Plum Tech Binding Discussion

[riff]

I’ve had a variety of tech bindings on the quiver; MTNs are great but the lifters flop and the tracks get sloppy. ATK is pretty good but I’ve lost some confidence in the monolink toes.

The recent addition of some Plum Oazo 8’s has me very impressed.
Toes:
excellent fit and finish
Great ski crampon system
Cleaning slots on the pins
High closing force.
Metal parts throughout.

Heels:
Two risers.
flat mode if you want it, body is long enough to turn easily.
Adjustable lateral release.
Adjustable boot length, but no chance of slop developing like MTN.

Anybody want to talk about R150/70’s, Guides, etc?

I’m now kind of the hunt for more Oazos, or even a Guide for the big skis.

Talk Plum!


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[grinch]

I have guide heels. Raw and stunning. Still my favorite heel riser system. Quick and ez riser adjust with your pole. 2 yrs later is looks and works as new

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[Bamski]

Great timing on this thread.

I have some new superwolfs (wolves?) in plastic I’m looking to mount with a sub 300g binder. Gonna be used for bigger days, steeper skiing, probably skiing a fair bit of shit snow in the process.

I’m down to the following options:
-Oazo 8
-Pika
-Titan Vario.2

Would love to hear people’s thoughts

[riff]

I’m really psyched on the Oazo; if the Vario 2 had multiple risers I would have more curiosity, mostly due to the toe. The Oazo is lighter, with two risers. I definitely believe in low angle skinners, but sometimes the second riser is really important for my lower back, hip and knee injuries.
If you haven’t used Plum ski crampons yet, you may be impressed. I love the attachment method, seems far more robust than the dynafit style.

I don’t know anything about the pika…


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[riff]

Pin delta chart:

https://skimo.co/pin-heights

Closing force chart:

https://www.wildsnow.com/18803/compa...er-g3-dynafit/

I added a piece of Ptex under the heel of the oazo to make the delta match my MTNs.


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[Pins and Skins]

Yes, finally, a Plum thread!

I'm a big fan as well. Have skied the Yak (a wider version of the Guide which is no longer in production) and have some Summits (the Yak replacement) which will be mounted up soon on my L138s. Have also fiddled with the Pika.

I agree with all of Riff's points - I really like the simplicity of the design and the raw/industrial look and finish, plus bomber build quality. The toe clamp strength is also something else.

I think the Pika is a good alternative to the Oazo in case you can find it cheaper. Here's a good review:
https://confessionsofaskibum.com/202...-pika-binding/

Also, I have dealt with Plum customer service a few times, and they are pretty good in my opinion. Quick replies and knowledgeable. Sometimes, they don't list everything on their website, so if you email and ask, they may have it.

Again to one of Riff's point, I recently mounted and skied a Trab toe with a Yak heel (can be Guide heel as well as the two are interchangeable), and I am a big fan. You have the smoothness of the toe with the benefits of the heel. I called it the Trak haha - I think it's comparable with the Traider (Trab+ATK Raider) mentioned in the "sub 300g binding" room although I haven't skied the latter yet.

[riff]

Here’s a question: do the lighter release value versions of the Oazo also have lighter toe springs? I have an eye on a pair of Oazo 6 toes, but I want stout springs.


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[Pins and Skins]

Riff, I think the toe RVs are all the same. In fact, I believe it's literally the same toe as the Guide. But email Plum and see what they say.

Here’s a question: do the lighter release value versions of the Oazo also have lighter toe springs? I have an eye on a pair of Oazo 6 toes, but I want stout springs.


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[fleaches]

Again to one of Riff's point, I recently mounted and skied a Trab toe with a Yak heel (can be Guide heel as well as the two are interchangeable), and I am a big fan. You have the smoothness of the toe with the benefits of the heel. I called it the Trak haha - I think it's comparable with the Traider (Trab+ATK Raider) mentioned in the "sub 300g binding" room although I haven't skied the latter yet.

That's a neat combo!

I seem to remember ruling out plums because people were complaining about the toes breaking a couple of years ago, does anyone remember that? Maybe it's all fixed now.


