Cloud 9 FS850 foil review

Hi guys,

I don't normally do the forum thing but I've just had some froth rejuvenated into my foiling experiences and wanted to share it. I've been using Axis and Armstrong for nearly 3 years for both prone foiling and winging, together with PPC wings. They have been great, but my foiling had stagnated a bit. With so many changes in technology out there I have decided to try Cloud IX gear instead of following what everyone else on the beach does (and buy the same gear like sheep) and WOW! I'm a 50 year old frother again.

Foils -I was lucky enough to try the new FS850. (FS means Forward Swept) if you haven't seen the wings look them up as they are quite different from the norm. I'm not a tech guy and wont go into that side too much, but coming off an Armstrong HS1250 to this I can tell you I'm impressed about the length of glide it gives with a low stall speed. They just keep going! But the main thing I like is how they turn. I'm from a surfing background and always felt the lift created in turns was different from what you get on a surfboard. But these wings slice through the carve and don't have me stressing out about other dynamics that happen when you are turning. We just want to carve right? Not deal with all the lift other things that make foiling "tricky". What it has done is caused me to start "surfing" the waves, not just mow the lawn for 50 metres on the shoulder because your too scared to lay down a turn. This will have me surfing like Adam Bennets in no time! Haha. I liked the 12.5" rear wing which is nice and thin, very well made and super-fast. The fuselage has 3 mounting positions for the rear wing which also means you can customise your ride without buying heaps of fuselages that mainly collect dust in the garage.

The FS850 has let me paddle in to waves that are anything from waist high to over head high showing how versatile it is.

Well that's all I have to say. If you want to try something different like me, give them a crack. The FS850 is a great all round, one wing quiver and I loved it so much that I've decided to go "all in". I've sold my Armstrong gear and have ordered 2 quivers including 2 different sized masts and wings..and I'm frothing again Yewwww

Haha yep Hilly, I'm hopeless

I am a 95kg rider who had to borrow a foil for a prone surf due to arriving at the beach without my setup. Previously I had ridden the FS1000 and FS850 for a few sessions and liked them.

The only option this day in waist high waves was the FS700 and I thought there was no way I could get going on this size. Wasn't I wrong.

Now it is my daily driver in anything above short period 1 foot slop. Easily the best foil I have ridden prone.

Next step was to try winging it. I have ridden a few foils, and for the size, it is actually easy to get up. In my view, it is much easier and smoother than the Armstrong 925 which I only like for glide and top speed (it is a temperamental beast to get going and unstable at times). The FS700 gets me up much easier, and matches it for speed easily. A cruise speed for me on the 700 is about 32km/hr on the wing without pushing it. Above 40 is my top speed.

Glide and turning is amazing. These foils punch above their weight when it comes to range, they lift you early, and can handle speed. You can ride a smaller size than you are used to, which then allows more manoeuvre and glide capability.

For a 95kg rider, the 1000 is a cruise and glide machine for lighter winds on the wing, and the 700 is my performance wing. I actually am keen to try the 550 in a good 20 knot breeze.

For surf, these wings actually are very manageable in their lift profiles, you don't get maxed out as quick. Steep drops are not as hairy. They can be slowed down without stalling suddenly, allowing you to keep it tight in the pocket, or carry speed and rocket down the line.

The cloud 9 wind wings are also the best kept secret in the industry if you haven't tried one yet. Nothing fancy, they just work and are smooth, light and durable.

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Foil Frenzy said..
I've been riding on Cloud 9 gear for a little over a year now and the FS series is an absolute game changer.
I agree they have unmatched Glide, manoeuvrability and you can pump them at a nice relaxed cadence to the horizon if you have the legs for it.??

I weigh 72kg and I have two wings the FS-850 and the FS-1000 that's all I need that gets me foiling in all conditions all disciplines Prone, Wing, Kite, Sup and Tow/Wake.

Ive tried just about all the major brands and wouldn't want to be on anything else.

Also being being an Aussie brand it's nice to support such a great product that's local to northern NSW and the Gold Coast where I live, Plus the customer service is outstanding.

Just my 2 cents happy foiling.??

Nice to meet a fellow rider! Hey if you get a chance try the 700 and also the 1150. If you like the FS1000 for pumping to the horizon, you'll need a new passport with the FS1150. I use this with the Fs157 stab and can turn it 180 deg virtually on the spot. And that's in the long fuse setting

They are so good hey!

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Mikedubs said..
Are they made in the fame factory as Unifoil? The mast looks very similar, if so I wonder if a Cloud IX foil would fit on a unifoil mast?

Mike

Hi Mike, I wouldn't think so.

The Cloud IX masts are high modulous with large 8mm bolts making them super strong, so if you can manage to find a way just get a whole kit.

I've heard some guys using no limits masts on the Cloud wings, but perhaps they like the idea of adapters and the ability to use any brand.

Hope this helps

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Lago said..
Anyone can compare Cloud ix to F-one or Unifoil?

Nar not me personally. Do you need to have a look or try some gear. Where are you based?

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Lago said..
Anyone can compare Cloud ix to F-one or Unifoil?

Im demoing the progression 170 and hyper2 250 right now. When I'm done, I'm swapping them for the cloud 9 fs 1150 and 700. I'll try to remember to share my thoughts with you!

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Lago said..

BWalnut said..

Lago said..
Anyone can compare Cloud ix to F-one or Unifoil?

Im demoing the progression 170 and hyper2 250 right now. When I'm done, I'm swapping them for the cloud 9 fs 1150 and 700. I'll try to remember to share my thoughts with you!

Thank you! Enjoy the demo!

Hey Lago,

Just wrapping up my time with the Cloud IX 1150 and 1780 and have already returned the Unifoil Progression 170 and Hyper 250.

