screamin' across the o-cean! Check out the Juki Japanese sewing machines at the amazing Vietnam factory
A bit surprised by the pricing. $1949 for a 2.5 up to $2649 for a 6.5m. That's a $440-900 premium compared to similar wings from other brands.
www.kitepower.com.au/collections/wind-wings/products/ozone-flux-v1-wind-wing-1
The Duotone Unit reads as a similar wing (very high end fabrics but not Aluula) is $1509 to $1749 for the same size range (from Kite Republic). Duotone tout their MOD3 fabric and Ozone their " ...performance Dacron ..."
The US FLUX prices are $1509 to $2036 (Mackite converted using Google) which seems much more competitive. (Interesting that the small wing is $1509 from two web sites in two countries). The Unit is $1424 to $1774.
Select to expand quoteGorgo said..
A bit surprised by the pricing. $1949 for a 2.5 up to $2649 for a 6.5m. That's a $440-900 premium compared to similar wings from other brands.
www.kitepower.com.au/collections/wind-wings/products/ozone-flux-v1-wind-wing-1
The Duotone Unit reads as a similar wing (very high end fabrics but not Aluula) is $1509 to $1749 for the same size range (from Kite Republic). Duotone tout their MOD3 fabric and Ozone their " ...performance Dacron ..."
The US FLUX prices are $1509 to $2036 (Mackite converted using Google) which seems much more competitive. (Interesting that the small wing is $1509 from two web sites in two countries). The Unit is $1424 to $1774.
Good grief that's getting expensive. I was getting all excited until your post brought me down to earth.
We all fell in love with winging because:
- it has a foil
- the boards were small
- the wing prices were in 600-800 eur range
Now the foils are becoming way too exotic and upgrades every 6 months
The boards start to grow in length (dw light wind hope)
And the wing prices are 2 times a windsurf rig
The happy middle ground is evaporating!
Select to expand quote
And the wing prices are 2 times a windsurf rig
The happy middle ground is evaporating!
You haven't bought a windsurf rig for a while. in uk a wing is around ?1000 for a 5m
a 5m windsurf sail is around ?750 plus you then need mast which is 6-700 for 100% skinny, boom which is 600 for carbon, extension another at least 100. So a windsurf rig is still way over double a wing and with the wing you get more wind range and can use if more varied conditions
I ha a look at these today and was fairly impressed. The quality looks good and the heavier duty canopy material feels like a real improvement. let's be honest, the biggest problem we have in winging at the moment is longevity of the wings. They are all deteriorating far too quickly. The only way this will change if if we accept that wings need to get a little heavier. I recently tried the new Ensis Score LE and it's way heavier than any other wing I have used but feels fantastic with a little bit of wind in it. The weight is not an issue.
hopefully the use of heavier canopy material will negate the need for the fancy expensive materials in the struts.
the oZone looks like a good approach to me.
What materials are used on this new wing as I couldn't actually see anything specific dose anyone know what is being used as the price makes me think it's something special but you would think they would market that bit unless it's just Dacron
Not sure if people are aware of this but in the UK there is a podcast called the Generic Foiling Podcast, with interviews with loads of industry players and riders (isnt too UK focused so depending on the episode should have broad appeal)
Latest episosde #34 is an interview with Rob Whittall - Ozone Co-Founder and Lead Designer - Part 1
"We had a bloody great time chatting to Rob this week, so much so we spent 2.5hours chatting. He actually admitted at the end that he forgot we were recording! Because of this, we've split it into 2 chats - one today, one later on in the week. If you like technical chat, you'll like this episode. If you like industry chat, you'll like this episode. If you like Rob, you'll like this episode. If you like high tech new material chat, you'll like this episode. And, if you like knob jokes, you'll like this episode!
Here on Apple:
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-generic-foiling-podcast/id1637901696
Or eg Spotify or whatever podcast player you prefer
open.spotify.com/show/7wBQo7HwIbwXE8NncFk25z
PS
im not connected to the Freddie / Liam who do the podcast - just a regular listener
PPS
in terms of transparency Freddie (who is behind the camera in the video above) is the UK Ozone and Axis "importer / rep", but this podcast isnt a sales pitch eg they talk to other brands and riders
Impressed enough I'm getting at least the 3.6.
Having been consistently underwhelmed by Ozone's wing offerings over the years, appears they've finally put out the wing they were always capable of. They've been riding on their Paragliding / kite racing rep and the raw talent of Heineken who could of won any race on a V1 Naish.
Check out what this company is actually capable of,
Ozone V1 and fone were the only brands that got on the market early that turned out to be reliable and actually work well and proved better than the rest. They were better than some companies v2. Ozone v2 was light and the best at the time in my opinion. Very draft stable, stiff and smoother than the rest. Ozone product can always be trusted to be fully r&d and at the forefront. Not sure where your comments come from. So many brands in the wing space that were fashionable turned out to be heavy unstable and a pain when surfing on the front handle let alone the subject of too many warranty claims.
