Hello and welcome to my Union Flite Pro bindings review. – part of my Freestyle bindings review series.
In this review I will assess the Flite Pros for all of the freestyle relevant factors of the bindings to see how they perform as freestyle bindings.
As is custom at SnowboardingProfiles.com the bindings will receive a rating out of 100. This is not an exact science but will give some idea of how good the Flite Pros are as a binding for freestyle riding.
Overall Rating
Bindings: Union Flite Pro
Price: $159
Style: Freestyle/Beginner
Flex Rating: Baseplate = 3/10, highback = 3/10 (roughly, based on Union’s flex scale graphs)
Flex Feel: Medium-Soft (3/10)
Rating Score: 79.5/100
Compared to other Men’s Freestyle Bindings
Out of the 20 Men’s Freestyle bindings that I rated:
Overview of the Flite Pro’s Specs
Check out the tables for the Flite Pro’s specs and available sizes.
Specs
Style: | Freestyle |
Price: | $159 |
Ability Level: |  |
Flex: |  |
Edge-to-Edge: | Medium-Slow |
Weight: | Light |
Mounts To: | 2 x 4 | 4 x 4 | Channel |
Sizing
SIZE | US BOOT SIZE | EURO BOOT SIZE | UK BOOT SIZE |
|---|---|---|---|
S | 6-7.5 | 38-40.5 | 5-6.5 |
M | 8-10 | 41-43 | 7-9 |
L | 10.5+ | 43.5+ | 9.5+ |
Who are the Flite Pros Most Suited To?
The Flite Pros are great as beginner bindings and as freestyle bindings. Especially playful freestyle type riding, or if you're just starting out learning tricks, jumps etc. Not really suitable for extreme freestyle though.
They are also great for anyone looking for a playful freestyle binding and are on a tight budget. The Flite Pros are considerably less than the average price for freestyle bindings and still a good bit above average.
The Flite Pros in More Detail
O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Flite Pros are capable of.
Demo Info
Bindings: Union Flite Pro 2019, Medium
Date: March 22, 2018
Conditions: Puking snow! A lot of fresh powder and everything just filling in all day. Being a weekday, nothing was getting too tracked out anyway, but even if it did it would have just filled in again. Visibility was of course not ideal, but far from whiteout as well (mid-level vis). It was cold (had to be for the snow) but not super freezing. Just nicely cold – and superbly powdery!
Bindings angles: +15/-15
Stance Width: 550mm (21.7”)
Board demoed with: Rossignol One 2018, 159cm
Baseplate Length: 24cm (9.5″) – that’s measured on the top of the footbed. 22.5cm on the underside of the baseplate – it angles up to the top of the footbed.
Baseplate with Toe Ramp Extended: 25cm (top) – 1cm of extension available
Highback Height: 19.6cm (7.7″)
Weight: 760 grams (1lbs, 11oz) – per binding, including disc and screws*
*Lighter than all of the bindings I weighed (average of a small sample of bindings was 864g)
Butterability/Board Feel
Even though they don’t use the mini-disc, I found the Flite Pros provide pretty good board feel anyway – it helps that they have quite a soft base plate. Still not as good a board feel as Union bindings with the mini-disc but pretty good.
Flex
Union rate the flex as follows:
Baseplate: 4/10
Highback: 4/10
I would say they feel about a 3/10 overall.
Adjustability
You can adjust a lot of things on the Flite Pro including:
- Forward Lean (tool-less)
- Gas Pedal (1cm extension)
- Heel Cup (for easier boot centering)
- Toe Strap Position
- Toe Strap Length
- Ankle Strap Length
The main things missing adjustability-wise were:
- No ankle strap position options
- Ankle and toe strap length adjustments aren’t tool-less
Let’s Break up this Text with a video!
Check out the video below for a visual look at these bindings and some more info.
Shock Absorption
The Flite Pros absorb shock really well and have a healthy amount of padding in the foot bed. This is pretty important, IMO, when you’re landing jumps and tricks all day.
Comfort
The Flite Pros might be a low cost binding but they are far from uncomfortable. That padding that helps with shock absorption of course also helps with comfort but the ankle strap – even though it’s their low end ankle strap is still decently comfortable.
Responsiveness
They don’t provide a heap of response when getting up speed and aren’t like overly supportive when really railing a carve. But they are nice and maneuverable when riding at slow speeds – helping with slow approaches to features.
Snowboard Compatibility
The CPs come Union’s universal disc, which is compatible with 2 x 4, 4 x 4 and the channel – so pretty much any board out there, these days.
Changes for the 2021 Model
The 2021 Flite Pro gets a new ankle strap – the “Forma” ankle strap. The 2020 model had the “Classic” strap. The Forma is a nice upgrade, IMO.
Changes for the 2020 Model
The 2020 model is, as far as I can tell, identical to the 2019 model, apart from the colorways.
Changes for the 2019 Model
As far as I can tell, the 2019 model is the same as the 2018 model, just with some new colorways.
Score Breakdown and Final Verdict
Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.
RATING | Contribution to Final Score | |
|---|---|---|
BOARD FEEL | 4.0 | 24/30 |
SHOCK ABSORPTION | 4.5 | 22.5/25 |
RESPONSE | 2.0 | 6/15 |
ADJUSTABILITY | 4.0 | 12/15 |
COMFORT | 3.5 | 7/10 |
ENTRY/EXIT | 4.0 | 4/5 |
TOTAL after normalizing | 79.5/100 |
If you're looking for bindings for riding freestyle and want them with a very friendly price-tag, then the Flite Pros are definitely worth looking at.
Even though the price is so good, and they're Union's cheapest bindings, they're still far from what I would consider to be "cheaply" made.
They are also a great option for beginners.
More Info, Current Prices and Where to Buy Online
If you are interested in the Flite Pros, check out the links below for more info, user reviews, current prices and availability.
If you want to check out some other freestyle options or see how the Flite Pros compared to other men’s freestyle bindings check out the link below.
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