Lange RX vs Nordica Speed Machine vs Technica Mach 1

[jo3st3]

I'm currently 4 seasons into a Lange XT 120 and looking for a new boot for 2020. The current boot wasn't the most comfortable, but after some grinding for my big toe it worked out pretty well. I know the only way to choose a boot is to work with a boot fitter, but I've talked to a few and would like some insights from others that have real world experience with the products.

I'm 6'1" 185lbs.
I measure for 29.5 boot, but use a 28.5.
I don't have a high instep and can fit comfortably in a 100mm wide model.
I'm skiing the ice coast and mostly on groomed runs. I'm not doing anything crazy and enjoy cruising around 30 mph on the blues and single black runs. I prefer versatility in a product so when we get a snow storm and the chop starts it still performs well.

On my short list of potential boots:
Lange RX 120/130
Nordica Speed Machine 120/130
Technica Mach 1 MV 120/130


I've tried the 3 potentials on and first impressions...

The Lange RX was a close fit, but I had a hot spot around the ankle or navicular. A few fitters said if they know they need to do work to a boot, they'd rather just have me choose something else (which sounds like bad service from fitters that brag about great boot fitting).

Speed Machine was like bedroom slippers, very comfortable, but I was concerned it was a sloppier fit compared to the Lange, but still very solid.

The Technica Mach 1 fit well, but I've heard you need a high instep for these, which I don't have.

Other things I noticed
The Lange RX 130 felt like a stiffer flex than the Nordica 130, and the Technica felt about the same as the Nordica. Of course this was indoors. I was also told to go with the 130, and can always remove a screw to take 10% of flex out of boot or remove plastic if I need to. Not sure about that advice.



I'm on the fence on the right boot and the right flex. What are your impressions of these boots? Have you gone through similar comparisons and what did you find?

 

[Wasatchman]

I'm currently 4 seasons into a Lange XT 120 and looking for a new boot for 2020. The current boot wasn't the most comfortable, but after some grinding for my big toe it worked out pretty well. I know the only way to choose a boot is to work with a boot fitter, but I've talked to a few and would like some insights from others that have real world experience with the products.

I'm 6'1" 185lbs.
I measure for 29.5 boot, but use a 28.5.
I don't have a high instep and can fit comfortably in a 100mm wide model.
I'm skiing the ice coast and mostly on groomed runs. I'm not doing anything crazy and enjoy cruising around 30 mph on the blues and single black runs. I prefer versatility in a product so when we get a snow storm and the chop starts it still performs well.

On my short list of potential boots:
Lange RX 120/130
Nordica Speed Machine 120/130
Technica Mach 1 MV 120/130


I've tried the 3 potentials on and first impressions...

The Lange RX was a close fit, but I had a hot spot around the ankle or navicular. A few fitters said if they know they need to do work to a boot, they'd rather just have me choose something else (which sounds like bad service from fitters that brag about great boot fitting).

Speed Machine was like bedroom slippers, very comfortable, but I was concerned it was a sloppier fit compared to the Lange, but still very solid.

The Technica Mach 1 fit well, but I've heard you need a high instep for these, which I don't have.

Other things I noticed
The Lange RX 130 felt like a stiffer flex than the Nordica 130, and the Technica felt about the same as the Nordica. Of course this was indoors. I was also told to go with the 130, and can always remove a screw to take 10% of flex out of boot or remove plastic if I need to. Not sure about that advice.



I'm on the fence on the right boot and the right flex. What are your impressions of these boots? Have you gone through similar comparisons and what did you find?

The one experience I have had with the ankle/navicular pain I was never able to figure out a fix after seeing two highly recommended bootfitters. I'm no expert on bootfitting, but based on my personal experience, I would never choose a boot that gave me ankle/navicular pain out of the box. That may be one of the hardest areas to tweak.

For me, I have found that Lange's in general work best for my feet, so I tend to stay loyal to that brand, and have had a number of bad experiences when I have been tempted to try another brand due to some smoking deal or whatever. The other thing I've found for me, is even if you spend a fair bit of time in the shop standing in those boots, it never really compares to skiing. Even my Lange XTs that had worked for me. Once my liner packed out, and I had a bootfitter cook me a new intuition liner, I'd get ankle/navicular pain, but only after skiing for about an 30 minutes to an hour or so at which point it would become excruciating. I'd try all these tweaks at the shop, and could never get it right. Finally gave up put the old packed out liners back in my Lange XTs and bought me a pair of new Lange RXs (which amazingly worked perfectly for me right out of the box). The frustrating thing was my Lange XTs with the new intuition liner always felt fine in the shop until I got on the mountain.

