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Union Flite Pro Bindings Review

Last Updated: October 21, 2020 by Nate Leave a Comment

Union Flite Pro BindingsHello 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:

  • The average score was 78.1/100
  • The highest score was 92.6/100
  • The lowest score was 62.6/100
  • The average price was $224
  • The Flite Pro ranked 7th out of 20 

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: 

Ability Level Beginner to Intermediate

Flex: 

Snowboard Flex 3

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

Union Flite Pro 2019O.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
(out of 5)

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.

  • US
  • CANADA
  • UK/EUROPE

>>Union Flite Pro at evo.com

>>Union Flite Pro at the-house.com

>>Union Flite Pro at backcountry.com

>>Union Flite Pro at PRFO.com

>>Union Flite Pro at blue-tomato.com

Union Flite Pro 2021

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.

My Top 5 Men's Freestyle Bindings
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Filed Under: 2019 Snowboard Binding Reviews, 2020 Snowboard Binding Reviews, 2021 Snowboard Binding Reviews, Men's Freestyle Binding reviews, Union Tagged With: Union Flite Pro Bindings, Union Flite Pro Bindings 2018-19, Union Flite Pro Bindings 2019-20, Union Flite Pro Bindings 2020-21, Union Flite Pro Bindings 2021, Union Flite Pro Review

About Nate

Nate is passionate about and loves learning new things everyday about snowboarding, particularly the technical aspects of snowboarding gear. That, and becoming a better rider and just enjoying and getting the most out of life.

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