Expert Review: Union Juliet Snowboard Bindings · 2023

About this Review: This review is my honest opinion of the bindings which I purchased with my own money in March of 2022.

My take

The Union Juliet’s are a great binding for their price point for any intermediate to advanced female rider looking for an all-mountain binding. They have a medium flex and are very versatile in what they can do.

About the gear

• Model: Union Juliet Bindings 2023
• Size: M
• Burton channel compatible: Yes
• Mini disc: No

About me

• Height: 5’7”
• Weight: 130lb
• Experience: 23 Years

Test conditions

• When I bought these: March 2022
• Days tested: 20+
• Board: Never Summer Harpoon & Amplid Lovelife
• Boot: Ride Sage
• Where I’ve used it: Oregon, California, Utah, France
• Terrain: Powder, Chunder, Groomers, Trees, Park

How they perform

What I was looking for

I was on the hunt for a binding that was a good price point, that had a medium-flex, and would work well on a number of different styles of boards. I was hoping to find a one-quiver binding that I could use whether it was a powder day, or a spring day riding groomers and hitting jumps.

Why I chose this gear

I read a lot of reviews and heard good things about Union. These bindings hit a great price point for being a medium flex binding for intermediate to advanced riders, and I heard they were very comfortable and durable.

I looked at the Milan’s and the Trilogy’s in Union’s line as well, but chose the Juliet’s because they seemed to fall right in the middle of those two as far as flex and dampness. I also looked at the Arbor Sequoia’s, but I chose Union because of the materials they use in their bindings, specifically the baseplate. The Duraflex material they use was rated high for keeping a consistent flex over a wide variety of temperatures.

What I love about them

• Binding adjustability in boots: These bindings rate high for me in adjustability. The heelcup is pretty easy to loosen and adjust to get your boot centered quickly and efficiently.
• Stance adjustability: The stance is easy to adjust because you can run the disc horizontally and it accommodates for a wide variety of stance preferences.
• Comfort: I find these bindings quite comfortable. They don’t have padded straps, they’re more of a hard plastic, but they are surprisingly comfy and flex nicely. The foam underfoot feels good too. I have ridden on these many days from open to close and haven’t had any issues with pain or pressure points.
• Responsiveness: Due to the fact that you can really dial in the fit of these bindings, I think they are pretty responsive. I ride in trees a lot and make quick tight turns, and I have not had any issues. They keep up!
• Carving: I enjoy carving with these bindings, they provide plenty of support to make big swooping carves or tighter carves. I rode them a few times on the Jones Stratos board, which is a board that just loves to carve, and I thought they paired really well. The ability to adjust the highback lean without a tool is awesome too, if you want to adjust it to get really low carves.
• Ease of turn initiation: The responsiveness of these bindings has made for great ease in initiating turns. I generally ride pretty fast and I haven’t had any problems in this department. I find that I’m able to get them synched down as tight as I want, without compromising comfort, so I’m able to turn easily.
• Straps: The straps are a pretty hard plastic to the touch, but once they are on, the design makes them form really nicely around my foot and toe. They have an anti-slip material they use too, which really seems to work. The straps are also easy to adjust without a tool if you need them longer or shorter.
• Buckles: The buckles are aluminum and feel high quality. They feel average as far as speed to get in and out of them and how smooth the ratchet’s slide. I have had no issues with them. I like to keep standing while strapping in if possible, and these are smooth enough and fast enough that I can.
• Durability: I have already ridden these 20-25 days at least, and they’re still holding strong as far as functionality. I haven’t had any issues with anything breaking on them, although I will say that the paint on both the right and left binding around the heelcup is already chipping.
• Weight: These bindings seem to be pretty lightweight, I don’t at all feel weighed down while riding. I also like that Union will provide the customer with the weights of all their bindings, some manufacturers make it harder to find out the weight of a product.

Issues I’ve encountered

• Shock absorption: I wouldn’t rate these as bad in absorbing shock, but they are definitely middle of the road in this department. Much better than the Milan’s, but when riding them again after riding a damp binding like the Legacy’s or the Now Conda’s, they feel a bit chattery.
• Buttering: I would say buttering in these is just so-so, the flex is medium for sure, so a softer binding would probably be better for buttering.
• Other: The only other “issue” I have found is with the installation. The foam footbed folds up to allow access to the disc and screws, but it is really stiff so you have to work to hold it out of the way as you are tightening the screws. A few times while riding, my bindings got a little loose (probably my poor installation!) and I had to tighten them while out on the slopes. The snow and ice made it really hard to get that footbed piece to pop up, so I had to pry it with a screwdriver finally.

Favorite moment with this gear

My absolute favorite moment with this gear was a huge powder day right in my own backyard at Mt. Bachelor, in the spring at that! We got up early, headed to the mountain, and there was about a foot and a half of fresh powder, and it was still falling! We rode the NW Bowls into long tree runs for the entire morning, and I just felt invincible! There’s something special about riding with a friend who is right there by you and feeling all the spray from their turns in your face, it was such a great day! I also got to use these bindings on a spring trip to Chamonix, France, and those mountains and views left me speechless. We hit up five days of snowboarding, and each day had a coffee at a little cafe halfway up the mountain, and even found a tiny cafe off one of the slopes where a French man was cooking omelet’s over an open stove. Can’t get much better than that!

Value for the money vs. other options

I think these bindings are definitely hitting a good price point. I’d compare them to the Burton Scribe or Arbor Sequoia, but I think they are a slightly higher level binding and come in at just a slightly lower price point. For just $30 more, bumping up to the Legacy’s could be worth it if you want something damper, but otherwise, I think these hit a great price point!

Final verdict

I’ve actually recommended these to a number of my friends already. They don’t necessarily specialize in one particular category, but they certainly do everything pretty well. If you’re an intermediate to advanced rider looking for a one quiver binding, prioritizing adjustability and comfort, and want a medium flex, then this binding could be the perfect choice for you.