IMO there is no best, only wings that excel in certain conditions.
In general I think that from the wings tried the Strike V2 and Ozone Fly V1 are hard to beat.Both are very light/forgettable and follow all the movements on auto pilot without flipping over and are very easy with switching hands in nice waves with enough power.
But i,m not a pro, I have to work and pay for my gear so I want it to last a while...that is a bit difficult with the Strike V2 imo. They bag out very quickly.
The Ozone Fly V1 is great once flying and it has a very good top end, but lacks a bit of instant grunt and low end power. Again not being a pro I need some power to compensate the lack of skills to get on my small board and foil. So just isolating it too surf doesn't make sense to me.
In light wind onshore (yes people surf in that too) I love a wing with the NP Fly/Takoon RS/ Duotone Unit kinda handle that you can pistolgrip for when its too light to grab the surf handle. Personally I,m on a quiver of Cab Mantis V2/V3 and a Duotone Dlab Unit5.5. The mantis are imo very stable and good allrounders that don,t flip and follow really well while the Dlab is light and twitchy wich is great in lightwind.
The best wing is the one you have and that gets you on the water.
So much out there, old and new, and difficult to say one size/brand/handle type is the best for all people.
F-One Swing V2 for light winds, small wing. Sits well flagged, loads of torque for getting going and gusty inside winds. Seems easier to pull it around if its on the wrong position when your pulling out etc. Its got quite a lazy action to it which is ideal for the conditions we get here ie gusty winds in good waves. Mines had over 250 hard sessions and its still in fairly good shape, absolute work horse. Cant wait for the V3 version.
F-One Strike has a larger window of operation, doesn't drag and light in the hands while flagged. Its very active and keen to power up.
Duo-Tone felt ok, a bit heavy.
Pryde was good by the brief go I had on it, very powerful for the quoted size. Not as refined as the F-Ones but seemed good quality.
Cabrina was good, light enough. Lacked a bit of power for the size.
Probably the Five-O Dynamo wing. lightest wing on the market and small leading edge. I had a go on a demo in the Gorge and it flagged out amazingly well and shoots back upwind. If your around Hood River get in touch with the designer for a demo.
Not sure how the Five-O compares to the Alula wings, but the OR Glide is the best drifting wing I've tried by far. It practically levitates down wind due to the shape and material.
Strike v3 is the v2 improved on every aspect, loving it. I would suspect its one of the best if not the best wing available for waves and freefly.
Select to expand quotefoilstate said..
Strike v3 is the v2 improved on every aspect, loving it. I would suspect its one of the best if not the best wing available for waves and freefly.
I hear a lot anecdotally about lack of low end on the new strike v3, compared to the prior version (which i have a quiver of)...you dont feel the same? F-one have just released the Swing v3 which is now aimed (marketed or actual, tbc) at waves, flagging out - and i guess less performant in a boosting, upwind, speed kinda way?
A mate has the new Armie XPS that also seems to flag out v well
Whatever is on sale, it's more or less the same within the same price range, it won't matter after a few big wipeouts/repairs doing the "Pure Wave" thing.
Select to expand quotenorthy1 said..foilstate said..
Strike v3 is the v2 improved on every aspect, loving it. I would suspect its one of the best if not the best wing available for waves and freefly.
I hear a lot anecdotally about lack of low end on the new strike v3, compared to the prior version (which i have a quiver of)...you dont feel the same? F-one have just released the Swing v3 which is now aimed (marketed or actual, tbc) at waves, flagging out - and i guess less performant in a boosting, upwind, speed kinda way?
A mate has the new Armie XPS that also seems to flag out v well
Airfoil is shallower so it has to be pumped in smaller amplitude pumps to not stall the wing, just like a HA foil.. For me it has been more low end than V2 by changing the pumping technique.
More top end, better upwind angle (crazy stuff), less drag in flagging and super stable, more rigidity of the frame and canopy, less flapping, handles more wind for the size, more rigid handles adding control without being hard on the hands.
Select to expand quoteSilverFoilSurfer said..
Whatever is on sale, it's more or less the same within the same price range, it won't matter after a few big wipeouts/repairs doing the "Pure Wave" thing.
Yeah I am with you on that one! Get a bargain on a good superceded wing, thrash it with reckless abandon, rinse and repeat. For waves I feel like you don't need the greatest most fancy wing. Just need enough power to get going, get upwind and flag out really well. Also whilst durability is a concern with wings the flagging out characteristics of a wing don't get worse as the wing gets older. Infact one of my mates was using a very tired smik v1 for a long time then he bought a new fancy wing from a bigger brand and he doesn't like it coz it doesn't flag out well so he's still often out on the old smik.
Select to expand quotenorthy1 said..foilstate said..
Strike v3 is the v2 improved on every aspect, loving it. I would suspect its one of the best if not the best wing available for waves and freefly.
I hear a lot anecdotally about lack of low end on the new strike v3, compared to the prior version (which i have a quiver of)...you dont feel the same? F-one have just released the Swing v3 which is now aimed (marketed or actual, tbc) at waves, flagging out - and i guess less performant in a boosting, upwind, speed kinda way?
