Any opinions on fone vs unifoil?
Bennett says fone is better, wonder if he has had a falling out with unifoil as he used to ride uni.
Just want to point out that he is a god, so him using the smallest F One Eagle in most of the posts I see instead of Unifoil may not be very representative of the rest of us lol. But if I was not on Unifoil I would probably be on F One too. Progression was not made with the type of waves he rides in mind, I dont think. Unifoil could release smaller sizes of progression for that size though which would be cool
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When Bennett rode the MA one of the questions was comparing the Armstrong to the Progression. He stated this word for word " I haven’t ridden the progression foils, So I can’t comment first hand, but from what I’ve heard, the MAs turn a lot better and are a lot faster, but the progression has a better low end and more glide. I guess the way I’d think of it is that the progression foils are great for waves in Florida and the MAs are great for the waves in Australia or Hawaii. That’s prob the best way to look at it 
". With this Sid he then aid this about the Armstrong MA compared to the FOne “Different. It’s way surfier. The SK8 is more locked in, so better for bigger waves. MAs turn on a dime 
”. So it really seems according to Mr Bennetts that the progression is great for people that want great glide and handles more imperfections better and the Sk8 is better in good “tow” surf. In my personal opinion being someone that has had the MA and the prog in day to day East coast slop to good surf the progression is WAY better. I think it turns better and glides out for way longer. I could barely ride the MA 1000 and the Prog 140 is a daily driver for me. I am getting a 130 Vyper for bigger days and a tighter turning radius with that said. I also think that it is important what @beepityboppityboop said earlier and will add to that. If you have amazing glassy conditions with lines of swell at the horizon and a ski and driver. You are not only amazingly lucky but also you most likely rip on foil. Which is not consistent to most peoples lives on this forum. In other words although I have not ridden anything F-One I am 100% percent uni because they designed a wing for my day to day.
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There is no progression foil available for the waves Mr Bennetts rides – powerful pacific groundswell. Prog140 is still way too big for his waves.
Regarding Armstrong MA’s, they are certainly not faster than Progression foils, I rode the MA800 and strongly disliked almost everything about it (although of course it could have been poorly tuned).
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I flew a buddies 1225MA and it felt bad and I couldn’t pump. Then a week or so later, similar conditions, I tried it again and loved it, felt super silky turning and could pump forever. As has come up before, really tough to go off first impressions. Also brand to brand comparisons is basically pointless if each has a large range of offerings because every size and family is so different.
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F-one Eagle/Sk8 are not designed for the same things the progression foil was designed for.
I imagine what I’ve said about lift ha90 and progression 140 to hold true for f-one eagle to progression as well. They’re designed for different things and the progression 140 is going to be better for the majority of people in the small waves that foils are designed to work best in.
Listen to the Ryan Arzy podcast for a better explained difference between lift HA vs progressions. Then realize that once you get over the initial impression, the beauty of the progression foils really shines through.
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The progression is a slow eagle (snail+eagle = sneagle 
). They both glide amazing, do everything well. If you have groundswell, eagle is a much better tool. Mushier low period swell, i have not tried the progression in those specific conditions but a lot of ppl like the progression for it. Construction on fone is better imo with the high modulus carbon (stiffer and thinner)
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what about the lift 150 hax? is that better than f-one eagle and unifoil?
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Lift 150x is a better ha170. It’s a DW wing though. Not a surf wing necessarily.
Never tried Progression, had a go on Eagle 790 (which is smaller than 150hax) but with a shorter fuse than I ride on 150x, Eagle 790 is more technical to foil, wish I had had a go on the 990 for better comparison. But the 150x is a very user friendly foil considering its specs. Great low end and top end, smooth, plenty of speed and glide, turns well for its span, especially if paired with KD boomerang or 158 Takuma. A very versatile wing imo.
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The progression foils seem to excel in knee to thigh high waves otherwise they do look a little slow which is probably expected.
I surfed with Adam in waist high waves, with a cross shore crappy headwind and I can assure you the speed and glide he is generating on the 690 is amazing with no stalls or drop outs in the most gutless fat sections but yes waist high faces.
I am sure that there will be many uni crew riding the hyper 2 over the progression in anything but the smallest surf. The dw guys seem to be choosing the hyper 2 also.
Of course a smaller span medium aspect wing will turn more aggressively that a high aspect wing but it won’t pump well enough unless over sized which defeats the purpose for those chasing performance. It also won’t glide like a ha or carry its speed and speed gives options when surfing not in Florida.
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I’ve tried all 3 in chest height surf. Prog 140 pumps/glides/turns a dream in surf up to chest height. Same conditions the eagle required a lot more pump work to keep going, id say need better/bigger surf. The 150x was terrible: turned like shit and has worse glide than the prog 140.
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I’d say the Sk8 likes more power / size and excels in those conditions
quick update, been riding the 780 prone, and it makes headhigh waves in Fiji really easy. But when I tried to takeoff at low tide on overhead sets, it got a bit overfoiled, I guess i could have used the foot drag technique but i think i have found the 780 overfoil limit for my 85-90kg. F-one makes way smaller foils so of course its gonna be better in bigger waves.
Hi, I own and ride the MA 800, sk8 850, and the PP 140. I’m 43 yo 5’6 145lbs and live on the space coast of FL. The 140 is my daily driver especially during all of these summer days, it has enough lift and low in that I have been using it in knee high. It is incredibly forgiving to dig out of a nearly stalled pump, and very recoverable. It turns very well for its size and matches the slower wave speed perfectly. For me, I become over foiled with it over waist high. Then at waist high or so is where I’d go for the sk8, with the short fuse length it feels really loose but turns amazingly and actually pumps pretty well, like a slightly less efficient Lift 120. I towed with it recently on a tiny day and it was amazing, of course speed on demand. I have tried it prone knee high days and it takes a lot more to get up and go. And as for the MA 800 it’s become my tow wing for head high days. Holds well and breaches well but does not pump nearly as well as the other 2. Really need to hold speed and keep the foil high to pump, as soon as it dips down really hard to recover. Hope this helps
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Hi, great thread! I’ve got a bit to add on this….
For ref, I’m 90kg and ride UK knee to overhead mush, lifelong surfer, now prone foil, and wing when it’s windy.
I was on Armstrong for 3 years starting on the HS range through to HA925 then MA1225/1000. I loved the HA’s speed but got fed up with getting dunked by it if I made a wrong move. I was really excited about the MA’s and found them amazing for winging, nice low stall speed and really confidence inspiring, to the point where I felt like I could play with breaching and recover. But prone is my main thing and the MA just didn’t give me the pump and glide I was after for connecting multiple waves.
It was a big move coming away from Armie as I’d invested so much, but I’d had enough. I got sent the Uni- Prog. and Hyper 2 to test out against the F-One Eagle (1090). Loved the Progression for pumping and powered turns, but it just lacked the speed and drive I’m after in small waves. The Eagle won me over in the end, super-fast and easy to ride and just accelerated off the pump like nothing I’d ever felt, even if I’m at the point of stalling I can just blast it back up to full speed. I can ride the 1090 in any waves if there’s enough mush to pop up on, then I got the 990 for anything over waist high.
I also went for a Sk8 1050 and 850, man they’re so much fun! Feels a lot lighter and nimbler under foot than the Eagle, and it’s super friendly to carve but you defo lose that pump magic and some of the speed of the Eagle.
Overall stoked with my F-One choice. Prob would have gone Unifoil if the waves I surf had more power, as the Prog. has a nice combo of manoeuvrability and glide. But for me the Eagle wins as I connect more waves and that’s what it’s all about! 
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