Positives
- Cush/Shock Absorbent Ride
- Great Ankle Strap
- Smooth Mid Level Response
- Excellent High Back Rotation
Negatives
- Below Average Boot To Binding Adjustability
- No Stance Width Adjustability Outside EST Boards
- Toe Strap Doesn't tighten well
Summary
The Burton Cartel X Re:Flex has toe strap ratchet issues and poor stance width adjustability but it has a really good feel underfoot at a price much better than the Genesis. Since the Cartel X was introduced in 2021, almost nothing has changed, and it remains the same in 2025.Where To Buy
No obligation, but these links support the site.
Sun & Ski Sports
Dreamruns
Snowboards.com
REI
Burton UK
Burton Germany
Burton France
BlueTomato Belgium
BlueTomato France
Burton Snowboards Canada
Riding Level | Intermediate - Expert |
Quick Release | No |
Manufactured in | China |
Canted Footbed | No |
Burton Channel Compatible | Yes |
Mini disc | No |
Approx. Weight |
Flex | |
Boot Support | |
Turn Initiation | |
Buttering | |
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Where To Buy
No obligation, but these links support the site.
Sun & Ski Sports
Dreamruns
Snowboards.com
REI
Burton UK
Burton Germany
Burton France
BlueTomato Belgium
BlueTomato France
BlueTomato Sweden
BlueTomato Denmark
BlueTomato Finland
BlueTomato Italy
BlueTomato UK
BlueTomato Netherlands
BlueTomato Austria
BlueTomato Germany
BlueTomato Spain
Burton Snowboards Canada
A Breakdown of How the Burton Cartel X Re:Flex rides and who it is for Review by The Good Ride
Burton Cartel X Re:Flex 2021-2025 Written Review
![Burton Cartel X ReFlex Review - The Good Ride](https://thegoodride.com/assets/Burton-Cartel-X-ReFlex-Review-The-Good-Ride-295x300.jpg)
Ethics Statement: This review has zero brand oversight. This is our best effort at an honest, objective review to help you, the consumer. If this review helped, we’d appreciate it if you:
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How This Review Happened: We borrowed this for an extended demo and sent it back.
Size: Medium and Large
Days: Many over the years since this came out.
Conditions: A wide variety of conditions.
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10” 185-190lbs), Davey (Size 12, 240lbs, 6’4”)
Boots: Ride Torrent, Ride Fuse, Ride Deadbolt, Burton Tourist, Burton Ion, Burton Photon Step On, Burton Kendo,
Insoles: F.I.T. Gamechangers and Kingfoam Orthotic Elite
Redundancy: Strapins in case boots or bindings break.
Jacket: Jones Mtn Surf Anorak, Skyline Fuse Jacket, Jones Shralpinist Stretch Jacket, Burton AK Gore-Tex Pro 3L Tusk Jacket, Volcom Guide Jacket, Burton Gore-Tex 3L Treeline Jacket, Jones Peak Bagger Jacket. Burton AK Helitak Gore-Tex Jacket
Pant: Jones Mountain Surf Bib, Jones Shralpinist Stretch Bib, Burton AK Gore-Tex Pro 3L Hover Pant, Burton AK Gore-Tex 2L Swash Pant, Burton Gore-Tex Ballast Pant
Helmet: Smith Maze
Goggle: Smith 4D Mag
Gloves: Burton AK Clutch Mitt, Burton AK Tech Leather Glove, Drop Tahoma Mitt,
Boards: Many over the years.
Similar (but not the same) Bindings: Union Atlas, Union Force, Union Strata, Union Ultra, Union Falcor, Burton Cartel, Salomon Hologram, Nitro Team Pro, Nitro Team, Now Drive, Rome Katana, Rome DOD, Rome 390 Boss,
How It Was Tested
Davey used these with the Burton Custom Camber Wide, and I’ve used them over the years and compared them to many other bindings.
Weight (with screws & discs)
Size Medium 2.0 lbs
Size Large 2.2lbs
Highback Flex
With the Burton Cartel Re:Flex, you have a pretty medium-ish twist and a medium-stiff flex straight back. Because the highback can be rotated so well, there is little to no calf bite. The Cartel X EST has the same highback.
