Boot: Nordica Promachine 130 (20/21)
Stated Flex: 130
Available Sizes: 24.0-30.5
Stated Last (size 26.5): 98 mm
Stated Forward Lean: 13°
Size Tested: 26.5
Stated Boot Sole Length: 305 mm
Blister’s Measured Weight (26.5):
- Shells, no liners: 1428 & 1428 g
- Liners, no footbeds, no spoilers: 444 & 445 g
- Removable Spoilers: 18 & 18 g
- Shells + Liners + Spoilers = 1890 & 1891 g
Buckles: 4 micro-adjustable; removable with standard Phillips screws
Powerstrap: 45 mm Velcro w/ “Power Driver” reinforcement
Shell Material:
- Cuff: PU
- Shoe / Clog: PU
Soles: GripWalk + replaceable Alpine ISO 5355 soles in box
Binding Compatibility:
- With GripWalk soles: GripWalk-compatible bindings
- With Alpine soles: all standard alpine bindings
MAP: $749
[Note: Our review was conducted on the 18/19 Promachine 130, which was not changed for 19/20, 20/21, or 21/22.]
Intro
Unless you’ve been under a rock for the past two years, you’ve probably seen the massive influx of lightweight touring boots flooding the market.
But while boots with fancy new walk modes may have received a lot of attention, the overall industry trend of things getting lighter has also spread to dedicated inbounds boots.
First, there was the Atomic Hawx Ultra, then K2 announced that they were making an even lighter alpine boot, the Recon. And now Nordica is entering the lightweight alpine boot category with their brand-new Promachine line.
What Nordica says about the Promachine Series:
“We took the all-day comfort and all-mountain versatility of our award winning Speedmachine, and fused it with the DNA of our world cup winning Dobermann. The result: the power you demand. The comfort you need.”
In sum, the Promachine is supposed to be more comfortable and versatile than a race boot (i.e., not only limited to bashing gates), but it’s also supposed to deliver the precision and power of a race boot.
This sounds exactly like the marketing copy of most ski boots that have a 130-flex rating and a low-volume fit. And furthermore, we still mostly live in a world where you get to pick one: Comfort or Precision. So what’s the real story here: is this new Promachine just a slightly-lighter boot that is either slightly more powerful for a really comfortable boot? Or is it slightly more comfortable than most of the really precise, powerful boots out there? What is this thing?
Spoiler alert: It’s not what I was expecting. And it’s far more interesting than I was expecting.
The Lineup of Promachine Boots
The boot I’ve been reviewing is the Promachine 130, but Nordica will be making several boots in their new Promachine line for 18/19. Men’s boots include the Promachine 130 GW, 120 GW, 120, and 110, with the “GW” signifying boots that come with GripWalk soles attached and traditional alpine soles in the box (the other boots only come with traditional alpine soles).
The women’s boots include the Promachine 115 W GW, 105 W, 95 W, and 85 W. We know our female reviewers are personally very excited about the Promachine 115 W GW, since it looks like a good option for women that want a stiffer boot in a women’s-specific fit.
Weight + Comparisons
As we noted earlier, the Promachine is one of many new alpine boots that are coming in lighter than most traditional inbounds boots.
For reference, here are our measured weights for some other notable boots in this class, as well as some more traditional alpine boots to give an idea of the weight differences. Our measured weights show the mondo size of the boot, then the weight of each shell. Then the weight of each liner. Then the total weight for shells + liners, listed in grams:
Head Nexo LYT 130 (26.5): 1082 & 1089 + 427 & 436 = 1509 & 1525 g
K2 Recon 130 LV (26.5): 1276 & 1277 + 369 & 374 = 1645 & 1651 g
Atomic Hawx Ultra 130 (26.5): 1270 & 1267 + 425 & 426 = 1695 & 1693 g
Salomon S/Max 130 Carbon (26.5): 1291 & 1292 + 445 & 446 = 1736 & 1738 g
Salomon S/Max 130 (26.5): 1389 & 1407 + 433 & 429 = 1822 & 1836 g
Nordica Promachine 130 (26.5): 1428 & 1428 + 444 & 445 = 1890 & 1891 g
Head Raptor 140 RS (26.5): 1892 & 1899 + 547 & 548 = 2439 & 2447 g
So while the Promachine 130 is coming in lighter (or much lighter) than traditional inbounds boots like the Raptor 140 RS, Lange RX LV, and Tecnica Mach 1 LV, it’s on the heavier end compared to very light alpine boots like the Head Nexo 130, Atomic Hawx Ultra 130, and K2 Recon 130.
