Best Hydrofoils Review | My Favorite Foils

Best Value | Wake Thief Edition ($2,000)
tinyurl.com/2p...
Best Budget | Slingshot Package ($1,000)
tinyurl.com/yc...
Best Performance | Armstrong Performance 1880 / WKT 109 ($4,500)
tinyurl.com/2t...
Best Hybrid | Foil Drive Gen 2 ($8,400)
tinyurl.com/42...
Best Budget Efoil | Waydoo ($5,400)
tinyurl.com/27...
Best Efoil | Flite ($13,700)
tinyurl.com/yk...
Best Freefoil | Beta Freefoil ($6,500)
betafoils.com/...
Please use the "WAKETHIEF" coupon code & we will send you a hat.
Best Foils of 2023 (Wake Thieving)
#5 Indiana 1396 | tinyurl.com/2e...
#4 Unifoil 250 | tinyurl.com/mr...
#3 AXIS 1401 | tinyurl.com/bd...
#2 SAB 1350 | tinyurl.com/5n...
#1 Armstrong 1880 | tinyurl.com/2t...
Merch:
wakethief.mysp...
Donate:
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Affiliate Disclosure:
We’ve tried 300+ foils & have shared our experience in 100+ videos. Our recommendations are based on our desire to promote the best products. When viewers use our links / coupon code, we earn a commission. We have established many affiliate partners. This allows us to earn a commission from the sale of nearly every brand. We believe this helps to eliminate any bias from our reviews and recommendations. We want to be transparent with our viewers, so we disclose our financial interests. Wake Thief has affiliate / financial arrangements with AXIS Foils, Takuma, Fliteboard, Beta Foils, Foil Drive, MACKiteboarding, REAL Watersports, Green Hat Kiteboarding, Bbtalkin, and Vibram. The above links are affiliate links, which mean we earn a commission if you purchase through our links. We thank you for your support of our channel and mission.
Safety Warning:
This sport is dangerous. Please be safe. We’d encourage you to thoroughly review all product safety material prior to trying. If you don’t feel safe, do not proceed. This sport is not as easy as it looks. It took us many hours of practice, but we enjoyed the journey. Please use a CGA life vest. Please wear a helmet to protect your head. Please wear a wetsuit to protect from cuts from any sharp edges. Please proceed at your own risk. We review products and share our own personal experience. If you rely on the information in this video, you assume responsibility for results. Wake Thief, LLC.

[@Pete_R63]

Glad to see something new from you! Very helpful!

[@steveothedeveo]

Caught my first ocean wave from a rock start yesterday on the Sab1350 and today I see this. You were there way back at the beginning for me and your still here now. Thanks for all your vids and inspiration.

[@WakeThief]

That’s means the world to me. Thank you.

[@Cfrose1965]

What size foil do you recommend for dock launch and surfing behind a pontoon or jetski

[@WakeThief]

@Cfrose1965 I wouldn’t go any smaller in span or area than our best value foil (1150).

[@vladioan4247]

I cant wait to get my hidrofoil Edit:omg 2 likes thanks🥰🥰🥰

[@boicungnghiem]

best video!

[@Giroux68]

I was just thinking about when your last video was and boom... here's a new one.

[@WakeThief]

Thanks for thinking of me. Been awhile. My lake is thawed and I’m ready to rock

[@BenjaminFriant]

More videos pleaaaaase :D

[@WakeThief]

You're too kind! Miss you, bud.

[@AmphibiousDetecting]

Gosh what a good time that was on that Mastercraft up north when the video started. That was a good day for sure :)

[@WakeThief]

It sure was, my friend. One of those days I’ll never forget

[@vanceduke5196]

The Godfather.

[@Bauley187]

for real

[@okifarm]

Great info thank you. Your links for the foil assist and best foil budget are 404s

[@WakeThief]

Thanks! I will update. Appreciate you letting me know.

[@freesurfa9791]

Any experience or thoughts on the png 1300 v2 or new fireball range?

[@Mr.kitefoiler]

thanks nice video

[@JackDanYewell]

Thanks for your videos! So professional, you must spend i crazy amount of time making these. I think I’m sold on the Wake Thief edition foil setup. What specs would you recommend for 155lbs of pure muscle 💪

[@WakeThief]

Thank you. 910 if you wanna go behind the boat. 1150 is you want to dock start and pump (as a priority). I wish I were 155lb. I’d be flying forever by now!

[@JackDanYewell]

Cheers! I’ve been following this sport for a few years now. The pump foiling definitely intrigues me the most. It’s a revolutionary sport for-sure.

[@333cgs333]

What an awesome video. What will be the Recomended rear wing for the spitfire ?

