Nordica Speedmachine 3 130 S Review

The Nordica Speedmachine 130 is a solid alpine boot with easy entry, unbeatable comfort, and great performance. The soft plastic at the instep of this boot lets your foot slide into the cork and Primaloft liner for all-day comfort. Our testers agreed this is a solid work boot or all-day resort boot earning it one of our Top Pick Awards for its comfort. From early morning lift lines in freezing sub-zero temps to the heat of spring afternoons, we found ourselves choosing this boot over others for its stiff support yet supple comfort. We recommend this boot wholeheartedly to anyone who values comfort or spends all day in ski boots.

Performance Comparison

Comfort

Our testers swooned over the cork heel in the liner of the Speedmachine. This durable, firm material wicks moisture to stay dry and is remarkably breathable while having excellent heat retention. Our testers preferred the firm material for comfort and power transfer (more on that in a bit). The Speedmachine is a true medium fit that will fit most feet right out of the box. Nordica does offer the Promachine for narrower feet and the Sportmachine for wide feet. We found the Speedmachine to have a comfortably snug heel and a roomy toe box for our medium feet.

The power strap is easily adjustable up and down for a perfect fit by loosening the two screws on the spine. The honeycomb 3Force design in the spine allows for softer polyurethane (PU) material in the rest of the cuff. This makes for a soft, comfortable fit around the calf and ankle with tightened buckles without sacrificing performance. Nordica utilizes its Infrared technology to shape the shell. The technique is to heat and then use suction to mold the problem areas rather than punch the PU. We didn’t need to do this since they fit so wonderfully out of the box.

Performance

The internal honeycomb structure called 3Force increases lateral stability and control in turns. The Speedmachine’s underlying structure is then encased in softer polyurethane. We felt in complete control through every turn, no heel rise, no foot rattling, and just consistent progressive flex. This boot was not as aggressive as other boots tested but completely capable of handling any ski in all snow types.

The Speedmachine is a daily driver boot. Solid and uncompromising, but it lacks some of our favorite features of higher-performing models. Specifically, the power strap isn’t as snug as we would have liked, diminishing the power to really push the boot in turns. The Power Driver velcro strap just doesn’t hold as tight as the sturdy cam buckle style straps do. For those who aren’t quite ready for full rigidity, this boot does have a flex attenuator if you want to decrease the flex. Say you are moving from a softer flex boot, and the 130 is a little too stiff, or it could be condition-dependent. This is a nice feature for those between flex sizes. Nordica’s 130 flex is pretty close to a true 130; our testers agreed about a 125 relative to the stiffest boots we tested from other brands. With that said, the flex is beautifully consistent throughout the turn and the entire cuff.

Durability & Materials

We love the construction of the Speedmachine. Polyurethane is a strong, durable plastic, and the honeycombed 3Force spine gives great power transfer in edge-to-edge transitions. The boot feels connected to your whole leg. The 3Force EVA foam reinforcement lateral to the malleolus in the liner further holds your heel snug in place. The high-quality materials wrap around your foot and hold it in place, making for great control.

We can’t say it enough. We love cork liners. We wish every manufacturer would implement this into their boot design. Cork is wonderfully firm but comfortable. It is responsive and molds to your heel. Cork stays warm and breathes to let moisture be pulled from your foot. Our feet stayed dry on warm days after hours of skiing, also thanks to the Isotherm and Primaloft in the liner. Also, the buckles are solid and heavy-duty with micro-adjust capability.

Warmth

Our testers had no issues staying warm through early morning lift lines on single-digit mornings wearing the Speedmachine. As we said above, the cork does an excellent job at insulating. The true medium fit allows for good circulation and foot swelling. The synthetic Primaloft in the liner also does an excellent job of insulation and moisture-wicking.

The Isotherm in the forefoot of the liner and cork in the heel both do a great job on hot days in full spring sun to cool the feet and allow for evaporation. Our feet didn’t get too hot despite the black shell being suited to collect radiative heat from the spring sun.

Features

Ok, if we haven’t said it enough, our favorite feature of the Speedmachine is the cork liner. This feature highlights how different metrics can overlap, but we can’t stress enough how much this simple addition influenced the performance, comfort, and warmth of this boot. Grip Walk outsoles are another favorite we were happy to see on this model.

It’s not a huge complaint, but as we’ve said, we would have preferred something a bit more snug than the velcro power strap. Overall this boot is a standard alpine boot with few frills. The heat-moldable polyurethane shell and EVA foam liner are the premier materials for a boot of this caliber. The greatest feature of this boot is its unbeatable comfort provided by those materials, but it doesn’t sport much in the way of flashy extras.

Value

Can you really put a price on comfort? Nordica has, and the Speedmachine is worth every penny. This boot continually became the first one we grabbed on test days, especially in the cold early morning to start the day off right before moving to other models as the day warmed up. It also was our favorite boot to end the day with, giving our feet a rest after wearing multiple pairs for hours on end. Our testers agreed that this boot is a bargain for anyone intending to treat their feet with love.

Conclusion