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skyrocket said..
Bought a3.5 XPS and loving it. What harness lines work well w the XPS. They are closer spaced than I'm
used to and the webbing holes are so strange?

I use the Ozone Wing V2/3 harness line. Works perfectly. Just push the line through the webbing with one of the battens - also works very well.

I use the WIP 2.0 harness line on mine.

www.forward-wip.com/produit/wing-harness-line-2-0/

Can anyone comment on the comfort of the handles for riders with smaller hands as well as the longer term durability of the XPS ? Thanks.

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Shaunger said..
Can anyone comment on the comfort of the handles for riders with smaller hands as well as the longer term durability of the XPS ? Thanks.

Durability seems fine - i've got 3 xps wings (4m, 5m, 8m) for 3-6 months and they still fly/handle as new. Only issue i've had is the strut valves started leaking after ~5x use (on the 5m and 8m). Getting a new valve solved the issue but a little concerned it will somehow start leaking again (e.g. either the new valve threads are somehow prone to not sealing correctly or the threads on the bladder are somehow degrading the valve fitting). Armstrong has given me new valves under warranty - only a $10 part - but still nice that they don't make an issue of it :-)

Other than that, they're nice handling wings and relatively good value for money as they seem to be the cheapest mainstream brand for wings.

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Shaunger said..
Can anyone comment on the comfort of the handles for riders with smaller hands as well as the longer term durability of the XPS ? Thanks.

I bought a quiver (3, 4 and 5.3) when they were released in Australia around Q3 2023. Did a full summer and then quite a bit of winter sailing. Now well into a proper spring and summer. So happy that I've added a 4.6. Would love to also add a 2.6 and a 6.1. Use mine in anything from around 10 knots to around 30 knots. Mixture of flat water, waves and DW.

In terms of durability, I'd like to see a wing that is more durable for the price. The design of these wings and the way they use "normal" materials adds up to an extremely durable wing. The only signs of wear on my wings are a slight loosening of the most leeward third of the canopy when the wing is in the ground. But in the air and in use, this does not affect performance and the canopy is firm and solid and perfectly shaped under pressure from the wind. I've put a stab through each of the wings over this period and had it fixed by a sail maker with no change in performance.
I was initially concerned about the durability of the windows, but that is now put to rest. Windows still look clear and I use them often (I thought I wouldn't).
The stitching on the inside of handles is starting to unthread in parts. Again, doesn't seem to be an issue. The grip is firm and doesn't move. I should probably have them stitched by someone who knows what they're doing.
Zero issues with valves.
Handles are great. It took me a session or two to get used to them (came from a soft handle - Strikes). And I recall that my forearms were quite sore after the first sessions and then I adapted and never had those feelings again.
I suspect the XPSs will be current for a while longer. Maybe we will see a boom (sponsored riders like Cash have been using them for a while, but that seems to be the only change so far). Historically Armstrong is not shy to show new toys being developed so you can imagine we would start seeing new wings if they were developing them. Additionally, they released the low wind versions nearly a year after the XPSs so again, I think that's the only wing release we will see this year.
I couldn't be happier with them.

Thanks for the input guys.