There are two main types of burton bindings that you can buy now, EST and Re:Flex.
While EST bindings are only made to work on Burton and Endeavor boards with The Channel, Re:Flex bindings are made to work with any board.
There are a few situations where you might want to get Re:Flex bindings:
- You are set on buying Burton no matter what
- You have a Burton board with The Channel, but own or might buy a normal board later
- You have a normal board, but might get a Channel Board in the Future
- You have an older Burton board with the 3D pattern
If you are going to get Burton bindings, it is the safest option to get Re:Flex as you are going to be able to mount them to any board.
Pros
- Work on 4×2/4×4 standard snowboards
- Work on boards with The Channel
- Work on Burton boards with the 3D Pattern
- Has more flex in the disc than regular bindings
Cons
- Less flex than EST bindings
- No side to side adjustments on the disc
Why would you buy EST bindings if Re:Flex bindings work on any board?
EST bindings flex much more with the board (separate to the binding/highback flex) which is made so that when you flex the board, the binding doesn’t create a dead spot, but flexes with the board.
If you have a Channel board, and aren’t upgrading anytime soon, Burton would say that you are going to get the best feel from the board with EST bindings.
When you buy Burton Re:Flex bindings, you get 3 sets of discs in the box.
Discs for Burton 3D Pattern boards
Discs for normal snowboards with the 4×4 or 4×2 hole pattern.
Discs for boards with The Channel
These discs have a thinner section in the middle of the disc, which helps it to bend or flex with the board, rather than stopping it.
The pink highlights show the thinner flexing part of the disc.
There are small adjustments that you can make with the discs to make sure that you have the same amount of toe and heel overhang. They can be moved about 5mm towards to toes or heels to make sure that your boot is centered on the board.
Like most discs, you can adjust the angles in 3 degree increments, all the way from -36 to +36.
Here is the biggest problem that I have run into with my Re:Flex bindings. I have a normal board, so I use the 4×4 disc.
If you want to make small adjustments to the stance width, you are limited with the Burton discs. On other brands, you can just rotate the disc 90 degrees and use the toe/heel adjustments to give you much more width options.
Burton don’t let you do this, because the discs only fit one way on the bindings, as the teeth don’t run the whole way around the disc. If they let you rotate the disc (and sacrifice the disk flex) then they would be perfect. You would be able to make tiny adjustments to the stance width.
I think that the reason they stop you from making those adjustments is that it would eat into EST sales. If you could make all these adjustments with their bindings that can be mounted on anything, why would you bother with EST that is limited to only being able to be used on Channel boards?
You can use this page to find out what shops have Re:Flex bindings on sale
I have the same adjustability problems with my lexa reflex bindings on my beloved salomon. How can the problem be solved? Stance adjustability is very limited and I am forced to use other bindings. It’s not a smart choice, i hope there is a solution!
Hi Lore,
I still ride Burton Cartels on most of the boards I ride, the way I get the stance width I like best on most boards is to set the back binding on the recommended position, and then on the narrowest position for the front foot. That gives me a similar width to how I would adjust a different brand of bindings, if I had to rotate the disk.
I do this for almost every board, even if it is a twin shaped board. To me there is no real downside to doing this, having the slightly longer nose isn’t a noticable difference for me at all, even when riding switch.
I got a new pair malavita reflex today and they came with another type of disc where you can adjust the stance width in much smaller steps. If I feel the toe/heel center position is ok with these discs it’s a win for sure. These bindings is 21/22 which my cartels that came with the other type of discs also are.
Are they the new discs that let you mount to regular boards and channel on the same disc? If they are you can also rotate them 180 degrees, so you get centered/forward or centered and back.