I'm kinda curious about the longevity of a K2 binding as well...

Maybe you should demo a bunch of them and make a review for us

 

just might have to.

 

BA apparently approves of the K2 Formulas.

 

Rides have good bindings, and K2 owns them now so... At the least, their current stuff should have quality equipment in there somewhere. I haven't really heard any complaints about the autos.

 

k2 HAS owned ride. but they're pretty seperate entities.


The first generation auto were the skeptical ones.... which they ended up sending out "fix-it" packs to all the owners (registered). to fix a certain issue.
I rode last years autos as park bindings and performed great. No issues. They were great it eliminates the toe buckle and replaces it with a steal cable from the ankle strap. which automatically tightens the toe when the ankle strap is tightened. I am also own this seasons Evers.

I dont go guerilla on my ratchets when i tighten them either. the only draw back is there is a certain way you need to remove your foot from the binding which becomes second nature after a few weeks.

last seasons setup

This seasons

 

I've owned 4 pairs of K2 Formulas over the last few years. In that time the only thing I've broken on them is 1 recoil spring so the ratchet didn't snap back into place but instead just flopped, and some how at woodward I snapped the release lever off the toe but even still I could get in and out. Each pair excluding my new ones has over 100 days on them and are still going strong with friends I've given them to. The new auto's are dialed in 100% I've sold probably a hundred pairs of those and never once had one come back for a snapped cable, the first generations had some cable issues but those were few and far between.

Hell in the time I worked at the largest snowboard shop in Summit County I never once had a k2 binding ever come back for warranty or a broken part. The only issue that I do know with them is in the highback rotation it sometimes gets loose.

 

I dont know about the auto's, but I have heard good things about them. Someone suggested me to buy them when I was looking for bindings. My brother and I both have a kind of K2 Cinch's and both love it. We only used it for 2 days though xD. People say it is heavy, but we are both newbies and do not notice any difference (but then again we only used rental boards). You will just notice it on the ski lift, but it seemed fine to me. From what I heard K2 bindings are usually durable.

 

My only concern is that how tight you ankle strap is, is how tight your toe strap is. Unless there is a way to adjust that? Sometimes while on hill i like my toe strap tighter or looser depending upon how i am feeling.

 

Actually, K2 and Ride aren't as separate as you think. That is just marketing. We had K2 reps come in here to do clinics (where they go over their products and tech)and they used Ride equipment as demos. K2 has owned Ride since 2000, so you're correct. My mistake. For some reason or another, I thought this was a recent occurrence.

 

i played with an auto in the store and i don't think you can adjust the straps independantly. it seemed to be a simple pulley system - i didn't see any adjustment to toggle tension between the two, pretty simple interconnection. but the highback is a sight to behold. i don't think you could core a highback any more than the ever's without rendering it useless. and the whole thing is surprisingly light. i've read that they've supposedly worked out all the bugs and the mechanism is a solid build now, but the more moving parts, generally, the greater chance of something breaking down. that's what kept me away.

 

The toe would be Able to be adjusted but not quickly. You would have to take gloves off and reset toestrap etc... If you change to a few specific tightness's maybe the autos aren't for you. Definitly not the contrabands. Maybe goto a shop with your boots and try to strap up? Or keep to straps

 

I'm sure they have a warranty department with combined parts and boxes. When I see k2 starting cleavedge and slime walls then ill be more convinced

 

Less separate like what the fact that ride is floor 3 and k2 is floor 4?