Got strikes and had the original non hard handled Units. Without doubt the valve is better on the Strikes. And the Duotone dump valve is difficult in the cold. IMHO the Strike canopy bags out earlier. Strikes feel lighter. Intrigued to see what F-one come up with next. Quite a few on my friends who wave ride the majority of the time prefer the smaller Swings.
I have a boom like this:
oaseforum.de/showthread.php?t=181815&highlight=strike+boom
I like the handles of the Strike because they are thin.
since I had the boom, some things changed:
the wing is more direct, it is easier for me to position my hands forward or backward in the handles based on needs.
Especially during a jibe, with the boom, it is much easier to turn the wing. also to grab the back handle.
The downside is, in cold overpowered conditions or when I need gloves, I need much more power in my arms compared to without the boom.
I also realized that when not using a boom, I need to do the movement of the wing during the jibe more precisely. means, if I make it loose, the back handle is too far away, the wing end facing too much towards the water, and if I know try to grab the handle I lean forward and leave the comfortable and stable position, so jibes could fail or feel uncomfortable.
So I thought, now during winter times (in Germany) I should wing without a boom to save energy and to become more precise with wing movement during the jibes.
Maybe in spring/summer I either don't need/want the boom, or it becomes again much easier in different conditions, like stronger gusty wind and or waves.
Select to expand quotepaulweller2 said..
My dealer initially told me late January/early February. I wonder what happened.
i too thought it was end of Jan...
...which probably pushes wide release (i.e. availability here in AU) to mid-year - and I will probably have to eat my words before long :)
It's quite impressive how they manage to keep the development of the Strikes out of social media. No leaked photos, except for the ones that are months old. No verifiable rumours.
The most recent FOne wing post on Instagram appears to be a justification (interpreted as more of an 'excuse' by some) for sticking with floppy handles. My guess is that FOne decided to delay release since there's so much buzz now with the new Duotone and Cabrinha wings (and the NP wing, to a lesser extent). Armstrong's next wing will have hard handles as well. FOne will probably have to adapt-or at least have some sort of interchangeable system akin to what OR did with the Glide.
Select to expand quoteMy German is too basic to understand what's going on ...
Chrome and probably other browsers as well will translate on the fly
Usually, yes. But not in case of Davor
I dont know where he comes from but not from Germany. And he obviously doenst use google translate for his posts. Even for German natives it is really hard to get what he writes. Putting his posts in translate from german to english doesnt make any sense at all(give it a try). He seems to be quite competent. It is a bit of a shame that he doenst use translate for his posts.
Select to expand quotepaulweller2 said..
The most recent FOne wing post on Instagram appears to be a justification (interpreted as more of an 'excuse' by some) for sticking with floppy handles. My guess is that FOne decided to delay release since there's so much buzz now with the new Duotone and Cabrinha wings (and the NP wing, to a lesser extent). Armstrong's next wing will have hard handles as well. FOne will probably have to adapt-or at least have some sort of interchangeable system akin to what OR did with the Glide.
Exactly my interpretation of that post.
Hard handles are horrible, I've no idea why people like them! The only advantage is when tacking.
The Strike V2's have the best handles I've tried, especially the front handle. So many other brands get the front handle wrong, making flagging a nightmare.
I think it's not hard vs soft handle what is the best. I do think the fact that the strike and the swing are so lite, so well balance, so made for freefly that the best handle to put on that wing are lite handles and so far, the soft one win for that requirement.For heavy wings, for super grunty wings where you have to be super powered to make it works...a hard handle works best.So no debate, just requirements. I hope one day they do come with super light hard handle and you can change the diameter without costing a fortune, because with gloves...mitts...you need a smaller diameter, if you don't have that, even with a harness your arms will be cooked...a lot of users in the world got that requirement.
Select to expand quoteulx said..My German is too basic to understand what's going on ...
Chrome and probably other browsers as well will translate on the fly
Usually, yes. But not in case of DavorI dont know where he comes from but not from Germany. And he obviously doenst use google translate for his posts. Even for German natives it is really hard to get what he writes. Putting his posts in translate from german to english doesnt make any sense at all(give it a try). He seems to be quite competent. It is a bit of a shame that he doenst use translate for his posts.
hi is from Croatia.
He can only speak german but doesn't write. He is already a bit older. So not that tech affine.
His style is that he just puts the chars behind based on the speaking. This might work well in some languages, but it doesn't in german as we have chars that are not spoken at all, or combinations of chars that sound like a new one, etc.
He has a very close connection to Sabfoil and F-One. and in general an excellent understanding of the technical aspects behind things.
if you are looking for a lighter wing where you can choose between a light and thin boom and soft handles, have a look at the Kauper XT Tyron:
www.kauper-xt.com/tyron-wing
the wing was developed with a lot of feedback from what people wanted. And as you can see on the other manufacturers, and what the pros want:
The soft handles seem to be old. the question is if the future is hard handles or a boom.
