Will be doing wake in the lake mostly but also will do prone and downwind trips. Which system would you buy into if starting totally fresh right now?
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How heavy are you? Are you riding behind a proper wake boat? How skilled are you?
Example: I ride behind my 24ft center console boat, but the same setup doesn’t work for my buddies wake surf boat.
I can’t say enough good things about AFS. I bought into their system when fuse link mast connections came out and upgraded from second-hand Axis kit.
I want to foil surf-style whether it’s prone or wing and the Silk has been fantastic. Well built, stiff mast, premium product.
If you are essentially surfing wakes I imagine the Silk would do you very nicely, and from what I hear the Enduro & Ultra are doing great for DW. 
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Code. Fully built out foil lines. S series for behind a boat. The newer large foils are specifically designed to sup downwind in lakes.
Kt. Nomad line. But it’s sold out everywhere.
Then every other brand is good too. Afs. Fone. Armstrong.
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Another vote for Code, best connection, wide range, super stiff mast at an affordable price point, no bad foils! I had 3 different brands when I tried code, sold them all and I am all in with code
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Been demoing some gear recently to figure this out for myself. Was riding Lift 150 HAX, but have also tried several of their other foils.
Code 770R/120R blew my mind when I jumped on. After having a hard time on the Lift 120 HA, I thought the 770R and that tiny tail would be unrideable, but it seems to have crazy performance while also being pretty easy to ride.
I also demoed the KT Atlas 790 for a few hours, but wasn’t wowed, which surprised me. It felt good, but I wouldn’t change systems for it.
As others have said, there’s no bad (new) foils. If possible try to demo. I’m avoiding buying anything I can’t demo anymore. It’s a waste of money and my opinions on feels are not always the same as the guys I ride with.
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what setup are you suring on? i’ve been fd-assist surfing between the axis sf900 and v2-999. love the glide of the 999 but prefer the turning ability of the 900. the code 980 looks right in the pocket…
I think you were asking me. I only have Omen foils. The operator 1050 get’s the most use. But I do love when the waves are slightly bigger and I get to use the 850.
I do feel like the Omen Operator is the best foil I have personally used for winging. But they only have the 2 foils. Prone and winging I’m covered. But for SUP I wish they had 1 more larger foil.
Code I would go 720s all day long and not look back. Then maybe a 1300s for SUP.
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Agree with demo if you already can foil. Some people like turning and some like glide. I remember trying out some foil that people love but I personally hate it. I also bought foil based on recommendations and I didn’t like it at all. But that was at the begin of foil revolution. Now majority of foils are pretty good.
Also - if applicable, buy what people near you ride. It opens up lending/trading/the used gear market.
If you have a brand no one near you rides, it can be limiting, and as @Hdip and @Gibbon said, all the newish stuff is pretty on par, so unless you are on the cutting edge of progression, the limiting factor will be you, not the gear.
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Exactly what Tanner said, try and stick with a brand that has a lot of users in your local, can save you a fortune as you progress.
Axis is big in our area, probably over 50% of foilers use it. I’ve lent components, some immediately buy similar or find them not suitable which just saved them a bunch of money.
Resale is also easy as there is generally a pool of eager buys locally.
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It depends greatly on your objectives.
If money is no object and your not over 95kg then fone has been the market leader for the last two years and i don’t see that changing. They have every discipline well covered for most sizes of humans and more importantly most abilities. A fast silky mast and a good connection system if you use the correct size fasteners.
If money is a major factor, like it is for most of us, then i think to be able to try your mates foils before you cough up the cash is a massive advantage even just to get the sizing right for your conditions, skill and weight. This saves buying something only to find it is not what the reviewers and influences have convinced you of. Its also import to have good brand support in your country or area even better, with demo’s ideal. Particularly if wake is your priority as a lot of the brands mentioned have not focused specifically on the peculiarities of what a good wake foil might need to be.