I buy my own gear and appreciate brands that can be trusted. I still wouldn't trust Armstrong, duotone, naish, cabrinah and many others all with history now of using their customers for r&d.
Bumping this thread to see if more people have had a chance to try the Flux yet. Seems like a very good wing but looking for people who have had a chance to ride one.
I could try my 5.7 in gusty conditions a few days ago, but can only compare it to my Ozone WASP V2 wings.
The Flux is heaps better than the V2, lowend, topend, handling, everything.
The lowend feels comparable to my V2 6, the top end like or even higher than my V2 5, but with much more speed and control.
The small diameter handles are nice, the weight of the 5.7 is about equal to my V2 5.
Compared to the impressions i got on the 6.0 Unit Dlab, which i tried recently, the Flux had a little more flex and rebound when pumping, which i like more than the solid feel the Unit had.
I hope to get some more sessions on the weekend.
I had a chance to borrow the 5m Ozone FLUX demo from Kite Power over the weekend. I think it's the first batch landed here.
I'm 82Kg and have been winging for 4 years, 90% of the time focused on wave riding. I currently own Ocean Rodeo glides 6,5 and 4m which have had 20 months hard use. I've been looking for a replacement for my 5m for several months, I briefly bought and quickly sold a DLAB unit which I discovered was a step backwards for wave riding.
To be honest the the Ozone marketing showing Johnny Heineken wining all the races turned me off a little but there is nothing like having access to a brand new wing to test.
The wing weight is 2.4kg and feels light in your hand,the strut and main tube is a much softer material than normal Dacron they pump with seperate Valves and the frame is super ridged, The first impression is the incredible build quality, it's next level there is not a stitch out of place and the result is a super smooth finish on the leading edge that just looks fast.
Day 1 .
Botany Bay gusty westerly 12-25 knots with friends riding OR 5m and DLAB unit. The wing had a nice feel to the pump onto foil on the inside where it was light. Then it builds apparent wind speed quickly it's very smooth and so quiet. You quickly realise this is something different as you point higher and higher on the wind. We normally all make about the same tacking angles, but I could easily out point the others (about 100m over 1km further to windward) and we were all well powered. When the gusts hit just sheet in a go faster, next time I would wear a harness doing this type of sailing to lock in. Coming downwind playing on the bumps riding the flagging handle it's very neutral and floats without any wobble. So first day I was impressed but this isn't the type I sailing I do normally.
Day 2.
Local reef break with 1.5m swell side shore SW 10 - 16knots very patchy not enough wind for most of our crew so this was a real test. I would normally use my 6m so I put on my Armie MA1475 instead of MA1000. This made it super easy and fun in the light conditions. The Ozone FLUX has very good low end and the second you get on foil speed build quickly then you start pointing higher and higher. Then you gybe onto a wave and the front handle you can forget about it and that is all I really ask of a wing for waves. The bonus is you can get back to the waves upwind of the next guy for priority.
So after 4hours testing over a variety of conditions I'm genuinely impressed so much so I bought the 5m when I took the demo unit back. The 5m has such a huge usable wind range I don't see myself needing a 6m again and maybe just get a 3.6 later. I was going to wait for the Armie XPS to test first but they have been delayed.
Some have questioned the higher pricing of the Ozone FLUX (myself included) but this is a high performance wing. My advice would be try this wing back to back with a DLAB unit (which I have done) and then see what you think about the price.
For anyone who wants to win races or just be the most upwind person at your local spot it's a no brainer at the moment. For people who want to ride waves the OZONE flux it's up there with the best in this category.
KB7
Another session with my 5.7 on the weekend. First impression about the impressive range and easy handling has been confirmed.
My friend who's about 17 kgs lighter than me was a on a 4m Unit all day, and even he was amazed about the topend of the Flux when he tested it.
While he was on my 5.7 Flux i used his 5m Unit and i found the Flux overal better, especially in these regrards:
- Pumping: more rebound and less sensitive to sheeting angle
- Topend/gusts: Unit is much harder and more direct, needs more attention. The Flux just keeps accelerating and feels like it eats up the gusts.
- Handles: more grippy and comfy, smaller and round diameter compared to the oval handles of the Unit
Anybody know how to remove the handles? I want to install fixed harness lines on my 3m.
Have a look at the Severne windsurfing harness lines. Have open Velcro ends so you don't need to take handles off. Been using them for over 2 years for winging, they are great
Ion makes such harness lines as well.I have the Flux 4.3 and 5m and can fully agree with KB7. Feels and looks as a high performance premium wing. points up really high, surfs awesome and I don,t know how they do it, but the Flux is also the best tacking wing I tried. I can probably sell my Cabrinha Mantis 2023 and Unit Dlab 2022 5.5 because I doubt if I ever use them again.
