Diamir Vipek: any early adopters out there?

And having a measurable toe release while in tour sure sounds like a plus feature if ever one were caught in avy while skinning up.

While not measurable, the G3 toe spring of the Onyx works in an opposite action than the dynafit, and thus provides substantially more holding force when not locked. In practice, this means I rarely bother to lock my toepieces when touring uphill in my G3s, and have the benefit of a releasable toe.

For me the part of this binding that looks really sweet is that the pins are very short and there is constant forward pressure on the heel due to some heel piece wizardry. This is much akin to the Dynafit Beast, and should make for much better power transmission and control, particularly when getting in the rear seat or when a ski undergoes a lot of flex. This is the reason alpine bindings have still enjoyed a performance advantage over tech bindings, particularly in harder snow or during aggressive maneuvers.

However then they showed the boot pop out under heavy ski flex and touted that as a safety feature. ??? ??? Umm if I'm in a chute narrower than my skis bouncing on my tip and tail the LAST thing I want is to walk out of the binding. No other binding has this "feature" and for good reason.

FWIW, the weight appears to be 4 oz. less/pair than a set of comparably Dyna Radical FT. But 8 oz more than a set of simpler Speed Radicals. Here's the Wildsnow link:
www.wildsnow.com/11941/diamir-fritschi-vipec-kaseschnitte/

I have been on mine for a few days now and have some likes and dislikes:
    1.  Way better heel unit and brake than the Dynafits for function.  (That's kind of a fake brake on the Dynafit, right?)  I find the shift-on-the-fly function quite valuable.   We'll see if the plastic risers last but they work great.
     2.  The adjustable pin on the left side of the toepiece has been problematic.  I got my binders before BD distributed the full "manual" on them.  First day out, I looked down to see one pin fully backed out.  It fell into the deep snow as I opened to get out!  Luckily I retrieved it and completed my day.  At home I discovered the OTHER binding had some blue locktite in those pin threads.  My take on this is to get the pin adjusted right with red locktite  AND the locknut.  Plus carry a replacement pin just in case.  (Careful, the wings are aluminum, don't strip those fine threads!)
      3.  Side release at the toe I like and it is settable.  I'm using the same setting (6) as my Fritchi
frame bindings and can twist out with leg power on a rug.  In walk mode, the toe just loses it's elasticity and still releases sideways.  Steep, icy sidehilling could be a problem, again we'll see.
The aspect that I find less desirable is that in walk mode on the toe (or ski mode, with the heel disengaged), a twisting action is more likely to swing the heel and pivot at the toe and the toe binding does NOT seem to release with pivot at the toe vs pivot at the heel!
       4.  As with the Dynafits, a pure upwards release at the heel is "complimented" with a toe release as the boot toe hinges forward and hits the toe release lever.  The Vipec has an optional plastic insert that is supposed to keep this function active with certain boot toes that don't activate this release.  With my TLT 6s this function does not happen, with the optional piece it happens way too easy.  My ski would fall right off if I was breaking a deep snow kick turn or just striding too far!  Fritchi is aware of the problem and says they will have another alternate next year.  I'll be trying shoe goo to create a useful bumper or just doing without that full release function for now.
        5.  For sideways release at the toe, of course sole friction should be "0".  Fritchi warns about checking clearance with boots with rockered toe area like my TLTs.  I have a teeny space between the sole and that part of the toe binding behind the pin line.  This space could be gone with pressured flex.  I'll be grinding a little off my sole lugs for more clearance.       
        6.  All in all,  I like the Vipec.  Love the close to the ski feel and relaxed walk mode of the "pintech" systems (and huge range of motion with the TLT boot).  I've demoed Dynafits but never owned them.  Can't stand the fussy heel spin, hold the brake up thing on the Dynafit.  Personally, skiing in walk mode (like I saw someone doing yesterday) or using straps (even breakaway) seems a recipe for disaster.  Some won't like the Vipec for it's differences but I'm glad the innovators are working on producing better pintech bindings!