ION vs ION12LT Heel Durability / Warenty issues

[MTPOW]

What problems have you had with either the ION or ION 12 LT heel pieces.

I sent in my ION LT12 heels with aluminum top cap for the warranty repair and they sent me back black heels with plastic top cap.

Did they send me a less durable heel?

[XXX-er]

I think threaded machine screws held that aluminium top cap on, instead there is a metal frame with threaded holes under that plastic which the machine screws still screw into ?

at the time Dynafit had a bunch of top caps breaking cuz they were held on with wood screws that broke because the flippy lifters lever them off the heel

My take is the screws are still threaded into metal

[MTPOW]

The screws thread into plastic, not metal. The frame you mention isn't threaded and doesn't retain the screws.

Anyone blow the top cap on an ION? Other heel failures?

[XXX-er]

https://www.wildsnow.com/17811/g3-ion-binding-review-ski-touring/

" The 2015-2016 ION ski touring binding is nearly identical to 2014 model 12, with the addition of a 12 without brake (LT12) and a release value 10 model. Sightseeing tour reveals red painted toe spring on model 10, and the change from solid aluminum to a plastic-steel “co-molded” heel top plate on models 10-12. LT12 continues with the beautiful aluminum top plate used on model 12 last season. "

Obviously you are not a golfer

[thefortrees]

Wasn’t this warranty announced 3-4 years ago?

[XXX-er]

Duno about any warranty, i have never owned or used a G3 AT binding

https://www.wildsnow.com/17811/g3-ion-binding-review-ski-touring/

that ^^ was the 15-16 model and so the top plate changed from aluminium to plastic & steel in that year BUT it was plasitc for the ION 10 and aluminium for the ION 12 in this year, fucknose why, maybe they had leftover aluminum top plates ?

I'm with Lou I thot the aluminium top plate was cool when ION came out and I also think the plastic/steel top plate is probably as strong or stronger,

I remember seeing a complete tear down of the binding but I can't find it on his site,

back when skiers were ripping the top plates off of Rad1's myself included so I thot the really cool thing about ION was that instead of using wood screws that can no longer handle the flippy lifters G3 sandwiched the whole fucking thing together with real machine screws coming in from the bottom and threading into the top plate with real machine screws into either top plate

[Va Ki Bo]

Small plastic thing - trapezoid "washer" that holds heel TLT-pin - cracked once, that created noticable play of the boot in the binding in ski mode.
Realized that these Ion's washers are completely identical to the Dynafit Radical FT 1.0 ones so used them since. Steel heel pins are also cross compatible.

Climbing aids axial pin. This april on one of the transitions I've suddenly found all of the small climbing aid details on the snow separately.
Looks like steel axle pin cracked and then snapped in half unnoticeably many years ago (aids on this heel was pretty loose and didn't fix well) but completely failed only now.

[HukuTa_KydecHuk]

I've used black top Ions extensively for 2 seasons without any issues

[XXX-er]

I think that nice looking aluminium top plate cost some $$$ to make so G3 came up with the plastic & steel to save money

[EstoBum]

Wildsnow went more into detail on what's inside on this article:

https://www.wildsnow.com/22944/g3-ion-take-apart-heel/

The steel is likely stronger and less likely to strip threads. Cost savings may have been a factor, but the overmolded plastic pieces is probably stronger.

[XXX-er]

Ah you found it ^^ I read that stuff on wild snow once cuz its so technicaly interesting

and then its hard to find 3 yars later but its all there somwhere on wildsnow if you dig