Takuma Wing RS

Now that's looking REALLY good. I'll be curious to see the weight and pricing. Takuma had been on the heavier but cheaper side of things so far.

Won't b available in US till April/May...

why isn't it a one pump system?

Great looking wing and dropping a pound from the WK will be very welcome! WK was already fairly pricey here in Canada though...

The angle on the front handle is the same angle the new Unit has. The Unit bends the struts to provide the angle. I like these new angles much better than a straight boom. Both solutions avoid the hand pinch with the BRM handle angle.

Any ride reports? How is the quality? Will the handles hold up?

Here's my take on this wing...
Background: Been foiling for years and wing-foiling since almost the very beginning of the sport. So I'd say I'm an advanced level rider. I predominantly ride waves here on Oahu and use the wing to catch them. Not doing many tricks or too many airs because I like riding waves. Sampled FOnes, Reedins, Ensis, and Takumas. Ride Takuma foils mostly. This is in reference to a 4.3M that I've had since they were released used maybe 10-15 times. I don't use it lately.

It's a great wing, but it's not the best I've used for what I like. A main gripe is that it tends to dive when luffed. Not a huge deal but likes to pull down. Sometimes on waves when the wing is doing this it's annoying because you have to fight it a little. Compare that to an FOne which doesn't even move and can fly by itself. This is more powerful than an FOne of the same size, so...tradeoffs. The battens work great to add tension in the tips but upon popping my leading edge one day on a wave, I almost lost a batten that was falling out while I was getting smashed in whitewater. Having something extra to lose is not ideal. Another gripe is the handles. While they're great and all wings should have some version of a more rigid handle, after a few uses they started falling apart. There's a rubber grip wrapped around the carbon bar held with glue. It's pulling back at the edges, more so on the front handle. The fact that it happened so quickly means it will happen on all/most and deteriorate over time. Packing up is ok, there's a way to do it by using the battens and the rear handle to kind of roll and fold. Battens need not be removed. The bag you get is really small/narrow and quite a tight fit, especially with a pump in there.

That being said, it's probably a step up from many wings out there and has a lot of drive/power for its size. Easy to tack. Lightish for it's size. Decent wrist leash. The inward curving wing tips guarantee it's super hard to touch the water with this wing. It's a great wing but not perfect. IMO the Reedin Superwing V2 has this wing beat on mostly, if not all, levels. The 3.6 Reedin can easily handle the same wind I'd use the 4.3 Takuma in, say maybe 15ish mph.

Had my first go on this wing yesterday. Rode a brand new 4.3 (red one) in 12-20kts wind. 88kg rider on 80L board with 925HA foil.

It was a not an ideal day for riding, but great for testing gear. Due to the wind being up and down it creates an "honest" testing condition because the wing was asked to do maximum work on short notice when the gusts rolled through, and again asked to help keep the glide going when the wind shuts off.

Overall, underwhelmed. If you are a fan of the earlier versions of this wing and just wanted solid handles, you'll be happy. But there are much better V2/V3 wings out there. The wing rode "true to size". I had a 4.3, was hoping for more power, but it had the same power as my v1 North 4.2. The v2 North 4.2 has heaps more power. The old Armstrong 4.5 had more power than this wing.

Handles were skinny, oval and tiny. My fingers wrapped all the way around to where I was digging into my palm like I was making a fist. I ended up having to hold it by hooking it on the second joint of my fingers. My wife with her small hands and gloves on, found the size just right. I wear size M gloves, so my hands aren't huge. I suspect people with larger hands will get tired fast holding this thing.

Performance: I was expecting power (no) and great upwind ability like many of the new generation wings I've tested. This wing was slightly worse than the Armstrong v1 , just ok upwind. Something like the Reeding speedwing X, would run circles around this thing.

I am glad takuma tried a bunch of new things on this wing, but the results were not impressive. The stiff inserts did not make the wind stiffer or perform any better. Wing tips were not less draggy. The x-ply and all the new panels did not make the wing ride better or more powerful. The carbon handles were very light, but too small.

Lastly, this thing cost about 30% more than regular wings in the market, which make it a solid pass for me. For ridged handled wings, I would rather have the North Nova 2, Cabrinah's offerings, or even the Duotone Unit 2.

To use a car analogy, this wing reminds me of the Mitsubishi 3000GT VR4 from the 90's. It had a bunch of innovative features (AWD, 4 wheel steering, active aero..) which all sounded good on paper, but in real life it was a mediocre sports car.