S_carve Posted December 4, 2005 Report Share Posted December 4, 2005 Well its time to upgrade. I have been using my old faithful burton 3 straps for the last 6 years, but since i have been racing more and gained a few pounds they just have to much flex. I am looking at both the suzuka's and the head stratos pro, but can't really decide. I am not looking for a full out race boot cause my time in the gates is far less then my freeride time. I have heard good reviews about both except for the weak suzuka buckles. I am also kinda worried about mail order and getting the wrong size especally once broken in. I have size 10 feet and my old burtons are size 29.5 and have a little slop but thet are old. Any help would be appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Sub Posted December 4, 2005 Report Share Posted December 4, 2005 suzuka review here: http://www.bomberonline.com/reviews/Reviews.cfm?itemnumber=70 Head Stratos Pro review here: http://www.bomberonline.com/reviews/Reviews.cfm?itemnumber=386 I am _not_ trying to be a jerk, but both these boots have been talked over quite extensively both recently and in the past. try the search function and youll find a lot of info that should help you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adrian barr Posted December 4, 2005 Report Share Posted December 4, 2005 no wonder they are sloppy, i may be wrong but isnt size 10 about 27 mondo ? Depends on how wide your feet are. I have wide feet and have had huge amounts of boot work to get my deelux to fit. I understand that the head are a little more roomy width wise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Sub Posted December 4, 2005 Report Share Posted December 4, 2005 10 is about 28, and if you where a 10 on the street youre in the WRONG size at 29.5!!!! there is info here how to obtain your correct mondo size. throw the US street shoe sizing out the door. best bet is to go to a shop that sells boots, and use a proper measuring tool. then you know your mondo size. fwiw, Im about 27.7 on one foot and 27.5 on the other, and ride a "27" but with moldable liners. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S_carve Posted December 4, 2005 Author Report Share Posted December 4, 2005 I have heard good reviews about both except for the weak suzuka buckles. not to be a jerk back but both reviews were from bomber online so the links you sent have been checked already and there was a typo sorry they are 28.5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Sub Posted December 4, 2005 Report Share Posted December 4, 2005 glad to hear it was a typo. boots were likely still too big. figure out your correct mondo size and youll be happy! so not just the reviews. the search function. there are quite a few threads about both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skwalleur Posted December 5, 2005 Report Share Posted December 5, 2005 I've been riding more or less happily on Burtons for many years (first Reacts, then Wind), and when they broke down I had to start looking on other brands for obvious reasons. Sadly my feet aren't compatible at all with any of the Deeluxe range - I don't consider myself to have problems with sizing in general (not on Burtons or any ski boots), but on the Deeluxes I could pull the second buckle to the max without feeling a thing. It doesn't have any adjustments to allow tighter fit either. Was sooo happy to discover that Head is shattering the Deeluxe monopoly, so I got the Stratus Pros and a pair of Cirrus (for sale in the Classifieds btw), and love them! All the benefits are covered nicely in the reviews, so I don't have to rave about them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dudleydudley Posted December 5, 2005 Report Share Posted December 5, 2005 I have the Suzukas, and although I like them, if I had to buy them again, I would have spent the extra money for the Head boots. Why? The Head boots use a proper metal buckle rather than the plastic ratchet device/thingy which I can't stand anymore. It's a real pain trying to undo the ratchets at the end of the day when they are caked with ice and snow and are frozen shut. Aside from that, I love the way teh Suzukas fit and feel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patmoore Posted December 5, 2005 Report Share Posted December 5, 2005 I'm treating myself to new boots for Christmas and I'm glad this topic came up. I've been riding Raichle 324s for a few years and would like to upgrade. The existing boots seem to allow my heel to rise too much and one of the buckles frequently seizes up and won't release. I have size 11 feet and my Raichles are 28.5 mondo. Here are the questions. Should I get thermoliners? (I'm assuming yes). What boot/model would be best for me? I'm 59 years old and split my time between racing and freeriding. I'm 5'8" and 170 lb. The Starting Gate near Stratton is a short detour on my weekly drive to VT so I'll stop by there Friday. I believe they sell Head boots. Shifting gears - my Raichles have the pull handles to release the boots from my Burton Physic bindings. Although they're sometimes difficult to release I don't have any other problems with them. On the other hand, I'm happy with the Burton Race Plates I have on my slalom board. I don't hear too much about the Physic and I have no problem abandoning them especially if new boots will be incompatible with them. Any binding recommendations would be appreciated as well. As always, I appreciate your guidance. Pat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike T Posted December 5, 2005 Report Share Posted December 5, 2005 If I were looking at