Spent the weekend on the above boots which I call the junk bin boots – black, white and red plastics – looks like they picked through the left-over bins from years past and threw together whatever they had.
I put on my own BTS w/ blue-blue springs and put in my own liners and foot beds so I could compare just the shells. I'm 6', 210 with no gear on, and ride fairly aggressively.
Binding were TD3 SW's w/ blue e-rings and blue e-pads.
Board was Donek 185 Metal FC.
Big improvement over the all-white '09's that I have.
They're about 20-25% stiffer, and that makes a big difference.
More supportive and more responsive.
My white ones feel soft and collapse when I push them too hard.
The '10's I can lean into and feel the response in the board on the snow – better edge hold with with more feedback.
More energy goes to the board rather than being dissipated into space through the plastic flexing.
As I mentioned in another thread, the ankle strap fits much better
The 3rd notch in these boots '10's is tighter than the 5th notch on my '09's.
Maybe it's the length of the strap, maybe it's the volume of the shell, I'm not sure.
Another nice feature is there is a power strap that is held in by (2) screws that go through the top of the cuff and spoiler, holding it in place instead of just flopping around.
The stick strap is nice, but not as good as a booster strap.
I think the stock strap should be of a thicker material and wider, much wider..
I'm still not a huge fan of Raichle/Deeluxe boots – never have been, but this new model almost makes me really like them.
If you like Raichle/Deeluxe boots and prefer a stiffer boot, this is a great boot.
If you prefer a softer boot, the '09's may be more to your liking.
I'd like to get a set of these '10's for carving hard pack with long boards and put yellow BTS springs on my white '09's for free riding and powder with softer boards.
Michael Pukas
