Union Contact 2018 Snowboard Binding Review

Ok, first things first, the screws securing the ankle straps eventually come loose. I think this may be what happened to the previous reviewer.

The problem has happened to several sets of Union bindings in my family (the wife's Milans, the kid's ST and Cadets and my Contacts). It is not happening to my Falcor bindings. I've tried to understand this issue and spoken to loads of people about it. I'm not an engineer but here is my best guess; many Unions use the one screw to secure the ankle strap, heel cup and base plate all together. It saves on hardware and may be lighter but it can be a lot of stress for one screw.

The only reason I can come up with for the Falcors not doing this is they have a laterally stiffer high back and more supportive ankle strap, reducing boot movement and therefore stress on the screws. I can't prove this of course, it's just my theory.

I've accepted this shortcoming and just check the screws at the end of each day. If they are feeling loose, which happens every two to three days, it takes literally 10 seconds to tighten them.

Is this acceptable in a modern binding? Depends on your tolerance level. For me, there are enough good things about these bindings for me to live with it.

My boot size puts me in the crossover between medium and large bindings for a lot of brands and the adjustable heel cup on the Contacts is a big help in getting the correct fit / position.

The base plate is very comfortable and the mini disc allows a lot of nice feel from the board. The high backs have good amounts of torsional flex but just enough lateral stiffness to get some response happening.

As I've progressed with my snowboarding I've needed more security and response for mountain riding and that's why I now have the Falcors. The Contacts were fine for the first few seasons while I was improving though.

The ratchets are great. No issues at all and that also goes for the other Union models my family has. The Contact toe strap is very good, conforms and holds really well. The ankle strap is comfortable and supportive enough, unless I'm going hard on steep or uneven terrain. It's more than enough for the surfy, freestyle type riding these were designed for though.

All in all, I think the Contacts are very good value for money when considered for their intended purpose (and a bit beyond that if you have to push it). Other brands bindings in this price bracket feel cheap to me by comparison. The durability has been good, except for needing to check the screws regularly and so I've deducted a star. Otherwise these are great.

These bindings are mostly made out of garbage. I've had my previous bindings for 10+ seasons with no issues. These bindings only lasted 7 runs before the toe strap fell off. I'm hoping I can return and buy a different brand that is more reliable and uses better materials. These are cheap and flimsy. The ratchet system is not ideal either when it actually stays attached. I would stay away.

the ratchets still are horrible ... they don't stay and are difficult to get off ... for them to say they fixed it they lied!!!