Has anyone tried the new SMIK wings? Interested to know how they compare with the previous version and the PPC wings.

I have and they are awesome.I will post tomorrow more about it.

Thanks

Yesterday when I was posting I was waiting in the hospital for a surfer's ear operation, now back at home looking like half a mummy there is nothing better as dreaming away and rattling over gear :)
To start with, I buy my own gear (no sponsor deal or whatsoever) and have wings from Starboard/Airrush and Duotone as well but really love the Smiks above all the others.
I bought the V2 in 4 and 5m a week ago to replace my Smik V1.I haven,t tried the 4, but 3 sessions with the 5.
To start with: they do feel familiar to the V1, surfs as well as the V1, maybe even a tiny bit more stable when flagged and you have the light and direct feel, but they are a bit stiffer/more direct too and a bit powerfull as well. Biggest benefit: they went from pretty stable to extremely stable in strong winds without losing the low end light feel.
I used my 5 while lighter guys were on 6m, I used it it in typical 5m weather and when guys of my weight (97kg) were on 3.5m. In all conditions it worked like a charm.

What changes did I notice:
Workmanship.
Its one o those thing you don't notice on the water, but it is simply better and more detailed build. I have no clue who builds them, but the old ones were exact copy,s from the Takoon, this one looks in build quality more to a Slingshot, just a decent step up.
Ooh and I love the bright orange/yellow!
Different handlesThinner and the last 2 seem to be slightly different positioned. With my V1 5m I was upwind always a bit in between the last one and 2th last one, now the 2th last one seems to be spot on.
I liked the old handles, but they were too tight to use with gloves, the new ones are a bit stiffer but I can use my gloves, wich is great with temps around freezing point like wednesday.
Valve:
No dump valve but 2 tubes between the bladders. Inflation and deflation is a lot better/quicker.Different valve, don't need an adapter anymore I just screw on my pump connector, With the old valve I needed sometimes a plier to get the top cap from the valve. really annoying, this valve is a lot better (Same type as Slingshot).

Different profile:
a bit, more power full,
Absolutely 100% silence. no flutter in light/med/strong win no matter what angle you keep it

Different Leash:
Better quality (rope type )but the 5m leash seem to be an 15cm to short, I got a couple of times stuck with my elbow in it in between a jibe.

Some pics














I,m serious considering selling my Duotone Slick 5m (Doubt I will use it since I got a fresh 5m Smik) and changing my 6m Slick and 3m Starboard/airrush to Smiks as well.

disclaimer:stupid language mistakes: English isnt my first language and I can still claim the narcose ;)

Thanks for the review. I have a V2 5 as my only wing. Thinking of getting a V3 4 and 6 but perhaps I should replace my 5 with a V3 5. Decisions decisions.

Do you mean Slingshot V3?
I never tried the Slingshot V2 but did demo the Slingshot V3.Really nice wing and very light feel with a good range but I prefer the slightly more direct feel of the Smik and the Smik Handles.
the wider 2-3 loops style handles felt more fague to me.

No I think SMIK are up to version 3 but could be wrong.

From my understanding V2.Anyway, I got the latest , and compared it with the one before.
this are pics of my older 5( yellow) and 4 (purple)

Got our new Smiks a couple of days ago, 2 sessions in, very nice tight canopy and airframe, flags effortlessly and has a great wind range, way overpowered on the 5m yesterday and remained totally controlled. One let down in an otherwise great wing, the handles appear to have come out of a crisp packet!!! 3 of us with new Smiks yesterday and all had the same opinion, it's a shame as they were excellent on the V1. Overall a nice wing and compares favourably with the Ocean Rodeo Aluula! Quite impressive for a wing almost half the price!!!

I liked the old handles a bit better too, but the new ones are better positioned, and I tried wings with handles that are a lot worse.
Here in Euprope I can buy 3 Smiks for 1 Ocean Rodeo!

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Jeroensurf said..
I liked the old handles a bit better too, but the new ones are better positioned, and I tried wings with handles that are a lot worse.
Here in Euprope I can buy 3 Smiks for 1 Ocean Rodeo!

Possibly ok if you have small hands! But they are not good, appears to be a cost saving choice rather than performance! As you say, cost wise they are a great wing, bang for buck they can't be beaten.

