..good to see the things in motion. I received today a mail from Allen Pedersen (same as the above posting) with some pictures from the reenginieered parts. These parts will for sure solve some of the mentioned problems, but most probably not all of them (see below).
Allen, regarding your comment 'why not talking first to NICEGOODS before posting in a forum':
When I started to use the binding for the first time some days ago I made from the first day my gloomy quality experience. I immediately started to search on nicegoods.com for updates or new parts because I assumed that every single customer must have run into the same nightmare.
Searching your website I unfortunately learned that the current pictures of the lux kite binding still feature the weak parts, for that reason I started to construct them on my own, it didn't look like you were aware of it/ willing to offer relief. <font color = blue><b><a href="
http://www.nicebindings.com/kite/bindin ... eopen.html" target="_new"> NICEGOODS.COM LUX</a></b></font>.
My opinion about the updated/ current bindings (without having tested them):
<font color = red><b>1. Weak front hinge and bar bracket</b></font>
The updated parts will solve the most dangerous behaviour of the bindings: the weak front hinge, which tends to rip during jumps and releases one foot from the binding. This is what happenend yesterday to me (luckily I didn't hurt myself). As you might remember I promised in my last posting that more parts are about to fail
<font color = red><b>2. Weak back hinges</b></font>
The instep strap and the ratchet are attached to the hinges on the heel side. These parts are still made from the same weak material and on my bindings all four of them started to bend in either direction. They also got hairline cracks and will for sure rip within the next days (I assume that's what happenend to John).
<font color = red><b>3. Weak ratchets</b></font>
As mentioned in my last posting I've already replaced them with ratchets from my Burton snowboard bindings (after the original ratchet broke while thightening the strap).
The Burton ratchet feels like quality and allows to thighten three teeth with one strike whereas the NICE ratchet only tightens one tooth (and it feels like a toy).
I really appreciate the management attention these serious weaknesses have gotten at NICEGOODS and the steps taken to solve the problem, but still there are some issues to be solved. If anybody would ask me what to do I'd propose the following.
<font color = yellow><b>My proposal:</b></font>
- NICEGOODS to replace the heel hinges with CNC alloy parts
- NICEGOODS to change the ratchet brand/ type
- NICEGOODS to update the website with proactive AND current information about the LUX binding
Regards,
Webwart
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Webwart on 2002-06-13 23:54 ]</font>