cell1122

Hey, reviews say that the Cartels have a stiffness of 7 out of 9 from Burton and most say that the Forces are a medium flex. I am mostly free riding and carving down the mountain...do I need the extra stiffness of the Cartles? I was leaning toward the Unions because they are cheap right noew and have great reviews. Is there even that much difference between them

jonas007

Not much. On Monday I bought the Cartel's and it was a tough choice between them and the Forces. The Cartel's have more padding in the highback, straps, and footbed. The ratchets seemed smoother too. The Forces have an adjustable heel loop and I liked the way the made their "gas pedal". Each bindings baseplates are plastic, the high backs have similar flex and height. After playin around with them for half hour I was gonna get the Forces but the shop only had them in green so I got the Cartels. Once I got the mountain I knew I made a good choice. Probably would have felt the same about the Forces. You can't go wrong with either one.

cell1122

yea thats what i am hearing..this will be my first pair of good bindings and i probably wont be able to tell the difference honestly...i think i am going to go with the Unions..have heard they are real sturdy and wont break ...so i can keep them for a while

crazyface

cant go wrong with the forces. u might want to look for some force sl because they are stiffer and better for freeride and such.

cell1122

Yea i sae those SL's , they are a lot more cash though....