Hi

I didn't see almost any feedbacks of this foil. So I thought to give this following informations to maybe help someone for his purchase.

I switched from Armstrong to AFS Silk. I bought the 650, 850 and 1050.
I was really happy with the Armstrong foil but the Silk is still better in the surf. Amazing carving , easy foil with a very low stall speed. (I was using before mainly the MA800 and the MA625. I didn't try the new HA.)
The 1050 do the job for the light wind. Start to fly with 9 knots (75kg, 63L, 5m)
I can use the 850 and 650 from 12 knots .
less than 1m wave I take the 850 that carves like the armstrong 625 but with better low speed
More than 1m I use the 650 that turns as no one I tried until now.
The 3 Silks are also amazing in the zones of turbulences. Good control. Thin stiff mast UHM with narrow chord. Weight of the 850 for example. 2,7kg!
Really happy with my purchase.

If it can help.

Unavailable in Oz, so few would even know the brand.

Dunno if it just an search indexing thing or if the rest of the world has almost entirely moved to DMs and fb groups, but Seabreeze seems to be the leading English language forum for foiling.

So, as I am very seriously considering a big investment in some AFS gear, thank you for sharing a winging perspective on the Silks, and the comparison to the Armstrong MA stuff, it is much appreciated.

I am on Armstrong and have a whole load of foils from the CF2400 to HS1050 and am waiting for MA1000 and MA1225 to arrive.
Only use Armstrong for wing foil and SUP foil. My windfoil gear is AFS W85 then W95 with 1080 and 700 front wings. The AFS kit was great, solid build and rides really well. But, despite being mates with the nearest AFS dealer here in the UK it has been a nightmare sourcing AFS winging stuff so I don't have any! I have used the Performer series and it was similar to my HS foils, very good.
Its also worth saying that my Armie kit has remained compatible with the all of the Armie foils past and present. The compatibility of AFS wings masts, fuselages and stabs is or has been all over the place and although they seem to be settling on a standard it still seems hard to work out what fits what.
They also tend to bring out kit sized for their team riders and unlike me they are not 93kg.
I really wanted to switch to AFS foils for winging and I guess this will be read as a downer on the brand but if you can't buy it reliably I can't afford to take the risk.

I try my friend Silk 850 back to back with my Code Foils 850S.

They ride very similar. It is defenitlly the best AFS foil I have tried. (I ride almost all of AFS foil from performer / pure 900 / pure ha1100 / silk)

New silk HA tails just launched.

I am very interested in reviews of the 1100ha, particularly in smaller and slower downwind conditions.


Im absolutely love the 850 and 1050 silks. I find them extremely easy and intuitive to ride which makes me ride them more aggressively. They both turn very hard and have excellent range and glide. The mast is also excellent - very stiff and fast. I haven't ridden Armstrong so I can't make that comparison but this is a unicorn foil for me - having tried unifoil, Cabrinha, lift, axis, Takuma.

From my brief trial of Pure HA1100 (swap board on the water and ride for 15min on mostly flat water in light wind)It rides like good HA foil. Very low drag a lot more slipper compared to my North HA1050, and has low stall speed for my weight (75kg dry) but I feel it is not very pitch stable and is a bit hard to ride. Maybe due to the setup, I don't know which tail he used that day but it was too loose for my liking.

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Velocicraptor said..
New silk HA tails just launched.

I am very interested in reviews of the 1100ha, particularly in smaller and slower downwind conditions.


Im absolutely love the 850 and 1050 silks. I find them extremely easy and intuitive to ride which makes me ride them more aggressively. They both turn very hard and have excellent range and glide. The mast is also excellent - very stiff and fast. I haven't ridden Armstrong so I can't make that comparison but this is a unicorn foil for me - having tried unifoil, Cabrinha, lift, axis, Takuma.

I suspect as they just launched the Silk HA stabilizer a range of Silk HA foils is not far behind. Probably worth holding out for over Pure range.

Looks like new toys from LOL soon:

Yeah a downwind silk is coming.

The silk ha tails are going great for winging. Brings a lot more speed vs the standard silk tails.

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Velocicraptor said..
The silk ha tails are going great for winging. Brings a lot more speed vs the standard silk tails.

I really haven't felt the need to change stabs (I run stock setups). I feel these foils are plenty fast when I need them to be. I do run a nose up shim on the KT DW board. Getting the Silk 850 track placement perfectly tuned on my 4'9" 60L took some time (Months). The sweet spot is really small. Now when I'm riding in the straps it really just feels like an extension of my body. These foils are just so damm good. I need to get myself the Silk 650 too for those solid overhead days. The 850 can handle it but a lot of physical effort to keep it in the water. Can't wait to see these new SILK foils, LOL is the foiling Picasso!

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Velocicraptor said..
The silk ha tails are going great for winging. Brings a lot more speed vs the standard silk tails.

I second that. It gives a lot more speed and they feel less lifty on high speeds. It is easier to fly high on the foil on speed and on the waves. For me it increases the range of the 1050 and the 850 and i don't find i need the 650 anymore. I can sail in nukin winds on my 3.0 on a choppy north sea. I also can use the better glide from the 1050 longer before i have to size down to the 850.

