Today was my second day on the new 2010 Loft Switchblade 6.8, day one was not a real test, but today's choppy 15-20 with gusts in the mid 20's was a much better indication of the sail's performance.
The two cams lock in a nice deep low belly while the top twists off nicely. The sail is quite a low profile, the 6.8 rigs on a 430 SDM or RDM - two sets of cams are supplied. This lowers the centre of effort so you can still get the power from a big sail without the tipping feeling of a high aspect sail.
I'm rigging the sail on a cheapie Neil Pryde X3, and the cams rotate nicely, with the bottom cam needing only a slight nudge if you come out of a gybe not fully powered. It often pops into place itself once powered up on the run. I'm sure this wouldn't be a problem on masts with a smaller diameter than the thick X3.
The only drawback I can see with the sail is the height of the boom cutout. I'm an average six foot guy and I usually rig the boom just above middle on other sails. With the Switchblade I have the boom at the very top of the cutout. If you're over six foot, you might have to rig the boom a little lower than you might with other sails.
It's great having a luff pocket that's only 8-10 inches wide. Waterstarting's a breeze compared to some other super wide luff pocket sails that can fill with half a tom of water.
Overall, I'm extremely pleased with the Switchblade, and will progressively update the quiver as natural attrition opens up a gap.