At 72kg, I'm looking to replace my 4m Unit v2. This will pair with my 5.5m Unit v3 to round out my quiver.
can anyone comment on the range of the 3.6 and 4.3? I'm leaning 4.3 as I'm downsizing my board (75>48L).
Select to expand quotemikesids said..
Have a look at the Severne windsurfing harness lines. Have open Velcro ends so you don't need to take handles off. Been using them for over 2 years for winging, they are great
Will do. Apparently the handle is not really removable. Haven't used the wing yet but the built quality is outstanding. Also comes with a bunch of materials if you need to get repaired. Handles feel great. For a 3m it does seem on the larger size. Now thinking I need the 2.4m too.
Select to expand quotegneve said..
At 72kg, I'm looking to replace my 4m Unit v2. This will pair with my 5.5m Unit v3 to round out my quiver.
can anyone comment on the range of the 3.6 and 4.3? I'm leaning 4.3 as I'm downsizing my board (75>48L).
I would go for the 4.3. Not that is smaller in power to the Unit, but because the upper windrange seems to be limitless.
I like the wings where the struts have the wrap around reinforcement that goes around the strut - it make more sense structurally (some wings last way longer than others, but I sold my ozone 4.0, earlier version because it just was so unstable in high winds)
Select to expand quoteleepasty said..
And the wing prices are 2 times a windsurf rig
The happy middle ground is evaporating!
You haven't bought a windsurf rig for a while. in uk a wing is around ?1000 for a 5m
a 5m windsurf sail is around ?750 plus you then need mast which is 6-700 for 100% skinny, boom which is 600 for carbon, extension another at least 100. So a windsurf rig is still way over double a wing and with the wing you get more wind range and can use if more varied conditions
Yeah, but the windsurf rig lasts more than a season ;-(.
Select to expand quotepatronus said..leepasty said..
And the wing prices are 2 times a windsurf rig
The happy middle ground is evaporating!
You haven't bought a windsurf rig for a while. in uk a wing is around ?1000 for a 5m
a 5m windsurf sail is around ?750 plus you then need mast which is 6-700 for 100% skinny, boom which is 600 for carbon, extension another at least 100. So a windsurf rig is still way over double a wing and with the wing you get more wind range and can use if more varied conditions
Yeah, but the windsurf rig lasts more than a season ;-(.
Not if you use it as much as a wing, swim it out through waves, stick your fins through it, ride it crazy overpowered, leave it on beach getting sandblasted. All the things and the amount of use a wing gets would also tire a sail out in a year, just look at a sail from pozo after a season or if you go to Gnaraloo for 3 months your sail will be dead
Select to expand quotegneve said..
At 72kg, I'm looking to replace my 4m Unit v2. This will pair with my 5.5m Unit v3 to round out my quiver.
can anyone comment on the range of the 3.6 and 4.3? I'm leaning 4.3 as I'm downsizing my board (75>48L).
I'd recommend the 3.6. On my last holiday trip i (93kg) often was on the 4.3 flux when all the (mostly lighter) Unit or Slick riders where on their 5s.
With your weight 3.6 is plenty since the Flux has an amzaing low end too, if you pump it with a high cadence.
Paired with 5 Flux you'd have the perfect setup.
Really impressed with the flux 3m. It's just so stable and forgiving. Feels like it has no top end (to be confirmed) Flags amazing. Decent low end to get going. Feels like I can almost go straight upwind. Only thing not to like is having a white canopy. This wing is miles better then my 2023 Unit Dlab 3.5m.
First Session on Ozone Flux 3m
I have had my first few sessions on a new flux 5m, and what can I say, genuinely blown away, the build quality is on another level, it's an absolute masterpiece. Having used, Strike, Fly (NP) and Slingshot this is on another level. low end is ridiculous, at 93kgs getting the sizing right is always going to be difficult, but I think this was the right choice. Having a DW sup board also gives me that light wind option. haven't had a chance to test top end but it's pretty windy this week in the Uk so hopefully will put it through the ringer. the Handles were my only concern as they felt quite narrow, but they didn't give me any issues, really like the though behind the softer bumper on the front hard handle, stops it knocking Lumps out of the board and your head. the weight and balance are really good, the flux just sits beautifully on the flagging handle and also very balanced in the pistol grip. someonelse mentioned how quite the flux is, absolutely zero flap anywhere, even during your gybes, that caught me out a bit the first few times as it seems to have instant power the moment you place the back hand on again, just meant I could glide further through the gybe before putting the back hand on again. upwind - ludicrously good, before you know it your way upwind! And what's odd is that you don't really feel like you're making an effort to do that, the flux doesn't seem to luff out or get that horrible flappy canopy when close hauled. I think it was a great purchase and Ozone have really delivered a top quality wing here. Now which size do I get next that is the question.
