Armstrong Foil HA880 vs HA925 Review Part I Wingfoil

Comparing Armstrong HA880 to HA925 Hydrofoil Front Wings
Armstrong HA880
Armstrong 180 Speed Tail
Armstrong FG Wing Board 58L
Duotone Unit 5M

[@asquared01]

Thank you - excellent overview. I come from the MA1000 and prior to that, a 925. After using an 880 for about three weeks, my thoughts are very much in line with yours (even though you compare the 880 with the 925). I, too, suspect that a 780 would be a daily driver for me. I have ordered a 680 and might use that for most days where I wing and keep the 880 for lighter days.

[@andreannovakov9410]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts! I would be very curious to see how the 780 performs. Personally, I would hold off on buying new Armstrong gear until I am 100% sure that 780 is truly on par with the 925, my biggest fear is that 780 won't have the glide of 925. I am seriously considering expanding my ART PRO quiver and if that happens would be difficult to invest more into Armstrong. Please let me know how the 680 goes

[@Stefan-Foil]

Yes after testing the 880 I got the same experience. Yes I think the 780 is comparable to the 925 in lift but remember these new HAs are developed for prone surfing not winging so have slower speed optimized section, good pumping and turning. I expect new wing performance HA will be next.

[@andreannovakov9410]

Thanks for your comment! In my mind 1550 and 925 were the two foils that made Armstrong popular, while there was a natural successor of the original 1550 there was none for the 925. It almost seems that a void is created with the new HA series, many people would not be willing to sacrifice speed and glide. Would be awesome if Armstrong come up with a new performance HA lineup, but they may lose some of their customer base to Axis ART PRO

[@bastialdehoff7779]

​@@andreannovakov9410 have you tried the DWP 685? Should be more comparable to the ART Pros

[@andreannovakov9410]

@@bastialdehoff7779 I haven't tried the 685 yet. If you have, what do you think of the 685? I am contemplating on trading the 880 for 755, awaiting one final head-high session before I finally rule out the 880 as part of my quiver

[@Stefan-Foil]

@@andreannovakov9410 I have the dwp755, it has lots of high speed glide, basically everything the HAv2 lack. BUT, it doesn't like really like choppy turbulent water and also get sketchy in breaking waves, so the usage is more limited to DW swell ride or flatwater. The 685 may be better for winging than the 755

[@andreannovakov9410]

@@Stefan-Foil Thanks for sharing your 755 experience. Seems like the Armstrong DWPs are very similar to the ART PROs. What you outlined as 755 drawbacks are the reasons I did not switch entirely to ART PROs...yet.

[@tc158]

I'm 195lbs and riding an 1125 right now as my daily driver. You think the 880 will be enough for me? I tried the 925 and it was too much work to get me up.

[@andreannovakov9410]

I am confident the 880 would an adequate replacement of the 1125. I did have the 1125 for about a year and can tell you in terms of lift and speed the 880 is super close to the 1125. Glide might be a bit less that 1125, but you'll gain a lot of maneuverability and perhaps give you better surfing experience. This is with the 180 tail...I am about to try the 880 with 140 tail, which would change the mix a bit. Hope this helps

[@foiling_jp]

Does this mean that the HA880 is less likely to stall and is easier to handle, but its speed is slower than the HA925?

[@andreannovakov9410]

You've got it 100%, 880 is slower than 925 and with lower stall speed. I no longer ride the HA wings unless it's sub 10kts, mostly ride DWP series now and trying out other brands as replacement down the road

[@foiling_jp]

@@andreannovakov9410 Thank you. :) I like the HA925, so I'll wait and see before replacing it.

[@scp8412]

@@andreannovakov9410 Interesting! I thought the DWP where slow? What other brand are you thinking of trying? Code and AFS seems to be the trend right now

[@andreannovakov9410]

@@scp8412 Thank you for your comment! I am currently riding DWP755 and it's very, very fast foil...faster than 925 for sure. It does require more speed to take off, but the glide and speed are unmatched. I sold all my Armie HA v2 and ride mostly DWP755 when conditions are good. SABFOIL 975 is a very interesting wing, exploring options to replace my Armie foils with SABFOIL but will be awhile before I fully commit to the change in brands. Thanks again!

[@scp8412]

@@andreannovakov9410 I am so pleased to hear your thoughts on the razor pro! I am on the previous kraken mast/ non pro razor’s and was thinking of switching to some other brands to gain glide but maybe I should just upgrade my mast. The quick release is m’y favoris features with 2 wing board and one kiteboard. Makes quick setup at the beach.