I,m 188 tall and don,t have exactly small hands (glove size XL and up depending on the brand) but liked the softer feel of the older ones and for me they did fit perfectly.
The new ones do have the benefit that they are a bit wider and that I can use them with gloves in the winter. (right now everybody here in in full hooded 6mm suits with an extra layer, boots and gloves.
In the end, you can't make everybody happy.

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Jeroensurf said..
I,m 188 tall and don,t have exactly small hands (glove size XL and up depending on the brand) but liked the softer feel of the older ones and for me they did fit perfectly.
The new ones do have the benefit that they are a bit wider and that I can use them with gloves in the winter. (right now everybody here in in full hooded 6mm suits with an extra layer, boots and gloves.
In the end, you can't make everybody happy.

Hi just wondering if you can tell me the exact weight & win span of the 4 m Smik Wing / is it light? can you compare the size & weight & lightness to other similar size Wing/s?:-)

Weight: zie pics, dry with leash4m in greenish 2.13KG My 5m in orange is 2.34KG



More important to me is the feel on the water and that is close to perfect, light very balanced, good in low AND high wind. completely free from any flutter. I kinda like Starboard as well, but they have a ot more flutter and are more backhanded while the Smik is neutral.
IMO there are like 2 different feeling wings, the really grunty cambered feel like Ensis, Duotone Slick, Takuma and the lighter feel like Fone, Smik, Takoon. This more about feel as performance and personally I prefer the lighter feeling wings (although I have an Duotone Slick in 6+5m as well).

Spanweight: I have really no clue, but quite "normal" /not as tall as the Fone strike.
Over here its ****ty weather I can,t go winging for at least a month (recovery from surfers ear surgery) so i,m not gonna measure that right now and get everything wet.

New SMIK wings have landed in West Oz. Fluro Orange looks awesome in the 5m.

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Jeroensurf said..
Weight: zie pics, dry with leash4m in greenish 2.13KG My 5m in orange is 2.34KG



More important to me is the feel on the water and that is close to perfect, light very balanced, good in low AND high wind. completely free from any flutter. I kinda like Starboard as well, but they have a ot more flutter and are more backhanded while the Smik is neutral.
IMO there are like 2 different feeling wings, the really grunty cambered feel like Ensis, Duotone Slick, Takuma and the lighter feel like Fone, Smik, Takoon. This more about feel as performance and personally I prefer the lighter feeling wings (although I have an Duotone Slick in 6+5m as well).

Spanweight: I have really no clue, but quite "normal" /not as tall as the Fone strike.
Over here its ****ty weather I can,t go winging for at least a month (recovery from surfers ear surgery) so i,m not gonna measure that right now and get everything wet.

Thanks Jeroensurf Looks Good & what about the handles are they good & stiff or a bit flexy maybe?:-)

Handles look just like ppc handles which work really well.

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Jeroensurf said..
I,m 188 tall and don,t have exactly small hands (glove size XL and up depending on the brand) but liked the softer feel of the older ones and for me they did fit perfectly.
The new ones do have the benefit that they are a bit wider and that I can use them with gloves in the winter. (right now everybody here in in full hooded 6mm suits with an extra layer, boots and gloves.
In the end, you can't make everybody happy.

Great feedback on the wings. I wouldn't worry about keeping people happy. If you're putting on a 6 mm suit to go foiling you are an absolute legend in my book.

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hilly said..
Handles look just like ppc handles which work really well.

They are tiny, no idea how he gets large hands with 6mm gloves on. sounds like bs, but hey, I bought 2 at full retail, no affiliation Hilly, they are rubbish and I cant use them, its real life feedback, that is what forums are about, valid reviews, for those that have to pay for gear.

Its never cool to be called BS, especially when showing pics etc.
For what its worth:
I paid full retail as well for my 2 wings,I,m not a teamrider, Wetsuit and glove size XL and the suit is 6mm the gloves are 3mm and absolutely no problems with it. Maybe your handles are cut smaller? or maybe you are used to that way to wide Fone loops?
With the V1 (Purple one and the yellow brownish one) it was difficult to use gloves, with the V2 (yellow orange) the handles are a bit stiffer but a tiny bit wider as well this is for me no problem at all.

Would love to see the pics from your wing and see if and where they differ from mine instead of calling people BS without a WHY back up.

