2025 Mens Mid Volume Ski Boot Comparison

George, Master Bootfitter, and Joe, Ski Boot Buyer, dive into the latest advancements and key differences in the 2025 men's mid-volume ski boot lineup.

0:00 Intro
0:29 Technica Mach1 MV 130
3:14 Salomon S/Pro Supra 130 BOA
5:32 Atomic Hawx Prime 130S BOA
9:50 Fischer RC4 Pro MV BOA
12:44 Lange Shadow 130 MV
16:30 Nordica Speedmachine 130 BOA
18:20 K2 Recon 120 BOA
19:37 Wrap Up
25:34 Outro

Shop all of the our mid volume boots here:

Book an appointment with one of our boot fitters in Boston, including Joe and George here:

[Ekim]

Both my son and I recently acquired the Fischer RC4 boots. Mine the 130 MV Pro BOA and he went with the 130 Ranger HV. Both fit perfectly out of the box. No heat molding, no punching. That’s because we had a pro fitting our boot size! It real gets down to the sales person and store inventory that allows you to get the right boot. In many cases stores do not have a full selection of sizing in a certain model and brand and throw clients into not ideal boots to make the sale. This is a fact.

[jeffbarzegar]

Fischer rc4 pro mv absolute fit and consistent great flex in variable temperature

[mpix]

Guy's a few mistakes on the Fischer: Correct me if I'm wrong but my understanding of it is that the Mango color Fischer RC4 Pro Boa DYN (Dynafit tech binding toe compatible), boot seen in this video's clog is made of Fischer Vacuum plastic which is moldable, perhaps not the same as a Salomon or Atomic but heat moldable nonetheless. As far as fit and function, I can't comment on that one. I have only tried the Yellow colored Fischer RC4 Pro Boa which uses a different plastic of which I am told by a highly regarded boot fitter can take a punch for some work but is not considered heat moldable, certainly not in the same way as the Mango RC4 Pro Boa DYN, Salomon, Atomic or Tecnica . I compared the RC4 Pro Boa Zipfit shell to the Salomon S/Pro Supra Boa and the RC4 is a much closer fit everywhere where it matters, heel instep perimeter, mid foot yet has a much welcomed great anatomically shaped toe box across the width of the toes. Also compared it to S/Pro Alpha and ifor my foot I would say it is a happy middle ground between too small for the non masochist and too volumes would work for a few days then too big in no time as the liner packs in. For my foot shape. As far as the Flex of the Yellow RC4 Pro Boa Zip, I'll refer you to the review on SkiTalk dot com as I've yet to ski the boot.
You do have me slightly curious about the Nordica Speedmachine BOA however if it fits anything like the non-Boa Speedmachine it'll be a bucket on my foot as is the current non-Boa version. Too volumes HIP, too much void space above my instep, big across the mid foot and pointy across the width ofthe ends of the toes, squeezing my toes together, something that bothers me a lot and both the S/Pro Supra Boa and RC4 Pro Boa Zip got right for me.
And Lastly thank you for putting the manufacture Flex #'s and characteristics into some kind of perspective across the various brands. Well done, . Thank you for putting together the video, . if I were located in Boston Mass area you'd have a new customer for sure. :)

[carterfan]

Agree with you about the technica 130. I never had Shin pain in 40 Years of skiing until I bought this boot. It fits my foot better than any boot I've ever owned. And the quality is great, but I really am not fond of the flex. I like to ski a lot of bumps and I don't think that it was my best option in retrospect. I think being only 5 foot 5 in 160 lb is also working against me in this boot. I don't have any race experience. Im just a strong recreational skier. I was enamored with the high quality liner. And great fit. It does work really well when I'm carving fast turns, but it's not great when I'm looking for side hits or skiing trees and bumps

[ErikRexo]

I ended up buying the Mach 1 MV 130 last week. It was between that and the Lange RS130 MV. Honestly, I wanted the lange to work, but the Technica was so perfect, right out of the box. Once we heated up the liner and swapped out the insole, I felt right at home! Beautiful boot! As a former racer that doesn't want to sacrifice performance, this book gives you the balance of power without sacrificing comfort. Technica does it well. Probably why this is my 3rd set of technicas. REALLY IMPORTANT NOTE: Grip walk is not compatible with bindings pre-2022. You will need to swap out the soles ($40).

