A Breakdown of How the Burton Cartel X Re:Flex rides and who it is for Review by The Good Ride

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Burton Cartel X Re:Flex 2021-2025 Written Review

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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.