I would prefer a boom. And I hope that F-One will at least have hard handles so that I can decide between Kauper and F-One, otherwise, I will go for the Kauper.
Select to expand quoteWST said..
if you are looking for a lighter wing where you can choose between a light and thin boom and soft handles, have a look at the Kauper XT :
www.kauper-xt.com/tyron-wing
the wing was developed with a lot of feedback from what people wanted. And as you can see on the other manufacturers, and what the pros want:
The soft handles seem to be old. the question is if the future is hard handles or a boom.
I would prefer a boom. And I hope that F-One will at least have hard handles so that I can decide between Kauper and F-One, otherwise, I will go for the Kauper.
Did you have a chance to fly the Tyron wing? Can you offer direct comparison to an F-one Strike? This wing sounds very interesting.
Just seen a photo and it seems they have separated the Strut bladder from the main luff bladder, so two separate chambers, the only info I found was so that the strut can be slimmer.As for Handles, cant see FONE moving like the rest to hard handles, it's the same with their boards, they have not entered the chunky thick market either, they still continue with length and volume. Back to the strut, I am thinking maybe for more pressure, due to higher jumps and load bearing?
Bumping this thread to the top, surprised there is Nnot more buzz now that the v3 has been released. Can't wait to get the new 5.5 to pair with my current 8m cwc. Hopefully they come soon, supposedly arriving in 3 to 5 weeks
Select to expand quoteDonathon said..
Just seen a photo and it seems they have separated the Strut bladder from the main luff bladder, so two separate chambers, the only info I found was so that the strut can be slimmer.As for Handles, cant see FONE moving like the rest to hard handles, it's the same with their boards, they have not entered the chunky thick market either, they still continue with length and volume. Back to the strut, I am thinking maybe for more pressure, due to higher jumps and load bearing?
If you remember, a few big names were saying that the next best thing was super compact boxy wing....and now if you look at those company, they are inline with what f-one did. A lot of big names were also making a lot of noise on the swing weight and the length....now with friends who are using dw board in light wind....the fact that the board is very narrow makes them a lot more easy to go rail to rail...and the swing weight not really an issue. I did not see a strike 3 yet, cannot comment on their new version, but with "73 prototypes" for just the 5m, I guess they had some samples to make their decision and "they are not drive by the marketing" of their company.What I putted in bracket was some quotes took in an interview from Raph S.
The interview of Raphael Salles, founder of f-one about the strike v3 is worth a watch (itw in French but subtitles are ok). Very passionate about the sport and new product development.
Select to expand quoteNordRoi said..
A lot of big names were also making a lot of noise on the swing weight and the length....now with friends who are using dw board in light wind....the fact that the board is very narrow makes them a lot more easy to go rail to rail...and the swing weight not really an issue.
Repetition and confirmation bias often work together to take a good idea too far, and block better ideas. It takes guts to go against the "generally accepted knowledge". With wing design, copying others seemed to be more common than checking out new ideas. It's good to see that there are a few companies that are not afraid to test different concepts, even if that requires dozens of prototypes. I think there is still a lot of room from improvement.
I would only consider this wing or any wing if it has hard handles or boom. You can't deny hard handles give much better control and power generation.
F-ONE will continue to lose market share if they do not offer hard handle option.
Downside of hard handles or boom is it's a much more physical ride. It's important to be on the right size for conditions.
It's so common to see people on oversized wings for conditions.
I was able to check out the Strike V3 this week-end at the Pacific Wingfoil Championship in San Francisco. The handles this year are definitely a lot stiffer than the V2. They are still soft and of a similar size as previous version. Just trying on the beach you definitely have a more direct control feel compared to the previous generation. If you get the chance to try one go ahead.
Select to expand quoteboardsurfr said..NordRoi said..
A lot of big names were also making a lot of noise on the swing weight and the length....now with friends who are using dw board in light wind....the fact that the board is very narrow makes them a lot more easy to go rail to rail...and the swing weight not really an issue.
Repetition and confirmation bias often work together to take a good idea too far, and block better ideas. It takes guts to go against the "generally accepted knowledge". With wing design, copying others seemed to be more common than checking out new ideas. It's good to see that there are a few companies that are not afraid to test different concepts, even if that requires dozens of prototypes. I think there is still a lot of room from improvement.
Yes I agree it takes guts to go against the "generally accepted knowledge". If you listened to Wieger's (appletree) interview, he clearly said if he would not have created cut-out on the tail of his wing board, he would not have sell any. He knew that wasn't a good idea, he knew that was a bad decision, but he had to go mainstream. He after saw people filling that cut-out...
Select to expand quotefoilthegreats said..
I would only consider this wing or any wing if it has hard handles or boom. You can't deny hard handles give much better control and power generation.
