Technine Marc Frank Montoya Pro
Written: Jan 09 '04 (Updated Jan 09 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: One of the best values around; functional and extremely comfortable.
Cons: The baseplate is rather, well, basic.
The Bottom Line: Easily the best binding in its price category and far better than any Burton binding under $200.
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| mortalcoil's Full Review: Technine Snowboard Binding Pro 4 |
This is a very hot binding this season due to the "Baltimore" toe strap, which applies pressure to the front of your boot rather than over the top. As far as I know, only the "Greed" upgrade of Burton's Mission bindings shares this innovation. Rest assured that next year dozens of bindings will sport similar toe straps.
Technine has a rep for making durable, functional bindings without unnecessary frills, and the MFM is no exception. For the sake of comparison, I'll relate it to Drake Limiteds, my other bindings:
Comfort: The Baltimore toe strap is often touted for eliminating heel lift. While the heel of your boot will certainly stay put in this binding, your foot still has a bit of leeway inside the boot. To me, the big advantage of the new toe strap is that it will hold your boot in place even if you don't excessively tighten the straps; this makes the binding more confortable. The Drakes, with their gel-filled ankle straps and padded disc covers, are pretty comfortable bindings, but the MFM's win this crucial category.
Control: If you like a stiff baseplate, the Drake Limited's can be adjusted to your preferences. However, the area where the Drakes really shine is in the toe and heel ramps. I have no idea why other manufacturers haven't copied their design, because the Drake ramps are excellent. They're shock absorbing, but they also work to transfer pressure towards the edges of the board. The Technines have decent toe ramps, but as with most manufacturers besides Drake, heel ramps are entirely absent. The MFMs provide plenty of control, but the Drakes have a very responsive feel that's hard to beat.
Adjustability: The Drakes can be adjusted in every conceivable way, including baseplate stiffness. The MFM's are not quite as customizable, but perfectly adequate. As with virtually all mid-to-expensive bindings, the critical forward lean adjustment is tool-free.
Durability: Both sets of bindings should last a while, but the Technines have fewer parts, so there are potentially fewer that can fall off. I did notice that on some days the Technine ratchets had a tendency to slip, which has never happened with the Drakes.
Appearance: The MFM's are basic black, so they will go with just about any snowboard color scheme. The big flaw with the Drake aesthetics is the fact that the bindings are decorated with stickers that will invariably fall off. The DRAKE logo on the aluminum heelcup, for example, is easily defaced by a few high-speed heelside carves. I suspect Drake's strategy here is to make their bindings less attractive on the used market. A used Drake binding might function perfectly, but it will certainly look used.
Conclusion: The MFM's are great bindings. They perform well and are exceptionally comfortable. The toe strap is great and is sure to be copied heavily next winter. Are they as good as $275 Drake Limited's? Possibly, possibly not, but for over $100 less, they're easy to recommend.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
mortalcoil
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Location: New York, NY
Reviews written: 85
Trusted by: 9 members
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