Testers can't dislodge the Tecnica Mach1 MV 130 from the very top of the All-Mountain medium width group. It might trade off first or second position, but it's got a lock on that penthouse suite, it seems. The Mach1 MV is unchanged this season but our test team has not tired of it, and uses it as one of the gold standards within this very competitive group to judge newcomers by. Testers still get a kick out of sliding a perfectly fitting medium volume straight off the rack, buckling up, and then making the best turns of the day without having to fuss with any stance changes or hot spot worries. Eleven testers shared their experience with the Mach1 MV 130 this year and couldn't come up with any complaints--except for a few guys who are getting tired of orange.
For a legit 130-flex, testers said the entry and exit was surprisingly good. And for a serious, all-mountain performance boot testers said it was shockingly comfortable without feeling mushy or prone to pack-out. They said the anatomical shaping of the shell is mirrored well by the liner's form and firm-enough materials to provide a secure grip along the foot and leg without feeling harsh. The MV offers a distinctly more-open fit than the Mach1 LVs we have tested, with several testers mentioning that the MV's calf fit was open and flared for a comfortable fit along the lower leg without trending into gappy, fore-aft balance issues.
It's getting harder and harder to find boots without good stance angle set-ups, but the Tecnica Mach1 exemplifies what most testers are looking for in fore-aft and lateral geometry. Testers lodged zero complaints about the stance, which means that when somebody does need some personalized tweaks they're working from a good, neutral home base to start. With dual cuff adjustments laterally, simple rear spoiler mods for improving one's fore-aft balance and an option to install Cantology shims for those needing true canting, the Mach1 platform sets skiers up for stance alignment success.
Our test team loves a polyurethane shell and cuff in the All-Mountain category, and they get that stable, predictable power and accuracy in the Mach1 line-up. The newest part of the performance build, the T-Drive apparatus on the rear spine of the boot, connects upper to lower boot with a spring-loaded, fixed-but-flexible feel that solidifies the transfer of movement to the ski without having to overly stiffen the plastic over the top of the foot for the sake of better fit wrapping and boot entry. Yes, T-Drive looks like a gizmo, but our tests in the past of T-Drive models versus non T-Drive models showed that it works as billed. For performance metrics, the Mach1 MV 130 got its best scores (two scores of 4.85 out of 5.00) for Edge Power and Quickness.
Testers generally like the up-hooking cam buckle power strap, even if they can't connect the boots easily for a sling over the shoulder type carry. The CAS liner and shell features allow for targeted bootfitting solutions and our test team appreciates their simple, functional approach.
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