Snowboarding Forum - Snowboard Enthusiast Forums banner

K2 Formula vs K2 IPO (2014)

3K views 10 replies 8 participants last post by  Deacon 
#1 ·
Hey all, its summer sale time, so I'm using this opportunity to pick up some new bindings and I'm considering the 2014 K2 Formula / IPO as they are both at a very reasonable price right now.

Although I haven't picked up a board yet, I'll be getting something that will be able to do a bit of everything, however, predominantly I'll be getting something that's just fun to throw around the mountain, popping off natural stuff, flatland butters, dip into some trees, you know the score.

Anyways, originally I was just looking at the Formulas (as they seem like the all-round best bet) but as you might imagine, seeing as the IPOs are only $10 more, I'm getting tempted... but what do you think? Are the IPOs strictly a freestyle binding, or are they suitable for most of things I wanna throw at them?

I saw some 'video' reviews (which I take with a grain of salt) and most of them talk about the comfort of the IPOs being a selling point (with the harshmellow in the ankle strap and footbed). Comfort is kind of a big deal to me, as my ankles are a bit shot (even though I'm sure the Formulas are plenty comfortable too).

Finally, has anyone had any trouble with K2 bindings this season? I might have heard that the ratchets are a bit sticky and tend to wear down the ladders. I had terrible luck with some Rome Mob Boss 2013's last season, heel straps snapping etc... I'm hoping to avoid similar problems.

Anyway, recommendations, suggestions are welcome...

Thanks for reading!
 
See less See more
#2 ·
I had bad luck with the 12/13 Formulas, ratchets stuck badly and stripped the hell out of the ladder after a month of riding. Could have just been a bad pair and they could have improved the design this year, but even without the ratchet issue I wasn't impressed with the binding overall. A buddy of mine had the IPOs, didn't have any problems with the ratchets but ended up going back to his cartels. I'm sure there are a lot of people with good things to say about both bindings, but personally I've had a much better experience with both burton and union to ever go back to k2.
 
#3 ·
Yeah, to be honest, everyone has had good or bad experience with every manufacturer haven't they?

My friend had some Unions, one of the screws holding the ankle ladder strap just kept on coming loose over the course of the day, and because it was a proprietary screw, just for Union bindings, no shop on the slopes could offer a replacement.

Proprietary parts (that only fit on the same brand's products) drive me mad. Especially when it comes to fiddly parts like screws, or parts with a high potential failure rate like ladder straps.

As I said, same deal with my Rome Mob Boss. After 3 days, two ladder snappages, and a cracked highback (probably my fault, but even still, never happened to me before) but some people swear by Rome.

Just gotta accept that something might happen with whatever I buy.

Out of interest, your friend went back to the Cartels because...?

Cheers
 
#4 ·
I rode their Company's last year, and I loved them. Only gripe would be that the fake chrome all peeled off of the heel cup. No big deal, and the Harshmellow was nice, along with the canting.
 
#6 ·
I guess I don't know the specific reason he went back to Cartels, but from my own experience that is probably the most reliable, well rounded binding out there. I've owned two pairs, rode them on a wide variety of boards and never had an issue. Good response, reflex works great, smooth ratchets, comfortable ankle strap, and IMO the best toe strap out there. You're right that everyone is going to have different experiences and different preferences, but I think most people would agree that Burton makes damn good bindings. I should point out though Burton's autocant is almost unnoticeable, so if you're set on a canted footbed I'd stick with K2.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top