Foils are like fashion on here but not many brands cover all disciplines well. There is a big difference if you think you need to be on the cutting edge versus just needing something that is durable and you can trust. All the brands mentioned above offer great foils no doubt in there niches.
Finally wake does seem to have its own very specific requirements and only a few brands delving specifically into this that i know of. Gofoil, armstrong maybe slingshot?
What would the advice be for high speed winging?
Mike’s lab all the way
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This thread is setting you up for dissipointment.
Almost every single time I’ve gone out on a limb and bought the new hottness its been a huge letdown. I’ll never buy a foil without spending some time on it ever again.
Another point - dimensions matter more than the hottest design -
For prone surf foiling - where i live, at my weight, for the way that i like to ride…I want something with a span between 890 and 950 mm. I don’t care how special and magical the thing is if its bigger than that it doesn’t turn right and if its smaller it doesnt pump. I also want an area between 900 and 1050 - again, smaller wont have the low end i need and bigger won’t have the top end. I tried things my buddies had that were in the venn diagram (there isn’t a ton) and i ended up on the North SF 930 with a custom mast.This meant trying the 930 setup with a 75 mast, i found it was dooable but the carbon fuse was too flexy, then buying a AL fuse (AL Fuse is LIGHTYEARS better) to verify it COULD be stiff enough, then potting in an aftermarket mast, then i really knew it worked so i bought the wings. (for me 77 is the number on masts 75 is too short 80 is too long so i made do). In total i have $700 in the foil and its great - i much happier than with the “hot foil” i had bought without riding for $2400 6 months earlier which i lost my shirt on trying to change bits and pieces on (maybe i need the wing a size up…or the mast a size down…)
I love my north setup, its definately not the best thing in the world but it fits what i do really well and it didn’t break the bank. Also, i don’t care how special the thing you buy is its gonna be worthless in a year or two. Try different stuff, make your own opinions…If your not good enough to have strong opinions that hot new gear isn’t going to matter as much. Don’t ever treat anything as “buying into a new system” - thats how people get stuck riding flexy connection noodle mast armstrong setups for 6 years… “Oho i’d love to change but i’ve got 10K invested in this “System” so i can’t change…”
I have 3 totally different setups for prone, LW wing, and windy wing and they literally don’t have a single part in common. I don’t have more than $700 in any of them (the north setup with the scavenged and epoxied mast and the 2nd hand wings is my “nice” setup)
Also, garbage is great because you can just modify it because its GARBAGE. Oho i want this mast to be shorter let me just cut it down and epoxy it into this fuse and maybe i can get it apart. Lets chop this front wing, lets chop this tail, lets chop the fuse whatever. But i’m a garbage person - i have a garbage car and a garbage house and no real job and i’m a dirty grubby person. So don’t get that hot new euro carbon unless you have a hot euro life to match it.
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Among the 3 brands I’ve extensively used in the last year.
I would recommend Code or Axis.
Axis if you’re more focused on pumping and downwind.
Code if you’re more focused on carves and waves (prone).
I just moved from AFS Enduro to Code, and that’s as serious upgrade, everything feels much healthier.
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As other mentioned
There’s no bad new foils these days.
Variation depending on your use and style.
I don’t like to be struck to one brand, hence decided on a universal mast, Cedrus Evolution wind in my case as I only wing, then change foil brands like changing changing shoes depending on what’s best for my use.
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This is unfortunately not true.
End of 2024, I got a brand new “premium” setup and found a product so immature it felt borderline scam.
Weak connection system that actually breaks, various baseplate designs on the same mast series, 2mm-thick square washers in place of T-nuts (no joke), wobbly unstable mast, etc.
Trust me, 3k will get you a much better product on every aspect (packaging, design, ride experience) on some other brands.
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Always good to hear the full range of experiences with different brands. Thank you for sharing some details and context behind your move from AFS to Code, I was curious after your last post.
Thank you for sharing your experience. Was the damage with the old short helicoils+screws and the old version of the mast plate?