Nitro Phantom + Written Review Review by The Good Ride

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Ethics Statement: We don’t get paid by the manufacturer to write these reviews.  We do make money from the “Where To Buy” links, but this is our best attempt at an honest and objective review from an average rider’s perspective.

How it rides and who it is for

How This Review Happened:  Borrowed this for an extended demo and sent it back.

Size: Medium
Days: 10+
Conditions: A wide variety of conditions including early morning slackountry time with Drift Board Bindingss & Union Rovers
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10” 185-190lbs)
Boots: Ride Torrent, Ride Fuse, Ride Deadbolt,
Insoles: F.I.T. Gamechangers
Redundancy: Strapins in case boots or bindings break.
Jacket: Jones Mtn Surf Anorak, Jones Shralpinist Stretch Jacket
Pant: Jones Mountain Surf Bib, Jones Shralpinist Stretch Bib
Helmet: Smith Maze
Goggle: Smith 4D Mag
Gloves: Burton AK Clutch Mitt, Burton AK Tech Leather Glove, Drop Tahoma Mitt,
Boards: Korua Otto, Yes Greats, Nitro Quiver Dingy, Nitro Quiver Pow, Nitro Quiver Slash, and many other boards.

Similar (but not the same) Bindings: Union Atlas, Union Force, Union Falcor, Nitro Team Pro, Nitro Phantom Carver, Now O-Drive, Rome Cleaver, Rome Katana

How It Was Tested

I rode this several days on boards I was testing individually but then rode this in a sampler with bindings from Union, Rome, NOW, and Jones to see how it truly compares to other bindings throughout the industry.

Weight

2.2 lbs per binding with screws and discs in. This is pretty normal. Most bindings are around 2-2.2 lbs.

Highback Flex

So the Nitro Phantom + has a highback that is stiff in all the right places to provide response where needed but still twist and give to. I love that their flagship ultra stiff binding still has some give to it to make riding less rough/chattery and reduces calf bite. I wish more ultra-stiff bindings had this feature.

Flex Underfoot

So for a mini-disc binding, the Nitro Phantom + does not have a lot of flex underfoot but it’s far from feeling dead. They really dampened up the bottom with the hard rubber or soft plastic bottom. Don’t get me wrong, it still butters well and is much better than a full-size disc.

Turn Initiation/Response

What I like about the Nitro Phantom + is how smooth the response is. You never feel like it’s overpowering an easy turning board but at the same time, it isn’t undergunned when turning a more challenging board. There are more responsive bindings out there but not many blend this well with all kinds of boards.

Shock Absorption & Dampness

The Nitro Phantom + has that very cool closed-cell foam that was on the old Adidas Tactical ADV boots that I loved. The Rome Katana and Black Label have that tech as well. It’s incredibly shock absorbent and has some rebound to it to give a little extra response.

What I really like about the Phantom + is they only put this material on the top. It gives you shock absorption on the top and then the hard rubber on the bottom gives you dampness. They also have an air bag in the heel so this is a very shock-absorbent binding.

It’s almost there with Jones and NOW bindings that have amazing dampness/shock absorption. You just don’t have to worry about pressure points straining your arch if you have softer sole boots. You also get much more adjustability to be mentioned below.

Boot Support

I usually prefer a minimalized plastic/rubber ankle strap but this thicker ankle strap on the Nitro Phantom + is exceptional. Super comfortable and very supportive. You can flip the asym strap to get more support/response as well.

Ratchets

Very smooth and reliable.

Adjustability

Nitro doesn’t f&^%k around when it comes to adjustability. You have an adjustable heel loop and gas pedal to dial this out for your boot size and footprint. You can get your boot centered in this binding and therefore centered on board for more even/better turning. Then you can turn the disc tip to tail to get excellent stance width adjustability.

You have all the other important adjustability as well. Rotatable Highbacks, tooless strap adjustability, and forward lean.

Conclusion

So if this was a full-size disc the Nitro Phantom + would be my perfect binding. I need full-sized discs to work with set-back inserts (40mm vs. 20mm apart) that many brands use for powder days. If they had full size I’d want to own several pairs and use them for testing. As it stands these are outstanding bindings and if you don’t have set-back inserts these are an excellent choice.

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