Eliminator tongue VS. Booster strap

ReedSkis~

ReedSkis~

Active member
I was getting some nasty shin bang over christmas break so i headed into the shop and picked up a product known as the Eliminator tongue. For those who don't know what it is, it's basically a foam tongue that fits into one's boots, right between the boots tongue and the user's shin. I used these for a couple of days and they seemed to help ease the pain a little and they did what they were intended to do; take up space in the boot to stop the bang. What i noticed is that since they are placed in the front of the boot they forced my legs back and put me slightly backseat, a little farther than i am usually at when standing up straight. a positive is that my shin bang went away a lot quicker than usual after i started using these.
A similar Product, The booster strap, has also been said to reduce the bang. since this doesn't go in the boot and serves the save purpose (takes up or reduces space in the boot) will these feel more natural than the eliminator? Which does the job better?thanks in advance

Sparknotes: Eliminator tongue worked well but made me feel backseat (not sure if i was just imagining this). Will booster straps work better?
 
i got heel lifts to stop shinbang and they really help. they also help to keep me in the front seat on landings because they help me to keep on the balls of my feet and stay leaning forward.
 
an idea to try is maybe put them behind your calves? The booster strap is good to use but makes the boot much stiffer. I use both and they help a lot, But sometimes the booster strap is unnecessary.
 
Putting the Eliminator on your shin doesn't force your further back, it just takes up space. The back of your calf is still in the same position against the back of the boot.

Land properly, problem solved.
 
use the eliminator if its workin and adjust the forward lean on your boots if you have that option
 
once you use booster straps you wont be able to ski without them, for sure go pick up a pair
 
Booster straps do not make the boot stiffer. The boots are softer than they should be, if you dont tighten them properly. If there is a gap between your shin and the tounge, you arent flexing against the spine of the boot because your strap is too loose, and the boot is a noodle. Boosters suck the strap up against your shin and the boot has the flex it was designed to
 
booster straps are weird man. they make for unpredictable flex when jumping onto a rail or off a jump. i would get some heel lifts and stick with your eliminators
 
You want to keep the extra shit youre jamming in the boot to a minimum. Go with the straps instead. There is a reason Boosters are so popular. They work.
 
I just picked up a pair of eliminators. Hopefully they help alleviate some of the pain I get from my ill fitting boots.
 
i bought booster straps last year and there saving me shin bang man, there nice. they basically make the top of your boot as tight as you cant, so no bang and it helps you lean forward in your boots like youre supposed to be
 
this

i've had booster straps for a year now, and i have gotten shinbang 0 times since they have been on my boots.

and also not just shinbang... i have had ZERO problems with my boots.
 
Bumping with a question. I have super chicken legs and i seem to always have space between my calf and upper boot cuff, which makes me feel out of control when skiing park. Would a booster strap fix this problem?
 
Yes. It will make the top of the boot tighter. Also if you are using full tilts, putting them behind the to tongue can help to take up space
 
In your situation a booster may help but I would think an eliminator would be a better idea. You may even be able to get a new spoiler added to the back of the boot. Boosters may not be the best choice as if you have a lot of space then all the booster will do is try to deform the boot to make it fit smaller. This may mean the liner gets folder making it uncomfortable an it may totally mess up the flex of the boot. An eliminator or spoiler on the other hand will reduce the volume which is what you want. Eliminator a can be used infrint or behind the shin so if you don't like being slightly more upright you can use it to push you forward more, which in turn can help reduce shin bang.

Overall though don't try to fit your self. Take your boot to a good fitter an see what they recommend. It may just be that you could get the buckles moved or readjusting your foot inside the boot could help.

So overall probably an eliminator will work better but go see what a boot fitter recommends.
 
I really don't like those eliminator tongues. They're basically a Band-Aid for a pretty poor boot fit.

The long and short of it is that if you have room in your boots for eliminators then your cuff is too big.

This either happens because the boot fit is just terrible, or you have a relatively high-volume foot combined with a low-volume calf (chicken legs, afflicts lanky people with high arches) and ended up with a boot with enough room for your foot but far too much for your leg.

Have you tried just doing your cuff buckles up as tight as the buckles will allow? If you move the buckles to the last hole and then do them up all the way and you're still not tight then they're the wrong boots for you. A good friend of mine went through this situation, tried booster straps, spoilers, Eliminators... in the end the only thing that solved it for him was getting a new boot with a narrow cuff and getting the foot blown out to fit. It's relatively easy to make a boot larger, making it smaller is tricky.
 
booster straps over eliminators for sure, from my experience eliminators are garbage... if you're looking to take up space around your calf check out shintronics, I've gotten addicted to mine, don't ski a day without them... add a booster strap and its a nice combinationhttp://www.shintronic.com
 
This is my problem. My full tilts fit perfectly in the foot/ankle area, but up top there is just too much room. Even if I tighten the hell out of my top buckle and strap, I still get shin movement.
 
Yeah in your situation a booster won't do much to help. Unfortunately you got boots that don't really fit. You may be able to get spoilers added or an eliminator style product may help. But take them to a good fitter and they can advise you what will work beat in your situation.
 
ReedSkis...hey I'm not a qualified bootguy but have the same cuff-fit issue...

I use both..the strap simply keeps the pressure constant..imho. The fit over my ankle-joint is close to snug, thus I don't need much foam to snug it up...so I've been pulling the Eliminator tongue insert up a little from the beginning of my using it. There IS a little taper to the foam that rests in front of your tibia...but pick up a few+ heel shims and try different heights(a sander is mighty handy with generic height lifts) under your footbed. Then I might give a call to a bootfitter, tell him what you've tried, and schedule a visit and let him do the accurate measuring...if a little heel lift throws your balance off a little.. an exterior toe shim will work wonders. I *ThInK* there is a slight difference in dimensions between a SMALL vs LARGE, so it might be worthwhile to try or buy both...

$.01

Steve
 
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