And this immediately raised for me the question of just how powerful this lighter Promachine 130 would actually be — would it:
(a) Be able to compete in terms of power with the best heavier boots (HEAD Raptor, Lange RX, or Tecnica Mach 1)?
(b) Have the nice, progressive flex of the best heavier boots?
Or,
(c) Would it maybe be a nice, lighter, comfortable boot, but nothing that anyone who actually truly values power and precision (e.g., Nordica Dobermann wearers) would actually find acceptable?
More on these questions later.
Heat-Moldable Shell
The Promachine line features what Nordica calls their “Tri Force Matrix Frame Construction.” While that may sound like the name of something the Power Rangers use to defeat space robots, it’s really just what Nordica calls their hybrid shell technology.
The Promachine 130 uses a softer PU material over the instep (shown in white below) to make getting into and out of the boot easier, then a stiffer PU material throughout the front of the cuff and the upper part of the shoe / clog of the boot (shown in black below), and an even stiffer PU in the spine and lower shoe (shown in red below).
The idea is that you get support from the stiffest material where you need it, and then the slightly softer PU is more malleable and can be molded and modified using Nordica’s “Tri-Fit Customization” process. This process uses infrared heat to specifically heat the problem areas without having to heat (and potentially deform / damage) other parts of the shell.
Nordica says the Promachine’s shell can be expanded from 98 mm to 102 mm, which should make it a more viable option for a broader range of skiers.
Liner
The Promachine 130 features Nordica’s 3D Cork Fit liner. The liner uses cork in the ankle area that’s supposed to mold to your foot without any heat / molding. But the liner can also still be heat-molded for an even quicker and more precise fit.
The Promachine 130’s liner also uses Isotherm and Primaloft insulation, and Nordica is claiming that the liner will keep your feet warmer and drier than traditional liners.
In terms of how the liner feels, it’s fairly beefy for being pretty light. Compared to the Salomon S/Max 130 and S/Max 130 Carbon, the Promachine 130’s liner feels a bit more plush and comfortable. In other words, it doesn’t seem like Nordica skimped out on the liner to bring down the weight of the Promachine 130.
Buckles
Nothing crazy here, just 4 traditional, micro-adjustable buckles. But it’s worth noting that all of the buckles on the Promachine 130 are adjustable / removable with a standard Phillips-head screwdriver, which is a nice touch.
Power Strap
The Promachine 130 GW and 120 GW feature a standard 45 mm velcro power strap. But both boots also have Nordica’s “Power Driver,” which is essentially a wider plastic piece that sits between the boot cuff and the power strap. This is designed to distribute shin pressure more evenly and deliver a more powerful flex.
Full disclosure: when I first saw this big, plastic piece on the power strap, I thought it looked really dumb, and I couldn’t imagine it would actually do anything.
Another spoiler alert: I’m not prepared to say that it clearly distributes shin pressure more evenly, but I will say that this is definitely a strong, powerful boot. And I believe that this plastic-cage-looking thing is contributing to this stiffness.
Soles
The Promachine 130 comes with GripWalk soles mounted on it, and standard ISO 5355 alpine soles included in the box. The soles are replaceable, and the GripWalk soles use a Michelin rubber that’s nice and firm, but still grippier than traditional plastic soles. When it comes to alpine boots with rubber soles, we really prefer firmer rubber soles, since softer ones tend to very quickly get chewed up on stairs, parking lots, etc.
And while more and more binding companies are making GripWalk-compatible options, we’re glad that Nordica includes standard alpine soles with the Promachine 130 so that you don’t have to immediately go out and buy new soles or bindings.
Cuff / Ramp Adjustment
The Promachine 130 has standard cuff-alignment adjustment points at the ankle rivets. We’re still working on confirming exactly how much adjustment you can achieve with just the ankle rivets, but we know that you will be able to get a bit of leeway on either side.
The Promachine 130’s boot board features 1 mm increment markings to make it easier for your bootfitter to adjust the ramp angle (the Promachine 130’s standard ramp angle is 5°) and adjust the instep volume.
