Hi Frothers,
This is a review which I posted on a FB group a few weeks ago before the launch of the new range.
The powers that be at SABFoil have given me permission to post my review on the all new Razor 980. Thanks Jimmy, et al
My background is:- I'm a competent foiler since 2017 in all disciplines. 100kg, 6'3" and mostly downwind and surf. I've downwinded (in order), the W1100, W1000, W1110, W1350-L and I've been totally in love with the W1150-L for the entire summer. This wing had given my unbelievable performance and changed the way I downwind for the better. I Downwind in Perth, Western Australia where we get daily winds of 18-23 knots and as strong at 30+ knots on the open Indian Ocean. This produces up to 2m seas and 4m swell. Our standard run is 15km from South to North. The CB to SB run.
I normally DW on a 80lt board, 3.5m wing, W1150-L with M83 and S399. On the particular day of test, wind was 15 knots, seas to 1m, a lot of weed in first half, then no weed during second half.
Usually the golden rule when doing a race or review is not to change too much, so naturally I changed everything
. Switching to the much shorter 603K kite fuse and a 5.2m wing which I haven't used in a year, combined with the foot straps now being 2" too far forward which messed with my trim, things weren't "optimal".
Honestly, I was a little apprehensive about trying the W980 because I've loved the W1150-L Levi for so long and I was a bit afraid I wouldn't like the W980 after having pined for this new wing since first hearing about it. The W980 is described as a fast free foil and Downwind wing, similar, but not the same as the W1000 which is a race wing. The light weight of the 603K fuse with the seemingly tiny by comparison W980 made the foil noticeably lighter and definitely less stable when climbing aboard. It was easier to get out through the shore break with 33% less surface area on the wing but I managed to climb up easy enough and with a few short pumps of the wing and foil and I was away foiling.
The take off was a lot less disciplined to that of the 1150 Levi which needed care to go super slow and level before a single pump onto the wing, instead the W980 had a soft and forgiving easier take off. It took a few pumps but the smaller wing felt way easier and more forgiving despite taking more effort, even in the lightish wind. Instantly noticeable was the more agile wing, way more responsive and nimble, the speed felt similar, and realistically, any foil is fast enough for downwinding as we seldom go over 15 knots board speed. At lower speed I could feel the wing "sink" a little, whereas the Levi holds altitude at almost any speed. As soon as you pick up speed it goes straight back to precision responsiveness.
The low speed stall is very soft and "squishy" with no violent drop which was great. It didn't carry the speed through a low speed bank quite as well as the Levi either but still turned and managed to speed up without stalling. The pumping is fine at speed and requires a slightly different technique to the Levi as you'd expect, but at low speeds i could feel the lack of efficiency as it squished through the water. The Leviathan is definitely the pumping machine. But by far and away, the most important thing for me was the glide and actual efficiency of gliding through the waves and troughs looking for lifts and drops.
It took me over half the run to get comfortable on it and the first half being full of weed was not the best conditions to get a good feel for it, but after the Trigg point where the weed eased up and the runners became more groomed and regimented, the W980 was allowed to show me it's true potential. The waves weren't big but I had many of the longest glides I have ever had, easily gliding from wave to wave, linking troughs and riding the occasional swell wave too. My downwind buddy asked why I got so far ahead of him, all I could think was I was in the zone, the Razor was in its element and giving me an incredible experience. I believe the difference is the reduced drag which just lets it keep going on the waves. Knowing it is a fast wing, I gave it a quick 15 second squirt cross wind and sat comfortably at 20 knots (38 kph), for sure it had more but in the rough ocean, was all I was happy to go to.
Summary is the Razor W980 is better than what I had hoped for, a sublime downwind wing and will now replace my 1150 Levi in anything above 15 knots. I will change boards to get the foot straps right and try again on Saturday afternoon to confirm my initial findings, but I'm really very happy. I still love my Levi and it will certainly remain in my quiver, but I now have a faster and better weapon to use for when it's windier and bigger conditions. I strongly recommend getting a demo of this wing if you can but it's a safe bet in my opinion. I have other sizes to try also but will save that for another time.
DM
ActionSportsWA
> 9 months ago, 4 Mar 2023
