Just to give my early feedback on the XBlend.
I have some Surges in my quiver so it might be useful to understand how the XBlend compares.

- feels lighter in the hands overall
- still has that nice PPC forward pull in the gusts that I like, maybe not quite as aggressive as the Surge. Great upwind. Doesn't get back handy in the top half of its range like a lot of wings
- pump is tight and elastic in nature, not super rigid and dead feeling. I hate this , super rigid wings can be easy to oversheet in my experience
- the big difference between the Surge and XBlend is that the trailing edge stays higher when luffed out and riding downwind. Very noticeable when you are riding dead downwind on a swell. It is VERY stable when flagged out, trailing edge stays high and no rocking from side to side. This is a worthwhile benefit in my opinion.
So overall it retains most of the good points of the Surge ( balance between hands, great upwind etc) while being even better when flagged out. Didn't have any bad habits or unfortunate compromises / trade offs that I could feel.

I like the new sizes, helps fill the gaps between the Surge sizes.

I pay for my own gear , thought this info might be of interest. Cheers

Sounds good cheers for the review

When are PPC going to switch to long handles ?
Those handles are too small/thin and felt in the wrong place. This is stopping me from buying PPC.

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mikesids said..
Just to give my early feedback on the XBlend.
I have some Surges in my quiver so it might be useful to understand how the XBlend compares.

- feels lighter in the hands overall
- still has that nice PPC forward pull in the gusts that I like, maybe not quite as aggressive as the Surge. Great upwind. Doesn't get back handy in the top half of its range like a lot of wings
- pump is tight and elastic in nature, not super rigid and dead feeling. I hate this , super rigid wings can be easy to oversheet in my experience
- the big difference between the Surge and XBlend is that the trailing edge stays higher when luffed out and riding downwind. Very noticeable when you are riding dead downwind on a swell. It is VERY stable when flagged out, trailing edge stays high and no rocking from side to side. This is a worthwhile benefit in my opinion.
So overall it retains most of the good points of the Surge ( balance between hands, great upwind etc) while being even better when flagged out. Didn't have any bad habits or unfortunate compromises / trade offs that I could feel.

I like the new sizes, helps fill the gaps between the Surge sizes.

I pay for my own gear , thought this info might be of interest. Cheers

Sounds good mike! What size did you test out?

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Alysum said..
When are PPC going to switch to long handles ?
Those handles are too small/thin and felt in the wrong place. This is stopping me from buying PPC.

Never had an issue handle size wise, nor the wrong place? All I've used for 2 odd years.

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eppo said..

Alysum said..
When are PPC going to switch to long handles ?
Those handles are too small/thin and felt in the wrong place. This is stopping me from buying PPC.

Never had an issue handle size wise, nor the wrong place? All I've used for 2 odd years.

Everyone gets used to whatever they use.
It's a personal thing. They felt too thin and in the wrong place on the surge. I like to micro adjust my hand position along long handles.

@Mindhoc, started with the 3.3 as a step down from my beloved 3.8, have subsequently bought a 4.3 as well which I am using a lot. The 3.3 is very rangey, and cuts quite substantially into the range of the 2.8 Surge while having more bottom end. I don't mind the handles at all - I mostly use handles 1 and 3 , and then use handles 1 and 4 when powering upwind. I use a harness for upwind so you can get a lovely feeling of taking most of the weight through the harness and then steering the wing quite precisely with good balance between the hands.

I'm starting to see more references to forward pulling wings online, it's a sign of greater efficiency in my book. The PPCs are particularly good in this respect, and keep the back hand relatively unloaded in gusts which greatly helps their top end. It's a feel thing , but they suit me.

I have the 2.8 and 3.8 Surge. Exceptionally good wings apart from the valves, super hard to undo especially with cold hands. Does the Blend have a higher ring to undo? Or are they still low profile?

I think still low profile. I know what you mean , but they seem to seal well and haven't given me any issues otherwise

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Alysum said..

eppo said..

Alysum said..
When are PPC going to switch to long handles ?
Those handles are too small/thin and felt in the wrong place. This is stopping me from buying PPC.

Never had an issue handle size wise, nor the wrong place? All I've used for 2 odd years.

Everyone gets used to whatever they use.
It's a personal thing. They felt too thin and in the wrong place on the surge. I like to micro adjust my hand position along long handles.

Yeh those long handles would be nice must admit.

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hilly said..
I have the 2.8 and 3.8 Surge. Exceptionally good wings apart from the valves, super hard to undo especially with cold hands. Does the Blend have a higher ring to undo? Or are they still low profile?

Yeh agree. Think there was a batch (and you and I got them ) that are particularly hard. My older one - and a friends recent one don't seem to have the same problem. Weird. Some swearing is involved now and then..

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eppo said..

hilly said..
I have the 2.8 and 3.8 Surge. Exceptionally good wings apart from the valves, super hard to undo especially with cold hands. Does the Blend have a higher ring to undo? Or are they still low profile?

Yeh agree. Think there was a batch (and you and I got them ) that are particularly hard. My older one - and a friends recent one don't seem to have the same problem. Weird. Some swearing is involved now and then..

Stops me wanting to use the 3.8 I guy down here uses pliers

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mikesids said..
@Mindhoc, started with the 3.3 as a step down from my beloved 3.8, have subsequently bought a 4.3 as well which I am using a lot. The 3.3 is very rangey, and cuts quite substantially into the range of the 2.8 Surge while having more bottom end. I don't mind the handles at all - I mostly use handles 1 and 3 , and then use handles 1 and 4 when powering upwind. I use a harness for upwind so you can get a lovely feeling of taking most of the weight through the harness and then steering the wing quite precisely with good balance between the hands.