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[kamtron]

I haven't heard about the toe breakage in a few years, but yeah my friend broke one on the summit of Rainier and wasn't stoked to ski down like that.

I don't think the Oazo toe is the same as the Guide. Similar, but if you look at the photos the metal of the toepiece looks thicker than on the Oazo. I do think it's very similar to the race toe that they make.

Guide looks very nice as a beef binding with similar delta to classic Dynafit, a little more than ideal in my book. You can order 2x toes from Plum's website directly for cheaper than skimo.co, which has me thinking about frankenbinding possibilities.

My hesitation to get the Oazo is that the RV only goes to 8. On the chart I'm a 9 and I usually ski with my bindings set to 9-10. But I've heard it said that it's a "strong 8". Maybe Riff can chime in with some more use.

Also, I've heard of some breakage of the crampon mounts when iced up with PNWet snow.

[rpearce1475]

Thinking about getting some plum splitboard bindings (hardboot) and would be using their tech toes. Has anyone had customer service experiences for warranty/breaking stuff? I'm pretty hard on my gear and break things intermittently, so good customer service (and hopefully a good crash replacement pricing policy) is important to me.

[Pins and Skins]

Ah yes I think you're right re the Oazo toe. Looking back into my emails, Plum told me it was the Guide 7 toe that was the same as the Guide 12 toe.

I've had one warranty-type experience with Plum, and it was pretty good. On my Yak binding, the brakes came mismatched, one was 115 and one was 105. I emailed them, and they offered to fix the 105 to be 115. All I had to pay was shipping both ways, which in all, came to $40 - much cheaper than buying replacement 115 brakes.

I haven't heard about the toe breakage in a few years, but yeah my friend broke one on the summit of Rainier and wasn't stoked to ski down like that.

I don't think the Oazo toe is the same as the Guide. Similar, but if you look at the photos the metal of the toepiece looks thicker than on the Oazo. I do think it's very similar to the race toe that they make.

Guide looks very nice as a beef binding with similar delta to classic Dynafit, a little more than ideal in my book. You can order 2x toes from Plum's website directly for cheaper than skimo.co, which has me thinking about frankenbinding possibilities.

My hesitation to get the Oazo is that the RV only goes to 8. On the chart I'm a 9 and I usually ski with my bindings set to 9-10. But I've heard it said that it's a "strong 8". Maybe Riff can chime in with some more use.

Also, I've heard of some breakage of the crampon mounts when iced up with PNWet snow.

[waxoff]

Just recently I replaced Guide heels with R170's on my Down CD104L, but haven't yet had a chance to get them on snow. Such a swift swap with the wide adjustable mounting plate for R170, which drops straight into the Guide/Radical holes. Also, no longer any need for shimming the Rad toes as new delta is really sweet without them.

We'll see how skinning with the only one riser will feel, but must admit that the race type heel simplicity is what drew me here. Keeping the Guide heels just in case...

Not overly weight concerned, but damnit the Guide heels (w heel pads in addition) are effin boat anchors compared to the R170 heels!

[Kreemcheese]

Posted in the gear rumors thread but figured it deserves a place here as well.
New caribou for next season which I got hands on first time yesterday. It is basically a summit heel with some reinforcements and a new toe with a spring that allows for quite a bit of elasticity in the toe. Will get more in depth next week and probably test them on snow.

Currently have a pika with the heel pad/ spacer thing on my agent 2.0's and really liking the feel so far (been on atk och superlights for the last 5 years).

[riff]

Just recently I replaced Guide heels with R170's on my Down CD104L, but haven't yet had a chance to get them on snow. Such a swift swap with the wide adjustable mounting plate for R170, which drops straight into the Guide/Radical holes. Also, no longer any need for shimming the Rad toes as new delta is really sweet without them.

We'll see how skinning with the only one riser will feel, but must admit that the race type heel simplicity is what drew me here. Keeping the Guide heels just in case...

Not overly weight concerned, but damnit the Guide heels (w heel pads in addition) are effin boat anchors compared to the R170 heels!

