Anyone had a ride or any experience with the Evo yet?

Am considering a couple boards at the moment (Dominator - Hypto Krypto) and a few surf stores have recommended the Evo.
I already have a sweet potato for grovelly surf so want something with more performance.

Jump on the firewire forum. There's a couple of guys from Perth on there with the Evo.

Thanks heaps Justo.. Exactly what I was after..

If you're in WA and after that style of board you might want to check the Katana, Skud. I've not ridden one but there are a heap of guys on here that have and they all seem to rave about it.

Hey Aussie Dave, I had one for 2 weeks before I snapped it, sic board, not a groveller though. Great once it hits 2 foot with a little bit of push, will handle up to about 5 foot (just under 2 x OH).

These things are fast but turn insane and will hold a line when going fast - not like a fish type board - as they are narrow. Just be aware that if you ride hollow stuff on em there is a chance of snappage, the LFT construction is hard to ding but easy to snap. I have had 4 Tomos now, will change your surfing forever (for the better).

My EVO

The Vader before I snapped it (ordered another one straight away - it is that good)

Saw thomo riding the new Evo in mex this year. Looks like it turns on a dime and no shortage of speed in the mushy ones, but he is no mug punter! Would have loved to try it

Had a chat to him after, he said pretty much what goatie said in that it is not a groveller per se, will perform in sucky waves and ledges up to 5 foot, but still performs fine in the mush. Nice bloke to have a chat about it with me too, as I have been thinking about it as a kite/surf cross over for travel one day, but it's a lot of coin for high snap risk, even in kite construction. Maybe should just bit the bullet for a paddle only one

Cheers Salty, that's a great article ..

I ordered my Evo but now have to wait for it to arrive ...

FYI:

I spoke with the Aust firewire rep on the gold coast about fins and he said that unless your surfing some heavy point breaks or need ALOT of drive the thruster setup is more than enough on the Evo for 99% of people and conditions and especially perth & south west where i normally surf so may not need to fork out extra $$ for a 5 fin set (quad/thruster).

I got the same fins chat as above when I bought my vanguard but personally love the crazy speed and power the 5 fin set up generates

Hey AussieDave, make sure that you do a little review on the new stick when it arrives. Really keen to hear how she goes

I may be able to put in a few cents worth here, I have owned two Firewire Dominators, one Hypto and tested a Skud, I live in Perth. So the Firewire Dom was a watershed for me with the volume calculator on the FW website proving worth it's weight in gold. The thing gets gong in 2ft slop which we dine on oh so often. But after riding them for three years I was looking for a bit more performance so I have just ordered a spitfire. Meanwhile I got a Hypto and that thing is so much fun it's a joke, I love the board but I have to stress DO NOT BUY A THAI BUILT ONE as they are simply too weak. I went right through the deck in two surfs just by duck diving etc. Haydenshapes were really helpful and made me a custom to replace it on warranty, just get a custom first up.
Next is the SKUD which will in time be added also to the quiver, for better surf. Little bit less volume than the same length of dom/hypto but goes really well. Also a bit more rocker in the tail. Great build and you can get a shark deterrent built in and Dave is a diamond geezer.

My Evo Tomo arrived last weekend and I've had x 3 sessions.... cant wait to get back in the water! I am 78kg, 6'2". Tomo 5'6 (32.2 l). Waves were chunky 4-8ft beach break. Super stable in the take off, paddles like a 6'4". I was very surprised how easily I could paddle into waves and the stability of the board. Some sets felt double over head in take off and psychology it takes time to get used to feel comfortable on a board the size of an iron board! The Tomo turns on a dime and loves to connect between flat sections with ease. I will probably not surf it again in overhead (6ft+) conditions board catches waves easily, but I did feel like i needed a bit more length to make some sections. The board excelled in the smaller to medium sized waves from waist to head height. Riding medium Futures thruster setup. Two of the big sets broke in front of me with heavy barrel lip coming down... I pushed my brand new board far from me and to my suprise the board popped up (pill shape) relatively quickly unlike bigger boards that would have dragged you with the wave.

Check review here
comparesurfboards.com/reviews/allrounders/tomo-surfboards-evo-review-firewire-surfboards-lft-construction