warped Dynafit TLT 6 boots

Is there an acceptable level of discrepancy in symmetry between the left and right tech ski boot in the industry?

I recently made the discovery that my Dynafit TLT6 boots were significantly asymmetrical. It was the third time mounting bindings for these boots. I've never got the boots to fit 100% smoothly into any of the binding mounts but I always figured the discrepancy was in the mount--easy enough to do. It was inconceivable to me that a boot I payed several hundred dollars for could be defective so it never crossed my mind to check that. But after the third mount I was frustrated enough at the results (I was super meticulous mounting them) that I delved a bit further into examining the situation. This is what I found:

the right boot would slot well on ski1 and ski2:


but the left boot was significantly off on both ski1 and ski2:


I've tested this dozens of times letting the boots down gently and the left boot consistently comes down to the left of the tech heel pins whereas the right boot slots right in. Even without the pins the difference is 4mm+ between the boots. Boots are straight out of the box, no mods.

In the past there were times where I would have to slam my boots into downhill mode more than once due to the boot hitting and being repelled by the pins. This can't be good, so I contacted the Dynafit/Salewa folks in Boulder.

I went through three weeks of back and forth with the the Dynafit/Salewa folks, even sent in my boots. Essentially (after the standard "you need to re-mount your binding") I was told by Mike Eisenbrown the Warranty Coordinator (tester) that "there's nothing wrong with your boots".  He refused to directly address the discrepancy of my boots being quite obviously not symmetrical and not slotting equally. I pressed him to do an easy test: just use the toe piece, mark where the boot heel comes down for the left boot, and the right boot. To this he answered that  "they are within 1mm of each other." I've measured it too and it's a solid 4mm. I guess after telling me there's 'nothing wrong with your boot' he had to downplay it? And lie? Or maybe he didn't even bother measuring it... in any case, bizarre behaviour from the dynafit warranty folks.  My last email asking for an explanation of the seeming huge discrepancies went unanswered.

What a weird experience...  I was even starting to doubt myself.  So I got my boots back and once again tested them. Did the same experiment that I had proposed to Mike Eisenbrown. Here's the results:

RIGHT boot:


LEFT boot:


test set up-


I invite anybody to do the same test with these boots and I am 100% confident they will find the same results.  Not sure what they're smoking over there at Dynafit.

I guess it's true about what folks are saying about Dynafit over in the thread cascadeclimber started recently.


After this experience I'm done with Dynafit.
Quality control and standing behind your product seem to be a thing of the past for them.  Lots of other options these days.

FWIW, Dynafit/Salewa just sent me 2 new up-to-date Speed Radical heels and base mounts to replace my eary (1st?) edition heels.

I don't doubt the discrepancy you have observed--I think it is common and I find enough play in the heel (and toe) to be able to to seat the heel w/o slamming it down (that would make me nervous!).

I wonder if anyone has measured other mfr's variance in front pin-holes placement -> rear pin hole offset; I presume the rears are centered on the heel--altho it looks like one is offset.

Glad you brought this up, might make people aware of the need to check alignment before stomping.

Had similar issue (not as severe) with my recent binding mounting exercise. I discovered problem midway through second ski. That's when it hit me -- don't use the same boot to do both skis, i.e. dedicated mount for each boot. Seems obvious in retrospect. So I've got one A grade mount, one B grade. First-world problem...

I have not had a dedicated Right and Left ski for over ten years... is that still common?  Do shops mount skis (with dynafits) differently according to boot idiosyncracies so that there's a left and right ski?

Am I wrong to expect symmetrical boots that fit either of the two bindings equally?

I don't know what shops do, probably use a jig, probably with mixed results given the sensitivity of tech bindings to boot alignment. I do not think you are wrong to expect interchangeable boots. But remember the words of our late great leader, "Trust, but verify". In practical terms, once you have one mount completed, check the other boot for fit. Then proceed accordingly. I wish I'd thought of that before I drilled my new skis.

My experience with Dynafit TLT4, ZZero4, ONE, and several friends' TLT5s, as well as Megarides and Maestrales has been consistent at the ~mm level (I've never noticed an interchangeability problem with any of the above).  I'd be similarly grumpy to see such a manufacturing error.

A mount error would look the same for both boots on one ski. This looks like a boot error.  Does anything look funny up at the toe-end of the boot?

Mounting to accommodate a screwy boot seems sub-par; you'd never be able to use any other boots reliably, nor could a ski partner use the skis in a pinch/demo.