REASONS TO BUY
Light
Simple
Advanced features for the weight
REASONS TO AVOID
Crampon mount and brakes not included
Heavier than closest competition
G3 Zed 12 Review
A solid, simple contender with significantly more features than bindings just a little lighter
Credit: REI Co-op
Our Verdict
The G3 Zed 12 is the binding for the avid G3 fan, for the ski technician curious about lightweight gear, and for the uphill athletic skier that wants just the slightest edge in usability and release consistency. They're heavier than our top-most scoring bindings, but include a few attributes that may have you justifying that "cost". The Zed 12 is a significant step forward in the refinement of G3's touring bindings. It improves on the Ion family of bindings, with virtually no drawbacks.
Compare to Similar Products
 This Product
G3 Zed 12 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  | |  | ||
| Price | $360.72 at Backcountry Compare at 2 sellers | $599.95 at Backcountry Compare at 3 sellers | $549.99 at Evo Compare at 2 sellers | $445 List | $260.75 at Backcountry Compare at 2 sellers |
Overall Score  |
|||||
| Star Rating | |||||
| Pros | Light, simple, advanced features for the weight | Light, solid, adjustable, three heel lifts, good brakes | Light, innovative downhill performance | Light, simple | Surprisingly durable for how light they are, killer price, lighter than most |
| Cons | Crampon mount and brakes not included, heavier than closest competition | No certification, limited release adjustment | Unsophisticated heel lifters, untested aftermarket brake | Limited release functionality, no brakes, only one heel elevation | No brake option, heel risers are more of a pain to learn |
| Bottom Line | A solid, simple contender with significantly more features than bindings just a little lighter | This minimalist binding has exactly what most of you should want, and nothing you don’t need | These are excellent all around functioning bindings made for human powered skiing | Superlight bindings for light to medium duty backcountry skiing; choose these for simplicity and their all-metal construction | A simple binding design that has been proven over decades now, available for a fraction of the price of others |
| Rating Categories | G3 Zed 12 | Atomic Backland Tour | Marker Alpinist | Plum R170 | Dynafit Speed Turn 2.0 |
| Weight (35%) | |||||
| Downhill Performance (25%) | |||||
| Touring Performance (20%) | |||||
| Ease of Use (15%) | |||||
| Durability (5%) | |||||
| Specs | G3 Zed 12 | Atomic Backland Tour | Marker Alpinist | Plum R170 | Dynafit Speed Turn 2.0 |
| Weight (pounds for pair) | 1.97 | 1.26 | 1.18 | 0.88 | 1.63 |
| Weight of one binding and screws, grams. Lightest possible configuration (no brakes). | 358 | 286 | 297 | 199 | 370 |
| Weight of 2 bindings, grams. Multiple options are noted where we have tested multiple options. | 716. 894 with brakes | 572. 770 with brakes | 594. 796 with brakes | 398 | 740 |
| Release value range | 5 to 12 | "Men", "Women", "Expert" | 4 to 10 | 8 Fixed | 4 to 10 |
| Stack height (mm. average of toe and heel pin height) | 41 | 37 | 36 | 34 | 38 |
| Toe/heel delta (mm difference in height between heel pins and toe pins) | 4 | 10 | 3 | 4 | 17 |
| Brakes? | Optional | Optional | Optional | No | No |
| Brake width options | 85, 100, 115, 130mm | 80, 90, 100, 110, 120mm | 90, 105, 115mm | N/a | N/a |
| ISO/DIN Certified? | No | No | No | No | No |
| Ski Crampon compatible? | With aftermarket part. Only G3 brand. | Yes. "Standard" style. Not all crampons will be cross-compatible | Yes. "Standard" style. Not all crampons will be cross-compatible | With aftermarket part. Best with Plum brand. "Standard" Dynafit/B&D style ski crampons can be lightly filed to work. | Yes. "Standard" style. Not all crampons will be cross-compatible |
Show full specification detailsHide full specification details
Our Analysis and Test Results
The G3 Zed 12 has many attributes of heavier "full service" ski bindings with a weight that approaches that of the ultralight category. It essentially fits between two categories; it is heavier than the light all-arounders, but it has useful features that they don't. The safety and usability features added to the Zed 12 might just tip the balance in its favor for you. For long-term reliability of release and touring transitions, and ease of use, the Zed 12 is the lightest thing going. It is a relatively new product but uses geometry and technology proven in G3's Ion series of bindings.
