FKS vs JESTER

the jesters have a lot of plastic

135 lbs makes me think all metal race stock binding with no vertical toe release is too much...

eh, six of one, it's preference

I don't know why you're specifically looking at bindings with mostly metal parts. You weigh 135. I wouldn't be looking at Jesters so much as Griffons. To be honest very few people need a 16 DIN binding.

More information would also help (i.e. BSL, height, etc.).

Im still growing and I want a binding that will last for as long as possible which is why I want metal ones...If that means I will have to pay a little extra for din I wont use thats ok since I will probly set them to 10 no matter what the binding is. I am about 5 ft 8 inch. another question I have is would the new FKS 185s work better for park? and do the FKS 120s have all metal parts?

FKS 120 have the same toe as the Px series which has vertical release, plastic ect. 185/155 have the metal race toe piece with no vert release. 185 for someone of your size is overkill.

IMO the FKS is a much better binding, but i know plenty of people who love the jester. Each to his own.

I wouldn't get griffons if you really want to ski park with them for a few years. Yes you probably wont need the full 16 DIN range but the griffon has too many plastic parts, I snapped mine the first season I had them.

FKSs are far and above a superior binding. end of discussion.

However, you have no business getting the 155s. they'll eat your knees alive at your weight. the 120s are a way better binding for you, and the pivot toes are plenty durable. the only thing ive ever broken (after riding tons of um over the last 10 years) was the little AFD sliders, which the 120s dont even have.

get 120s. they'll last just as long as 155s, work just as well, and are actually appropriate for your weight.

I have Jesters currently and I had the look p14 (turntable same as fks). As durable as the pivot and fks are I found they weren't releasing reliably after a couple of years of hard skiing. They developed solp that I couldn not get rid of aven after rebuilding the bindings. I've been skiing the Jester for 1 full season (and i'm hard on equipment). So far so good. The only problem so far is a minor squeak I get ever so often.

As of now I can say I am enjoying the jesters much more. They are super reliable. But the pivots I had were time tested so I will need a couple more years on the Jesters before I can say for sure that they are better. Right now they are.

There shouldnt be any slop when you click a boot in, if there is, the forward pressure is off.  That or it somehow got really bent/fucked up.

i dont have jesters, but i have some dukes. they seem to be the same idea, one just weighs more and tours.

i have fks race that were on my motherships, that my dukes are now on.

When i switched over to dukes, immediately i noticed I had more control of the ski, I think this is because the duke sits a bit higher, and its contact points with the ski and boots are much wider. I have not sent any big airs with my dukes, but i feel like they could handle that no problem. I have not released from my dukes on 10 din.

Before when i was riding the fks, i noticed that i had to adjust the forward pressure on the binding about once a month, slop develops in the toe..... The fks binding released once, on 10 din all season, it was on about a 50 foot air to uber deep bombhole landing. I hit a massive rock mid winter, and if i had lost that ski i would have died. The FKS has great retention. If it had a bit more lift, and wider mounting it would control the ski just as well as  the duke, but then again i cant throw my skins on and hike a peak with my fks. Also if you ride an all wood ski, you will most likely tear the fks heel out of the ski.

it will be interesting to see the new fks built for big skis not 68 waisted race skis.

The duke does sit higher, but the contact points being wider on the ski and boots is false...that is why look/rossi mocks the with the wider AFD here:

http://www.lookpivot.com/technology.html

And as far as toe slop goes, Dukes generate much more toe slop as the binding ages, as opposed to the FKS.  I have a pair of Dukes, Jesters, and a couple pairs of FKS, and honestly, the only binding I wish I had purchased was FKS in all aspects.  I just have the Dukes for touring, and they definitely get the job done.  As far as the Dukecontrolling the ski better, I disagree, because they have less contact points, and all the plastic between your boot and the deck of the ski hinders the ski's natural flex.  About all the Dukes do to give you better control is make it easier edge to edge because they are so high off the deck. 

As far as I know the new FKS doesn't have a wider mounting pattern, but it is wider on average than the Jester/Duke anyway.  Marker's claim about wider mounting pattern is bullshit I have measured numerous times.  Yes, the FKS can rip out of fatter skis because of the narrow mounting pattern on the heel, but just heli coil it, and you have the perfect binding setup.  Word. 

since so many people are backing both bindings I guess my main question is which one is higher quality? does the FKS 120 have mostly metal parts? and is the jester more reliable?

They both have lots of metal. No worries there. As I mentioned, the Jester has only been out for a couple years so people won't be able to comment a well on the durability. From a season of skiing on the Jester so far I can say that they are at least as durable if not more.

ANd whoever mentioned there shouldn't be any slop, did I adjust the forward pressure? Obviously, that was the first thing I did. I got slop in the heal/ turntable after a season or 2 of hard riding. I also had to tweek the forward pressure every so often.

Jesters are legit, for sure... and i've only heard of a select few really big dudes who had problems with them...

but really... you cant ever go wrong with the FKS/Pivot. Ever ever ever.