Gleiten TV have been doing some very in depth video reviews of wings recently - trouble is they are all in German ! Interested in a summary of what they have to say about the pluses and minuses of the Ensis , Duotone Unit, and Airush FreeWing wings if anyone has any German skills and can be bothered to give us the rundown.
Very good review of the Airush Freewing - fractionally less bottom end than 6m Echo but still deemed good/very good. Allround handling very easy. German not my first language so could be making it up. The guy makes it look easy on the video.
Haven't watched the others yet.
I,m not German but Dutch and speak German reasonably well (English isn,t my first language either so you might got a double lost in translation bonus 
).
Do you have a link, because all inept reviews I found was a 2019 test between the first Duotone and first Slingshot (and i,m very curious myself
).Edit found and look in to it.First vid:
The Unit5.0:
very light wing with a very light build. This is a bonus in the handling, but makes it also more fragile for contact with concrete or the wingtips.Great handeling especially when neutral on a wave due the flat profile.The grips are very comfy but a vague due the foam. placement is spot on although the front handle rather small for big hands.Due the very soft and comfy grips AND flatter profile it need a bit more wind (the 5m Unit needs as much wind as asome other 4.5 or 4!, but in the perfect wind it has a very light and comfortable soft feel. In light wind it needs a sensible hand to get it going.Due the less lower end it isnt an typically freeride wing like the Echo, but the Handling is superb, light and playfull.
Ensis 5.2:
Superb construction almost without wrinkles but with reinforcents there where needed. on the tube. When starting it feels powerfull and adjusts from itself to 45degree above wich really helps with low wind and when starting on small boards.The very wide grips need some time to get used too, but the FEEL of the wing is very stiff and direct and the wide grips feel very intuitive and easier to grip as the smaller ones and has all the bonusses of a grip without the downtrades they found with some other wings.
Like with the Echo boom you can slide your hand over it when tacking..Like the Duotone Echo it gets really going quick and when going it is very well balanced with a very balanced profile. Because the wing is rather flat (Medium aspect ratio) it goes really well upwind without getting jerky and when depowering there is almost no leach flutter. When riding waves it drops quicker and that is where like the Unit or Slingshot V2 easier stays level without dropping. Overall you need to adapt with the Ensis a bit by pulling it earlier up. Due the stiffer profile the Slingshot V2, the Airrush and the Unit have a lighter more playfull handeling on a wave but the Ensis feels the most sharp, precise from all of them at a slight expense of the handeling. Fitting exact between the freeride Echo and wave Unit. When jibing and tacking the Ensis feels more playfull as the Unit because in that part the more precise handling helps better as the Unit its softness.
What they found very positive was that the wing automaticly goes to 45 degree and has a very stiff precise feel in a very wide windrrange. Excellent low end and still very good in high wind without flapping around
Duotone Echo6.0:
2th gen completely new designed. with the 6m the coil leash is too short to flip it with more reinforcements on crucial positions.The profile is very clean, the boom is a one size fits all but gives a bump in the 6m tube as it is bigger as the 4m wings.The frontgrip is wide enough for big hands and got a neoprene cover to prevent scrubbing you knuckles
When grabbing the wing by the front strap it is controllable but it has a tendency to flip on its back quicker as other wings due its very stiff profile and when that does the too short leash doesn't really help (this isn't a problem with the smaller sizes).The low end planing is very very good but when pumping the 6m is less effective as the smaller sizes.For freeride it is just the best in its class on all courses. In Handling: when the wingtips drops a bit the fronthand can stay in position and you can control the wing by the back hand. Fotr it size this feels very balaced due the boom instead of the grips although this is a matter of taste. Windsurfers will find it very intiutive but also non windsurfers get very quick used to it.
When riding waves the handeling on the fron tube is okay and good enough but when the speed or windspeed drops it has quicker as most others the tendecy to start swinging left and right and up and down. When you grab the BOOM at the front this problem is solved and you will have a better handeling.Compared to the tubed wings you need to grab the boom far in the front in manoeuvres and for tacking you need a slightly wider radius because the wing tends to dive forward a bit. That said the windrange is very big. An 80kg rider with a bigger board and 2000 foil can fly from 12 knots till a decent 20knots.Bonus: the window is very well postioned, but need some carefull folding, dur the boom it is the biggest package.Verdict: it is a LOT better as the first one, there are wings with a more playfull handeling but with the boom it feels very intuitive for windsurfers and it has an excellent windrange. Who really wants to ride waves and progress in it will find its handeling a bit slower and less playfull as some other models like the Slingwing and Unit.
I will later look at the airrush.
Hi Jeroen,
I'm also dutch but is you go to gleiten dot tv (can't post a link) and then choose in the middle Wing Foilen you can find all the reviews of a lot of wings such as Duotone Echo and Unit, Slingwing v2, Airush Freewing, Ensis, GA Wing.
Enough video review material.
@jeroensurf- thanks so much for this, appreciate the effort and hopefully this helps others here. Cheers
Starboard/ airrush 6m: 3.1kg
Build with lots of attention to details.
It comes with a very tall bungee leash that is 1m longer as the wingtips.