My recommendation is to find a high end shop on the mountain that carries a wide range of boots. And try on as many boots throughout the day as you can to see if you can narrow it down a bit. Worth every penny to help you narrow down what works for your feet.

People could go on and on about their experiences with those different boots, but everbody's foot is different. In my opinion, simply no substitute for trying it for yourself on the mountain.

 

[ted]

If they all fit you similarly and are workable, I recommend you click them into your skis with a different boot on each foot and spend some time flexing them.
These three flex differently and have different stances. Having a boot that moves well with you is as important as fit. Cuff angle will need to be set appropriately for this to be a good selection criteria.
One time when trying boots on, Boot A put me so bowlegged, I would have needed 3*thick side out cants to be flat. Boot B required nothing. Boots fit similarly. Both needed some minor tweaks with B needing a few more fit tweaks but far less alignment work. In fact Boot A may never have worked stance wise.

"People could go on and on about their experiences with those different boots, but everbody's foot is different. In my opinion, simply no substitute for trying it for yourself on the mountain." It would be great if you could demo boots! Footloose in Mammoth is the only shop I know of where this happens.

 

[Philpug]

You are not going to get a fit on line. Period. At the most you can do is mayyyybe narrow down some options which you have already done. Next step if to see which these options will work for YOUR foot with and actual bootfitter. It doesn't matter what anyone else's experience is with these options, no one else has your feet.

 

[Wasatchman]

would be great if you could demo boots! Footloose in Mammoth is the only shop I know of where this happens.

Jackson's base camp at PCMR carries a ton of boots in their rental fleet you can try on the mountain.

I wish it were a lot more common, but I would guess one could find a high end rental shop at most of the larger mountains that suits this purpose.

I know being able to do that was a game changer for my wife. EDIT: this was after working with bootfitter for suggestions. But again, actually being able to ski different boots really helped her dial down her choice.

 

[ski otter 2]

Back in the late eighties it was a game changer for me also; a boot shop at Copper Mtn., a walk out the door to the slopes, had boot demoes: try on a boot and ski it a run or two. They also had a Technica day, a Nordica day, and so on: on those days a rep for the brand was there to help, often.

For Technica, it was a rep plus Tamara McKinney, fresh from her Olympic win, whom one could ski with for a run or two on Technicas. (I think she was the head of the ski school that year at Copper, as I recall.)

I bought a pair of Technicas that day - just a coincidence, right?


Those boots were a wonderful relief from what I'd been in before.

 

[jo3st3]

After trying on these 3 boots several times in a few different shops to get unbiased advice, I couldn't deny the comfort of the Nordica Speedmachine 130. It's just incredibly comfortable out of the box, and it comes with a very high quality and warm liner. I also felt like the heel pocket hold was better than the Tecnica, but was generous in the toe box (maybe too much so for some folks). I think for most recreational skiers that want to have fun cruising around the mountain, and work well on and off piste, it's more than enough boot with the bonus of comfort.

For me, the Lange RX 130 would require a navicular punch for sure, and no where near as comfortable or nice a liner. The boot is all about performance with the tightest fit possible to lock you in. Great boot, and if you like to rip high speed on groomers and a stiff boot, this is a great option... but wasn't the right one for me and what I want to do.

The Tecnica Mach 1 130 was very comfortable boot and I liked it a lot. But you can tell from the material they remove from the liner in the instep, the boots are really meant for high instep feet (minus the LV which is incredibly different instep height compared to the MV). If you have a high instep, I can't imagine a better boot, but it wasn't the right one for my feet. At a minimum I would have had to use thick insoles or add foam to the instep to fill it in.

Best advice I've heard is, the boots almost pick you. You'll just know when it's the right one for your feet, and if you have to fight the boot, it's probably not the one (unless you have complicated feet to fit for).

Let the season begin

 

[GPetes]

I ski Mach 1 110LV Boots. They just work for me. I have heat molded the liners myself and set the "cant" which is really cuff angle and I love my boots. Didnt like the way the speed machine felt. Almost bought the K2 mind bender due to the fact it has a walk mode and tech inserts and fit pretty well.

 

[Delicious]

Not a boot fitter here.
Based on what you have tried, I would be tempted to try that Speedmachine again, but -1 shell size. This is based on your "bedroom slipper" comment, and the FACT that the boot will only get roomier.