on your boot during hte life (like me) the edge can eventually cut through the cable. it wasnt a big deal because celcius fixed it for me under warranty but it was still a pita because i had to send them out at the time. this was back a couple years ago when boa was still pretty new.


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## NoTickets (Jan 16, 2010)

i like boa more than i like laces, because i can never get lacing as tight as i want them to be.

but i like salomon's auto-fit system better than the above two.


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## NYinfamous2k2 (Aug 5, 2009)

AyMoneyHUH? said:


> ehh i prefer the laces mine dont come loose i just tie em once stick em in the boot and its fine for the rest of the session i dont like BOA looks like it can easily snap LOL and just the way they look is kinda gay and n00by my sister has boa and she likes em but nah laces ftw


your actually more likely to snap a lace then a boa cable.



NoTickets said:


> i like boa more than i like laces, because i can never get lacing as tight as i want them to be.
> 
> but i like salomon's auto-fit system better than the above two.


salamons auto-fit system is pretty good but if you do some research you will see alot of people have problems with them constantly loosing up, im talking every run. good concept but they are not perfected just yet. maybe in a year or two they will have fixed that problem but untill then the focus boas are where its at.


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## binarypie (Nov 29, 2009)

My girlfriend rides a pair of vans with a single BOA and she loves her boots as they don't hurt her hands like laces do.

I have a pair of burton ions with whatever the hell burton calls their system. I really like the system and the dual stages are key for advanced riders.

Although, if these were to ever break I don't know what I would do. Doesn't seem like anything about them would be easy to fix.


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

Just an FYI on the BOA laces. So by being a tad neglectful I managed to fray the upper cable on my BOA focus boots. It held intact for the weekend and I was able to get a replacement cable (for free) from the shop I bought my boots at. It was freakin' simple to replace the laces and I would have done it just about as fast as regular laces except for a couple of things. 

One, if the BOA has the coiler, before you back out the screws to release the old cable make sure the screw hole and the guide hole are showing. I just got the screw holes lined up. Sucked because it meant I had to put the screws back in making the coiler do it's thing. Meaning I had to unwind the coiler and reset the screws in the stop position. Not easy to do, but fortunately I had an extra BOA tool that allowed me to pull it off. 

Second, when you are coiling the laces make sure to hold them down tight so that they coil in the most efficient pattern. Just makes it easier. 

Even with my little mistakes it took me way less than 30 minutes to change out the cable and should have taken me less than ten minutes. Re-threading the laces was super easy to do. 

I'd say if you are planning on a big trip, just get a set of replacement laces and if your BOA has the coiler make sure you have two BOA tools just in case you screw the pooch like I did...


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## NYinfamous2k2 (Aug 5, 2009)

AHHH another victim of resting the edge of the board on your boot when on the lift huh? lol 
thanks for the heads up. I wounder if its this e z to replace the laces on my focus boas tho.


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

Actually it was me not tightening up the laces after I took my boots off. Evidently I kicked the cable and bit and it started to fray. 

Kind of hard to cut them with your edge when you haven't rode a lift this season. That should change on Saturday though...

My boots are BOA focus boots, so I don't see you having any real issue. The tough one might be replacing the cables on a liner. That is one that you are probably not going to fray though.


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