Thinking of selling my Flows and giving conventionals another try. Whats light and reliable and won't break the bank?

I'm running K2 Autos.

Less faff than "normal" strap bindings as you only have to do up the heel strap (which you may appreciate if you're used to flows).

Well made, adjustable and comfy.

OK

my 2ps worth – based on 6 seasons and 400 + days on the snow…

Like and ridden very hard my RIDE / DRAKEs – toyed with flow and moved back to ratchets – Technine / snowpro ok – seen WAY too many burton plastic heelcups bust and the odd disc fracture – had a disater with some burton step ins – AVOID ANY STEP IN of any brand – ratchets are superior in my experience..

I liked flows ease of use but A bugger IF you had to release say on a ledge and you couldnt drop the back due to no room – one SCARY couloir moment convinced me NEVER ever to use a binding system which requires the high back to be depressed – a ratchet system is easier as you can kinda dig the board in and just feels more secure if you are on a silly steep slope…. the alternative is putting the board on with the highback floating in space…

dont need to spend tons…

hope that helps

paul

Love my Flows but been to Canada last 2 hols and off again this time. When i land on my ass in powder (often) its hard to get out of Flows.

My mate loves his Burton Missions but says they need the bolts tweeking all the time (i'll introduce him to Loctite), plus there are lots of these on Ebay that are broken.

What do you think of these?

http://www.sport1912.com/snowboarding/bindings/santa-cruz-team-09-snowboard-bindings.htm

If not will Drake Kings be good enough?

Do you like Toe caps instead of straps?

Last straps i used were late 90's Burton Customs and the toe straps were a little uncomfy.

I've got technines and they are pretty good.

I personally woudln't go for any gimmicky designs i.e. the ride flip flop design, or the k2 autos/cinch.

I've always liked burton, and havn't seen any go pop personally.

don't need to spend tons.
not going snowboarding this year. 🙁

toe caps are good.

I hated flows, but thats just me.

To clarify: the K2 Autos are not step-ins. They operate with ratchets like normal strap bindings. The only difference is that the toe strap is linked and tightens on the same ratchet as the heel strap, so they are quicker to get in and out of, and involve me doing less stretching over my belly 😳

I got mine in 2007. Mate was so impressed he got the same in 2008.

Mine have done two trips to Canada, one to Switzerland plus twenty+ sessions at Xscape and have had no issues at all.

To quote a pro rider (for Signal) from the SCUK forum:

"the auto is a rad binding i loved it… they are dead light and comfortable and i loved riding the park with em two years ago. way better than any other quick binding system i thought…

…like i said earlier, only quick bindings i'd ride would be auto's from a performance based view."

Do you like Toe caps instead of straps?

some bindings give you a choice with a toe strap that can be worn as a cap or as a strap. Personally I prefer a strap.

I've always run Burton boots and bindings, I've not seen many major parts broken but I had a pair of P1s where the ratchet straps didn't like the cold. I quite like the cap design on the toes but it doesn't make a massive difference.

You might want to try and match your boot and binding choice, either with the same manufacturer or ones with tie-ups like Drake and Northwave. It can help cut down on pinching etc.