Ski boots
Buckles or a dual dial, on a flex 130 shell?
These two boots agree on the two numbers that matter — flex 130, medium volume — and then answer the closure question in opposite directions. One of them makes the answer its headline; the other does not publish a closure at all.
| Compared on | Shadow 130 MV, 28.0-28.5 | Mach Boa MV 130, MP 30 |
|---|---|---|
| Mondopoint size | 28.0-28.5 | MP 30, given also as EU 45 2/3 |
| Last width | Not published in millimetres; sold as MV, medium volume | Not published in millimetres; sold as MV, medium volume |
| Flex | 130 | 130 |
| Buckles | Not published | None — a Dual BOA system with an upper and a lower dial |
| Liner | Not published | Not published |
| Sole standard | Not published | Not published |
| Weight | Not published | Not published |
A tick means one listing published something the other did not, or published a better figure. It does not mean the product is better, and the column is not a score out of anything: a maker who says less loses lines here without losing a comparison. The two verdicts below are where the page is settled.
A flex 130 medium-volume shell, sized 28.0-28.5, and a listing that publishes almost nothing else. It is the dearer of the two in most stores. If you know this shell from a shop floor, the listing adds nothing and takes nothing away; if you do not, there is very little here to go on.
The same flex and volume with two BOA dials and no buckles, which is the entire argument for it: even closure, adjustable while moving, and one fewer thing to catch. It is also the boot that publishes its size in two conventions at once. What neither publishes is a liner, a sole standard or a weight.
A stiff shell intended for a skier who can bend it. There is no standard behind the number, so it compares boots within one maker’s range far better than between makers — but a boot marketed at 130 by any maker is not a beginner’s boot. A skier who cannot flex the shell cannot pressure the front of the ski.
They are proprietary parts, replaced as a unit, and both makers run replacement programmes for them. A buckle is a simpler thing that can be sourced almost anywhere. Neither listing here addresses spares, which on an expert boot expected to last several seasons is the omission worth noting.
A shell shape between a narrow race fit and a wide comfort fit, usually around 100 mm at the ball of the foot — but neither of these listings publishes a figure in millimetres, so it stays a word. Two boots on this site do publish a last width, and both are softer boots.
Expert boot, flex 130, medium volume, Mondopoint 28.0-28.5
The dearest boot on the site, and its entire published description is the word "black".
Best for: A skier replacing a Lange they already know the fit of
≈ $900 / £507 / €594
Expert boot, flex 130, medium volume, two BOA dials and no buckles
The boot on this shelf with no buckles at all: two BOA dials, an upper and a lower, and a flex of 130.
Best for: An expert skier who already knows they take a medium-volume shell
≈ €565
The live figure beside a product went and asked the shop for it the moment this page opened; any amount written into the text has not moved since the sentence was drafted, and it is the first of the two that counts.