Most of what I've heard though is that the HA tails really lock down the turns. Is this not true?

I heard that too but don't find it to be the case. Maybe a little more locked in than the silk tails but it's a pretty small trade off. The bigger trade off for me is the span which is easier to breach. I am curious about chopping the tail slightly.
I think I'd prefer the silk in steeper wave conditions but the ha in conditions with more rolling waves, open ocean conditions, or wind swell.

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Velocicraptor said..
I heard that too but don't find it to be the case. Maybe a little more locked in than the silk tails but it's a pretty small trade off. The bigger trade off for me is the span which is easier to breach. I am curious about chopping the tail slightly.
I think I'd prefer the silk in steeper wave conditions but the ha in conditions with more rolling waves, open ocean conditions, or wind swell.

That's good to hear, makes me think I need to try the HA135 before I commit to the 132 since I'm riding wind swell in the columbia river gorge 99% of the time.

I've tested Cloud IX, Code, F-One so far this spring and the Silk is a clear winner. Testing the 130 Florence from Lift this week (which isn't really in the same category as the silks) as well as the Spitfire this week and will have my final decision but I'm having a hard time imagining something dethroning the Silks. Incredibly natural feeling with the most stable tip breaches I've ever experienced when using their 80cm UHM mast.

Ultra 750 is here! Really impressive in person. Few pictures if you're curious:

Cool seeing it side by side with the silk, it doesn't look that much bigger. How's it ride in comparison?

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BWalnut said..
Cool seeing it side by side with the silk, it doesn't look that much bigger. How's it ride in comparison?

Hopefully have maiden voyage tomorrow if wind cooperates. Will report back. I have heard good things from riders at the recent demo events.

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foilthegreats said..

BWalnut said..
Cool seeing it side by side with the silk, it doesn't look that much bigger. How's it ride in comparison?

Hopefully have maiden voyage tomorrow if wind cooperates. Will report back. I have heard good things from riders at the recent demo events.

Stoked to hear low end, turns, glide and speed details!!!

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BWalnut said..

foilthegreats said..

BWalnut said..
Cool seeing it side by side with the silk, it doesn't look that much bigger. How's it ride in comparison?

Hopefully have maiden voyage tomorrow if wind cooperates. Will report back. I have heard good things from riders at the recent demo events.

Stoked to hear low end, turns, glide and speed details!!!

This foil absolutely rips! Low end is close to the Silk 1050. Little harder to get on foil. Need to build board speed. It actually turns amazingly well. Likes its tips out. Feels really fast. Great glide. Easy to ride but not as easy as SILKS. It is super accessible and stable ride. You can rip turns rail to rail but physically takes way more effort than SILKS but can be done gracefully. I would say it likes to be back in the boxes a bit from where SILKS are set. I am stoked to spend more time on this beauty.

Any comparison the the silk HA? Looks like you are using it for DW, any use case for winging this foil?

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Velocicraptor said..
Any comparison the the silk HA? Looks like you are using it for DW, any use case for winging this foil?

I've only used the HA38 with the Ultra 750. This is my light wind wing setup but swapped out the 1050 for the 750. I'd say use case all depends on what kind of riding you want to do. Ride swell and connect the Ultra is a great option but can still pretty aggressively ride a wave. It definitely feels like it could replace the 1050 in the quiver. It is more physically taxing to ride than Silk when pushing it rail to rail.

Select to expand quote

foilthegreats said..

Velocicraptor said..
Any comparison the the silk HA? Looks like you are using it for DW, any use case for winging this foil?

I've only used the HA38 with the Ultra 750. This is my light wind wing setup but swapped out the 1050 for the 750. I'd say use case all depends on what kind of riding you want to do. Ride swell and connect the Ultra is a great option but can still pretty aggressively ride a wave. It definitely feels like it could replace the 1050 in the quiver. It is more physically taxing to ride than Silk when pushing it rail to rail.

Great report! So, you'd say in the same conditions, better glide than the 1050 despite smaller size? I'm so hesitant to try another HA foil but wonder if this would be fun for 20 knots and less at 87kg. Pull out the 650 when it's any stronger....

or... wait for the enduro 700 for winging...

Select to expand quote

BWalnut said..

foilthegreats said..

Velocicraptor said..
Any comparison the the silk HA? Looks like you are using it for DW, any use case for winging this foil?

I've only used the HA38 with the Ultra 750. This is my light wind wing setup but swapped out the 1050 for the 750. I'd say use case all depends on what kind of riding you want to do. Ride swell and connect the Ultra is a great option but can still pretty aggressively ride a wave. It definitely feels like it could replace the 1050 in the quiver. It is more physically taxing to ride than Silk when pushing it rail to rail.

Great report! So, you'd say in the same conditions, better glide than the 1050 despite smaller size? I'm so hesitant to try another HA foil but wonder if this would be fun for 20 knots and less at 87kg. Pull out the 650 when it's any stronger....

Glide is much better than 1050. I'm 87kg too. I like to pick my foil according to wave/swell size. I usually go 1050 under waist high and 850 over waist high. Head high I'd go 650 if I had 1. I had the Ultra 750 out in flat building to waist high waves/swell. Handled it all well. Probably turning aggressively becomes harder and harder the bigger the waves are.

