A great Duotone selling point (so far) was the reassurance that with Duotone we can always use the standard booms.

From 2025 we get SLS wings with a new curved boom.

In other words, if you have old and new Duotone SLS wings you will need to bring two booms to the session.
I have not used Units but I believe handles and booms need bolts to install, so I will probably need an extra screwdriver and more manipulations on the beach.
Curved booms will take a little more space in the car and it is harder to pack for air travel when every inch matters.
Probably a minor issue as it never happened to me, but if your board is a little brittle, when the edge of the boom flies into it, it can result in a dent. Old booms do not have edges so, no risk there.
I am not sure what the price of the new booms and their diameters are. The older ones (Platinum booms) were quite narrow but expensive, so it is an extra cost to replace them.

I get it of course, Duotone needs to make money and the new booms are probably "game changing", but....

Can you guys recommend a decent alternative to SLS slicks? I love them by the way, they are great freestyle wings, perfect for tacking and wave riding, and I never considered switching but now I start looking around for hopefully better wings.

Tried the Armstrong xps and it is great for free style and supervisor in waves. No boom (yet) tho!

The video only covers the new versions of the Unit and the new Float. I don't think the Unit and Slick have ever shared a release date, so I expect there to be a new Slick around sprint 2025. I would assume it will use the same boom, but we'll see.

I've ridden them. So the new wings are designed to leave the boom or handles ON the wing. Same as previous Units. You should not buy one boom and two wings, then swap the boom each time you ride, like the Slick system.

The good news, they found a new boom supplier with better costs. The Slick boom is $239, while the new booms are $99 and tons better. Light, better grip, oval shape, and shaped on the ends with blended curves to fit the hand beautifully. The base mounting is flush. No raised foot with edges, to make hand blisters. It is, the cleanest boom to strut design on the market in my opinion. The super clean blending of curves on the boom, let you ride pistol grip comfortably. The boom is so amazing, I told Ken, I'd swap to all Units, just for the boom alone, regardless of other refinements. It's that good. A must try before you bash it.

The biggest difference on the latest iteration of the units and slick was that one has handles and the other a boom. Now with an option to use a boom on the Unit I very much doubt if there is any need/ target group for a new Slick.

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that dockstart into wing is very coolHow did you like the wing?

All the Unit's I tried were D/Labs. I'm not the guy in the SLS video.

Felt like they made big gains in gust handling. The Gorge is a super gusty place. The new Unit made the wind feel like a smooth sea breeze. Handling is lighter and nice.

I've used both boom & handles and prefer the handles. weight difference is boom 50grams lighter. the handles are a much nicer angle when holding them compared to boom and also closer to the wing so if you have long arms it's also more comfortable on handles. if you are into freestyle doing loops and passes then the boom for sure but I've got my 4 wings all handles. the other big upgrade is the new front flag handle. just had a onshore session on the 5.5 dlab and I think it's prob the best wave wing on the market at moment. video review coming on release date

Can you ride toeside upwind holding the handle one-handed?

When is the release date?

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Icebergmansion said..
Can you ride toeside upwind holding the handle one-handed?

When is the release date?

yep as the front handle is long and due to the angle it's more comfortable doing it on handle than the boom

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JuriM said..
The video only covers the new versions of the Unit and the new Float. I don't think the Unit and Slick have ever shared a release date, so I expect there to be a new Slick around sprint 2025. I would assume it will use the same boom, but we'll see.

one video I saw from AWSI said they were going to see if the market dictated the need for a slick with the unit now having a boom. So they may drop the slick altogether

1 hand riding upwind toeside

I like that you can use handles and a boom. Handles are easy for traveling. I'm still on Units version 2, and these handles look a lot better. Other brands have offered the option before, I'm glad Duotone is catching up.

I think one argument for the Slick is that the boom is easy to swap, so if you have 3 Slicks and you travel, you only need to take one boom. If you have three Units, is the boom easy enough to swap from wing to wing that you would only travel with one?

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JuriM said..
I think one argument for the Slick is that the boom is easy to swap, so if you have 3 Slicks and you travel, you only need to take one boom. If you have three Units, is the boom easy enough to swap from wing to wing that you would only travel with one?

there's a how to video clip postet on YT from DT:

I'd say: everyone who is not destroying threads on a regular basis should easily swap one boom between wings - as one does with foil sizes anyway.
Of course swapping is more sensitive towards sand exposure than the geniously simple Slick boom solution - but you'll save some time through not having to run through the de-/reinflation process the Slick boom swap requires !

