Gong review thread.

Clamsmasher

Michael Peterson status
Apr 22, 2013
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As mentioned in the other thread, my mate ordered a 3 wing setup from Gong.
M, L , XL with (I think a 70mm and 80mm mast).

Most of this will be a comparison between the Gofoil Kai, Iwa, 200 24” mast set I have.
I’ll add increments as I ride all the wings, different boards etc. sorry no pics right now, but I’ll try to get some comparison shots to upload when I can.

The M is a bit bigger than the Kai. Not by much
The L is a bit bigger than the Iwa. Not by much
The XL is about the same as the 200.

The finish is nice, actually nicer and more precise than my Gofoil....I’m not sure how old mine is, but the Maliko stab looked like it was drawn by crayon until I cleaned it up.
They come in a nice carry case.
The wings are a bit heavier than Gofoil.
The wings are a bit Flatter than Gofoil. NOT MALIKO 160 FLAT, but a bit less anhedral.
They aren’t copies of the Gofoil in outline or profile, but are quite similar in most respects.

I only rode the XL today. Board was a 4’0” choad I shaped. First up I surfed my M200 on a nice light 4’4” of my construction. Wave was a 2’ wedge with whitewash takeoffs. Easy wave especially for 2fors. Had fun.

Strapped on the XL and repeated.

Gong was lifty, maybe a tad faster (I’d say def faster than the og Maliko stab). I needed to move it further up in the boxes compared to the 200.

It didn’t roll over as easily as the 200 (not by much) but it did yaw more easily with the flatter wing etc. minor adjustment to technique on my part and it was all good.

I got a nice pump run on it, and it did every thing it should’ve done.

So far so good! A bargain for the price.

 

Hdip

Michael Peterson status
Apr 23, 2005
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Thanks for the first thoughts. Post more thoughts as they come up.

What would you make of this review off seabreeze now that you've ridden one.

I have the naish' large and the 80 - very different beasts the gong is not as smooth - maybe just size - it feels every bubble in the surf where the Nash cuts thru . It's still a lot of fun tho and can carve nicely. It is slower but not excessively so.

EDIT: Oh and would you go L & XL or L & XXL? for prone and learning to downwind?
 

Clamsmasher

Michael Peterson status
Apr 22, 2013
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It’s not really a fair comparison as the Gong L is close to the Naish XL in size. He’s gone up an entire size, I’m not sure what he expected, or if he’s ridden the bigger Naish but it isn’t apples and apples. The difference in lift and wing loading is pretty major when you add 4-500cm2.

As for which wings....I don’t know if you want to stretch the budget any more, but I would go with 3 wings, probably M, L, XL. Otherwise L, XL. I think that would have you fully covered unless you surf bigger juicier stuff.

I’m not a downwinder, but it’s on the list. My friends around here are really accomplished at it though (Sup and prone), and they never really needed or liked the M280 which is close to the XXL. They used the M200/Kai stab. All of these guys swapped the Gofoil M200 for the Axis 102 and modified tail stabs. I think that is mostly due to the Maliko stab being really bad.

Some people do start on the huge wings though, but they seem to outgrow them quickly.
 

Hdip

Michael Peterson status
Apr 23, 2005
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Oh you have a gong thread. That's why I couldn't find your review in the best foils thread.

Long term reviews of the Gong? My buddy is at the stage where he needs to buy his own gear.
 

Clamsmasher

Michael Peterson status
Apr 22, 2013
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The weights are all broken down on the site, but they are heavier than my GF setup. Not too bad, and they fly just fine.

The wings are similar to GF in outline, but have slightly different foil cross sections...not as round on the leading edge. I felt they were a bit less draggy than the bigger GF wings, but I’ve done some major surgery on my stabs, so maybe not so much now....

Not really like the M160, but less overall anhedral than the standard GF wings. A bit more area than the corresponding GF wings. Been a while since I rode the Gong, but the difference meant it was more stable in roll, and more lively in yaw.

The Gong are not as “reef-proof” as my GF. The mix of glass and carbon in the Gong wing is less resilient especially when the wing/stab gets raked over the sharp rock we have here. My mate has messed up the edges on his stab pretty bad, but it’s nothing you can’t fix with a sanding block. The GF is pretty much unbreakable in my experience........none of this would really matter if we weren’t foiling super marginal reefs though.

The Gong has a small issue with the mast slopping around a bit. It’s been done in-depth on Seabreeze, but silver tape fixed it right up.

I still think the Gong is good value. It surfs great, it’s cheap and has a full compliment of wings. Will be great if they run some high-aspect wings too, like all the other kids.
 
Dec 5, 2018
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Good, report, yes it is a good value for sure, no doubt.

