I thought some people might be interested in a completely independent and unbiased review of the Flitelab AmpJet system. I've been using it for about 7 months now and held off on voicing my opinion until I'd given it a good go.
For background, I'm 50 and about 78kgs. Prior to the AmpJet I've had experience with a Fliteboard, FoilDrive (Gen 1 only) and the Stoke Boost. I had done mostly SUP foiling and had also have tried prone foiling several times without success (I basically found the pop-up too hard). I come from a surfing background so was keen on the AmpJet concept as it felt it was the closest to surfing. I bought the 4'8" short board.
So, the verdict? In short, the AmpJet is INCREDIBLE.
On my very first session in tiny waves I was up and prone foiling on probably 3 out of 10 waves (on a background of 0 out of 10). After a couple of sessions I was up to 7 or 8 and I now get up (almost) all the time. The design is incredibly refined and you can feel how much R&D testing has gone into the whole system. I honestly can't come up with even a trivial criticism of any aspect of the design. I've seen some people ask about comparisons with Foil Drive, but they really are such different products it's hard to compare. I think the comparisons come up because they are both a big outlay so buyers naturally agonise over which path to take. I spent months making this decision. I could not be happier with my choice.
Like I said, I am completely unbiased. I don't know anyone involved with Flitelab, but I think Chris and his team deserve full praise for all of the work they've put into creating a really high quality product that fills a big gap in the foiling market - the gap of making prone foiling accessible without the many hours of learning curve trying to nail the pop-up, by generating a short burst of acceleration to get you onto the wave early with extra time to get to your feet. It's a total game changer!