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Jeroensurf said..
Its never cool to be called BS, especially when showing pics etc.
For what its worth:
I paid full retail as well for my 2 wings,I,m not a teamrider, Wetsuit and glove size XL and the suit is 6mm the gloves are 3mm and absolutely no problems with it. Maybe your handles are cut smaller? or maybe you are used to that way to wide Fone loops?
With the V1 (Purple one and the yellow brownish one) it was difficult to use gloves, with the V2 (yellow orange) the handles are a bit stiffer but a tiny bit wider as well this is for me no problem at all.

Would love to see the pics from your wing and see if and where they differ from mine instead of calling people BS without a WHY back up.

Apologies for the bs, I'm just so annoyed about this, and I'm not the only one, photo and measurements later, so you can compare.

Picked up a 5 and a 6 to go with my ppc 2.8 and 3.8. Paid for them from Simon at www.mrkiteandsail.com.au/ who is great to deal with.
Handles look fine. I do not try to shove my whole hand in I just use fingers. They are wider than the ppc ones not sure if that is good or bad. Smik on right.

My 4M arrived this morning in time for it to blow a hooley this weekend so busting to get out & give it a try

Just received my new 5m and 4m. I hated the new handles on day one - having loved the previous model set up. But after 4 days on the 4m I have found the handles on this perfectly fine. I get to hook the finger tips in easily and don't need to strangle the handle with the whole hand, even fully loaded in 25-30 knots. The wing is so stable on all angles the big gusts caused no problems at all. For me (winging for one year) the 4m covers 18-30 knots. They are more powerful so I may not hang onto the 5m in is a much breeze as before if the 4m gets me going so early. 78kgs 90ltr board. I am using one handle more forward due to the draft on the new versions and love the stability.

Also recieved my new smiks, more powerful than previous models, and so stable whilst wave riding and gybing. No worries at all with handles. Very hsppy with them!

The orange color and all those handles make them look like naish wings.

Colourwise yes there are similarities, but imo the Smik is a WAY better executed profile.I have a bit of a sweet spot for Naish and I loved the colours of the Naish S26. Idemo-ed a 6m with the intention to buy but: The Naish has a very floppy baggy front that needs to fill up with air before its generates power. When flying it feels imo less stable as the Smik V1 and the main reason I didn't buy it: I really did not like the handles. They felt really stiff and hurting my hands. I Tried it back to back with the Duotone Slick and for me in 6m the Slick was better in pretty much everything: pitty, because it looks a beauty.

Bought a 4m and 5m a week ago.
I have been out on the 4m three times and I can't believe how good it is.
It doesn't feel like other wings I have used, it's so stiff it feels like I am holding a solid wing and not a pumped up one.
And with that comes extra power when pumping.
Another advantage of the rigidity of this wing is the bigger gusts don't bother me as much as my previous wings, which would flap about in the gusts.
Truly impressive, we'll done Smik!

Same experience here, Compared to my former 4m Smik the new one is more powerful, really stable, no flutter. They are both great when riding bumps although the older one felt a bit more comfortable/ cushionedYesterday it was really gusty and the 4m is probably even stiffer/more stable as the 5m wich was imo already a big step forward.Really like them :)

I got the opportunity to get some time in the waves on the new 5 mtr Smik up the coast the other day.
I have had 4 & 6 Smik's for around a year and got on well with them so decided it was time for 5mtr v2 and this was my first go in decent conditions
I started the session in light conditions on the 6 and was having fun but when it picked up I came in and pumped up the 5.

Wow what can I say, congratulations Scotty you have nailed it.

So solid and predictable, absolutely charges up wind and floats well when on the wave.
There is nothing wrong with my 4 and 6 Smiks however I can see when deciding what wing to use in the coming Months its going to be 5mtr weather quite often.

Not just because it is new and I love the way it feels but it seems like it has a good wind range.
The wind had gone from 6mtr weather to what Im sure I would have been fine on my 4 but of course I had to use the new 5.
It didn't feel overpowered at all, I was out for quite a while and the wind had started dropping eventually and turning a little offshore but it still pumped up well thanks to the tight canopy and solid feeling structure.

It's a YES from me!!!

I have questions about when a wing is ostensibly focused for wave riding. I have read that as being the focus of the mantis,the matador, and the smik. If it's good at riding waves does that imply something else is better for flat water? I sail inland lakes and the winds are usually gusty frontal things. I appreciate power/acceleration over just about everything. Would I be disappointed by any of these? Right now I'm all over the board with one wingsurfer, one dart, one echo, and one x-wing. I want to love the smik because the price is nice and they just look nice.