Select to expand quote

Faff said..

BWalnut said..
Gotta rip that bandaid off sooner or later. I would love to know the inside conversation around if this is the best design from a business, or performance standpoint.

Specifically, was the decision aimed at picking a design with zero warranty issues and sacrificing a bit of performance? When I think of the future of foiling I see little opportunity for the fuse to get slimmer on the code, axis, lift, c9, mortise and tenon design. I thought KT going triple AFS style joint was super forward thinking and expected to see more of that in the future.

To be fair, the new F-One "fuse" is the same width as the old one and is barely taller, so it's already one of the thinnest fuses out there.

If the fuse is the same basic size, they must have some vastly improved material strength properties in it to allow for the loss of cross section at the big cavity that the mast foot fits into ?!

Select to expand quote

MrFish said..

Faff said..

BWalnut said..
Gotta rip that bandaid off sooner or later. I would love to know the inside conversation around if this is the best design from a business, or performance standpoint.

Specifically, was the decision aimed at picking a design with zero warranty issues and sacrificing a bit of performance? When I think of the future of foiling I see little opportunity for the fuse to get slimmer on the code, axis, lift, c9, mortise and tenon design. I thought KT going triple AFS style joint was super forward thinking and expected to see more of that in the future.

To be fair, the new F-One "fuse" is the same width as the old one and is barely taller, so it's already one of the thinnest fuses out there.

If the fuse is the same basic size, they must have some vastly improved material strength properties in it to allow for the loss of cross section at the big cavity that the mast foot fits into ?!

The fuse is a bit taller than the outgoing one (but the walls are quite thin). And the M8 bolts are quite short. They screw into a metal bar embedded in the mast. Maybe that's the secret sauce?

With the new mast (T2 connection) do you need to change both mast AND front wings (because its a one piece fw to fuse)? And the older stabs can still be used?

Select to expand quote

MProject04 said..
With the new mast (T2 connection) do you need to change both mast AND front wings (because its a one piece fw to fuse)? And the older stabs can still be used?

Alas, only the stabs can be reused.

Select to expand quote

Faff said..

MProject04 said..
With the new mast (T2 connection) do you need to change both mast AND front wings (because its a one piece fw to fuse)? And the older stabs can still be used?

Alas, only the stabs can be reused.

And as I understand the entire T1 connection line has been completely discontinued?

If so then (I'm sure its been mentioned before) F one from a marketing and sales point of view could have done better by:
1) prolonging the sale of the T1 generation for (just) two more seasons
2) launching the T2 in parallel.


The foiling crowd, especially who can pay extra dollar will flock to the better (more expensive) system with a smile - that is if they do have choice.

But stopping the T1 line abruptly for the T2 is more like forcing your customers (i.e. stuffing T2 down the throat), especially when it requires change of mast + fw. Huge change if all you can reuse is the stab

At that point if you are an f-one user it makes it easier to jump ship to another brand.

i am an f-one foil owner (3 x sk8 and 2 masts)....i will stick with the current / old version for a while. Indeed it is also a good time to "double down" and buy foils cheap...i might for example pick up an Eagle X to try, if its gonna be half price

if i get any major failures or issues with my kit i will then review options at this juncture - inc looking at other brands like code...as im gonna have to spend the $$$ to get the new version i may as well review whats available.

I assume that lots of shops have plenty of stock with the old system, so plenty of good deals for those who stay on the old system for a while. The new system is of course perfoming stiffer/ better connected (and M8 is almost twice as strong as M6) but the old system isnt suddenly unrideable, so I don,t get the whining.

On the other hand it may entice new customers over to F one. I deliberately didn't buy f-one because of the mast setup. In saying that I would wait for a year & see if the new one can handle the jandle.

Select to expand quote

rgmacca said..
At that point if you are an f-one user it makes it easier to jump ship to another brand.

I think that's why they've held off introducing a new mast until they could offer a new generation of foils. Eagle V2 in particular is supposed to be a big step up from the old one.

I think having both lines side by side would be expensive (lower volumes per product = higher production cost), and they'd deprecate the old setup over time anyway. I dont think it would make much difference to the end consumer compared to what is available still in shops and second hand. Also it probably doesnt make sense to release new wings or versions with the old setup, because as F-One explained (and I felt), making the mast or wings better only goes so far when the connection is holding the setup back. A SK8 V3 on the old mast might not even be worth the upgrade for most consumers compared to the Sk8 V2, while the new connection allows getting the most out of it. New higher aspect pump wings probably couldnt even technically work with the old connection because of the loads involved. This is all just my personal thoughts about the matter though.