I wish they would make a race heel with two risers….maybe I have an idea to try. I wonder if Oazo risers could be installed on a R170 heel. Honestly the Oazo is light enough it’s silly to ponder.


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[Smallfurry]

You can buy and install an extra riser. Fits in the U spring loop. Just need to twist the heel.

https://www.fixation-plum.com/en/acc...ntee-race.html

I cant decide between the Oazo and the R150. Mainly because i think i need a DIN of 7 and the R150 use 8.

[V.R.P]

Enjoying some Plum Pikas on the everyday driver (Hyper V6). Feel pretty bomber. I added the brakes for convenience, but they’re pretty flimsy so doubt they’re good for much more than making transitions on firm easier. Heel rotation is a bit of a bitch when going for the skimo transition (preferred). Looking at some R170 or Oazo’s for Zero G 85’s as a spring/summer setup.

[Boissal]

My hesitation to get the Oazo is that the RV only goes to 8. On the chart I'm a 9 and I usually ski with my bindings set to 9-10. But I've heard it said that it's a "strong 8". Maybe Riff can chime in with some more use.
Also, I've heard of some breakage of the crampon mounts when iced up with PNWet snow.

I have a set of Oazos on my lighter setup, 104 underfoot skis used mostly for steep days or hard snow. I ski all my Dynafits at 9.5 ish and occasionally pop out of the heels but I've never had an issue with the fixed RV of 8 on the Oazo. It's definitely a strong 8, I had similar concerns when I bought the clamps but after skiing them for 2 seasons I completely forgot about the low number and have 0 concerns about unwanted releases. I'm not super heavy, 165 lbs or so (in the nude), but I ski hard and I've put the setup through a lot (questionably executed jump turns on hard snow over exposure, 15' backslapped drops, high speed turns into chunder or wet mank) and I'm 100% confident in the Oazos.
The only gripe I have with them is that they're a real bitch to rotate by hand (the lateral spring feels mega stiff) and the risers tend to develop some slop and occasionally flip on/off during kick turns. I actually broke the tall riser (by kicking it from the side while trying to remove snow, 100% my fault) on one clamp which was an easy replacement.

[Smallfurry]

So if you’re 171lbs and ski pretty chilled. With DIN calculators all saying 6.5. Would a oazo 6 be good choice? Bonus points for the cool colour.

[galibier_numero_un]

So if you’re 171lbs and ski pretty chilled. With DIN calculators all saying 6.5. Would a oazo 6 be good choice? Bonus points for the cool colour.

Never expect direct translation from DIN #s to touring binders' RV spec.

... Thom

[Bamski]

Couple days on the pikas, some thoughts so far:

- Easy as hell to step in.
- No discernible downhill difference from my ATK Raiders
- Haven’t missed my high risers once
- Plum ski crampons are the bomb.

My main complaint is that the heel tower is stiff and requires some muscle to turn when I want to do a skis-on transition to downhill. I also miss my brakes at times, and could probably use some pointers to transition in sketchy places without them.

I have zero experience with Plum’s release settings - so I’m trusting my shop. I usually ski around an 8.5 on my ATK’s and it looks like they set me to a 8 here.

[riff]

Anecdotally, at 185 pounds plus a multiday pack, on a 180x105mm ski I’ve had no trouble with release values on Oazo 8’s….


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[grinch]

Im just resetting my heels for my new bsl. I remember an issue to watch out for now. Last time i adjusted them worked out fine but the torx driver doesnt have a good purchase in the screw now. I wish torx screws had deeper recessions. Im about to dremel a slot in the screw head so i can get it out with a flathead. Something to watch out for and be careful. I can already see this is going to be a PITA.

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[abcdethan]

Im just resetting my heels for my new bsl. I remember an issue to watch out for now. Last time i adjusted them worked out fine but the torx driver doesnt have a good purchase in the screw now. I wish torx screws had deeper recessions. Im about to dremel a slot in the screw head so i can get it out with a flathead. Something to watch out for and be careful. I can already see this is going to be a PITA.

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I had the same issue recently.

[grinch]

I had the same issue recently.

My dremel fix worked and its in place. Next time out i'll get a new screw, or 3

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