Performance Comparison
The Zed is a great all around touring binding, especially when paired with all around AT skis like the relatively heavy Kastle TX103. This particular day we found almost 10,000 feet of amazing skiing through the central portion of Grand Teton National Park.
Credit: Dave Riggs
Touring Performance
The Zed 12 tours very well. When we break down our assessment of touring performance, we consider heel risers, icing propensity, and toe pivot range of motion. The heel risers are among the best in the business, and the toe pivot range is all you would need. The binding's design only allows for moderate amounts of icing and snow build up. It has all the moving parts (and associated places to hold ice) of a heavier binding, but there are big spaces in the toe piece that shed snow and ice better than most.
To go from tour to ski mode, as long as you can pull your skins with skis on, the G3 Zed allows you to keep 'em on.
Credit: Jediah Porter
Downhill Performance
Do we consider this a downhill oriented binding at a low weight, or do we think of it as an ultralight binding that skis better than its peers? Either way, it skis well, for its weight. As compared to other bindings at and near its weight, the Zed 12 has greater elasticity and more reliable release performance. The heel piece offers some forward pressure, the toe piece geometry allows a little more lateral motion than other light bindings, and the heel springs are independent pins that rotate with each entry so as to spread wear out. Other lightweight bindings, with u-spring heel pieces, experience a change in release characteristics as the u spring metal wears with use.
Downhill performance, theoretically, should be better with the Zed. We certainly had no problems.
Credit: Jediah Porter
These things, though, are all theoretical. How does it work in our real-world testing? Truth is, most of our testers in their voluminous testing noticed absolutely no difference in actual downhill performance. Very discerning skiers in very demanding conditions (less than 1% of our testing time and likely way less than that for your use) noticed subtle differences between bindings on the downhill. The Zed 12 skis downhill better than any binding that matches or beats its weight. It has a relatively high "stack height" but minimal ramp angle.
Transitioning the Zed 12 is pretty similar to most others. The toe piece is easier to get into than most.
Credit: Dave Riggs
Ease of Use
Transitions, adjustments, getting in and out; how does the Zed do? Transitions use the proven method of twisting the heel piece 90 degrees (either direction). Once in touring mode, the heel lifters can be adjusted between three settings with your ski pole. If you need to adjust release, both lateral and vertical are accomplished with one aft screw. Just below that screw is one for adjusting length. Length is measured with the "kiss" method, requiring no spacer or tool for measurement. Stepping in and out is almost exactly the same as the vast majority of touring tech bindings. The good news is that we found the "default mode" spring tension to be enough to keep the ski on your foot in all but the most rigorous of skinning terrain. No need to lock those toes until the skinning is legit.
Weight
The G3 Zed 12, without brakes, weighs 370g per binding. Given the touring and downhill skiing features, this weight is pretty darn good. It's the lightest binding, for instance, that we tested that includes individual heel pins (as opposed to a one-piece, u-shaped heel spring). Add on the brake and the proprietary attachment for G3's ski crampons and the weight quickly exceeds that of bindings that perform, overall, similar or better.
Durability
The Zed is a relatively new product. With only a couple of seasons on the market, reports of long term function have yet to come in. In our rigorous testing (both on our feet and test pair and in the company of ski partners and backcountry ski clients) we experienced no issues with the retail version of the Zed. It is worth noting that some have had issues with the long adjustment plate that some places use on their rental gear. Maybe you have demoed or rented Zed bindings and had the heel piece slide around. That problem is exclusive to fleet gear.
For so many, their first impression of the usability of their binding is the heel lifter moves. In this way, the G3 bindings stand out right away.
Credit: Jediah Porter
Value
The price of the Zed is competitive with the whole market and our experience with G3 warranty and durability suggests that your product-life experience with the Zed 12 should be quite favorable.
The tour mode toe lock is clear and positive.
Credit: Jediah Porter
Conclusion
Lightweight bindings with advanced attributes, or full-function bindings that are stripped down? Either way, these simple and all-purpose ski bindings are ready for whatever sort of human-powered skiing you might choose.
—
Jediah Porter
You Might Also Like
Ad-free. Influence-free. Powered by Testing.
GearLab is founded on the principle of honest, objective, reviews. Our experts test thousands of products each year using thoughtful test plans that bring out key performance differences between competing products. And, to assure complete independence, we buy all the products we test ourselves. No cherry-picked units sent by manufacturers. No sponsored content. No ads. Just real, honest, side-by-side testing and comparison.
Learn More