My thoughts: (note, I am 190 lbs, normally ride kujira 1210, 1500, and am on an 8' Barracuda)

Unifoil:
Hyper 250: I tried this foil once, and it was completely unrideable for me. Not sure what the deal was, but I could not keep it under control. Seemed crazy sensitive and I couldn't ever get it up to speed.

Progression 170: Probably the earliest lift and lowest stall speed I have ever experienced. You pop up onto foil immediately and can luff your wing and come to nearly a complete stop before you fall off foil. My biggest complaints were that this is a slow foil, definitely not my pick for winging. I could see it as being fun in the surf, trying to stay in the pocket, but I didn't like the low speed with the wings.

Overall: These are foils that NEED to be tuned to your liking. Shims, different stabs, changing the fuse, all of this had dramatic effect on the foil and once tuned to your liking they are more enjoyable. Overall though, I don't see myself buying them. I do wish I had the 75cm instead of 83cm mast for the demo. Since I normally ride the 75cm mast with my kujiras I felt like there was a bit of an unfair comparison here.


Cloud IX:

FS1780: Wow that's big! I was casually foiling with my 4m wing when no-one else could get on the water. It's slow, and has a very slow turn, but you cannot deny that you can EASILY pump this foil for long distances without swell to relieve you. I also tried my first day of downwind sup foiling on this. I got my first popup to foil on my fifth try. On my second day I got a nice long flight on it. Pros for SUP: great lift. Cons for SUP: It's so wide that if it starts to tip, it's hard to stop when swell is grabbing it.

FS1150: Winged this in light (15 knots) flat water with a 4m, and extreme winds (30 knots) with head high swell and a 2.5m. Stall speed seemed lower than the Kujiras, but not quite as low as the Progression. Early lift was also not quite as good. I did, however, really appreciate how it had a little more speed than the Progression 170 (but would lose in a race against the kujira 1210). Great glide, I didn't pump it much, but when I did it got me to the next piece of swell. I also tried to SUPfoil this one for about an hour. I was pretty fatigued, and it's only my 3rd day downwinding, but I got a couple popups, no flights though.

Overall: Although I didn't get to try the 4 different fuse settings, I really wanted to. Maybe I can sneak a final session in tomorrow. The 1780 was super fun, but I wonder if it's more of a novelty and it would get old quickly? The 1150 was quite fun and would be exciting to move the stab around on.

If I had to choose Cloud IX or Unifoil, I without hesitation would go with Cloud IX.

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Lago said..
Hey BWalnut,
thank you so much for your honest review! That is really helpfull. I also don't like to tune my gear that much. If it's on, it should work. Super interesting, that you find the Progression a slow foil. Until now I thought it can do everything (slow stall speed, early lift, super fast), but that was whishfull thinking. How did you like the built quality of Cloud IX? Is there any kind of wobbeling in the system?
Cheers

I will say that while the progression does need to be tuned, they've made it quite user friendly to do so. I figured 2-3 sessions and the average person will have it locked in. The Cloud IX fuse has 5 holes, which allows for tuning of length in relation to the stab which I didn't get to play with, but would really like to. So, don't be too intimidated by the tuning!

Build Quality:
Unifoil covers for the foils were nicer than the Cloud IX's (zippers over velcro), but that might not matter to everyone. I did prefer the Unifoil mast plate over the Cloud IX. The Unifoil had nice countersinks in the plate where the Cloud IX only had slots for the bolts to slide into. The countersinks will "align" the foil with the box perfectly. The plain slots on Cloud IX can allow the entire rig to be secured somewhat askew. Since this was a demo, I felt like it had already been a bit overtightened and the mast had a tendency to sit slightly askew, but I didn't notice anything on the water. I would, however, like to see how a No Limitz mast would work with Cloud IX and would consider that as a possibility.

Unifoil is also super honest about the progression foil not being their first choice for winging. If that's what you are doing with their foils, they recommend the Hyper. I just felt like that progression had so much drag. It wasn't just a slow foil, it felt like a shudder. That matched with the Hyper being unrideable and I just didn't want to spend the extra money to jump into the Unifoil line where everything is more expensive.

My Kujira setup, on an aluminum mast, is still my fastest and smoothest kit. For paddling though, I don't think it's the best choice.

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Lago said..
Thanks BWalnut! I will use it mainly for winging. I will try to get some gear to demo before I buy. I am also looking at F-One and Alien Foil System.

I took the 1150 out for one more burn and shortened the stab to the closest holes. Totally changes the feel (obviously) and really opened it up.

I also took the 700 out for my first time on it. 18 knots, barracuda board, 4m wing, had an absolute blast. Super surfy and responsive. Way easier to get on foil than expected!

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Lago said..

BWalnut said..

Lago said..
Thanks BWalnut! I will use it mainly for winging. I will try to get some gear to demo before I buy. I am also looking at F-One and Alien Foil System.

I took the 1150 out for one more burn and shortened the stab to the closest holes. Totally changes the feel (obviously) and really opened it up.

I also took the 700 out for my first time on it. 18 knots, barracuda board, 4m wing, had an absolute blast. Super surfy and responsive. Way easier to get on foil than expected!

Sounds really nice! 700 is really small, how did you like the speed?

You know, I was super shocked by how in control it felt. I was on my barracuda with a 4m in 18knots and didn't think I'd have a chance to get up but I was wrong, it wasn't too bad. The glide was diminished for sure, but it felt like you could surf it really radically instead of having it just racing along out of control. Before this, the smallest foil I had ever been on was the progression 170 at 1097 I think. So the fact that I could control this was really impressive IMO.

It makes me want to try the progression 140. I wonder if the added speed of the smaller progression foil would make it feel awesome with a wing and in surf.