Fit
As always, we encourage you (read: insist) that you go to a trusted bootfitter to decide what boot will work best for your foot. But with that said I will offer a quick take on how the Promachine 130 feels on my feet.
My Feet:
- Length (Left & Right): 271 & 274 mm
- Width (Left & Right): 100 & 99 mm
- Instep Height (L & R): 79 mm & 75 mm (The Boot Doctor’s Charlie Bradley describes this as a “high arch / high instep” — on a scale of 1-10, he calls my arch / instep a 8 or 9).
- Charlie also notes about my feet: Fairly stable, solid platform. A bit of pronation. A good amount of ankle range of motion (aka, “dorsiflexion”).
While Nordica talks up the comfort of this boot, know that the Promachine 130 has a legitimately-low-volume fit. It feels quite narrow through the mid-section / instep / arch area, noticeably more so than the Lange RX 130. The Promachine 130 feels similarly low-volume to the Salomon S/Max 130 and Salomon S/Max 130 Carbon before heat molding, though the Promachine 130 feels a bit narrower in the toe box.
When it comes to instep height, the Nordica Pro Machine is roomier than the S/Max 130 and S/Max 130 Carbon (though, to be clear, these new S/Max boots are two of the lowest instep heights of any boots I’ve used in the past couple of years, so it’s safe to say that the Promachine 130 has a low-volume instep height).
Point is, if you’re looking for a truly legit “LV” fit in your lighterweight inbounds boot, the Promachine could be a good option. Normally when I hear a company talk about how comfortable a boot is, I tend to lose interest, because “comfortable” is increasingly a code word for, “fits like a bucket.” And while there is absolutely nothing wrong whatsoever with choosing a roomier, truly comfortable boot, that comfort is usually going to come at the cost of some power and precision. Point is, skiers who prefer a “performance fit” should definitely not dismiss this boot. It’s a very legit LV.
Bottom Line (For Now)
We wanted to get some initial information out on this boot, and I’ll be saying more about it — and a number of 130-flex boots that are new for the 18/19 season — soon.
But while Nordica has shaved off some weight on this Pro Machine, this is not — in any sense — some dumbed-down boot. This is a true low-volume fit. And this is a legit “130” flex. So while I will be saying more about the flex pattern in my full review, for now, know that if you are someone who doesn’t really need a 130 boot but tends to buy them for ego-stroking reasons, you will likely be getting more boot than you bargained for.
We’ll be saying a whole lot more in our full review, so while we put that together feel free to drop in any questions or things you’d like us to address in the Comment section below.
I would very much like to know how this new boot compares to the Nordica Dobermann GP (Grand Prix) 130, aside from weight. It seems like it may almost take that boot’s place at a lighter weight (98mm last, cork moldable fit and all), but not sure. Look forward to hearing more about these boots. Thanks.
I tried on a Dobermann GP (120 or 130,dont remember) in the shop, and after that a Promachine 110 (which maybe has a different liner than 130, but I suppose its similar) and I found Promachines liner MUCH more comfortable over Dobermans, and I immediatelly noticed big difference in weight, even though I didnt know it and the shop salesman wasnt aware of it. The flex was legit, and I suppose on the 130 it should be almost as stiff as a Dobermann GP. I would never go for the Dobermann, that liner is thin! I would suffer if I had to wear that boot all day. I dont think it would be case with Pro Machine… Cheers and sorry about the typos, my keyboard is a mess…
How would you compare the instep height to the Atomic Hawx Ultra ? I already know the ultra is a bit more forgiving than the smax but still a bit tight for me
How do these boots compare overall to last years Nordica GPX? It seems that is the model they are replacing.
Would you buy the GPX at a clearance price or are these worth the extra cost?
