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why all the hating on BOA lace system????

54K views 63 replies 22 participants last post by  GNU-LOVE 
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#1 ·
I know snowboarding reviews and opinons are bias and sometimes go by more by trend following or lack of real knowledge but it gets old. I bought DC torch 08' with dual BOA and the fit and quality is FAR supeior to any other boot I seen.except some top of the line Burton or lash boots but brand is besides the point. All snowboarders should know that Burton,32 lash,Dc and vans are really the top of the pile. But every foot is differnt so people please top giving misleading advise about boots!! Because they are the most crucial item!

PS: only get BOA if its dual and a high end model

the end
 
#2 ·
BOA isnt bad, the internet just brings out the trolls who hate everything except what they own(or can afford). If i had found BOA boots that i liked over the Hails i ended up getting I may have gotten those. But to me the BOA system while nice is such a minor improvement for a far greater risk. If that mechanism goes out your day on the mountain is done, possibly several days if you dont rent/buy new boots while waiting for replacements through warranty or what not. All for what? To save 30 seconds in the parking lot lacing up? :)
 
#5 ·
Im just a sucker for old fashioned laces, so if they blow out you can rip a set out of a pair of shoes instead of having to find replacements and have the hassle of fitting it!

There seems to be alot less complaints around the durability of BOA nowadays, seems they have got it pretty dialled in. The Burton speedzone stuff seems to blow out alot, my buddy went through countless sets of laces last season.
 
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#6 ·
Well I well hold on to my old Burton lace ups atleast till end of season but I highly doubt All the big name companys would keep making Boa Boots if reliablity was a issue dont you think.
 
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#7 ·
i have the solomon draw string and they slowly gey loose if i take some hard turns and lean in. I think the string just slides back through even when its locked. But my buddy has normal lace up boots and i am allways ready to go befor him.
 
#8 ·
BOA works just fine. Very reliable and very secure. I am not sure who's hating on BOA but I haven't heard much. Laces are tried and true without a doubt and are far easier to replace if you bust a lace vs a BOA cable. I know people who have put in way over 200 days in their boots before getting the cable to bust. I don't know about the rest of you, but I generally retire my boots way before they have 200 days on them.
 
#10 ·
You can get replacement laces if you want. I believe you can order them directly from BOA. I does look like it would take some time to replace them though. A good hour I would bet. Then again, if you are watching for frays on your cable you should have plenty of heads up on when to replace them. I'm riding on BOA focus this year and I should get around 60 days maybe more as long as the snow flies. Plus I will be putting extra abuse on them with all the backcountry skinning I do. As long as the boot itself holds up (second pair of DC's I blew out the sidewall <20 days on the first pair) I should have an opinion about the durability of the cables.
 
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#30 · (Edited)
30 minutes per boot tops if you're remotely coordinated or "mechanically" inclined. How do I know? I accidently popped the housing for the side reel out of my DC Allegiance (Duel zone) when I was walking down steps. Turned my foot too much at the turn in the steps without paying attention to where the reel was. Turns out they are REALLY simple to replace and work on. They provide a torque driver (though it is tiny) that is all you need to disassemble the reel and cable system. Because they were dialed in and taunt the only way for it to give was pulling the cable loose from the reel. I say it was simple to work on and fix because all you have to do is unscrew the wheel and then the screws that hold the cover for the housing to get inside of the reel.

1 - Unscrew reel wheel

2 - Unscrew holding screws in the cover of the housing

3 - Unscrew the set screws (When you look there is a metal tube inside the center of the reel gear (inside the housing) above the dial wheel that has 2 very small screws inside of the metal tube basically.)

4 - Place the cable ends into the holes on the reel. MAKE SURE THEY ARE IN ALL THE WAY!!! Paying attention to how the cables wrap around the reel you can see one side of the holes are rounded off to prevent fraying. That is the way the cables should wrap around the reel gear. (Also if you notice one end of the cable being longer than the other it's because they wrap in the same direction and so one must reach a little further around the reel gear.)

