I bought a pair of 07 SL 9's last week. I haven't ridden them yet, but they haven't had any issues thus far. Im dont want to start a thread or start badmouthing, but I have a hard time believing that the laces on the other boots reviewed blew up like they said. I just retired my 05 Ions (first boot with Speed Zone) with 200+ days on them, and I NEVER had a problem with my laces breaking or fraying. I did break a plastic piece on the boot, but Burton fixed it at no charge, and I had it back in like a week. Oh, and isn't it convenient that another brand is mentioned in the other review? Sounds fishy to me....