Union Contact Snowboard Binding Review

 A Detailed Breakdown Of How the Union Contact 2027 Rides Review by The Good Ride

• User Reviews
• Product Specs
• Product Images
• Questions?

How The Union Contact Was Tested:

I borrowed the Union Contact for an extended demo and sent it back
Size: Medium
Days: 4+
Conditions: It was a rough season, so mainly hard in the morning, going to medium-soft midday.
Riders: James (Size 9 E, 5’10”, 185-190lbs). I’ve tested and compared 850+ boards, 200+ bindings, and 120+ boots
Insoles: F.I.T. Gamechangers
Redundancy: Strap-ins in case boots or bindings break.
Jacket: Skyline Fuse Jacket, Jones Mtn Surf Anorak
Pant: Skyline Fase 3L Bib Pant, Skyline Faze Pant, Jones Mountain Surf Pant
Helmet: Smith Method, Smith Scout
Goggle: Smith 4D Mag Low Bridge Fit
Gloves: Burton AK Clutch Mitt, Burton AK Tech Leather Glove

James’s Set Up: 21.5” Wide. Stance Angles +18/-3, +18/+3, +24/+6, +27/+9 back, +18/-9, +15/-15. Close to Reference on groomers and set all the way back in powder.

Boots

Nitro Team BOA

Boards:

Yes Greats, Amplid Time Machine

Similar (but not the same) Bindings:

Union Force, Union Ultra, Union Strata, Rome Katana, Nitro Team Pro, Nitro Team, Rome Katana FASE, Bataleon Astro AW

Ethics Statement

I was not paid to write this review, and it reflects an honest, objective perspective with no brand oversight. If this review helped, we’d appreciate it if you support objective content by:

• Buying Through Our Sponsor, Blauer Board Shop
• Buying through our other Where To Buy Links; we get paid a small commission if you do. Please make sure we are the last click and don’t use a coupon or discount provider. They take our commission if you do.
• Become a Patron and get early access to reviews well before publication.  https://www.patreon.com/thegoodride
• Donate to https://venmo.com/TheGoodRide (@TheGoodRide) or https://paypal.me/thegoodride
• Follow Us: https://www.instagram.com/thegoodride​
• Like & Subscribe on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@thegoodridesnow

Weight

When it comes to weight, the Union Contact is about 2lbs, which is pretty light.

Highback Flex

The Highback flex is medium, with an easy twist and a decent amount of give when you lean straight back into it.

Adjustability

These have an adjustable heel loop to make sure your boot is centered in the binding and therefore the board. I like to have an adjustable gas pedal too, but these are good. I do wish they made the toe strap tooless as well, but those are my only complaints.

The Mini Disc won’t work with setback inserts 40mm apart, but most snowboards are 20mm apart, and you can always find your stance width on those boards.

Flex Underfoot

When it comes to flex, the Union Contact has a mini disc and some EVA foam, but not much under there, so it doesn’t flex as easily as the NEO or, even better, the Strata or Ultra. It’s still much better than the Force and other Full-size discs in the Union Line. It doesn’t feel as binding as a decade-plus-old binding when it comes to flex underfoot, like many low-end bindings in other lines.

Shock Absorption

The Union Contact’s Shock Absorption is good but not excellent. If you want more, you have to pay more and get either the Strata, Ultra, or even the new Neo. That said, this isn’t bad for a binding in the low $200s.

Turn Initiation/Response

I felt like the Contact had good turn initiation for this kind of binding, and it’s very symmetrical. Many bindings are slower on the toe side than the heel, and this feels much more symmetrical heel to toe.

To my surprise, on the same-day tests, I felt it was more responsive on the toe side than the Neo, just because the Neo’s gas pedal is so soft. You get a lot of toe-side turn with this stiffer ankle strap and gas pedal that’s soft but has some firmer material underneath, so it doesn’t feel slow to start a turn. The Neo has a softer middle part of the ankle strap and a very soft all EVA gas pedal, so that’s probably why it started slow but kept the edge quieter throughout the turn.

Boot Support

I like this older ankle strap on the Contact Pro. It’s not as comfortable as many of the newer hybrid foam/plastic ankle straps, but it’s very supportive and reliable. The toe strap is excellent, too.

Ratchets

These lower-cost ratchets are excellent. I really didn’t feel like I was stepping down with how well these worked. Better ones exist, but these work and are very reliable. I’ve had these ratchets on other bindings I’ve owned in the past, and they really work well.

How the Contact Compares to Similar Union Bindings

I feel the Contact offers more board feel than the STR and a similar response. I’d only get the STR if you plan to ride boards with 40mm-apart inserts, like Set Back Inserts for pow. If you can spend more, you get more dampness, shock absorption, response, and a better all-around binding with the Strata. If you want a much better version of the STR, go with the Force Classic. That gives the most response of the bindings mentioned, almost as good shock absorption as the Strata, the best adjustability, and board versatility that works with 40mm apart inserts.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I wouldn’t mind a little more foam on the bottom, but you get a lot for this price point. Yeah, the bindings that cost more are better, but I didn’t feel like I was taking a step down in terms of reliability and only a moderate step down in performance.