Burton Step-On Ion vs Photon?

[Jack M]

My 6 year old Driver-X's are falling apart.  Also I've come to terms with the fact that I'm not a softboot carver.  If conditions are good enough for softboot carving, they're good enough for hardboot carving which I prefer.  SO, it's finally time for step-in bindings!

Of course I do like to rail some carves when softbooting, so I figured I'd just get the Ion and be done with it.  However the Ion has the same old speed lace system as my Driver-X, and I was hoping to get away from that and evolve to a Boa system.  I believe the Photon is the next stiiffest boot (right?) and it has the Boa system.  Will it be too soft?

Photon riders, do you wish the boots were stiffer?  Anybody tried both?

[svr2]

@Jack M, yes I have tried both and I am a Driver X fan as well for my regular Softboot setups in the past.

I had about 60 days on my Ion and StepOn X setup and am at 40 days on my Photon and StepOn X setup.

Ion is a little bit stiffer but with the Boa on the Photon I can get the boot laced tighter across my entire foot

I wish the Photon was a true dual Boa but sadly it is really a single Boa with the lacing setup to the dial in a two zone style (so not a standard symmetrical lacing pattern either).

The snugger strap does help for heel hold and for stiffening the flex of the boot (if you want stiffer forward flex make it tight, if you want more surfy feel leave it very loose).

 I switched to the Photons as the toe-box area is a little wider than the Ion and I am very happy with them. I do like the Ion better but even after heat molding the liners, I could not get the newer pair to fit my feet comfortably and I even tried a pair of heat molded Intuition SBC liners in the Ion and still had problems.

 I also purchased a set of Flux StepOn bindings from Japan to compare setups, so on the binding side of things it goes like this (softest to stiffest):

Burton Genesis<Burton ReFlex<Flux SDR<Burton StepOn X.

I am using Photon StepOn boots with StepOn X and the Flux SDR StepOn bindings for freeriding with my Tankers and Wintersticks.

Not that it will influence your choice, but Mark Fawcett swears by his Photon StepOn and Genesis StepOn setup

[Jack M]

Thanks svr2, very helpful.  Maybe the Photon is the ticket, I like the idea of Boa instead of SpeedZone.  I actually bought the Ion and X yesterday but they are still in boxes while I have these thoughts.  In the livingroom, at size 10.5 without molding, and without my custom footbeds yet, my big toe is touching the end/side pretty firmly.  I went through this when I bought my 10.5 Driver-Xs, figuring they'd pack out and it wouldn't be an issue.  Well it never stopped being an issue, and on heelsides my front foot toe is jammed into the end of the boot.  Not curled, but it's somewhat painful.  Maybe the Photon's wider toe box plus molding the liner will solve this?  Or should I just go with the 11?  Kinda hesitant to increase possibility of drag.

4 hours ago, svr2 said:

Not that it will influence your choice, but Mark Fawcett swears by his Photon StepOn and Genesis StepOn setup

LOL, that absolutely influences me.

[svr2]

9 minutes ago, Jack M said:

Thanks svr2, very helpful.  Maybe the Photon is the ticket, I like the idea of Boa instead of SpeedZone.  I actually bought the Ion and X yesterday but they are still in boxes while I have these thoughts.  In the livingroom, at size 10.5 without molding, and without my custom footbeds yet, my big toe is touching the end/side pretty firmly.  I went through this when I bought my 10.5 Driver-Xs, figuring they'd pack out and it wouldn't be an issue.  Well it never stopped being an issue, and on heelsides my front foot toe is jammed into the end of the boot.  Not curled, but it's somewhat painful.  Maybe the Photon's wider toe box plus molding the liner will solve this?  Or should I just go with the 11?  Kinda hesitant to increase possibility of drag.

LOL, that absolutely influences me.

@Jack M based on what you have said I would try the Photons then if you have toe issues…when I first bought the StepOn setup I went with size 11 Ions due to the fit and after 45 days they were so packed out that I had to make the decision to size down…problem with this is that you have to get new StepOn bindings as well as 10.5 is the max for medium sized ones and 11 is the beginning of the Large ones.

good luck and hope you find the size that fits.

 

cheers,

sandy

[Jack M]

Sandy, what’s your mondopoint size?

[svr2]

15 minutes ago, Jack M said:

Sandy, what’s your mondopoint size?

28.5

[rjnakata]

3 hours ago, Jack M said:

Maybe the Photon is the ticket, I like the idea of Boa instead of SpeedZone. 

I'm wondering why with the Ion's speed zone they don't use a power strap.  I know an aftermarket strap can be used, but an integrated strap is just more convenient and stationary and effective.

My S/O Ion's and Driver X's do not have that locked in shin feeling a hard boot gives with a power strap.

Does the upper Boa of the Photon approximate a strap?

[svr2]

49 minutes ago, rjnakata said:

I'm wondering why with the Ion's speed zone they don't use a power strap.  I know an aftermarket strap can be used, but an integrated strap is just more convenient and stationary and effective.

My S/O Ion's and Driver X's do not have that locked in shin feeling a hard boot gives with a power strap.

Does the upper Boa of the Photon approximate a strap?

@rjnakatanot really but since it allows the boot to get tighter, I think it feels better than the speed laces.

[Jack M]

Update - went back to the store (Backwoods, highly recommended) and tried on the Photon in size 10.5.  A little bit softer than the Ion.  The softness was not the dealbreaker, but I could feel some kind of plastic thingamabob pressing on the top of my foot while flexing.  I had a Photon on one foot, and an Ion on the other.  Did not feel that with the Ion.  I will mold my Ion liner and ride with my custom footbeds and hope for the best.  Did not want to go up to size 11 with the larger shell and binding.

[roch]

Might be too late but for both of them they had very bad durability from the last seasons batch. Many friends had to warenty them in under 4 months 

[Jack M]

2 hours ago, roch said:

Might be too late but for both of them they had very bad durability from the last seasons batch. Many friends had to warenty them in under 4 months 

I’ll accept the risk, I’m sick of straps. Makes me feel like I’m 13 again, and not in a good way. 

[roch]

For anyone readying that was about the stepons and the non stepons the durability was horrific 

[Eastsiiiide]

On 12/21/2022 at 6:08 AM, Jack M said:

Photon riders, do you wish the boots were stiffer?  Anybody tried both?

I originally had the Ion SO, but had to switch to Photon to get a wider boot.  After reading that Japanese riders go to great lengths to augment the stiffness of their boots while maintaining their softie chic, my solution has been to add plastic parts from other boots to the tongue and cuff to make them stiffer.  It's a work in progress, but every iteration is superior to stock, for me.