I'm not a big fan of the brand for different reasons but one thing for sure is that Patrice the owner is reactive so it should not take too long before he offers a hight aspect wings.
 

sozzle

Michael Peterson status
Feb 23, 2009
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i picked up a new gong ''pro' foil yesterday in the large size,77cm - 1227cm projected.
it looks really nice compared to the old classic version,

it’s 6mm thinner overall and 20mm narrower on the chord, 70mm wider, the leading edge is significantly more refined, more on par with the newer naish 2020 wings, it has a lot more dip at the tips compared to the old one, generally just sexier and curvier all around,

took it for a desperation session last night to try it out before i take it on a trip this weekend,

is was the smallest waves i've ever caught on a foil, literally not even knee high but i managed to get it up and down the line a few times before the bank flooded out,

it felt fast and pretty manoeuvrable for what the waves were, third wave pumped off the back and it felt good until i pumped into the sand, the tide meant it was the end of the session anyway.

wish i could tell more but for the money its looks really good. 239 euros? bargain!

i did pick up the new 250cm surf stab too, that is considerably more refined than the old one, more down curved and thinner, narrower chord also.


pics comparing to the 'classic' gong medium.

any questions just ask.













and a pic on top of the takuma/lol 1600 wing


 

Hdip

Michael Peterson status
Apr 23, 2005
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So it looks like they went more along industry lines of sizing as far as naming medium/large/etc.

That last picture of the gong L over the LoL 1600 is real interesting. Can't wait to hear the comparison of those two when you get more time on it.

Oh, also, is there a significant difference in weight? I'd expect them to be much lighter.
 

sozzle

Michael Peterson status
Feb 23, 2009
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i know one thing, it won't be fvcked after an encounter with the reef like the takuma was.
got 2 weeks in hossegor this weekend but looks like good swell so might not take it, or maybe i will, just in case...
 

sozzle

Michael Peterson status
Feb 23, 2009
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Hdip said:
Oh, also, is there a significant difference in weight? I'd expect them to be much lighter.
the old 1258 medium wing was 1.7kg
the new 'pro' 1227 is 1.4kg, a can of pepsi difference.

keen to see what the gong carbon mast setup turns out like, can they get it on a good price point and still be solid? it'll be interesting to see.
 

juandesooka

OTF status
Jan 12, 2009
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Good reviews, thanks for taking the time. I bought a Gong wind wing, happy with the quality relative to price. Friends who are considering getting into foiling, I have been pointing them towards Gong as a good starter option.

Will be curious about their carbon set up. At the moment I am locked into slingshot, in keeping this bizarre hobby as cheap as possible, so I sacrifice weight for heavy duty and cheap(er). However, my wife worries about safety, and pretty much a-ok'ed me spending more money on a fancier carbon set up if it means me being safer. Hehe. :)

 

sozzle

Michael Peterson status
Feb 23, 2009
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to be fair, the takuma LOL 1600 wing is so fvcking sharp at the rear edge it shits me to ride sometimes, pretty ridiculous in my opinion, some rider safety has to be a genuine question with these things sometimes surely?

the new gong pro is really dull edged,

not sure how much difference the carbon mast makes safety wise but some people do say they aren't as sharp, the takuma alu mast i'm using with my gong wings is sharper than the gong alu mast for sure.



 

juandesooka

OTF status
Jan 12, 2009
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that was a part of the GoFoil marketing early on: all rounded edges, minimized changes of getting cut or hurt. Though I bet if someone did a survey of surf foiling injuries, it would be 10 to 1 gofoil vs other brands combined ... but only because gofoil has had 10x the market share (how to lie with statistics)

My Takuma v100 clone had viciously sharp edges and corners, I took a file to them. We wear 5mm wetsuits and booties year-round, which generally sucks, except in foiling...that extra rubber kinda feels safer. I have a 3" slice in my wetsuit from a wing tip (the slingshot infinity wings get jagged, become serrated blades) ... scary to think what it would have done to my thigh if just wearing trunks.

I am fine with what I have, but i wouldn't turn down a lighter setup too. So I can start working on airs ;-) I have to say that used combo pack of used gofoil gear for $1000 a few weeks back was a bit of a "hmm" ... with all the brands getting into the next product release of the "must have" gear, it means last year's "must have" gear will start to become economical. Bottom feeder bargain hunters like me swoop in.

Oops, sorry for hijack. Back to Gong: I hope I convince someone local to buy in soon, so I can try them out!
 

Hdip

Michael Peterson status
Apr 23, 2005
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Sozzle weren't you going on a trip? Shouldn't there be long 3000 page reviews of new foils by now?
 

sozzle

Michael Peterson status
Feb 23, 2009
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The old medium wing turns really well but pumps like sh!t.

It could be the rear stab I’m running being too wide but I didn’t bring the cut down one with me, if a stab change frees it up it could be pretty good,

I wouldn’t be rushing to buy it just yet until a stab change is approved.


another dude was running the same wing/stab as me and said exactly the same thing, doesn’t want to turn. He said the xl pro was way easier to turn

the waves here are kind of shîtty for foiling with huge rips everywhere, nothing like home.