I wasn’t into trying new foils this year but got nudged to do a comparison of some of the new ones this fall. Would have liked to have included the Flux but it didn’t happen.
No mind blowing revelations here, just a good opportunity to learn about and understand my own foils strengths and weaknesses vs what else is out there.
how does the silk modular 850 compare to the monobloc any difference? also is the enduro 700 comparable to the silk 850?
I thought the Enduro 700 was faster than the Silk 850 and rolled similarly, but I found it a lot twitchier and less pitch stable through its speed range. Silk 850 also had more low end and pump. Maybe it was just a difference in technique that I never figured out, but I really struggled to pump the Enduro 700 where I can get by pumping the Silk 850 a bit (although it isn’t a great pumper). I think I’m buying a modular Silk 850 for travel, so I will have a comparison to the mono, but haven’t tried the modular yet (all Silk impressions are on the mono).
I found the Enduro 700 just wanted a lot of power all the time and it dropped out if the speed wasn’t there / if it didn’t get that power from a wave, wing, or parawing. Silk 850 is my favorite all around foil and I find it to be very versatile. Sold my Enduro 700 because we just didn’t jive but maybe I would feel different if I had consistently better conditions or if I were lighter.
I weigh ~80kg.
I assume that monoblock is always better to some level. The standard modular fuse pulls the tail in shorter 1/16" which would be a positive in my opinion but I don’t know if I could feel it. Conversely, the modular 1050 gets the tail stretched out further by 5/16" which I am sure would be noticed by someone riding them back to back. No clue about these on the short fuse.
Enduro 700 with UG41: Downwind cheat code for me when the conditions are good. Super fun and has nice carry. Faster than the 850 but turns like a theoretical Silk 975. As long as I’m not being foolish and keep the speed high this has far better glide than the 850.
Silk 850 with Silk 132 tail: Better low end for initial flight than the 700 but more punishing in dead zones. The same spots I would glide through on the 700 occasionally catch me off guard on the 850. Better turns than the 700 and when it’s really pumping if you have a constant power source this foil is all time.
I’d grab Enduro 700 as an all-rounder for parawinging on good days.
I’d grab Silk 850 for Good+ days when I want to parawing laps on a shorter section of steep powerful swell and get better turns/flow.
Both are excellent with the wing and I only ride the 75cm skinny UHM mast.
Code X series just expanded:
Spring in the Gorge would be rad to try the 740x, Nomad 700, Flight Lab 707, and a Silk v2 700ish? 