A very clean and minimal binding that offers great response being a stiffer flex. The added heel grab in the heel of the highback is a neat feature, hugging around your boot for an extra-reactive feel! The B3 Gel inserted into the footbed provides a little more impact protection to make up for the stripped back design. Very at home charging on the mountain and is nince and snappy in the park!

After riding the 2019 cartel X's for 2 years and testing the new 2023 model I still love the binding. I have had injury's requiring a stiffer boot for added support, and I've found the responsiveness from a stiffer binding like the cartel X's to be perfect for a stiffer boot and board setup. You feel very locked in on deep carves, and the toe strap perfectly cups the toe of the boot without slippage which I love. The ankle strap also has a hinge giving easy boot access for strapping up on top of the mt, which not all bindings incorporate. Though i did not feel much difference between the cartels and cartel x's in stiffness, they do feel a bit more dampening possibly due to the added heel cup and gel in the base.

Amazing feel, small concern about long term quality

Binding are incredibly comfortable - my feet don't cramp up anymore. Very responsive and not as stiff as I expected (which is a good thing) - I came from older Flow bindings which I found really uncomfortable and stiff. One concern I have is the foam padding under foot seems a little flimsy. After the first day of riding with them, I can see the boot print and crease left behind permanently. I worry about the longevity of the foam.

Best all around bindings.

I love these bindings and they are my favorite pair since starting 30 years ago.These bindings are easy to adjust and lightweight, I tried Burton bindings 15 years ago and was not impressed, I started to buy Ride bindings and liked to aluminum base plate on them. Last year I purchased the Ride C-6 and the Burton Cartel to have bindings on my two main boards, after 15 days snowboarding, I noticed that I was putting the Cartels on whatever board I was riding that day and the Ride bindings are sitting in my storage room.The Burton Cartel is a great binding that does it all, powder, park and back country really well.I rode 37 days last season; the Cartel bindings are holding up nice with no complaints.Buy these bindings and you will not regret it.

Great bindings for Sasquatch

I'm a heavier rider at 240 all geared up. I ride the whole mountain with my Ride Super Pig 158 and Ride Insano boots. . I've tried a lot of bindings but still come back to Burton Cartels. These are my first Cartel X series and they seem to work as good as the originals. They do feel a tiny bit stiffer but still have a a good feel. I prefer a medium flex binding and stiffer boot. I find it to be a surfy yet responsive feel. The Cartels have yet to let me down. They could be lighter but they aren't that heavy and seam to dampen the vibrations a little. They are very expensive but the best stuff often is.

Great do everything binding

Great binding. Super comfortable straps. I was skeptical about the toe strap but I've grown to like it a lot since it give you the support of on the toe and over the toe with one strap. I also liked the forward lean adjustment not being limited to a few pre-determined angles and being able to move the ankle strap higher up the binding for more support. My only dislike was the limited stance width adjustments coming from someone who has only ridden Union bindings before and having the option to slide the bindings towards or away from each other after mounting them.

I think I'll keep em'

I have had a great time on this bindings! They are a great happy medium in term of flex (in my opinion.) They are stiff enough to have great responsiveness at high speeds but also soft enough to butter and jib around the mountain at slower speeds. The heel hammock on it offers a great sense of support and engagement and paired with the EST channel system it offers superior board feel. You will notice that both EST is a +/- for me. Reason being for the board feel (+) but the channel screws seems to come loose here and there on my harder days of riding. Not a huge deal since you can simply tighten them with a screwdriver on mountain but nonetheless, can get annoying sometimes .

New Favorites!

These bindings are sick! The heal hold cup on the X's is worth the extra money. They keep your heals locked in tight. Also I had a pair of old cartel bindings, and the toe strap would slip off on most runs unless I had it cranked super tight. These new straps are amazing, and I didn't have any slippage.

Skeptical at first, but WOW!

It had been 16 years since I had a Burton setup, but I had cartels prior years back. The EST system had me skeptical.....the fact that they bolt down on the sides and have no discs was very foreign to me. Got the EST Cartels with a Free Thinker. And holy moly does this board hard charge. The binding is the perfect combination of stiff/responsive and flexy/tweaky. I'm a believer now....the EST system really works. If any con at all.....I feel like there is more chatter under my feet than a traditional binding with disc plates. But I love the board feel this binding promotes. Burton for the win.

They are made specifically for EST Channel.

These bindings were made for any board that has The Channel installation system. I would recommend them if you have such a board.I used re-flex discs with disc bindings and they would get loose and move while riding.Also, you may rip your bindings out, I say may, as discs were not specifically made for channel boards.Overall, these EST Cartel bindings are great, are heavy duty and customizable.I purchased in Mens medium, and have a size 10 foot.These are very robust, and should last at least a while.I highly recommend them if you are all-mountain, with park I would recommend softer straps that have a little give, so you could have these and swap the straps out if needed.