5 - Put the set screws back in and tighten them firmly

6 - Pull the cables taunt by wrapping them around the reel as you replace it in the housing

7 - Screw the cover back in place

8 - Screw the dial wheel back on and you're good to go.

Having done it once it only took me about 30 minutes even with errors and nearly losing a set screw, I'm confident that it can be done in about 10-15 minutes max even if you are taking your time and being careful.


WARNING! The set screws (2 tiny screws inside the metal tube if the reel gear) are VERY small. I suggest doing this in a well lit place where you're not likely to be bumped around and lose the set screws. Place the set screws in something so that they won't roll off a surface also. And if you're having to do this in the back country it's not a big deal. The set screws are black. Just find a clear area or pack some snow into a concave to set them in.


For the tongue reel it's even easier as the housing does not need to come a part.

1 - Pull the cable to get slack and set the reel wheel.
2 - Unscrew the reel wheel
3 - Pull the cable ends out.
4 - Screw the reel wheel back in and you're good to go.



Replacing the cables themselves is easy also since they are metal. All you have to do is run it through the guides and then start the end into the hole where they come out from the reel housing and then push them back into the boot.
If you're really worried about losing a day of riding to a busted cable, just practice it at home a couple of times and carry a spare(s). I would suggest getting extra set screws also. At least 4 of them if they aren't too expensive.

If anyone is interested or wants them, post and I'll disassemble mine again and post pictures of the process for you sometime later this week.
 
#14 ·
I thought of getting a pair this year. But for every brand that had one I found enough reviews of people blowing their cables so that deterred me away. The laces are snug for me and all I would really gain would be the speed of the BOA, so it wasn't worth the risk of blowing a cable IMO. No hating, just don't want to take the chance :dunno:
 
#16 ·
I'm guessing you saw Burton, Salomon and K2 make them as well. I believe from the pics Salomons are thicker laced, I was leaning more towards those.
 
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#23 ·
The Van Encore's have the BOA system. MSRP was 179.00 and I got mine off ebay through a best offer of $75.00 + $10 shipping. I tried them on along with countless others at the Ski and Snowboard Show in Denver a week or so before.
 
#18 ·
I am thinking about getting the 07-08 Forum Kicker SLR boots. They have that same speed lacing system that Burton uses. Do you guys think I should avoid buying these? And then get the K2 Darko Access which as the internal BOA. I have not tried on the size 13 Darko Access though. The size 12 fit nice but too short. How reliable is the Forum Kicker SLR's lacing system vs. the K2 Darko Access's internal BOA?
 
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#19 ·
The shop that I managed used all BOA system boots for rentals our first year. Customers loved them, and the BOA system held up extremely well, considering how many days those boots saw. When there was a BOA issue, we could fix it in about 5 minutes. Most of the time the boot itself failed before the cable or BOA mechanism. Most of the BOA equipped boots that I have seen come with a replacement cable and the little allen key necessary for the repair. If the mechanism goes south, thats a bit more of an issue. I certainly wouldn't shy away from a boot because of BOA and I prefer the dual zone BOA boots ('cause I have really narrow feet).

I always found it interesting that so many customers who were looking at purchasing boots had the "what do I do if it breaks" question, yet very few customers looking at Flow bindings asked the same question.
 
#20 ·
One of the knob assemblies on my Boas is broken, it pops out of the boot, it still works, but I'll be wearing laces on any backcountry/cat trips until they make the mechanism stronger.
 
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#25 ·
They're my 1st pair of snowboard boots ever. Keeping that in mind I tried on Salomons, DC, Burton, and one or two others, about 20 pairs literally. I really like the fit of the Encores but I have long, wide feet too. Comfy in snug with no heel slippage. I did have to size up one from my normal. Usually wear a 12 and had to get 13's.
 
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#31 ·
I had a pair of Vans Boa's for 7 years. Ok I'm maybe only riding 2-3 weeks a year but I have not had one single failure in the lacing system.

Mind you, just bought a new pair of Ions as I like Burton's system and I thought the double boa that Vans are offering looks way too chunky.
 
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