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JuriM said..
I think one argument for the Slick is that the boom is easy to swap, so if you have 3 Slicks and you travel, you only need to take one boom. If you have three Units, is the boom easy enough to swap from wing to wing that you would only travel with one?

Hi JuriM, are you travelling without a board? As the size of the bag is only slightly longer than before, but therefore narrower in a more cylinder type shape vs square, shorter than any board for sure. Keep in mind, the new boom in L is only 96cm long, costs 99? (same as the handle set) and the Wing price is reduced without handles or boom, so total cost now including is just a few % more due to inflation/increased material costs etc. Vs the Slick boom which was close to 300? in some markets. The weight to travel is also minimal, screwing on and off (we recommend deflating for this) is a bit of a hassle but possible, idea however by making the boom as low priced as possible is that customers can afford one per wing, as per handles on Unit previously. Of course this is up to everyone to decide themselves on price/weight/packing size, or if they want a boom or handle set.

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JuriM said..
I think one argument for the Slick is that the boom is easy to swap, so if you have 3 Slicks and you travel, you only need to take one boom. If you have three Units, is the boom easy enough to swap from wing to wing that you would only travel with one?

Hi JuriM, are you travelling without a board? As the size of the bag is only slightly longer than before, but therefore narrower in a more cylinder type shape vs square, shorter than any board for sure. Keep in mind, the new boom in L is only 96cm long, costs 99? (same as the handle set) and the Wing price is reduced without handles or boom, so total cost now including is just a few % more due to inflation/increased material costs etc. Vs the Slick boom which was close to 300? in some markets. The weight to travel is also minimal, screwing on and off (we recommend deflating for this) is a bit of a hassle but possible, idea however by making the boom as low priced as possible is that customers can afford one per wing, as per handles on Unit previously. Of course this is up to everyone to decide themselves on price/weight/packing size, or if they want a boom or handle set.

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CraigGDuotone said..

JuriM said..
I think one argument for the Slick is that the boom is easy to swap, so if you have 3 Slicks and you travel, you only need to take one boom. If you have three Units, is the boom easy enough to swap from wing to wing that you would only travel with one?

Hi JuriM, are you travelling without a board? As the size of the bag is only slightly longer than before, but therefore narrower in a more cylinder type shape vs square, shorter than any board for sure. Keep in mind, the new boom in L is only 96cm long, costs 99? (same as the handle set) and the Wing price is reduced without handles or boom, so total cost now including is just a few % more due to inflation/increased material costs etc. Vs the Slick boom which was close to 300? in some markets. The weight to travel is also minimal, screwing on and off (we recommend deflating for this) is a bit of a hassle but possible, idea however by making the boom as low priced as possible is that customers can afford one per wing, as per handles on Unit previously. Of course this is up to everyone to decide themselves on price/weight/packing size, or if they want a boom or handle set.

For the moment, it was more of a theoretical question. However, for air travel, weight limits could be more restricting than dimensional limits.

I actually have more than one boom per wing, but that's just because I make my own and it costs me around ?10/boom to make one.

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perhaps someone can design a quick release cleat for the connection for those who travel and only want to take one boom or set of handles? IIRC, the original Slingshot Javelin had an easily detachable boom with standoffs.

I enjoyed riding the SLS with the boom at AWSI. The new Fusion boom is a big improvement over the Slick minibooms IMO. Wife also really prefers the boom over handles even though we've been using Units pretty exclusively for the last three seasons.

fun little frame grab going around the world at Stevenson on the east winds with smoke from a wildfire coming over the ridges on the Oregon side. wind felt like a hair dryer.

I haven't read the entire thread, just the OP. I'll tell you this. I'm a big fan of the SLS. I even started buying out old stock closeouts because I like them so much. However, I did pick up a Unit 2024 a few months back and when I fly that, I don't miss the boom at all.

Could someone please check the weight of the new Fusion Boom (size L)?
It is not reported in the Duotone webpage.
Thanks

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Stratofoiler said..
Could someone please check the weight of the new Fusion Boom (size L)?
It is not reported in the Duotone webpage.
Thanks

Luggage scale says 300 g without screws. SLS boom 450 g.

Large boom 350g
large handles 400g

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DWF said..

Hi, that's me in the video :-)

I'm really enjoying the SLS - the more I ride it, the more I appreciate the wing. I also have the 2024 DLab set, and I believe the SLS is on par, if not better. After 10 sessions with the boom, I switched to handles. It took me a couple of sessions to get used to them, but now they feel great. There's definitely more power, better low-end performance, and significantly improved stability in gusty winds.Here's my latest video with the SLS from last Saturday.

your board is smaller than my kite foil board. if you fall, can you get back up on that or do you have to go back to the dock?