There is a lot of padding throughout most of the highback but it’s pretty dense. One interesting thing is then a sticky rubber near the middle to the heel cup that really holds onto a boot with a rubber backstay. Sometimes it feels stuck to the highback and won’t let you out of it but the good part is it helps response and doesn’t seem to affect lateral movement.
Flex Underfoot
Burton Re:Flex bindings do a great job of allowing the board to flex naturally underfoot, especially on medium-flexing or softer boards. Some mini-disc bindings can do a similar job, but this is at the top of its class for those who want to make their board twist and butter easier. The Cartel X EST is even easier, but it’s pretty close.
Turn Initiation/Response
The Burton Cartel Re:Flex isn’t that fast initiating a turn, and the stiffer/harder to turn your board is, the less response you will have. What makes the Cartel X flex super easy underfoot is that it can also have trouble turning stiffer/more demanding boards. I’ve experienced this several times with wider, stiffer boards on May Burton Re:Flex bindings. I’d put a similar response, Re:Flex bindings, on a medium flexing/easy turning board, and it felt very fast. Then, I would switch to a stiffer/wider board, and it would almost feel like a different binding. Especially when I switched out to other bindings on the same board on the same day. So, the response varies according to the board you pair it up with. Other than Step On bindings, Burton has never been known for having super responsive bindings. They are more about being smooth and creating a cushy ride.
Shock Absorption/Dampness
There is very good shock absorption, which is great for bad landings or a rough day on the hill. There is a soft but small gel square in the heel pad that’s bigger with the EST, which makes it a little more damp, but the hard plastic on many of the base plates doesn’t make this as damp as some bindings, though, for absorbing vibrations and chatter. It’s not terrible either, and it doesn’t make a board feel more bucky/bouncy. I have noticed wear on the top sheet of the board from this hard plastic. I wish they added rubber to the base plate for both of the reasons mentioned above.
Boot Support/Straps & Ratchets
The ankle strap is great for support and helps make this good on and off-piste. You never feel like your ankle is unsupported in uneven snow. The toe strap doesn’t ever really wrap well around the boot or hold on to it well for 2 reasons. First off it has a somewhat hard plastic/rubber material that feels a little on the slippery side. Secondly, the ratchet doesn’t allow you to crank it down, which is the one place you can without getting pressure points. Davey and I often had the strap come off our toes mid-run, which is super frustrating.
Adjustability
With the Burton Cartel Re:Flex, boot-to-binding adjustability is good but not great. It has an adjustable gas pedal and discs you can slide edge to center your boot in the binding. It’s a good bit behind bindings like Union, Rome, Bataleon, and Nitro that have adjustable heel loops and gas pedals, but it works well enough. The big problem is stance width adjustability if you aren’t on a Burton EST/Channel board. You can’t turn the discs sideways to slide them tip to tail to get the stance width you want.
Conclusion
So overall, I prefer the Burton Cartel Re:Flex over the EST. Even though it has stance width adjustability issues and varied responses, it works with every board. I can’t tell you how many people have to buy new bindings to get the board that best fits where and how they ride. Burton makes great boards, but only a very small percentage of the boards are out there. Why limit yourself for a little better adjustability and board feel. I’d only go EST if you are okay with buying a second pair of bindings for the rest of the boards out there.
Burton Cartel X Re:Flex Past Reviews
The Burton Cartel X Re:Flex might have some toe strap ratchet issues, but even so, it has a really good feel underfoot at a price much better than the Genesis. With the Burton Genesis X now gone, the Cartel X Re:Flex takes its place at a much more reasonable price. If you want a little more response than the new, re-designed Cartel but still want that easy flex underfoot, this is a great choice.
Update 2024: The Cartel X Re:Flex has not changed since we initially reviewed it.
Ethics Statement: The manufacturer doesn’t pay us 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.
If this review helped, we’d appreciate it if you:
- Become a Patron and get early access to reviews well before they are published. https://www.patreon.com/thegoodride
- Donate to https://venmo.com/TheGoodRide (@TheGoodRide) or https://paypal.me/thegoodride
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- Like & Subscribe on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@thegoodridesnow
How This Review Happened: We used this a few times at several of our demos.
