Snowboarding Forum - Snowboard Enthusiast Forums banner

Malavitas or Union Forces?

17K views 120 replies 28 participants last post by  snowklinger 
#1 ·
Some I've decided to get an Ultrafear for this season. I was wondering which bindings you guys would recommend to pair with this board? I have Cartels on my Horrorscope. I have tried Union Contact Pros, but I want to try some new bindings.
 
#10 ·
hmm this is a tough one. i have cartels and c02's. i dont know if i would get another burton binding. their quality isn't the greatest. specially for the amount you pay. before the season starts im gonna have to lock tight every single screw on my binding. burton bindings have very nice straps tho i love the straps they are very comfortable. toe strap how ever meeehh. but the vita may outperform the contact this time
 
#19 ·
What boots were you running with your forces? I've never had a problem with the Union toes, even the old ones. I was wearing 32 right up until the Nike program started, and while both are a little bulky, with proper adjustments the toes fit just fine. It also depends on what your looking for, the Force is on the more responsive end of the union line, if that's what you're into great, if not nbd.

I've currently got the Vitas (restric) and the Atlas' and I'm honestly leaning towards using my Atlas' for the majority of the season. They keep it simple, and they work. I've never understood why people dork out on binding tech.
 
#21 ·
yeah, I've heard that from a number of people. I never had any issues, and they did take a little getting used too, but thats just my .02

I'm still feeling out the new toes they put out. I'm starting to get the impression that any fit issues have been rectified, but again different boots, etc etc.
 
#22 ·
I definitely didn't want to deal with the release bs that the Forces were causing. A story: I was walking through the mall one day and walked past Zumiez and noticed they sold snowboard gear (don't shoot me, I was shaking my head in disbelief) so I went in to see what they had. They sold Forces and the dipshit kid that they have there to promote their seasonal only gear was talking about how badass the Forces were. I told him I didn't like them and the toe strap was a bitch to deal with. He argued so I locked the strap down and when I went to release it, it didn't want to come off. He shut up at that point. I can't expect the people in that store to know anything because, hey, its Zumiez, but I was in for the trollz.

I am definitely itching to try the Vita's.. I had Cartels at one point, but sold them with the Burton board they were on since they were EST. I def liked the Cartels, just figured I'd go with something different this time and got good reviews of the Vita's.
 
#27 · (Edited)
this guy obviously doesn't know about Force adjustment. Learn how to handle the binding you're talking about before talking about it.



No problem releasing the toe strap IF YOU KNOW HOW TO SET THEM UP... lawl.

Also, all this talk of "that binding sucks, this binding is much better" is also nonsense. what goes in to a binding doesn't make your ride better, whereas setting them up properly, does. Amen.
 
#23 ·
Dude, sorry you hated the forces. Just to play devils advocate, unless you fall a lot and have to strap back in multiple times on one run. Having to use a very little bit of mustard to get off the toe strap isn't a big deal.

I think, despite it being admittedly harder (but not hard at all) to undo the toestrap, in my experience, Union has the best one in the game. It doesn't slip for shit. I would much rather my toe strap be hard to take off than easy to unbuckle. It would give me peace of mind that my toes were gonna stay strapped on the whole run. With gloves on, they're pretty easy to pop off and "break in" around day 15.

Vitas are a good choice, very comfy and you don't have to use any muscles to undo the toestrap.
 
#24 · (Edited)
When I look at the other bindings I've rode (Burton Cartel, Rome 390, GNU junk, hell even Drakes when I first started boarding) I've never had a toe strap come loose on me. Now I will play fair and note that the comfort and ride was better on the Cartels and 390's while great usability. I wasn't impressed with the Drakes ride after I had them a few seasons and started to get better at boarding. The 390's, the lean angle adjustment breaks loose easily on a fall, but overall is a better binding than the Forces. There is no way I'd continue to deal with Forces (and failure to correct a simple engineering issue) and have to fight to get the toestrap ratchet loose every time . It doesn't have to be multiple times, it just has to be when I get to the bottom and want my back foot out of the binding for what its worth. They definitely aren't the best in the game bro, but seems a lot of people are hypnotised by them for some reason. If you like them, I'm glad you do and that they are working for you, but there are def plenty of better options out there.
 
#25 ·
I love the Vitas. I have a preference for the restricted version though. The wing gives a bit of extra lateral support. Admittedly, I barely notice any difference when doing presses. It's the comfort level for me. I find the winged highback to be more comfy. The highback is a tad stiffer than the wingless version.
 
#35 ·
How can I be? I was demoing union or the first time back last year. Where does my bias come from?

And that's great yours works fine. Maybe you should have stuck with that explanation instead of the douchebag comment you made.

Maybe they get better after breaking in. I don't know, I only demoed them. I'd be hard pressed to believe they are anywhere as smooth as Burton ratchets though.

Edit: I haven't talked about Union since Johan let this stupid beef carry over to my work email. Even after his friends at test fest made smart ass remarks towards me.
 
#44 ·
how do you figure that?

this site sees rider after rider after rider complain about 'your brand' and its limitations. there is actually a responsibility to inform people about flaws in products that exist, and persist. if you deny that a product has an issue to the point of some ridiculous dogma or brand loyalty then you are really doing a mis-service to those asking for real advice.

the complaints about union bindings are 100% legitimate. burying your head in the sand and throwing around insults or trying to assert your 'iamthemostknowledgeablesnowboarderandanyonewhothinksdifferentiswrongandangry' attitude isn't going to help your 'cause'
 
#47 ·
This site sees maaaaaaaybe 6 riders complain about Unions, and of these six most haven't ridden a Union over 3 years or did for one day for a few hours, and while their experiences are VALUABLE for feedback (I don't want to be misunderstood, it is valuable feedback), it's not as valuable as an experience from someone who's ridden the product, as shipped, for 50 days.

In short, I would put more weight on the opinion of someone who uses a product regularly, over someone who tried and didn't like it. Especially one who writes a couple of sentences and just says "sucks" . That's not even constructive.
 
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