Nitro Phantom Carver 2019 Snowboard Binding Review

Great control and vibration damping, ratchets could use improvement

I bought the Nitro Phantom's as my comeback binding after blowing out my knee and recovering from surgery, thinking vibration control was going to be the biggest thing I wanted. When at the resort, I'm generally looking to get into the steep and deep stuff and that often means squeezing myself through some pretty tight trees. Turn initiation on these and response has been great so far and on the groomers, ice patches and variable snow the vibration has been solidly limited in comparison to my old Rome Targas. The straps are comfortable and the vibram toe cap holds my toe in nicely.

My biggest issue is the ratchets can occasionally be finicky when trying to slide the ladder in and then to tighten them up, they'll skip and struggle to get as snug as I would like them. Usually this just results in like 5 seconds of fiddling around to get everything fitting right, so isn't a deal breaker.

The bindings have delivered the performance and comfort I was hoping for, but could just use a better ratchet design. Would still recommend.

I bought Nitro Machine(higher level than Nitro Phantom Carver) for my Kessler boardercross at Feb.2020 and used it for no more than 10 days in 19/20 season. And in the first couple of days, the toe strap accidentally opened for at least twice a day and I didn't know what is the reason. Until yesterday(my first snow day 20/21 season) I found that the rachet strap are worn-out and it reminds me why the toe strap suddenly opened couple of time in last season.
More importantly I just come back from the ski resort and write this review with anger because the high back on right foot lose the screw on one side and I have to take the cable downhill and back! I only used this binding for around 10 days!

Bad ratchets

The fasteners themselves are comfortable. The design of belts reinforced with cables causes a feeling of reliability. But ... the lower belt locks are disgusting. They jam and refuse to unfasten. I sometimes spent up to 5 minutes, just to unfasten them, tugged, tried to tighten, loosen - it is useless. And I was afraid to pull with all my might by the lever - what if she suddenly breaks? After, at home, I carefully studied their design and realized what was the reason. With a large boot, the belt bends and the last clove of the ratchet roller clings to the teeth of the belt. And this is a failure. I had to slightly file the last clove of the ratchet. At 1 mm, after that the ratchet began to let go much easier, but it became worse to fasten, I had to press on the lever to press it into the belt. It became even better when I properly oiled everything with thick grease, all buckle hinges. Disgusting design! God forbid to be stuck in such mounts in deep snow!

Poor quallity

Im on my second pair. Feels great but always break in the same spot on the strap. A real shame considering the price

Perfect Binding

These are by far the best all around bindings I've ever ridden. I have 14 seasons under my belt over the last 23 years and ridden almost anything that a lift can serve. Last year I snapped the heel cup on my Burton missions and was shopping for something that was Reliable, Precise, & Comfortable while not breaking the bank. I have never (even on high-end demo set-ups) been so comfortable and confident translating my input through my bindings to my riding. I haven't had the opportunity to get off the beaten path or super steep yet due to my location, but was able to joyride them in some competition moguls, with perfect contact and input through the entirety of the run. I didn't even crank them down hard before entering and they just simply held all the way down reliably with perfect precision and an obscene level of comfort. I don't ride park anymore, because my body simply can't handle massive wipe-outs like it used to, but I'd imagine these might be a little too locked-in for too many runs through the playground.

Currently running 3 set-ups with burton cartels, union falcor and nitro phantom carvers.
Have the phantom carvers paired up with my custom
Built Donek incline. That’s bindings drive the board very well. The high back is super stiff, so as far as buttering and freestyle, it’s not a good choice. But for carving (as the name suggests), these bindings work beautifully.
The straps are super adjustable, however, with size 14 boots, I max the adjustments out and find it a bit difficult to strap in... though this may change after time. The ankle strap is very firm and really comfortable. The “airbag” footbed absorbs chatter nicely.
Overall, these bindings donecxacrly what I bought them for; carving hard. They are really comfortable, up there with my cartels easily. I highly recommend these to the guys who are out there to draw lines in the snow and bomb fast.