Listed on eBay as: "Ultralight Surfing Foil Wing Inflatable Surfboard SUPs Hydrofoil Foiling Kite" for USD $436. Thats pretty inexpensive if they work. But are they junk or quality? Will they last?
link: www.ebay.com/itm/Ultralight-Surfing-Foil-Wing-Inflatable-Surfboard-SUPs-Hydrofoil-Foiling-Kite/203078235428?_trkparms=ispr%3D1&hash=item2f4867f524:g:JlEAAOSwb1BfOFqC&amdata=enc%3AAQAFAAACcBaobrjLl8XobRIiIML1V4Imu%252Fn%252BzU5L90Z278x5ickkrmmq8hWevtuKE7%252F%252BLfVXth%252FI3lDTqX9WTnOR7PjQH5sUw%252FGM0oaRZVi7TBWjNrX%252FWKN7P0cAL7DlaRIRSgiegfxcqG7C8hDdf0IZwABjpJ%252BauhlkbKYs7poPsxjYoutKwG6%252BBeweNogjzVSD747sWB2hRiCN%252BNmFK%252BkkbhkHyH25cfti%252F2XLpYprBkfjpmtgWbjFECwHa%252BY44TjriYRuiTlf%252BzFEdGlgOPzxiKfBBMMMlGiIbffCy7v6RKP18X5pR%252F1CowauSSVMJ%252BnZ5SSQ4F%252FZ5yLjbnSLpRWgCqY3yBjgFtguGmRFaG7fBbtoHcQ7bpYgPL0ME5HnJSdCjcpae3BkltvZuPqMN97f%252BtlW6DzKRb15DXns74EcfVRIEtWxnqROhn6gRB4Rh7ufhlcLYI4ufGG%252B1X6wlZFDK2YpwTHShtc%252FNU7RGOTHKUxuGSrEpfK3DY9%252FbZgsIHVQkgn4uJ1SfDReDAYhIurxlaCT2qRQ1FWsMGZ6UhUq4TRg6DUDhwOktO7i6VtcTdPQvJbvnjJw0LGJAs0FKeNJafjRKhm9eBr0A3b2HO097TdoX2HzMU0oeLuF%252FHkPxhHtfnEqmT1Ot97M%252FfIgn5b6Duy0h25CYblO9M3Y2P3GDk%252BOLgMR2eo6L57iU63uL6xUA8LP47FB5PCJJFVVu%252FJNTjaDoiJXX7UyYm%252FPoc0sfCmYearcOd6k%252Bftzv8REuIOq0Gru9CoHfttBZFOiE344RiDGnCl21hdQIa51Eo0%252FKIUjRjfAkN%252BsIhFi9RLI1cTZCr9Cwg%253D%253D%7Ccksum%3A203078235428636e90efce8347ae94a05ff182d45c93%7Campid%3APL_CLK%7Cclp%3A2334524
Looks decent to me. I've never tried. My main concern would be the availability of replacement bladders. Keep in mind a lot of new 3rd generation wings are coming to market so you'll be able to get good deals on big name brand V1 and V2 wings.
It's obvious to me that many of these are made by the same factories that make brand name wings. It's the little things like extra reinforcements or and inflation valve covers that they seem to often lack. Many seem like they are first generation designs with shallow luff pockets. I wouldn't hesitate to try one given the cost savings.
Regardless of quality and how it would perform, the add states that does not ship to Australia...
You get what you pay for. Yes all wings might look the same , but believe me there are differences between them. It's a feel thing. I'm not one for going down the Alibaba knock-off route myself, prefer to support companies who put some time into product development. Some of the folk who bought el-cheapo Alibaba kite foils learned some hard lessons about the difference between price and value. Each to their own though.
I live in a country with a non-existent used wing market, I need a 4m for those two days a year it blows hard enough here to need it. I am not paying $1200+tax and shipping for a wing I will use that infrequently. As a result, these wings are an option for me. If I do decide to order one I will post up my findings in comparison to my name brand wings.
I remember seeing a Gong wing awhile back, it had exploded along the upper strut seam where it attaches to the canopy. The seam had only a single stitch, not stitched, folded and stitched again. All the others seams had been done properly. It was. V1 so I'm sure the problem has been rectified on the current model, warranty was declined and the wing wasn't worth fixing due to the amount of damage.
Just shows things may look great in pictures but iffy in use and little support if things go wrong.
bot, I am not going to I.D. this insider but they have had a lot of exposure to the construction of our inflatables, When asked about China generics they added commentary not expected...
"Right now everyone is figuring the wing out so none of them are built super well. They need a couple of seasons to learn what is going to go wrong. They're working on them non stop.
The Chinese wings are pretty much put together with no R&D and will be non stop trouble. The gap in quality will increase exponentially as we go forward."
____________________
Add the likelihood the wings you see on eBay, Alibaba, AliExpress, DHgate, etc. are sold from a retail stall on the 8th floor in a Shenzhen retail bazar, or one of about six other cities ....and not, from the OEM source of the labels we have come to know here. Who you gonna call?
If initial price is a concern, DJ has provided the best advice.
Jimmy
I question how much worse it can be than some of the junk I have seen from reputed companies.
Order one and find out. But what's being said is that the reputable companies sold through and fixed theirs (seen a Gong wing or foil lately? Pretty nice.)
the guy on Alibaba won't bother and will get stuck with the bad stuff longer. Also as the fabric and construction improves on commercial wings the China one's won't. They will never pay for the good fabric (typically.)
Bought 2 pairs of slippers recently off of Amazon to try. Both from China, one had a brand, one didn't. Exact same design. One had nice material and rubber. The cheap one was identical but the rubber stank and the fabric was crap. Sent those back, learned an easy lesson.
Wings are cheap to ship. Any used wing off of here or other forums will be better. Northern hemisphere Spring will bring quiver upgrades. Don't reward the knock off guys with you money.
