I really liked the soft Smik and Starboard/Airrush handles, but liked the Cabrinha Mantis V2 too that some above didnt like at all.Right now I have a quiver of Mantis V3 (stif) and Unit Dlab (even stiffer) that feel great.Earlier this week I was demoing an Ozone Fly V1 in 4m with soft handles and on my small board (56l, i,m 97kg) I found it harder to grab and start as with stiffer handles.Handle placement was top notch and once flying I like the wing, but because of the handles this isnt the one for me.
July has been quite windy for me. Warm summer thermals doing their regular work. Before the summer I upgraded all my wings to North Nova V2 (for 2.9 and 4.2m) and V3 (for 6.0m)
While I am a complete 'hard handle convert' both in the sense of wing ownership and believing in their benefits (more direct feel + control), I have experienced far more strain on my arms.
With 15 (!) sessions in July of minimum one hour, sore arm recovery has been a daily job. With the previous soft handles I never experienced strain like this. The new generation wings (in my case Nova V2 and V3) are much stiffer, and it's logical that the transfer of energy is far more direct and translates into more pull and strain on the arms (no matter how perfect your 2-3 finger holding to the boom technique is)
Today, I went back to using my Raet 3D (www.raet3d.no/ ) printed hook and used it almost throughout the entire session (with the North adjustable harness line).. and I am happy to say that my arms are so much fresher at the moment!
I tried riding with the hook about two/three months back and disliked it initially. On top of leashes another dangling piece of kit. I was also wary at the time that I could lose some upwind ability and technique (still developing then)
But today, after feeling more comfy riding upwind and better understanding the wing and foil dynamics, I thought it's time to take arm strain a bit more serious.
Today's session had the best of both worlds: I was able to ride upwind with a better understanding of the upwind technique and I protected my arms better.
So long story short: no regrets! Hard handles are here to stay but something's gotta give. I think that hooks and harness lines are becoming much needed accessories - just like they did with windsurfing. Our bodies can only take so much strain from the stiffer wings (with hard handles).
what about in Waves - when you wont be hooked in for very long, apart from the occasional big tack upwind? im still on F-one V2 strikes with the soft handles and as i do more and more waves (where i might be foiling out for 300m, riding in for 300m (or less), repeat for 2 hrs) then im not sure a hook helps...and then the rigid handles might be more problematic as you say in terms of stress (and if / when you get rinsed).
Select to expand quotenorthy1 said..
what about in Waves - when you wont be hooked in for very long, apart from the occasional big tack upwind? im still on F-one V2 strikes with the soft handles and as i do more and more waves (where i might be foiling out for 300m, riding in for 300m (or less), repeat for 2 hrs) then im not sure a hook helps...and then the rigid handles might be more problematic as you say in terms of stress (and if / when you get rinsed).
Forgot to say that flatwater lakes with wind bumps are my regular territory. I cannot say about wave experience.. maybe others can ?
Bigger diameter handles, hard or soft, can lead to more grip fatigue, as your hand is forced more open and requires more more forearm muscle to close the grip. Especially with gloves. I noticed this switching from my ozone wasp v1 with its stretched out handles (basically just fabric loops) to the fat plush Ocean Rodeo soft handles. On a cold gale day, I had to remove my gloves just to get back to shore....couldn't hang on any more.
As for hard handles: I really like the carbon handles for OR wings. I just switched back to my duotone back up wing for a few sessions, and suddenly can't tack any more, as I keep missing the lower handle grab .... the hard handles make it really easy. I also really like the positive connection for downwinding, can hold with front handle and lightly steer wing, more than you can with a soft handle.
My only regret is not going to them sooner. In fact booms are even better as you can slide your hand down them instead reaching out to grab them in jibes, and being able to ride one-handed is super nice. Ask me in the winter though when it's 5C out and I'm riding with open-palmed mitts on, perhaps I'll feel differently.
I'm definitely sold on hard handles but they are not all created equal. Some are extra skinny, some fat, you need to get your hands on them before committing to a particular wing.
All this said, I do have one concern... the hardware (inserts and screws) that I'm seeing are not fully corrosion resistant. I'm replacing the screws in mine with stainless (or titanium if I can find them).
Separately, it's good practice to make sure your handle screws are tight from time to time.
Select to expand quoteWindbot said..
My only regret is not going to them sooner. In fact booms are even better as you can slide your hand down them instead reaching out to grab them in jibes, and being able to ride one-handed is super nice. Ask me in the winter though when it's 5C out and I'm riding with open-palmed mitts on, perhaps I'll feel differently.
+1. A long booms is super nice. With the wings that I have been using over the time I am not feeling any difference, still have some smaller sizes with "soft" handles, but these handles are super long. And now the model with a long boom works the same way. Comfortable. The key is to play with the angle of the wing not just by sheeting in or out. Instead, the long handles (or a long boom) allows you to move your hands around to fine tune the power in the wing. By sliding your hands back and forth in the handles the angle of the wing changes.
Not all wings have well positioned handles though. And the soft handles on some wings are too short, or even ridiculously short. I am just guessing, but perhaps people who learned with such wings are not used to playing around with the wing that much, because the handles dictated one or two very limited ways of holding the wing. Now, with the hard handles it's just time to learn new ways of holding the boom.
I guess it will become a case of which manufacturers make soft handle models. Flysurfer have stuck with soft handles this season, any other mainstream brands?
Some at our local are snapping up run out deals on soft handle Smik's, but soft handle stock won't last forever.
Just adding to my previous post: while I find that hard handles (as part of stiffer wings) do require hook n harness to manage and alleviate strain in the arms.. hook n harness do have one drawback: it's harder if not impossible to pump the wing!
Thanks for all the replies. I got the chance to demo a newly released wing in both soft and hard handles version. The hard handles version is still a proto although the soft version is now for sale. Both great but the hard handle version felt better for me so I'm going to wait till they are released