I'm starting to see more references to forward pulling wings online, it's a sign of greater efficiency in my book. The PPCs are particularly good in this respect, and keep the back hand relatively unloaded in gusts which greatly helps their top end. It's a feel thing , but they suit me.

How is the sizing compared to the Surge? There has been some conjecture that the surge has been labelled less than its actual size. To me they seem like they're about 0.5m bigger than the size stated. I haven't tried any accurate way of measuring this just the usual "feel" and basic comparison to other wings.

How is the blend sizing? Is a 3.8m surge the same size as a 4.3m blend?

Eppo and Hilly, the valve opening issue is a pain! It really seems like luck of the draw as of the 3 wings I have some have it and some don't. My 2.8 and 3.8 the strut valves get stuck but the leading edge valves are ok. My 4.8m both valves are fine.

Sizing of the XBlends is directly proportional to the Surges , so they fit together well in a quiver. Re sizing - that's a whole topic unto itself ! I have used / owned a lot of wings from a lot of brands over the last couple of years and have come to the conclusion that there is no "true" size, you just need to figure out what the range is for a given brand. Tricky when mixing wings from diff manufacturers. There are those that are big / grunty for their labelled size ( eg PPC, Ensis, Armstrong), and some that are small for their labelled size ( eg Smik). Area is only part of the equation though, profile depth is the other factor which is trickier to compare. I have measured many wings now ( span x strut length) , and also tried to correlate this with their grunt / range to get a feel for how different manufacturers are sizing their wings. Complicated !

Re the valves, which some are a pain, I bought a small plastic boa strap wrench, which makes it easy

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mikesids said..
Sizing of the XBlends is directly proportional to the Surges , so they fit together well in a quiver. Re sizing - that's a whole topic unto itself ! I have used / owned a lot of wings from a lot of brands over the last couple of years and have come to the conclusion that there is no "true" size, you just need to figure out what the range is for a given brand. Tricky when mixing wings from diff manufacturers. There are those that are big / grunty for their labelled size ( eg PPC, Ensis, Armstrong), and some that are small for their labelled size ( eg Smik). Area is only part of the equation though, profile depth is the other factor which is trickier to compare. I have measured many wings now ( span x strut length) , and also tried to correlate this with their grunt / range to get a feel for how different manufacturers are sizing their wings. Complicated !

Yes I totally agree! Size in M2 is not an accurate measurement of how much power a wing will deliver. Also the way different brands measure size and how much power a model will deliver will never fit into a form of standard measurement. It's been an issue with kites for many years and probably not going to be solved any time soon.

Currently the 4.8 surge is my biggest wing I just picked up a new 3.8 surge and am looking to replace the 4.8 with something just a bit bigger. I am not too sure if the 5.8 surge will be too big of a gap? Maybe the 5.3 blend will be the perfect choice to go with the 2.8 and 3.8 surge?

I think the 5.3 is well worth consideration as a larger wing, thinking of getting one myself. The 5.8 is a BIG wing and those of my mates that have had them haven't loved theirs just due to how unwieldy they are, even though they love their 4.8 and 3.8's.

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mikesids said..
I think the 5.3 is well worth consideration as a larger wing, thinking of getting one myself. The 5.8 is a BIG wing and those of my mates that have had them haven't loved theirs just due to how unwieldy they are, even though they love their 4.8 and 3.8's.

I'd be really interested to know wether the 5.3 also shares the same properties of the trailing edge staying higher as in the smaller sizes. Trailing edge drop design is a real pain in in bigger wings when trying to luff and head downwind.

I have been considering an f-one strike but I would definitely prefer a more durable construction with well placed windows if they luff alike.

@mikesids what would you say is the wind range for a 3.3m? I can't get any info on it anywhere and I have never used the PPC wings. So far only got Strike 5m and the wind conditions are overpowering me. Need a wing for a 15-28 gusty winds.

Ride with someone who uses a 3.3. Basically anybting above 18 - 20 knots he's on one. When I usually use the 2.8m surge I suppose. So not sure on the 15 knots. Need a bit more. But it seems to handle the higher winds well enough. Smoother than the surge I've been told.

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Shaping3263 said..
@mikesids what would you say is the wind range for a 3.3m? I can't get any info on it anywhere and I have never used the PPC wings. So far only got Strike 5m and the wind conditions are overpowering me. Need a wing for a 15-28 gusty winds.

I'm 80kg , for me the range of the 3.3 is from mid 20kts to low 30's. The wind range you mention is more in line with that of the Surge 3.8, which would be a reasonable step down from your 5m

I have a complete set of PPC Surge wings from the Stand Up Shop. As a windsurfer previously, I love the power in these wings. I am also enjoying just how well they head up wind. Waiting on PCC Soar board to complete the set. Have not tried a X-blend but keen to do a comparison.

Thank you @eppo and @mikesids. In Auckland we have been having really mixed winds recently. Mostly stable at about 19knot but then it drops down to 15 at times and goes up to 28. Normally I'd use my 5m Strike for anything up to 20 knots, but the gusts have been really hitting me hard in this weather :S
I'm only 70kg so that might be the reason as well.

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Shaping3263 said..
Thank you @eppo and @mikesids. In Auckland we have been having really mixed winds recently. Mostly stable at about 19knot but then it drops down to 15 at times and goes up to 28. Normally I'd use my 5m Strike for anything up to 20 knots, but the gusts have been really hitting me hard in this weather :S
I'm only 70kg so that might be the reason as well.

I'm in Auck too so totally know what you mean about the gusts ! Awesome start to the new year though. I reckon you need a 4m - they tend to be pretty rangey, most modern ones should take you to high 20's no problems, and start in the mid teens for someone your weight. Either a Strike 4m or PPC Surge 3.8 should do the trick. Hope this helps