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Sonsaleta said..
Hi

I didn't see almost any feedbacks of this foil. So I thought to give this following informations to maybe help someone for his purchase.

I switched from Armstrong to AFS Silk. I bought the 650, 850 and 1050.
I was really happy with the Armstrong foil but the Silk is still better in the surf. Amazing carving , easy foil with a very low stall speed. (I was using before mainly the MA800 and the MA625. I didn't try the new HA.)
The 1050 do the job for the light wind. Start to fly with 9 knots (75kg, 63L, 5m)
I can use the 850 and 650 from 12 knots .
less than 1m wave I take the 850 that carves like the armstrong 625 but with better low speed
More than 1m I use the 650 that turns as no one I tried until now.
The 3 Silks are also amazing in the zones of turbulences. Good control. Thin stiff mast UHM with narrow chord. Weight of the 850 for example. 2,7kg!
Really happy with my purchase

How fast can you get with the Silk 650? I have the 850 and 1050 and I love the way they perform. I looked for a foil for local races with friends and the Pure Race 560 is wonderfully stable but the low end is not good and will force me to use wings that are too big? Do you think the Silk 650 is fast and efficient enough upwind?


best regards

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Ursus said..

How fast can you get with the Silk 650? I have the 850 and 1050 and I love the way they perform. I looked for a foil for local races with friends and the Pure Race 560 is wonderfully stable but the low end is not good and will force me to use wings that are too big? Do you think the Silk 650 is fast and efficient enough upwind?


best regards

I don't race or ride fast at all. I did a few reaches on each of the Silks with my 75cm mast and here's the speeds I got:

1050: 22.2mph (19.3 knots)
850: 21.6mph (18.8 knots)
650: 23mph (20 knots)

I'd assume someone with a longer mast and actual speed experience would expand on those differences. Upwind is sufficient for me. Low end of the 650 and stall speed of the 650 are not terribly lower than the 850 which is really nice.

Select to expand quote

Ursus said..

Sonsaleta said..
Hi

I didn't see almost any feedbacks of this foil. So I thought to give this following informations to maybe help someone for his purchase.

I switched from Armstrong to AFS Silk. I bought the 650, 850 and 1050.
I was really happy with the Armstrong foil but the Silk is still better in the surf. Amazing carving , easy foil with a very low stall speed. (I was using before mainly the MA800 and the MA625. I didn't try the new HA.)
The 1050 do the job for the light wind. Start to fly with 9 knots (75kg, 63L, 5m)
I can use the 850 and 650 from 12 knots .
less than 1m wave I take the 850 that carves like the armstrong 625 but with better low speed
More than 1m I use the 650 that turns as no one I tried until now.
The 3 Silks are also amazing in the zones of turbulences. Good control. Thin stiff mast UHM with narrow chord. Weight of the 850 for example. 2,7kg!
Really happy with my purchase

How fast can you get with the Silk 650? I have the 850 and 1050 and I love the way they perform. I looked for a foil for local races with friends and the Pure Race 560 is wonderfully stable but the low end is not good and will force me to use wings that are too big? Do you think the Silk 650 is fast and efficient enough upwind?


best regards

Maybe you should try the Pure 700 v2, it's low-end and upwind is really good (tried it with ha135 and 145 stab). Top-Speed is depending on your courage I would say. I also have the Silk 850 which is easier to push hard, speed a bit lower for me than with Pure 700. I could imagine Silk 650 for more confidence while going fast. I'm on the Uhm 85 mast.

I have the 700 Enduro and that feels pretty slick with great glide and turns well.

Select to expand quote

Ursus said..

Sonsaleta said..
Hi

I didn't see almost any feedbacks of this foil. So I thought to give this following informations to maybe help someone for his purchase.

I switched from Armstrong to AFS Silk. I bought the 650, 850 and 1050.
I was really happy with the Armstrong foil but the Silk is still better in the surf. Amazing carving , easy foil with a very low stall speed. (I was using before mainly the MA800 and the MA625. I didn't try the new HA.)
The 1050 do the job for the light wind. Start to fly with 9 knots (75kg, 63L, 5m)
I can use the 850 and 650 from 12 knots .
less than 1m wave I take the 850 that carves like the armstrong 625 but with better low speed
More than 1m I use the 650 that turns as no one I tried until now.
The 3 Silks are also amazing in the zones of turbulences. Good control. Thin stiff mast UHM with narrow chord. Weight of the 850 for example. 2,7kg!
Really happy with my purchase

How fast can you get with the Silk 650? I have the 850 and 1050 and I love the way they perform. I looked for a foil for local races with friends and the Pure Race 560 is wonderfully stable but the low end is not good and will force me to use wings that are too big? Do you think the Silk 650 is fast and efficient enough upwind?


best regards

I've only Parawinged on the Silk 650/132. Plenty fast and easy to ride and get on foil but end of the day it's a surf foil. Maybe try some different stabs on the Pure Race 560 to improve low end performance. I guess it all depends on how competitive you want to be.