hi im just getting back into sailing. can someone tell me the difference between these 2 sails apart from 3 to 4 cams and 7 to 9 battens. whats the performance difference . im looking at slalom /speed sailing mostly.
will I notice the difference .??
thanking u in advance

Better top end in the reflex, but i think only a pro would notice it. I've sailed both (got reflex 8s atm) i changed from overdrives largely because i found the rotation better in the reflexes. They've probably fixed the rotation issues by now.

My mate whitey 76 currently sails overdrives of varied vintage, and quite regularly beats me round the race course.(ok, its all the time).

money can't buy you skill (unfortunately)

same here, got both sails in 2 sizes (7.0/7.8)
prefer the OD for handling and rigging, lighter sails too, only go for the reflexes when I'm drag racing and need top end speed.
OD are just perfect for foiling too !!!!!!!

thanks very much for feedback

Looping my rope to attach my Maui boom to the mast on the R8 7.0 is not easy. My 6.2 R7 is no problem.

Luff is tight as a drum on the R8. Tried everything including letting off downhaul tension,,eventually i had to turn my boom upside down to attach the rope.

Going to use a lever of sort sort next time to open up the luff from my mast so i can feed the rope through.

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petermac33 said..
Looping my rope to attach my Maui boom to the mast on the R8 7.0 is not easy. My 6.2 R7 is no problem.

Luff is tight as a drum on the R8. Tried everything including letting off downhaul tension,,eventually i had to turn my boom upside down to attach the rope.

Going to use a lever of sort sort next time to open up the luff from my mast so i can feed the rope through.

^^Yeah I don't understand this either, Never had a problem with my R8 OD. Mast in, downhaul to fairly hard as you need to bend the mast towards the luff pocket opening, boom head on, clew on, let downhaull off, cams on, then downhaul to the setting you want...

Regarding performance, the OD is a fair bit lighter size for size than a Reflex due to the one less cam and batten but you pay for it in top end. You'd be able to hold onto an overpowered reflex more comfortably I think. However, unless you intend to sail it continually at the upper end or over it's range then this probably is not too much of an issue.

I think the OD suits deeper angles as it runs more twist than the reflex. I use my OD predominantly for foiling and its super fast off the wind but upwind it gives away a bit to the Hyperglide and Mach1 which I have now size for size. Whether this is the same on tight slalom courses i'm not sure.

Ultimately if you want the one with the best performance over the widest range and can handle the slightly higher weight and slightly more difficult rigging, get a Reflex.

There is a big difference get the reflex if you want to go fast. They do everything better, faster top end and much more board stability over chop or gusty wind overall if your going fast the reflex is a better sail all round.

aahh not sure what Pete's on about up there /

I've had reflexs for years. Now have reflex R8 in 7.0 and 7.8, OD R8 in 6.2 and 8.6. They are all excellent sails.

Easy to rig although as expected the race sails are a light tighter but no drama. Reflex 7.0 and 7.8 awesome in all wind, but windier it gets, the better they get. Super stable and controlled. Personally I like having a slightly stiffer, heavier sail so I can really lean on it in the big stuff.

The OD 8.6 is an awesome light weight sail. I've had 9.0m reflexs and that was fine too, but the weight difference is certainly a positive. I've had the OD 6.2 out in up to 30 knots in Safety Bay. It feels like a Reflex and I've had 6.2 reflexs before, but the lighter weight is a plus, not that the old R6.2 was an issue.

I have tested my old OD R5 7.0 against Steve from Windforce previously against his Reflex R6 7.0, boards swaps, rig swaps and to be honest, I was actually faster on the OD much of the time. I think the lighter weight helped a bit because it allows you to focus completely on the trim and is less fatiguing. But, it did lose at the top end when it got really windy. Too much leech flutter, but then we really increased the sweet spot with a couple of extra spacers and man did that make it even better ! amazing.

They are both awesome sails. Rigged right, right board, fin, technique the OD will be as quick as anyone on the water and you'll appreciate the lighter weight in the hand. Personally I prefer the R7 and R7.8 in the usual wind range that we get in Perth, but at you really are not giving much away if anything.