Just bought these today. Coming out of Rx130. Tried on Mach 1 130 and Rx130 as well all with my custom graphite low volume orthotics. Those last two felt almost too comfortable out of the box and would definitely need to be shimmed when they pack out in 3-5 days. The pro machine was definitely more snug but more comfortable in a strange way. They will pack out nicely I hope and I might need my 5th met styloid and navicular punched out but the heat molding helped. The tongues were very comfortable. The pro machine has a noticeable stiffer flex and yes I know the PE Lange shell will stiffen in the cold. Very happy with my purchase. Time will tell
☻Andy, guess you must have skied with your Pro’s now? Any new thoughts you would like to share? Did you need to do any mods? And is the flex changing a lot with temperature up/downs? I’m in the process of deciding what new boot to buy and speculating in exactly the same as you did. Coming out of the Tecnica Demon 130. Also looked at RX 130 & Mach1 until I found out about this new Promachine. Seem awesome and I actually tried a pair briefly today. Wasn’t overly painful, both sides of the toe area was mostly the problem it seemed like. But as I said, it was briefly. I sure would love to be able to get the Promachine to fit because of the lower weight. What size are you Andy? I’m 26,5, left W=102 & right W=100. My worries is that the pro might be too narrow? Always had 100mm last and always Tecnica. Goes way back to the old TNT. Never needed to do any work on all the Tecnicas I’ve had. TNT, > Explosion 10, >Icon, > Demon but always used foam injected conformables. Also have the Cochise Pro light which supposedly should be the same mold as the Demon?!? But I would say it’s not. The Cochise light is for sure quite a bit tighter/smaller. Had to do some mods to get it to fit my feets. Been a while since Jonathan wrote this article would also love to hear if any new input from him, saw your feets size Jonathan, what shell size of the Promachine are you on and did you need to do any punching/bootfitting on your pair?
Andy, try out the Nordica Speedmachines. They are a little wider. I have similar feet (length and width) to you and the Speedmachines and the Tecnica Mach1 HV were the most comfortable out of several boots I tried. I ended up with the Speedmachine 120 and love them. The first ski weekend caused some pain on either side of my achilles heel about 2″ above the base of my foot. But on my next ski trip I did not have any sore spots on my feet after three days of skiing. I did not notice much of a difference in the flex between room temperature and 0°F.
I picked up a pair of these a few days ago primarily because they had them in my size and were pretty easy to get off (foot injury relate to removing overly cold Raptors — long boring story). I’ll add a few impressions:
1. Due to low stock at end of season, I got the 120s. Coming from my Raptor 140 RS boots (in the 130 setting) they are a lot softer. More like a 110. There truly is no cross-brand consistency in boot flex ratings.
2. I like the slightly more upright stance. I removed the rear spoilers for a few runs, and that was TOO upright for my tastes.
3. Yup, that co-molding above the instep really does make boots easier to get off.
4. So far, I’m impressed by the liner’s combination of good heel hold and reasonable comfort. Definitely cushier than the stock Raptor liner.
5. These lighter new boots do not have the lateral power transmission of an old school boot like the Raptor. I really was after the Lange XT 130, but no go in my 29.5 size this time of year.
6. After two A/Bs of two runs each (8 total runs) I ditched the plastic add-ons that come on the power straps. Hard to articulate, but they just felt kind of goofy. A more organic feel without them.
Hoping that is useful. My next two steps will be to try my Intuition liners in them to stiffen them up a bit and to add a real Booster strap. Stay tuned!
Jonathan Ellsworth: “this Pro Machine, this is not — in any sense — some dumbed-down boot. This is a true low-volume fit. And this is a legit “130” flex …if you are someone who doesn’t really need a 130 boot but tends to buy them for ego-stroking reasons, you will likely be getting more boot than you bargained for.”
Indeed. If a Head Raptor 140, Lange RX 130 and Lange RS 130 are used as 130/140 flex benchmarks, then it seemed like the PM 130 should be labeled with a stiffer number than those. In a recent chat with Jonathan (and also during the 6/14/19 episode of “Gear 30” Jonathan used the word “intense” to describe the PM 130’s flex and performance. I think that says it. It feels more like a legit race boot than most offerings out there. Intense. If you want a fantastic LV fit out of the box, perfect stance angles, basically a scalpel in a light weight package, the PM 130 excels. But don’t picture a plush ride with a bunch of suspension. For me it felt be a bit uncompromising for most free skiers/skiing – even aggressive free skiers. But the PM 130 is seriously impressive, a masterpiece of ski boot technology. Nordica designed great things into the Promachine’s. Wait there’s more…
There’s the Pro Machine “120” – somehow Nordica figured out how to make a light weight boot perform at quite a high level AND have great supension. A plush ride with way less weight. Cool.
I’m coming from the Atomic Hawx Ultra 130 which I liked, but was looking for an all-mountain boot that has a little more lateral power than the Hawx (I also made the mistake of molding the Atomic shell and lost some of the performance fit that I enjoy).