them side by side without having tried them on or ridden them, I'd pick the Heads easily because they look, well, beefier. Based on a try-on It's be a toss-up for me because the Suzukas were more comfy out of the box (The toe box in the Heads bruised my toes - could probably be solved by a foot fitter), but the Heads still looked like they'd stand up to more punishment. After riding them each for a day, I would have chosen Suzukas hands down. Even in walk mode, I found the Heads too stiff, I was pretty much unable to flex at the ankle at all. and even after just a few hours of riding my big toes were black and blue under the nail. (The "shell test" showed the shells were exactly the right size, and I had actually ridden them with a molded thermoflex liner) If I had known the info in this thread: http://www.bomberonline.com/VBulletin/showthread.php?t=6008 I might have been able to get some flex out of my Heads and might have kept them. Fix and flex are more important IMHO than buckles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linus Posted December 5, 2005 Report Share Posted December 5, 2005 My opinion is totally opposite of MikeT's..... I tried Suzukas 2years ago and hated them(ratchet, flex and just about everything) That was the reason I didn't switch over my old Burton Winds. This season, I just got my HEAD Stratos Pro and they were the most comfortable boots I have ever tried on. Yesterday was my first day out with the boots and I didn't feel any pain anywhere. And guess what? I didn't even mold the liners. They have THE PERFECT FLEX, Walk mode and spring system works great. And their buckles are very similar to HEAD's highend ski boots buckles so they are also superb. I think you should try both of them and see how you like them. You will instantly notice which one is more for you as soon as you put them on. I have standard shaped but thin feet FYI. For now, I love HEAD boots. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Randy S. Posted December 6, 2005 Report Share Posted December 6, 2005 I'm with Linus rather than Mike T. I had 324s and used them for a few weeks before deciding to get first the UPS boots and then replaced those with Heads. I couldn't get the Raichles (Deeluxe) to fit me no matter what I tried. The UPS worked when I put the Raichle thermoflex liners in. Heads have been the best snowboard boots I've ever had. Flex is great and fit is great (I have a slightly wider foot, size 10, I wear a 275 Head and could probably fit into a 27 or even a 26.5 if I had to (and if I wanted a race fit rather than a comfort fit). If you can try on both, do it. Don't forget that Bomber offers a great return policy and will actually ship to a couple different sizes and let you return the ones you don't like. Pat, get Bomber bindings. A 2nd board kit is awesome if you like to change boards mid-day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobdea Posted December 6, 2005 Report Share Posted December 6, 2005 all modern boots accept physics heels its the same shape as intec, the only boot I would worry about would be UPZ with that wide toe box since it does not fit in some intec bindings so it may not fit in physics either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terekhov Posted December 9, 2005 Report Share Posted December 9, 2005 with 280/287mm feet, came through oversized burton furnace and deeluxe indy 29.0, then raichle sb325race+intuition, then head stratos pro 27.5 (tooooo tight with original liners, have used with intuitions), and now 11 days in super-comfy new stratee pro 28.0 with original liners. first 6 days was tight, but now it's gone. i'm no longer trust in raichles. WARNING: do not use soft heel pads in stiff bale bindings (TD/catek) - it'll rip heel peace off the boot (done that on BOTH of my older heads...). works fine with hard or intec heels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snow|3oarder Posted December 9, 2005 Report Share Posted December 9, 2005 the heads can also be found on ebay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rphillips Posted December 9, 2005 Report Share Posted December 9, 2005 I rode both side by side last year and for me the Head's were my strong preference. Most of that was due to fit, but definitely the adjustable and sturdy buckles are a plus as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S_carve Posted December 12, 2005 Author Report Share Posted December 12, 2005 So over the weekend i took a trip up to performance downhill in NH, the same guy who sells both the deelux and heads on ebay. I am glad i went and tried them on first instead of ordering, the suzuka's i tried on in 28 and fit nice but something in the rear of both boots kinda pinched my heel and felt uncomfortable after about 5 mins. Then i tried the head stratos pros in a 28, too tight, my toes were crammed in the end so i tried the 29 and really liked the fit, walked around for a while in and thought there were alot more comfy. Also like you guys said the head just look beefier and all the buckles and features just made more sense. Same issue with the second buckle on the suzuka i can bottom in out, he said he put the buckle from the smaller shell boot and it works better. Also the release on suzuka doesn't appear to be the best design. So i got the heads for $350 and took them out saturday night i really liked but snow was too soft to really crank out turns, just kept washing out under me. :( Well thats my story and i'm sticking to it, try out the heads if you haven't already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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