A mate has the new Armie XPS that also seems to flag out v well
I do feel about the same low end. I do think the v2 has a bigger Pull but a lag when reloading to do a second pump....and the v3 is a constant pressure. So for me on smaller foil I feel the v3 is better. I do thing however on a bigger lifty foil..maybe the v3 is better since you often just need one big pump. The v3 is a good improvement and it flags better than the V2...I think the fact that there is less dihedral you can control more the wing from the front handle....compare to the V2 who is almost too stable when flagging.
You can probably get one on close out so you don't have regrets getting rolled in surf but the Naish Matador LT is a great dedicated wave wing. Low end grunt and flags awesome. Just not a great tacking or trick foil due to deep draft. But for just waves, it's light and does what it's supposed too.
Look at the new ON Kiteboarding FLASH full dyneema concept , it"s a pure wave wing style
enjoy!
its
it"s a pure wave wing
Select to expand quotejoyride said..
Look at the new ON Kiteboarding FLASH full dyneema concept , it"s a pure wave wing style
enjoy!
Much as I like the idea of a 2Kg 5.5M... That wing looks great sitting on the ground but in use not as much, nice of them to provide videos.
For $2500 I expect better. You can buy three of the previous year model of almost any brand for the same
Select to expand quoteShlogger said..
You can probably get one on close out so you don't have regrets getting rolled in surf but the Naish Matador LT is a great dedicated wave wing. Low end grunt and flags awesome. Just not a great tacking or trick foil due to deep draft. But for just waves, it's light and does what it's supposed too.
I disagree on this. After leaving the matador I'm way happier with a tight forward canopy on my Cab mantis. All that flappy canopy on the matador just creates and insane amount of drag when flagged to the point where I could feel the matador pulling me back. Also violent and annoying backpressure when sailing upwind. I'll never ride a loose canopy again.
Or maybe "pure wave" means downwind drift only where flagged drag doesn't matter? I flag on wave upwind all the time it's an essential part of my program.
Id say I have to fly half a meter bigger on the mantis but honestly my 6m mantis feels smaller and has more top end range than my 5 M matador.
Select to expand quoteThatspec said..joyride said..
Look at the new ON Kiteboarding FLASH full dyneema concept , it"s a pure wave wing style
enjoy!
Much as I like the idea of a 2Kg 5.5M... That wing looks great sitting on the ground but in use not as much, nice of them to provide videos.
For $2500 I expect better. You can buy three of the previous year model of almost any brand for the same
Dyneema is 8 x more expensive than traditional wing , also they don't strecht after 1 month and full it's full waterproof,i don't talk about weight ...A wing can be finally durable and have performance .Way different period
Mahalo
Select to expand quoteTooMuchEpoxy said..Shlogger said..
You can probably get one on close out so you don't have regrets getting rolled in surf but the Naish Matador LT is a great dedicated wave wing. Low end grunt and flags awesome. Just not a great tacking or trick foil due to deep draft. But for just waves, it's light and does what it's supposed too.
I disagree on this. After leaving the matador I'm way happier with a tight forward canopy on my Cab mantis. All that flappy canopy on the matador just creates and insane amount of drag when flagged to the point where I could feel the matador pulling me back. Also violent and annoying backpressure when sailing upwind. I'll never ride a loose canopy again.
Or maybe "pure wave" means downwind drift only where flagged drag doesn't matter? I flag on wave upwind all the time it's an essential part of my program.
Id say I have to fly half a meter bigger on the mantis but honestly my 6m mantis feels smaller and has more top end range than my 5 M matador.
I agree, for wave riding in sideshore or sideoff conditions, stability and low drag when flagging into a strong apparent wind is just as or more important than downwind flagging with super light apparent wind. The Gong Neutra UPE wings I'm on right now are the best I've had, tight canopy so low drag into the wind and still stable. Upwind ability is also important for wave riding as you spend at least half your time going back up to the peak. The higher and faster you can go upwind, the more waves you get!
Select to expand quoteTooMuchEpoxy said..Shlogger said..
You can probably get one on close out so you don't have regrets getting rolled in surf but the Naish Matador LT is a great dedicated wave wing. Low end grunt and flags awesome. Just not a great tacking or trick foil due to deep draft. But for just waves, it's light and does what it's supposed too.
I disagree on this. After leaving the matador I'm way happier with a tight forward canopy on my Cab mantis. All that flappy canopy on the matador just creates and insane amount of drag when flagged to the point where I could feel the matador pulling me back. Also violent and annoying backpressure when sailing upwind. I'll never ride a loose canopy again.
Or maybe "pure wave" means downwind drift only where flagged drag doesn't matter? I flag on wave upwind all the time it's an essential part of my program.
Id say I have to fly half a meter bigger on the mantis but honestly my 6m mantis feels smaller and has more top end range than my 5 M matador.
I was clear on where it excels and where they didn't. All my wings now are hard-handle and tight canopy. But the Mat LT 2 was one of the few wings that just parked behind me and I didn't worry about it flipping. The magic is in the down pull of the camber. That also made tacking a bitch. And I was clear the power was passive, not taught and reactive like all this past years wings and across most brands. The Mat LT second gen. btw has a much tighter canopy. Almost.. picked up one up on close-out just for the days when getting your wing trashed in the surf is a reality but..I went hard handle about a year and a half ago w my North Mode and some other brands and can't go back to softer handles. I standby it's a great close-out, older generation dedicated wave wing. Wouldn't race it or freestyle it, but that really wouldn't be fair to any older generation wing would it? ;)
BTW, I have no sponsor or other affiliation, my gear crosses the board.