I have 4 days in the PM 130 now and so far I’m really enjoying the snug, anatomical fit and excellent lateral transmission this boot provides. The stock liner is nice, but they feel even better with my Zipfit liners. I agree with the post above about the flex feeling a little “intense”, however this sensation was remedied as soon as I removed the stock power strap with the funky plastic spoiler and replaced it with a real Booster strap. This greatly improved the suspension of the boot, and put them more on par with my Head Raptors that I use for on-piste carving/beer league. I 100% agree with Jonathon’s recent podcast that if more manufacturers start using real Booster straps it will make a lot of good boots even better. YMMV.
Like Paul above I’m also coming from the Hawx. Prime 130 for me. Over 3 seasons they got heavily modified to get them to work closer to the Nordica Fire Arrows that came before them (adding shapelock or polymorph plastic inner cuff to raise the lateral height). Atomic (Matt) has done a good job with the hawx and next years ’22 model with the foam liner will be a very good boot. But it still will be for many people who are not at the edge technically.
My breaking point was reached when a framers crowbar was used to open the Hawx to get them on, even after having the boots in the footwell under the heater all the way to the area. Like Tom’s comment above, some of us get damaged with these things. I can start the day perfect, go all day without a fall or even a recovery and then limp with a sprained ankle for days afterwards.
PM130s were skied for 3 hours right out of the box before reaching the point of burnout. A couple days later, 9 hours were spent carefully stretching the shells (after reading the Nordica manual). Seeing UTube videos with ‘professional’ boot fitters yields some scary looking boots. Coming from an auto restoration background our standards are at a whole different level. A template of the foot was made using ~5/8″ plywood, exact, knowing full well there was no accounting for the liner. This was 103,5 mm wide. Following the Nordica manual. infrared for 6 minutes, the footboard was forced in. My lamp must have more watts so the plastic was starting to go glossy. You stop at that point as instructed.
Cool down put the liners in and the boots on. Not good. Make another template to account for the liner thickness, about 4 mm. Now the template is 111.5mm. Get a step more sophisticated by soak time with the project and use screws as jack bolts to raise the template to the height of the actual bones in the shell. Higher on the 1st carp side and lower on the 5th carp side. Take less than 2 hours to do the round trip.
My feet are close to Jonathan’s in dimensions but a bit more extreme. The shell here is 26.5 with a 305 boot sole length. Time was spent shaping a Scaphoid template to stretch the arch, right under the 2nd buckle area. Nordica’s manual says throw in the towel for this area (they know boot fitters) but that makes no sense. Atomic tells you how much space you can gain with the Hawx.
Where Nordica comes from, in my geek perspective, is they know how important the transition area is from the navicular to the base of the tibia. So don’t F*** it up.
That’s your balance point. It’s like Porsche having great steering feel. Atomic builds a sloppy ball joint in their steering. Nordica has always gotten it. They still can’t build a buckle you can unclip with a glove on but who cares if the important stuff works.
Today was the 2nd day on the PM 130s. There was 9″ of dust on crust at arrival. 13″ reported on departure.
Cams on the cuff were set to their extremes but opposite on each boot. So much for life damage. Folding duct tape is used for shims at the medial or lateral sides as needed to go far beyond what the factory provides. Trail maps were the original shims. Clay is what makes magazine pages glossy and it does not absorb water and expand.
After skiing 21K vertical at 1:00 today the lift operator laughs and says “you’re getting face shots”. Yeah.
It took about 20K of vertical to get dialed in, fiddling with the canting and being an old guy, but the last 9k of a 30k day was the easiest part and it was game on.
Between the Promachine and Speedmachine, which is better suited for skiing heavy powder? Please advise, thanks!
Hi Rich. Quick disclaimer here – I don’t work in the ski industry and I am not a boot fitter, just an ex-racer with an addiction to gear. With that said, one could argue that the flex of a 130 Speedmachine might be more suitable for powder (I.e. snug fit and instantaneous response in powder is not critical) however the difference between these two boots has more to do with the narrower last and snug fit of the Promachine over the Speedmachine. First and foremost, go try both boots on and see which one fits your foot better. If the Promachine 130 fits best but feels too stiff you have a couple of options – 1. Remove one of the spine bolts from the 130 (effectively making it a 120, which is what I did), or 2.) buy the Promachine 120. Same great liner in both. Good luck!