Dynafit Vertical vs Dynafit Speed....Help??

Plus, with comforts (and speeds?) you can use you pole to leverage yourself out of "instant ski mode" while touring.  You know - when the heal piece rotates and you clip in, basically hobling yourself.   With speeds you have to unclip from the toe, then the heal, spin the heal piece, reclip in -  bla bla bla.... Usually while on a 40 deg slope that  scratching your edges into just to get purchase  > .

In my experience the Comforts/Verticals have been more durable than the Classics/Speeds.  I've broken Speeds multiple times in the course of a year in ways that I've never broken a Comfort with years of use.  I like the ability to adjust, too; it leads to a greater chance to loan a pair of sticks to a friend or use the same mount with a new pair of boots. 

Remind me to never go skiing with you:) "multlple times ...." Good god lad, how? I have gone four years with one pair with some pretty hard use without any issues except for the stupid crampon plate. I have a guide friend who has a pair of the originals purchased at Monond's in Banff in '94. He still uses them. I don't doubt your credability, I just want to know what torture your putting your gear through that I happily avoid.

Gregg

Just don't ride lifts or ski drunk with your Dynafits and you should be all right...   Two of the metal plates below the plastic bases for the heels of Classics, plus several pins, but all under some combination of the conditions cited before the winky.  But multiple seasons with similar shenanigans haven't led to the same result for Comforts.  I am not a good statistical sample, but those are my experiences.

Just don't ride lifts or ski drunk with your Dynafits and you should be all right...   Two of the metal plates below the plastic bases for the heels of Classics, plus several pins, but all under some combination of the conditions cited before the winky.  But multiple seasons with similar shenanigans haven't led to the same result for Comforts.  I am not a good statistical sample, but those are my experiences.

As I recall though, there was a clear difference in the construction of the Classics vs the Comforts in your limited sample. The cracked Classic plates looked to have been cast and then lightly machined, while the Comfort plate/posts looked to have been machined from a less porous block of metal. I just mounted up a new pair of Classics, but I can't recall for sure whether they appeared cast.... I think they did. I've always been impressed that the post/plate broke before the plastic did - better living through Chemistry. I'll have a gander at a friend's Verticals this weekend to see how they're made.

For me, both Classics and Comforts have worked out nicely. I prefer the Classics on weight and simplicity grounds, plus they have less propensity to spin in wet and sticky new snow. I like the Classic's top plate/climbing post better too. The limited adjustment range has been a concern of mine - the TLT4 boots I favor differ by about a centimeter in BSL from most every other boot (save the Zzero series) for my size 30+ foot. A little forethought and added precision in mounting allowed me to skew the adjustment range to my liking. With sufficient obsessive compulsion, sub-millimeter precision is possible with Lou Dawson's templates.

Thanks so much everyone. I went to buy the Speeds on a great deal. By the time I went to the shopping cart online, they were back to regular price! Argh! Then I found the TLT Verticals online for another great deal on a different site. This time it was for real so I bought them. I think they will work well, and the nice thing about them is that I can add a brake later on if I want. I don't think I'll mind the extra 1/2 lb...

It's not the extra 1/2 lb., it's the extra friction when rotating the heel and the extra aggravation when the things don't deploy reliably . . . my advice is to forget the brakes.

BTW, what constitutes a great deal on a pair of Vertical ST's?