Morning from sunny NZ! Any of you guys who have personally used both Ensis and Armstrong wings... which do you think is better? Or different? I have an A-wing 5.5 which I love... but people seem to be very excited about Ensis right now. I'm looking for a 4.5 (I'm 90kg)
(I could not find a thread anywhere that compares those 2 wings directly)
Cheers!
I have tried both - definitely different.. Ensis seems like a good low wind speed wing - massive and powerful, but hard to flick around for maneuvers in the big sizes.. Armstrong seem stiffer for the size and easier to maneuver. I have only tried the big Ensis not the small one, but saw one at Takapuna out in some breeze and it looked a bit soft when it loaded up.. The three long handles are not my fav but some people seem to like them.. So far I have found most people that raved Ensis hadn't also tried Armstrong, if you have come from Naish or F-One then everything feels good :)
I saw on the latest OK kite boarder just winging it YouTube where he claims that the Ensis suffers some back wind just like on the Duotone Unit (I have the unit and can confirm) .
My favourite wing is the Smik (powerful and no back wind) but I haven't tried either Armstrong or Ensis...
I have Ensis and a few buddies have Army wings. Come to Kohi one day and try mine. I havent ridden both but on the beach discussions would suggest to me that they are similar. The Ensis has a slightly looser leech. Army has the leech line. Ensis is easy to maneuver in tacks etc into the wind. My mates say the A wing is a but of a handful for that but they rate the A wing for jumping. I'm betting they are both high quality wings and very similar in concept . Both pull hard from the front hand and balance out as it gets windier. Both have good low and high end. I doubt you will regret either as a purchase. Handles might be the deciding factor.pros and cons to both, just personal preference and what u get used to.
Never had backwind problems, sounds like bs to me.
Foilsleeve,, I've got all the Armstrongs.. I've also had a session on the Ensis 5.2. & 2.5 ( up to 40 knotish last Thursday).
Armstrong 5.5 feels different to the 4.5 and 3.5. The largest Armstrong does have the grunt of a 6m +which many would agree. The Ensis 5.2, I'd say also feels more powerful than its stated size. Certainly more powerful than a Wasp 5m but I'd say not as much grunt as the Armstrong 5.5. Not sure if it's quite a 6m power though. Despite the Armstrong feeling heavier, I feel the Armstrong is more forgiving than the Ensis as the Armstrong profile luffs, not so with stiffer profile Ensis.
Going to the Armstrong 4.5, it feels lighter, more responsive and generally feels like an upgrade to the 5.5. If you like the Armstrong 5.5, get the 4.5. You'll love it. Then no worries about size cross over or forgetting the pump attachment for the Ensis. Same story for the 3.5.
things I don't like about Armstrong. Bags are too small. Valve caps stay wet along time leading to colour bleed if you're not careful, coil leash is not my fav and.....they only come out in one colour. Armie, are you listening?
i do like the finish in Ensis thou. They look luxurious! The colour schemes are sick and unpacking a new Ensis is quite exiciting but ripping off the toilet papEr wrap on the Armstrong's simply didn't, give me the same buzz...maybe same colour, different size and familiarity with Armstrong.
Overall, get whatever you like as neither will disappoint but In my opinion, for a heavier guy, the Armstrong nudges ahead as I feel it will be more powerful than the same size Ensis given its higher frame/ strut stiffness. You need to try both back to back. Alan Takapuna is your friend.
