Pivot 18 vs STH 16

L

Loodwik

Member
Hello NS!

I´m comparing Look Pivot 18 bindings with the Salomon STH 16 as a project for school. My idea is to ask you for your own experiences of the two bindings when it comes to flaws and failures. I will later on compile the answers into two lists of the most common ways to trash the bindings.So, what is your story? What did you do and what happened to the binding?

Peace!
 
I would say they both work at the very top level. Performance wise I don't really think there is much between them if anything at all. Durability wise they re both great. Fks may slightly take it in pure binding durability but loses it on the brakes. If Rossi can't find a way to update the brake system I feel it will hold back the bindings. Also the small mount pattern of the fks heel is less then ideal for wider modern skis.

This season the sth has been updated so salomon have kept the binding up to date with a wider hole patern and even better brake system and so I think the fks has fallen further behind. If Rossi invest some money they will have a serious contender for best binding but currently salomon have that title although not with the sth 16 but with the s9-16 steel which is even better then the sth 16.
 
If you lose a ski in pow, an sth binding is a lot easier to clip back into than the pivot.

It's personal preference as both are bomber.... I like the fact I can run a lower din setting on the sth 16 than the pivot 18. (13 on STH, 14/15 on pivot)

 
Since 2007:

3 pairs of FKS 155: 11 broken baseplates, 3 broken brakes.

1 pairs of STH 16s: one pair of heels developed play and the heel springs wore out.

1 pair of 916s: One bent toe stack screw, two snapped plastic toe wings.

1 pair of 997s: Zero issues.

1 pair of 09/10 Jester Schizos (the "shitty" ones): Zero issues.

I'd like to try Jester Pros if I saw them cheap - they should be on your list too.
 
I would like to counter this and say that I've had the opposite experience. The way to clip into Pivots in powder is to crouch down, grab the rear piece and kinda pull it up to your boot. Ever since I started putting them on this way in powder, I find it easier than with other bindings.
 
It's actually a new toe as well as new heel. The heel is basically a guardian heel though which has been working well. The time I have spent on the new sth has been good. Feel as strong as the old ones and there were no issues so far with the team riders who have been on them for about a year now.
 
I own both in addition to a pair of s916's. So far purely cosmetic damage to the salomons, 1 broken base plate on the p18's, but I ski the p18's like 70% of the time and on my park skis so they deff see more abuse. All 3 are the pinnacle of high din bindings on the market, really can't go wrong with either. I will admit i don't like fks on powder skis just for clicking in in deep snow can be kind of annoying some times (WA snow is really wet so it sticks to your boot and binding).
 
The STH 16 toe piece is essentially a third generation copy of the Pivot 18 toe piece.

Look heel is still superior to the 916, STH and STH 2 heel. IMO.

Everyone will continue to have their personal favorites between the two. I'd be willing to ski any of the bindings I mentioned, but when afforded a choice will continue to go with the original single pivot toe and heal: Look.
 
fuck fks. your heel pieces will explode. been through 3 pairs of 18s. They are also the biggest bitch to put on and take off because the heels always spin around. I used to rock sth 16s (still have 2 pairs) and I am totally going back to them because they just work.
 
I'm gong to go out on a limb and say you are doing something wrong. Probably more than one thing, but one at a minimum. Is turning your heel piece around that hard?
 
If skiing on them normally is doing something wrong then yeah I am. That half moon plate on the heel is prone to breaking because of the way it was designed. It takes so much pressure and is only held in with a tiny pice of metal and without that piece your brakes wont work properly and your boot wont sit in your binding at the right level.

Credentials: Ski tech for 2 years and over 100 days skied on fks bindings in all conditions.
 
been on p15/18s and fks185 since 2009 now and never had an issue. they are bombproof (at least for me)

i have a pair each on my pontoons and my hellbents and even with the wider mounting pattern and the hellbent as a ski I do jump a lot in the backcountry with (hard impact) the heel got never ripped out so far.

i have probably put 400 days on pivots/fks. at least 250 on my halos and 100 on my pontoons, 50 on my hellbents.
 
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