Are Bindings made of Aluminum worse than Plastic ones???

Question

I read something here that said aluminum bindings dont flex with the board and so are not as good. Aluminum ones like the Burton c60 and so forth cost alot. Does Burton throw aluminum into the mix just to spark sales? Ex. p1 vrs. c60.
This is what this website http://www.wiredsport.com/02snowbindingfacts.htm had to say:
Aluminum Alloy: Portions of many bindings are made from aluminum, and the notion exists, "aluminum is more substantial than plastic. It will last longer, and weigh less". This can be very misleading. 1.) Aluminum is a horrible base (and disk) material for snowboard bindings. A snowboard must flex evenly to perform well. Any bindings restrict this even flex a bit, as they present two hard, static plates which must be screwed firmly to the board. Aluminum is an extremely rigid material. This leads to the board flexing, and the bindings remaining rigid. At best this leads to a "kinked" flex pattern to the board. At worst it leads to board damage or binding damag

Answer 1

First off, Burton does not use Aluminum in any of its bindings. The C60 utilizes an Ultra-Lightweight, Ultra-Responsive Carbon-Fiber / Nylon Composite Baseplate.

I personnally do not like Aluminum bindings because they are very stiff and hurt my feet after a day of hard riding. To be honest, I have never felt a difference in the flex of the board due to the bindings but the difference in the bindings themselves is huge. Some people, however, really like or need a stiff responsive binding and aluminum is good for this because it's not only stiff, it's cheap. An aluminum binding should always be cheaper than a high-end plastic binding for the simple fact that you don't need a mold for aluminum. If given the choice between a super stiff plastic binding and super stiff aluminum binding...I will always go plastic as I believe them to offer better board feel than aluminum.

Answer 2

Burton C60 Bindings

Answer 3

you have your thought proces wrong. some people want a more responsive ride and more support, so they will go with aluminum, people who dont require alot of support and enjoy a mellow response will go for plastic, but most companies have some models that mix aluminum and plastic as well. Its all about responsiveness and board feel, its really dependant on the rider.