F-ONE will continue to lose market share if they do not offer hard handle option.
Downside of hard handles or boom is it's a much more physical ride. It's important to be on the right size for conditions.
It's so common to see people on oversized wings for conditions.
I like to ride powered so I can ride a smaller board. My big board is now my 60l Armstrong FG. I prefer to be on my 39l FFB fusion when I can. So an added benefit of the Strike is how smooth the power delivery is. Not nearly as fatiguing as hard handled more grunty wings. Glad we have options.
Re: hard handles
Your view probably depends on the conditions you wing in.
For example, if in Waves and riding flagged out a lot, then a lighter wing, that is super stable and no hard bits to hit you and the board are probably a good idea - i know others i respect (who wave ride only and are super good) say the same.
Also ive read / heard others say softer handles are less fatiguing, easier over powered, easier in winter with gloves, easier to move hand from under/over etc...
I havent used hard handles personally yet (i have strike v2), but i used a boom wing and thought it was horrible other than for flat water blasting...and im an ex windsurfer of 30 yrs. id like to try a unit - the only person i know who has one, dinged their board with it, ha!
i also like NO windows
So will see - i guess its nice to have the option.
The key is options. And the best way to give options is to offer modular systems allowing the user to interchange the handles. OR and Vayu are great examples.
Personally, I prefer a hard handle in front, but I found that I much prefer a soft handle in back and the OR allows me that flexibility. Hard handle gives precision on the front hand, while soft handle softens gusts and makes power delivery smoother. That might not work for everyone, but I like having a system that permits me to experiment and decide for myself.
Based on my experience, hard handles absolutely add low end when pumping. The CWC would be a better wing for its intended purpose if it had handles.
Select to expand quoteCFLKiter said..foilthegreats said..
I would only consider this wing or any wing if it has hard handles or boom. You can't deny hard handles give much better control and power generation.
F-ONE will continue to lose market share if they do not offer hard handle option.
Downside of hard handles or boom is it's a much more physical ride. It's important to be on the right size for conditions.
It's so common to see people on oversized wings for conditions.
I like to ride powered so I can ride a smaller board. My big board is now my 60l Armstrong FG. I prefer to be on my 39l FFB fusion when I can. So an added benefit of the Strike is how smooth the power delivery is. Not nearly as fatiguing as hard handled more grunty wings. Glad we have options.
Hard handles you will use smaller size as you can generate much better power to get up on foil and then not be overpowered when riding. It is more fatiguing for sure but big performance gain.
Select to expand quotenorthy1 said..
Re: hard handles
Your view probably depends on the conditions you wing in.
For example, if in Waves and riding flagged out a lot, then a lighter wing, that is super stable and no hard bits to hit you and the board are probably a good idea - i know others i respect (who wave ride only and are super good) say the same.
Also ive read / heard others say softer handles are less fatiguing, easier over powered, easier in winter with gloves, easier to move hand from under/over etc...
I havent used hard handles personally yet (i have strike v2), but i used a boom wing and thought it was horrible other than for flat water blasting...and im an ex windsurfer of 30 yrs. id like to try a unit - the only person i know who has one, dinged their board with it, ha!
i also like NO windows
So will see - i guess it's nice to have the option.
I have used the unit DLAB 3.5 wave riding and it flags and parks great, you can also fly off front handle and rip turns nicely. It weighs 1.66 kg and that is lighter than F-ONE. I am more concerned with performance than weight personally. It is definitely more fatiguing on the hands that is the trade off for sure. Having the right size for conditions is key. Want to be in the sweet spot with all this performance. I also don't like windows because they just usually look stupid but at least with the new unit they look cool. I agree options are good that is why F-ONE needs to offer hard handles.
Select to expand quotefoilthegreats said..
Hard handles you will use smaller size as you can generate much better power to get up on foil and then not be overpowered when riding. It is more fatiguing for sure but big performance gain.
All "soft" handles are not the same and not all hard handles also. I feel you might makes some shortcuts in your assumption, you must wing where wind is pretty constant(I know it's pretty constant where you wing) :)))My assumption (I could be wrong), is good soft handles on a good wing as f-one absorbe a lot of the gust and is comfortable to use and is something appreciate for a 7 and 8 m...specially inland, with low and gusty wind where most of the customer who buys larger wing are sailing.Hard handles are probably better with small wings where it is tested like Maui with solid wind...I'm not sure hard handles means fatigue at forearms, all the hard handles I've tried was matched with a stiff central strut, stiff frame and was having a bigger handle than a soft, so not 100% sure about that. Of course a bigger diameter means more forearm fatigue of course. Too bad the OR had too soft handles because that would be a nice wing to test if soft handles provide less fatigue than the hard ones, but their soft....too soft they are saying(OR riders). Anyways, the topics was about the Strike V3, it's about the be release everywhere, seems to be promising.
