Well first off, its the P12 that matches the Axial 120 because they both have the pivot heel. The PX12 matches with the Axial 2 120 with the fixed heel.
First off: did you like the Axial 2 120s? I'm assuming so, because you liked them. just to give you a little rundown on bindings as a whole, Salomons are lighter than Rossi/Look although do not have nearly as much elastic travel in the heel piece. The Look/Rossi heelpieces have 25mm of elastic travel (the Px heel and Axial 2 that is) and are one of the most accomadatable heelpieces one can get. Granted, the heel pieces are heavy as shit, but they do their part. The toes have one of the safest releases in the business as well, seeing as they release in almost every direction imaginable. Far superior to any Marker toepiece with the exception of MAYBE the royal family, but i haven't had much experience with them...
For a long time, the wings on Salomon toe pieces have had release trouble and often prereleased. Most new Sollys have very little metal in the binding making them lightweight but not the most durable. Although, for an average skier of average or light weight looking for a feather light binding, Solly's could be ok.
The Marker Royal Family has been Marker's most successful addition to their line in recent past. Disregard the Duke or the Baron immediately unless you are looking to do some sort of touring, but i wont get into that. The Jesters and Griffon are both decent bindings for an expensive price most of the time. They do not contain much metal but seem to be made of some sort of composite and i haven't heard too many complaints about the Jester. The Griffon is new this year so i dont have any personal feecback on it. It is a 12, lighter-wieght version of the Jester. The upsides to this binding are the wide mounting pattern and setup to accomadate today's wider skis. If i am not mistaken, the bindings have a 74mm foot print as opposed to something like the 66 or 62 of Look/Rossi and Solly. granted, the standing height of the binding is 23mm i believe, standing you pretty far up there. for some, this is an issue, but for most, it is just a different feel.
i wont go into detail on Tyrolia/Head/4frnt/Atomic etc because, for one, im not too familiar with them, and im not too much of a fan.
Last thing i'll mention are the bindings that include some sort of Pivot heel or turntable heel because, IMO, they are the BEST. Any of the Look PIvot bindings or Rossi Axial bindings have a pivot heel. THis means that the heel has some sort of range of motion side to side to help prevent against pre-release. It does NOT inhibit the release of the binding in any way, aside from the fact that allows more movement and natural play for the skier. THey still release in the same torque range etc.
Rossignol FKS, FKX, Look Pivot Race series, TT, and old Marker MR's all have a turntable heel, which is essentially the same thing as the above stated, except for the fact that the movement does not stop at a given point but can rather turn around in a full 360. the benefits are all there as i mentioned earlier but most turn table bindings are significantly metal and burly for durablity and awesomeness. the downside to these Turntable and Pivot bindings are that they are nearly impossible to find now because they were discontinued by manufacturers a couple years ago. Brakes are a bitch to find as well but if you can get your hands on a pair, snatch them up fa sho.
that is my rundown on bindings, biased or not, take what you want and use it to your advantage. hopefully that helped a little bit to remove some confusion from your brain. yours truly,
me.
