Step In Bindings

I always see at least one person riding with those step in bindings whenever I go boarding, but are they really safe and stay locked in for whenever you eat it hard?  Has anyone tried a pair before?  How does it feel and perform differently from traditional strap bindings and Flows?  I just don't think it's very safe and more so troublesome to use especially if snow or ice gets into your step in plates because your boot might not lock in as well so maybe that's why you never see a store sell any step in boots or bindings or it's been discontinued.  Your thoughts?

My brother rented a set-up with step ins and said it was a pain in the ass... traditional straps are the way to go in my opinion

I used to ride step in, and never had a problem with the stability of the binding. But I prefer the strap bindings.. they are much better for support while riding, and they're easier to get in. If snow/ice gets in the step in binding, stepping in is a pain.

Originally posted by luv2shred when you say step ins do you mean flow bindings or do you mean the legit step ins.

I think it's blatantly obvious from the original post that the OP is talking about "legit step ins" as you so artfully put it.  He said: How does it feel and perform differently from traditional strap bindings and Flows?

I think that by specifying BETWEEN step ins and flows then it would be totally illogical to come to the conclusion that the original poster is talking about flows.  Therefore, OP is talking about "legit step ins."

Dont go with step-ins they suck. I rode them a couple times... never again

ive seen some old rental boards like that the clip ins look pretty sketch to me

They were on the rental boards at my local hill until a couple years ago. Heavy with uncomfortable boots, just totally lame.

I'm a traditional binding guy, but was an advocate of step-ins when they came out(although i never owned a set). the k2 clicker was horrible and so was the burton system(forget what they called it, SI?) but the Switch system with high back bindings was solid, and was self clearing so you didn't have problems with snow and ice like the other systems, big problem with these systems, all of them, when you don't have a binding, you need a stiff boot, and soft boots is one of the things that makes snowboarding so popular. Getting good boots is the problem with these systems. but, hey, you find an old switch system, with high-backs, and a pair of boots that fit, nothing is quicker. good luck with that though.

first board I rented had step-ins, I liked em! Not sure about when trying to do tricks though...

I got into really bad accident using step-ins years ago. My boot popped out night snowboarding and I ate it so bad I woke up in the hospital with a bad concussion (due to knocking my head on ice multiple times). I trashed the bindings and the boots the next day. So I definitely wouldn't recommend using that vintage gear.

I started on step in bindings and I found that they took the same amount of time as regular bindings because they would lock in the wrong spot and I would have to do it over.

Rode step in's once, will not do it again.
Difficult to locate and you do not "feel" the board as well.

they look so crusty

When I first started out, a buddy of mine lent me his K2 Klickers Step-in System.  They definitely never came out, but they were a bit difficult to get out of (they locked in strong).  

The only people I ever see using step ins are old dudes attempting to look cool because they are on a snowboard.  My guess is that they grew up skiing and think step ins are legit because they are like the ski bindings they grew up on 40 years ago.  Those folk tend to wear the "mental" beanies with the fake dreads or blue mohawk thing.

step in bindings < regular bindings  

I rode step in bindings on rentals for 2 years and will never go back. When I switched to regular bindings, I could eel the huge change in performance.
You can actually still see step-in bindings all over the mountains, but they're usually on rental boards.

my first rental had step-ins. 

I actually liked them...until, after a few runs, snow/ice got packed in the baseplates and I had to keep digging it out every run before stepping in...and that was on a hardpack day!

seems like they were more of a fashion thing because you could walk around with just the board and no bindings.  Also, fewer parts mean less breakage on rentals

the step in that l rented sucked. it didnt hold properly so it had room for movement. wasnt responsive basically 

Do they even make these anymore?