Feel like a lot of people are deciding between these three foils at the moment.
Would like to get people’s thoughts and comparisons in one place, especially anyone who has ridden both
I see that people love how the enduro’s roll, but KT’s might also have this positive seeing that you can go down a size or two vs the AFS?
And it has to be considered that you can get a KT plane + 2nd front wing for about the price of 1 enduro plane.
I am most interested in using them for winging (small waves, downwinging, parawinging). Coming from cab foils I want more glide while still maintaining surfy feel and drive in turns.
“Atlas definitely has a much better low end than the Enduro, but that’s normal considering the camber.
The Enduro still has lot of glide, quite a bit more glide than the Atlas. I would almost compare the 680 Atlas to the 900 Enduro in terms of range of conditions they will excel in.”
I think it was because of this that my expectations for enduro stall speed were low enough that I felt surprised by how slow it actually felt, maybe he was using smaller ha tails
Long story short. If you want affordable stuff and a one foil do it all, go with the Nomad.
I think I could get away with the Nomad 830 as my one quiver foil and be really happy.
If you want a more refined experience with 2 or 3 front wings and you’re willing to spend
more to achieve that, AFS is a better choice imo.
I only have the enduro but something that is probably sure is that those tubercules really filter out the noise in choppy conditions. Going back to back with other setups, it is crazy how much smoother the experience is, it’s like driving a bmw/mercedes on the highway.
For the construction afs might take the win with their ultra stiff ufm layup.
The main question is the front wing design with the massive camber difference, how it affects the speed range, glide and turnability.
KT Atlas and nomad are price/performance with a huge range. Since someone switching to our system has limited options, the wings need to cover a lot.
Enduro front wings have a narrower range but great performance in that range. Their UHM mast is awesome and is a big reason for the smoothness.
A good way to compare wings of different design is stall speed/span. The Atlas 680 and Enduro 900 have similar takeoff, but the Enduro has a 994mm span vs the Atlas 860mm span. This means the 900 Enduro is more comparable to something like a Code 770R, which also has a similar takeoff and span. This isn’t a perfect comparison as area definitely changes the feel but it works better than area/span.
The mast affects smoothness because of how its drag changes with immersion. A lower drag mast will have less change in drag for a given change in immersion, leading to less pitch disturbance of the foil and the feeling of riding in smoother water!
I’d recommend trying them if you can to see what fits your needs best!
I’m excited to explore what’s possible with more (and less) exotic materials and specialized design. The future is bright!
I love that riders have so many good options to choose from
Does the Atlas 570 compare to the speed range of the enduro 700?
How does the Atlas compare in pumping and surfability? (Does having less surface area foil imply a more energy demanding pumping?)
Having a massive speedrange with the camber makes a lot of sense to have less span/area in the surf!
Great insight Kane, thanks! What would you recommend for someone on the Progressions wanting some more Glide and Pump for Downwind(wing)ing without loosing too much roll/manouverability? My go to would be the 140 mostly, maybe 200 on short fetch lakes, 125 if fetch gets decent…200 on the downwindsup, but still struggling with the paddleup…Have a Signature Glide 2050 but man that thing is no fun to ride, the roll is so awkward…Thanks!
I’ve had the AFS enduro 700+uhm 85cm mast and KT atlas 680+hm 85cm mast for a little while now. For the masts AFS takes the clear win, stiffer and thinner (13 vs 15mm), the difference can be felt straight away in drag and control, what a mast (!). That being said the KT mast is really good already, I am guessing it’s in line with the rest of the industry. The enduro is less tolerant to stall at low speed, especially when trying to pump it back up to speed and high on the mast, the atlas is much easier to manage. On the top end the enduro has a smoother feel, feels less draggy. Surfing and carving the enduro takes the win, somehow the roll is really free (Laurent Borgna’s magic sauce…), and the tubercules smooth out a lot of the noise.
Very much in love with the nomad 700 though, as it makes a super small surf wing very friendly to prone. Would have to compare with the silks which I have yet to try, would be keen to hear if someone has ridden both.
Will report back if anything else appears in further testing those wings.
I ride the Enduro 900 with a short fuse and the Silk 142 tail all the time in the surf and have always loved that setup. But my brain got completely rewired after demoing the KT Nomad 830 long fuse with the same Silk 142 tail. I had to sand the front nub off the tail to make it fit the KT fuse, then ran it with a -0.5 shim as recommended. First wave in, it felt unreal. I went on to try variations on the sim up and down 1/2 degree, but returned to the feel on -0.5. The Nomad 830 rolls rail to rail quicker and smoother than the E900, and the turning radius is noticeably tighter. It pumps like it’s filled with helium. Honestly, it feels easier to pump than my E1100, and every pump moves you a surprising distance. Linking waves felt almost effortless. The E900 still wins on speed, glide, and stability through turns. It feels more planted and confident, just not as playful. I can only imagine how spicy the N830 would get on the short fuse. I haven’t tried that combo yet, but it’s on the list. As for which one to own, I’m still torn. The Enduro quiver is rock solid, and the KT lineup has its own magic. If I were paddling out into clean 4’ point break waves tomorrow, I’d probably grab the N830 first, and maybe swap to the E900 mid-session if things started getting punchier.
is he here?
Afs mast are all super skinny