Days: 2
Riders: )James, Peter & Jimbo
Boots: Adidas Tactical ADV
Insoles: Sandsole Custom Insoles, Footprint Insole Technology Gamechangers, Footprint Insole Technology Gameghangers Low Profile
Boards: Burton Family Tree Daily Driver (review coming)
Similar (but not the same) Bindings: Union Atlas, Union Strata, Union Force, Burton Genesis X, Salomon Hologram, Salomon District, Nitro Team Pro, Nitro Team, Now O-Drive, Now Drive, Now Pilot
Approximate Weight
We didn’t get the Burton Cartel X Re:Flex on the scale, but it seems pretty light, like all higher-end Burton bindings.
Highback Flex
It is much stiffer than the Cartel 2021 and past models. The Burton Cartel X Re:Flex Highback is stiffer than the Cartel but not quite as stiff as the X. It is great for those who want minimal flex and twist out of their high backs.
Binding to Boot Adjustability
There are a lot of cool adjustability features with the Burton Cartel X Re:Flex. You can center the boot pretty well in the binding by using the disc inserts and the adjustable gas pedal. It is not the best if you are in between sizes, but it works well enough for the other boot sizes. The highback rotation is exceptional, making it easier for even featured big calve guys like yours truly to ride. It also aligns better with the heel side edge for a more symmetrical response. Straps have a hybrid screw/tooless adjustability, so you can adjust either way.
Stance Width Adjustability
If you ride with a channel system board, it is infinite but non-existent if you ride a board without. Most of us will be riding on a traditional insert pack. If you are, you can’t turn the disc sideways and slide tip to tail like you can with other bindings.
Boot Support
This ankle strap is super comfortable and really wraps well around our boots. It makes the Burton Cartel X Re:Flex a very supportive semi-locked-in binding. When it fits well, the Toe strap can pull your boot into the heel cup, but the ratchets can pop loose.
Ratchet System
The Ankle strap ratchets on the Burton Cartel X Re:Flex was fine. The Toe Strap ratchets were not. They popped back out a lot and came loose easily. We often found our toe strap out of place and not doing its job anymore towards the bottom of the run. It might be a demo issue, but this could lead to production. We’ll have to see. Still, the ankle strap can handle all the work if needed, but it isn’t ideal.
Turn Initiation/Response
The Burton Cartel X Re:Flex has a smooth, continuous response that turns a board well. The softer the torsional flex, the faster the Re:Flex tech can turn it. If you are dealing with a really torsionally stiff board, it won’t be as responsive as some of its peers because the Re:Flex tech won’t allow the flex to mellow out underfoot as much. Still, we noticed it was a good bump up from the Cartel, and overall, it is pretty responsive for Burton. It is the best option in their line for responsive binding at a reasonable price point.
Flex Under Foot/Buttering
Burton Re:Flex does such a great job buttering and allowing a board to flex more easily underfoot. It makes most soft to medium-ish boards feel softer and flex easier from tip to tail.
Shock Absorption/Dampness
Very good shock absorption but it’s not as damp. It’s still a smooth ride, but the plastic sides don’t minimize chatter as much as some bindings with no plastic.
So, the Burton Cartel X Re:Flex is a great option for those who want more response from their Cartels. We liked the Discontinued Genesis X a little better, but the Cartel X Re:Flex is so much cheaper that this is not a bad pick over the two.
Burton Cartel X Re:Flex Specs
Burton Cartel X Re:Flex Images
Burton Cartel X Re:Flex User Reviews
Cartel X reflex
I wanted to love these but had to send them back. Burton's website lists them at the far end of the stiff scale so I expected a stiff binding to replace my Burton CF with the carbon composite high backs. The Cartel X base plates will flex when you are sitting on your but and moving your boot. They introduced a dead zone in my board control going edge to edge. The ratchets only tighten down to a point and then the pop back a notch. Maybe that is tight enough but I'll never know for sure. The forward lean adjustment is difficult and impossible with gloves on. I had the adjustment piece run out of threads and pop out at one end the first time I tried to adjust. I had to get a tool to pry the highback appart enough to get it started again. I realize most people don't charge hard and fast like I do so most may not need a stiffer binding but Burton has no business calling these bindings fully stiff.
Where To Buy
No obligation, but these links support the site.