K2 Cinch

Review Date
November 6, 2009

Overall Rating
 1 of 5

Value Rating
 1 of 5

Reviewed by: Epika581(Unregistered User) ,  Snowboarder

Price Paid:  $200.00 at MC Sports

Summary:
Being that I live in the Midwest, I was looking for a binding that offered a quick entry/exit and found the K2 Cinch. Initially I liked the option of either using the ratchet bindings, or a Flow-like binding so I got them.
I bought them the first year they were offered for women, so I'm not sure what features they've improved on. But I can say that these bindings are heavy, much heavier than any other binding I've seen. Not too much of a problem when you're riding, but you can really feel the board pulling at your foot from all the weight on the lifts.
The entry/exit is not as quick as I had hoped. The cable often slips out of the little catch that provides the tension when the backs are flipped down, so I haven't take the time to put it back in the catch to be able to flip up the back. Not an easy task in bulky gloves.
Pulling the backs up are not easy task and takes 2 hands and some major twisting at the torso, after a long day my back hurts from the awkward position. Also, to get my foot in the binding properly I have to loosen the ankle strap, which means I have to tighten it again anyway when I step in. Overall it isn't that much quicker than a traditional binding.
The cushioning on the binding hasn't held up well either. After one season of riding all the cushioning was coming off or torn on the binding that I was strapping in and out of most. Overall I would NOT recommend this binding. They are overpriced, heavy, and not a time saver like I had hoped.

Review Date
April 2, 2009

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Reviewed by: firstchair ,  Snowboarder

Price Paid:  $169.00 at Ken Jonnes Ski Mart

Summary:
I am a 50 year old that has been been snowboarding for 7 years. I started with step in bidings (k2 Clickers) because I did not want to have to sit down to strap in. Except for the spring when mushy snow gumed up the works I was relatively happy with these bindings.

The I rode a lift with a guy who said I should give the K2 Cinch a try. I purchased the CTS middle of the line model. The first day I absolutly hated them. They were hard to get in and the toe strap kept coming undone. If I had been demoing them for a day I would have never prchased them.

Now that I used them for a full season (30+ Days) I absolutly love them. Once I stoped toe side skating that solved the toe strap coming undone problem. The boots are so much more comfortable and the control is much better. After getting use to them I can not lock in as fast as the old step ins. I don't know if these are better or worse then Flows, but I highly recomend them.

Review Date
March 14, 2008

Overall Rating
 1 of 5

Value Rating
 2 of 5

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 1 votes

Reviewed by: bernatchez ,  Snowboarder

Price Paid:  $250.00

Summary:
This year I changed all my equipment. A seller showed me this binding... wow they were nice! the vendor told me that this is an hybrid binding using the combination of Strap-Ratchet and Flow technologies. He said that Flow Binding got a lot of problems, K2 is really better than Flow.

I used Flow for the 7 last years, they were very quick to use I did a lot of park with them. I never had any problems with these binding.

I tought it was the end for me after the first slide I did with my new k2 binding! The back system opened when I hit the rail. I got refund after I remarked that it was the 06-07 model known for his back entry issue.

I tried the 07-08 model. The straps are cheap; the plastic-leather they used is not resistant. The ratchet are difficult to use. The back entry feature is hard to close specialy if you like to be tight for the maximum of response. This binding is a real gadget.

I got refund for the 07-08 model and I switch to a conventionnal binding. My opinion is go with Flow or a classic binding dont touch to K2 bindings.

Review Date
January 9, 2008

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 1 votes

Reviewed by: Dougie Fresh(Unregistered User) ,  Snowboarder

Price Paid:  $215.00 at REI

Summary:
The bindings rock! They aren't soo good in the powder to put on from the rear entry, but once they are on the are back to ROCKIN!

Review Date
December 21, 2007

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 3 of 5

Visitors rate this review
3.33 of 5, 3 votes

Reviewed by: coreboarder ,  Snowboarder

Price Paid:  $129.00 at REI

Summary:
Let me start out with the fact that I've been riding for 10 years and consistantly get 50+ days in per year. I've ridden traditional straps, switch step-ins and now the 2007-2008 K2 Cinch CTS. Also note I currently live in the midwest with short runs, so a little speed at the top means more runs for me. I really do like them, but there are a few cons as well and I'll start with those.

First, they are heavy, not super heavy, but you definetly notice it on the chair lift, but not at all when riding. Second, they're bulky. They do fit upsidedown on my roof rack (something Flow can't claim), but barely. Also, I'm a small guy, 8.5 boot, but I still need a Large binding since mediums don't fit over an 8, so this means extra weight for me when I'm used to medium sized bindings. Third, they're expensive. Lastly, they take a bit of muscle to pull the high back up. My girlfriend got the female bindings and has some trouble with this, but for me it hasn't been an issue.

Now to the good stuff. They're fast. not as fast as my switches, but darn close. They're super responsive. If you adjust the strap with the back up, then drop the back and give it another click on each ratchet you can get them super tight and get great control. I also think they're easier to get into than the Flows two of my buddies ride with. This is thanks to the pivoting straps when you drop the high back. Another benefit over the flows is that they have a heel cup for extra stability. But all of this comes at the price of a little added weight. I also really like the fact that I can use them like traditional straps in deep powder if need be. I would recommend spending the money on the mid range CTS over the CTL though, the straps are definitely nicer.

I also wanted to note that I've been hitting the biggest jumps in the park (which aren't too big yet since it's early season still, maybe 30ft gaps) and haven't had any problems with the bindings when landing as others have mentioned. But those sound like they were from previous versions and K2 seems to have worked some kinks out this year. People have also complained about a metal tab that breaks, this has also been removed from the current model and I haven't had any problems with the bindings so far (I've been out on them about 10 times this year). Overall I'd recommend them if you're looking for a faster alternative to traditional straps. If I lived in the rockies though, I'd probably have saved a little money and stuck with traditional straps.