Naish, Ozone, F One wing review.

[Kaser1]

I've had the opportunity to use all wings for full sessions (F One for almost a year as my personal) and wanted to share some feedback for those interested in the different brands.

Naish 4.6m price $720-$825 (price difference for just the different color)
Pro's-
Good power range
Solid construction, very little flex
Cons-
Handles suck, small and hard on the hands
Windows in the wrong spot, can't see through them effectively to the horizon. Have to lower or raise wing to see through them.
Wing isn't balanced well, when transferring hands wing doesn't fly neutral well

F One 4.2m price $850
Pro's-
Good power, low end really good getting up on foil
Light
Well balanced, luffs neutral well, transfers in hand well
Handles comfortable and skinny
Cons-
Only 3 handles. All other wings had handles all the way down center strut for fine tuning during flight.
To save weight, they gave up durability. Noticed wing didn't perform as well as it was getting soft after 8 months of use.(just sold it)

Ozone Wasp 4m price $749
Pro's-
Durable and relatively light, stiff
Handles are soft and comfortable
Y handles off the center strut to leading edge, very practical and useful
Good power range, low and top end
Cons-
none so far (just bought this one yesterday and did 2 hr session)


So far I think the Naish is on their 2nd or 3rd model, F One still just has V1, and Ozone V1 (heard V2 coming Sept possibly with windows). With that said, still amazed they're not doing a better job.

As you can tell, I think Ozone is ticking all the boxes so far and would recommend them over the others. I have friends that have their Wasp wings from last year and they're still performing good.

Just a note on windows, I don't feel they're really necessary on wings smaller than 5m. Easy to "peek" around the wing on the smaller ones. I have a 6m Ozone and the thing is a beast. But when the wind is that light to use the 6m there's almost nobody around anyways. So no bid deal right now.

Any questions let me know. I'm pretty much full time winging these days. Don't foil surf/sup as it's lost it's spark...too much work LOL! Can't believe how stocked I am for summer flatness and wind on Maui's northside!

Here's proof...

Wing Foil Hookipa

Distance 17.72 mi | Time 1:23:25 | Speed 12.7 mph | Elevation 217 ft

connect.garmin.com

 

[juandesooka]

awesome, thanks for this Kaser ... a side by side review by a non sponsored rider is gold. It is always hard to separate out the hype from reality, with a combination of brand boosters/pimps but also riders who are stoked on their brand because it's what they have and what they know (which can be a combo of having no experience to compare, but also the cognitive dissonance of loving the one you have invested in ;-)

I am really impressed by the Wasp too and am looking to pick up a 6m. My other wing is a 7m Gong V1, which is functionally adequate but not great in a number of ways: it is not stiff enough, so doesn't generate the power it should for its size (and there's a reason they discontinued it within months of release, I think 4-5 new releases since?). I have used duotone 5m once, and adding to all the discussion for and against boom: it really was nice, gave really solid control and ease to slide hands rather than grab at loops.

re: getting soft: that likely means a pinhole leak. For those new to inflated wind toys, here's some long-time kiter advice. If your wing has a pinch valve to isolate the leading edge, when you release it, if you hear a hissing sound, it means your leading edge is losing air slowly. On a calm day, bring the wing to water's edge and dunk it in 2 foot sections, look for bubbles. This will help isolate where the leak is, potentially only have to pull one side one, not the whole bladder. Tie off bladder end with string, then pull out bladder through zipped slot, find the hole, wash with alcohol, tape it with tear-aid type a sticker, pull bladder back in being careful it doesn't twist. This is an unfortunately common task in kiting ... probably once a season on average ... a little picky, but pretty quick once you get used to it.

 

[Kaser1]

yea thought an honest review would be useful. I do get a small discount on the Ozone and could get a discount on Naish if I bought one, just a disclaimer.

paid full retail for the F One

I've also been using a GPS watch trying to push my top speed and was using it during my test sessions. they all had the same speed within a couple MPH of eachother. nothing huge. so unless you're racing, the difference in top speed is minor IMO

regarding your "getting soft" reply..I wasn't commenting on the pinhole issue as I didn't have one, it was more of the material breaking down and getting soft, less rigid. I did have to fix my first bladder hole on my F One a couple weeks ago. Luckily it was only the middle strut bladder, and it was right by the hose so it was easy access.

 

[juandesooka]

getting soft...ah, there you go. I realized a lot of the people here may be new to kites, so the ol' bladder repair thing will be new. It's a deep mystery until you open it up, and then you realize it's surprisingly simplistic. Kiters are excited about new kites as the material is "crispy", then over time is gets limp and then eventually starts breaking down. For performance and safety, usually good to move them along while still worth something. ;-)

GPS...I've started to use mine to test out different foil wings, see if any make a noticable difference. Sure feels faster, but is it actually? Will report back when any results worth reporting.

 

[steamroller]

sheeeooot ive been badgering the living HELL outta alex and karla to get me a Ozone 6m with the GoFoil logo...i still haven't beed airborne with the wing yet...getting left behind

hey kaser... have you been to the next level yet?...