[srbismario]

One of the easiest ski boot here to fit is Fischer RC4 Pro MV DYN BOA that you have her. I have it after trying many other from this list, and Fischer Vacuum is not hard to mold, almost like Atomic/Salomon, because it has VACUUM fit tech, not like RC4 PRO MV BOA that has TPU like race booth from Fischer - you can only grind it. Flex of 130 is really not hard at all and not what one would expect from 130 flex (more like 115-120 feel) - so I would recommend this even to beginner skier if money is no problem. For me no pain anymore, much more confortable than 95 and 105 flex old Nordica that was bootfitted several times. It is very good on slope with even FIS slalom skis. Everything on this boot is high end - from buckle system, to strap with quickrelease. Definitely not near as hard like Technica or Fischer RC4 Pro BOA without DYN - so if one look for harder booth, this is not the one. One of the best thing about this booth is ZipFit medium volume insole, that is so easy to adjust to different feet shepe. You can fit it by yourself just with heater blower or just heaving it on the foot for 2-3 hours at home with added pressure points (just put some 5mm sponge tape on area where it presses to much) - it will mold insole by itself. Zipfit has "fluid" cork that can be moldable hundreds of time. You can even add/refill or remove cork on some location, if insole does not give enough pressure (OMfit Cork Refill). If booth price would be lower because it is very high priced (probably because of ZipFit and other tech), this would be best non-racing booth for masses in the moment.

[Ekim]

I have the Fischer 130 MV RC4 with the standard Z liner. I put my foot in the liner first and tie it up with the laces, which I had to buy separately from Fischer. I then step into the shell with line on. So easy. So quick to do.

[estebana.miralles]

Gentlemen, this was a superbly informative video. It is very much appreciated indeed. Bravoooo!!!

[bearclaw]

Excellent job really getting into the boots. Learned some new things here!

[mathiashammar]

Great video. Exactly what I needed to hear. You both confirmed my experience with the different brands. And yes I run speed machine 130 and it's a battle with the instep every time! But when they are on its really nice boot for my feet with grabby heal pocket. Salomon is just a bit more comfortable and more room, not as snug fit .

[Puzzoozoo]

Good video, gives me something to think about in 2030 when I'm change my existing boots - Salomon S/Pro Alpha 100 flex - for a new boot, as the Salomons I will have had for 5 years, and by then all-being-well I'll be on the border of intermediate and advanced skill wise.

[PaulBeiser]

Another superb video - thanks - these comparisons are so VALUABLE and I learn so much. Hope you all do a similar comparison with the HV boots! Thanks again!

[ducatiguy]

One of the best boot comparisons I've seen. very informative - Well done. I ski in an old pair of the Mach 130 MV and always ski with the bottom 2 buckles undone as even the slightest pressure cuts off the blood flow. It's also hard on my shins after a few days of skiing and have put up with these issues as I love the performance when skiing aggressively. Are the new Mach 130s the same fit as the old boots? What would your recommendation be for short wider feet, but with good performance? It would be great to learn more about how custom footbeds work with these boots. Thanks again.

[briankillian]

Fantastic vid. Thanks gentleman! I live in Utah. We have a couple of really competent boot fitters here so I feel pretty lucky.

[richienelli]

Great comparison guys! I was wondering if we could hear your thoughts on the shadow 120 MV vs 130 MV as a bigger guy. Worried about the 130 being too stiff and 120 being too soft.

[guspachio]

Very informative video on boots. I learned a lot of general info I will take with me when I’m looking for boots….much appreciated!

[jdthood]

Looking forward to the LV boot comparison!

[schnappyAl]

Would love you to do a wide foot high volume foot boot review just like this

[piggyfish]

Is the generous length of the Fischer specific to the MV, or does the RC4 130 LV also have a longer toe box? Are there other LV boots with a longer toe box?

[sabrinamtremblay]

A similar video coming up for women's boots?