So a lot of talk has been about performance traits of new foils, speed, pump-ability, etc. Has there been anything that has come out that has been easier to learn on? Of the foils you have ridden, how would you rank them on easy of use?
I was talking to a mate about what would have been a good foil to learn on for ourselves the other day (if we could do it over again). I started foiling prone with an NP size Large & he with Axis 92.
We are both on Axis 900's now & agree that these and possibly other HA foils could be good to learn on.
Reason being for the 900 is they are a pretty stable foil (with a 440 stab) & they have nice gradual lift.
High lift when popping up is what we struggled with when learning (prone) & both have progressed quickly once on 900's.
I went to Armstrong after Cloud IX's gen1 lineup. (They make great foils and their newer stuff looks sweet)
I definitely progressed a bunch on the Armstrong, as I think they are easier to ride than the older Cloud IX wings. Now that I'm winging, I added the 2400 wing, which is an extremely stable and fun wing. I bet I could even use it in the surf if I adjust the tail lift.
I'll third that, Armstrong are easy to ride and perform fantastic,I learnt on slingshot infinity 76 and it performed well but was twitchy to ride prone.Ive ridden Naish and they are easy and smooth and good to learn on.
Yeah, that Armstrong is very stable during my short test ride of the CF1600. I'm guessing the AXIS setup will be stable as well judging from the majority of the world are using and their everywhere like flies I don't believe from my experience Gofoil is as stable as those 2 previous brand I mention.
I started kite foiling on an original Carafino, then to stringy (Jim Stringfellow). For SUP/surf foil, started on a Takuma v100 knock off, then to Slingshot, first H4, then H2, then Infinity 84 and 76. Now GoFoil kai/iwa/m200 combo.
I think the industry has matured to the point that all of the brands offer easy to use entry level models. Both my v100 and H4 were big disappointments, way harder to use than the online reviews seemed to imply, then were quickly declared pretty marginal once better models replaced them. But now, other than the Alibaba specials, I suspect you could pick up any brand's basic model and you'd be fine. Similar to kiting after about 2012, all the brands are fairly subtle variations.
That probably doesn't apply to the Gen2 high aspect low profile wings that everyone is now moving too. Those would present a steeper learning curve for a beginner. [how things go full circle, in kiting it was all about high aspect racing wings, then easier surf foils took over, now in surfing it was all about slow stable wings and now faster racy wings are taking over ;-) ]
I'm using 1550 hs which is easy to ride ,fast and turns on a dime with the 0 shim, also got the the 1200 for bigger days and it handles really nicely too. I would call the 1550 a Mid aspect to look at but it performs really well and easy to ride.
I went from Naish to Armstrong after reading Hilly's review on his Armstrong setup. I started with the 1600 wing and thought it was brilliant to learn on and it really helped progress my foiling. I still remember the first time I rode it and could not believe how stable it was yet easy to turn. I didn't have a fall on my first 8 rides! I then got the 1200 wing but found I could only use it on big days not use it all the time being on a SUP and 85kg
I got the 1550 a week ago and love it! Fast , turns and pumps well, good on bigger days and still find it stable! It's a good progression from the 1600 and I look forward to a new Armstrong wing release in 6-12 mths that will be another step up!
bluewave said.. I was recommended to start learning on an Axis 900/440 for. Wingfoiling, I got and Axis. 90 and it was slower easier and more stable...
Naish are easy to ride and good for beginners, but Armstrong are definitely worth the price for the extra performance alone ,as well as half the weight and no corrosion etc.
I started with an early Takuma which was stable and easy and slow then Neil Pryde large which seemed a bit smoother then Armstrong 1600 which feels much the same to me but way more durable. I also tried a slingshot and its probably just my lack of skill but they really don't feel that much different to me even the first Takuma 400 was good. I've just got the Armstrong 1550 with the shorter fuse smaller tail and longer mast and hopefully that will be all I need. I have the smaller 1200 wing but always find it wobbly paddling around and not enough lift Once the wave backs off a bit. I think I prefer to go slower and try to turn more than flat out and feeling too scared to turn! Seems pretty easy to get sucked into the latest hype when what you already have is actually pretty good
DavidJohn said..Very similar performance to the Armstrong foils but no where near the high price.
That is laughable.
Do you pay full price Hilly?
Yep worth every cent. No washing just shove in the car. Super strong run into many reefs with no damage. No noise when up on the foil. Top end performance. Only thing I do not like is the big gap from 1550 to 2400 soon to be remedied.
DavidJohn said..Very similar performance to the Armstrong foils but no where near the high price.
That is laughable.
Do you pay full price Hilly?
Yep worth every cent. No washing just shove in the car. Super strong run into many reefs with no damage. No noise when up on the foil. Top end performance. Only thing I do not like is the big gap from 1550 to 2400 soon to be remedied.
There's also a large gap between 1550 & 1050 that I have heard from a very reliable source will be remedied with a HS1250.
DavidJohn said..Very similar performance to the Armstrong foils but no where near the high price.
That is laughable.
Do you pay full price Hilly?
Yep worth every cent. No washing just shove in the car. Super strong run into many reefs with no damage. No noise when up on the foil. Top end performance. Only thing I do not like is the big gap from 1550 to 2400 soon to be remedied.
There's also a large gap between 1550 & 1050 that I have heard from a very reliable source will be remedied with a HS1250.
DavidJohn said..Very similar performance to the Armstrong foils but no where near the high price.
That is laughable.
Do you pay full price Hilly?
Yep worth every cent. No washing just shove in the car. Super strong run into many reefs with no damage. No noise when up on the foil. Top end performance. Only thing I do not like is the big gap from 1550 to 2400 soon to be remedied.
There's also a large gap between 1550 & 1050 that I have heard from a very reliable source will be remedied with a HS1250.
The CF1200 is a brilliant wing. Looks like a HS
That's what I thought (I couldn't see much difference comparing HS1550 to 1200) but apparently there is a big difference in performance !
DavidJohn said..Very similar performance to the Armstrong foils but no where near the high price.
That is laughable.
Do you pay full price Hilly?
Yep worth every cent. No washing just shove in the car. Super strong run into many reefs with no damage. No noise when up on the foil. Top end performance. Only thing I do not like is the big gap from 1550 to 2400 soon to be remedied.
There's also a large gap between 1550 & 1050 that I have heard from a very reliable source will be remedied with a HS1250.
The CF1200 is a brilliant wing. Looks like a HS
That's what I thought (I couldn't see much difference comparing HS1550 to 1200) but apparently there is a big difference in performance !
Used 3 different ones the other day. 
All have their place but the best all round if you only want one is the 1550.