It comes with 2 sets of 3 handles, a front handle and 2 T handles. they feel very nice and are wide enough for big hands. All the stress area,s are reinforced and the wing has 2 big PVC windows. the tips are reinforced as well.
The wing has a very noticeable deep profile with the deepest point rather to the middle.
On the land and walking it has a very good handling and behaves well.When starting you need to grip the middle handles.
Compared with the Echo it has a bit less low end, but still a very good windrange, but less stiff and that makes it less direct when pumping as the Echo.When fully powered or going upwind you need the backstrap but that also feels very natural. When maneuvering you need to grab the front thandles.
That said, when get going the angle to keep the wing under to give sufficient power is smaller as most other wings tested.So it is a bit sensible to the angle you keep it in.Due to the sensibility it is also easier to maneuver in any direction making it more Agile as the Echo but less as the Slingwing V2.
Like the Echo it needs a slightly wider radius as the most maneuverable wings (Slingwing and Fone).Overall it is an wing that is very good at freeriding, but with a good balance between freeride performance and handling.Grabbing the front handle is relative hard because it is a long way forward compared to the other grips.
A really gripe is the way too long bungee cord but overall an very well made wing with for an 6m very good handeling.
Slingshot V2 Slingwing:
Very well build with a light weight (2.5kg for a 5.4m2) and reinforcements on the right places
Good low end, excellent pumpability. The low end is a little less as the Echo but a lot better as the Naish.
The handles are for big hands on the small side. it would be better if they were a bit wider.
The Slingshot has an excellent handling, with the Fone the best handling of all the wings and the 5.4 is comparable with other 4.0! wings in this.
Because of this they advise a foil that turns quick as well and can keep up with the quick handling of the wing.
Both when maneuvering as when riding waves and keeping it by the front handle.In the water it stays calm and has no tendency to flip over like some others have.Compared to the Fone it has a wider range and a better angle of attack.Upwind is good, better as all the 1st gen wings, but not as good as the Echo.
They have almost the same wind range 12-20 knots for an 80kg winger. It is really good for both novices as experienced riders due the excellent handling.
The Echo is the better freerider, but for riding waves and freestyle it is the best they tested and only the Fone comes close in handling.Biggest down trades: no window and the smaller handles that might be a problem for big hands, except that one of the better Wings and on all fronts a lot better as the V1..
Hi Mike no problem :) I windsurffoiled for 2 years and then tried Winging. It looks dull but was soo much more fun. Tried it 3 times and sold the windsurf foil set to buy a wing set.I allready have a set of foils (Gofoil M280+200+IWA) and "only" need a board and 1 or 2 wings so was already doing some research. The vids helped me as well.Being a featherweight of 95kgx 188cm ,wavesailor and want to use it on the beach with a lot of current I need some grunt.The Slingshot looks one of the better wings, but having bigger hands that will be for me a no go due the small handles so I probably.
the Echo probably 6m+4m seems to be the way to go to me.
Now I need to figure out what board and i,m good to go :)
Select to expand quoteJeroensurf said..
Hi Mike no problem :) I windsurffoiled for 2 years and then tried Winging. It looks dull but was soo much more fun. Tried it 3 times and sold the windsurf foil set to buy a wing set.I allready have a set of foils (Gofoil M280+200+IWA) and "only" need a board and 1 or 2 wings so was already doing some research. The vids helped me as well.Being a featherweight of 95kgx 188cm ,wavesailor and want to use it on the beach with a lot of current I need some grunt.The Slingshot looks one of the better wings, but having bigger hands that will be for me a no go due the small handles so I probably.
the Echo probably 6m+4m seems to be the way to go to me.
Now I need to figure out what board and i,m good to go :)
Hi Jeroen,
I guess I'm facing the same situation as you, a wavesailor, but in the notsogood conditions with years of windfoiling and now thinking about winging with or without continuing windfoiling.
What were your thoughts when you decided to switch to winging and give up windfoiling?
Maybe for your answer we should start another thread, not to spam this one.
Alex
I live in the Netherlands on 15min from the beach. The Northsea is rather shallow and most of the proper swells are blocked by the UK but we have plenty of days with short period wind wave+swell up to 2-3m. We have "good" days, but most of them are side on and the wavespeed is rather low.I tried to surf that swell with my windsurf-foil set but the rig limits the angles a lot!
With a winf foil set I hope to gain 2 things:A: Being able to ride the swell that I can,t with my windsurffoil set due the angles.
I really like stand up paddle, maybe eve more as windsurf the last years, and the wingfoil feel is for me closer to that and more surfy.
B: a lot easier accessing the beach. sounds silly but it takes me a LOT longer as the wingers+ wading till its deep enough..through the waves with a windsurf foil quiver is far from ideal.
I sold some gear that I wasnt using so I can buy a 6+4m wing. with more wind I keep wavesailing.
The biggest doubt right now is choosing between a dedicated wingfoil board (5.8/6.0) or a supfoil board (6.5/6.7) that can double as a downwindboard as I already have the big Maliko280 wing. :)
For people who checking my avatar and think what is he whining about the conditions: that shot was taken in Cornwall-UK