[@johnschukei1708]

Really want to Wave Thief on the wakeboarding boats that drive by the cabin this summer. Have some Axis winging stuff. Is the fireball going to be the best front foil to buy? Or maybe the PNG 1310? I will prone foil out there with gen 2 foil assist. Thank you

[@WakeThief]

It depends on how good of a dock starter you want to become. More area is easier to start off the dock but not as fun to wake thief (because span is usually larger). 1150. 1310. New 1300v2 all good options. Just pay attention to whether it’s black or red series and will fit your fuselage.

[@drbezard]

I had the opportunity to test the Armstrong vs the leviathan and I must say the leviathan is so much easier and also faster to pump. Especially for beginners. I can’t see any advantages of the Armstrong. Even in your video, it looks a little bit hard when you pump it. Why Is it your favorite?

[@WakeThief]

Thanks for this! Our favorite foil has to do all three well … launch, fly/pump and surf. The 1880 was better at surfing. The 1350 carved well for its size, but not as well as I’d like. I believe the light weight of the 1880 made the difference. I’ve never cared much about weight, but it’s because I’ve never had such a large area foil that was also so light. It lowers the inertia, making it easy to move around with speed. I was surprised. Weight matters. I have been wrong all these years. If all I cared about is dock starting and pumping, I would agree with you. But if I only cared about dock starting and pumping, I would go with a much larger front wing than any tested here. I’d choose the Beta freefoil, which I can pump 10-20km per day. It’s also easier to launch than anything reviewed here. The freefoil, is however, too big to surf! Thanks for the feedback.

[@drbezard]

@@WakeThief thank you for that answer. i think i will get the leviathan and keep the armstrong when i improve my technique. i will also get the 1720 i think it comes closer to the free foil and i could start the sub foiling with it.

[@WakeThief]

@drbezard personally, I wouldn’t sell one brand for another. I’d get a smaller or bigger wing, as you suggest, to achieve the objective.

[@WakeThief]

@drbezard yes. SAB 1750 is very nice for this.

[@JackDanYewell]

Have you seen the Roam free foil kit? It’s has the 1700 wing. Looks pretty solid for the price.

[@DanielGates]

What add-on foil drive to recommend to retrofit my 'wake thief' package?

[@WakeThief]

I'd recommend this, with MAX battery (longest duration). If you want to efoil around, go with the 70cm mast. If you want to surf waves / wakes with the prop out of the water, go with the 20cm. I'd also recommend a board that's at least 40L. Will make getting out of the water that much easier. Feel free to email me with more questions ([e-mail]). tinyurl.com/ma9pwbzm

[@Cfrose1965]

What do you recommend for someone on a budget and just starting.

[@WakeThief]

The budget foil in the description will get the job done!

[@Cfrose1965]

Liquid Force Freedom Foil Boards TC Pro Foil Board

[@Cfrose1965]

I found this board $450 what foild would you recommend.

[@WakeThief]

mackite.idevaffiliate.com/idevaffiliate.php?id=102&url=6 This is our best value foil.

[@vramsay]

Realize it's a slightly different for each individual, but I'd expect you've got your mast position dialed in and would have experimented a fair bit with locations. I'm curious where you put your mast position with the 1880 for dock start and and insights on how you got there?

[@rmad1311]

WLP1260 - Sabfoil?

[@Truthseeker2000-e1s]

Great video as always. What wing do you use for the ocean waves? Is the 1880 still good for that?

[@WakeThief]

It will be too big unless the waves are very small.

[@AlexBurandt]

I'm looking at my first wakefoil and want to do both dock starting/pumping as well as carve sharply behind the power and speed of a boat (at different times). Would you reccomend the Axis foil and changing out the mast/wings depending on my preffered use case or the Armstrong foil you recommended as a one foil fits all solution? Or do you have a different opinon entirely? Thanks for making the best foil content out there!

[@WakeThief]

If you’re on a budget, go for the axis foil and get both the 1150 and 910 front wings. You’ll have everything you need to enjoy dock start / pump and behind the boat.

[@johnathanpressler1761]

Thoughts on the Ronix speed wings?

[@WakeThief]

I haven't tried them yet.

[@willstafford4159]

Any advice on going from zero to pump foiling?

[@WakeThief]

This sport is tough to learn. If you’re certain you’ll put in the 10s of hours to learn, I’d get a wing with lots of area and stability in roll and pitch help a lot. I think the beta freefoil is the easiest to learn on because it has a stiff platform in those two directions. But there’s no shortcut. Will take hours of practice. I walk through the process here. kzbin.info/www/bejne/aqe6daqwbatlqMUsi=a0XcIuistbORzSlz. If you’re not sure it’s for you, target spending about $1000-$2000 and get the a large front wing you can. Happy help if you want some further advice. [e-mail]

[@joshuahatton8722]

Hey, how did you decide on a board for the foil drive? I know Axis makes a "Foil Drive" Board. Just curious, thanks for the video, as always!

[@WakeThief]

Tried a range of boards of different lengths and volumes. This length and volume was my favorite. Wanted as small as possible, without being nearly impossible to plane before takeoff.

[@janschenk85]

Hi Wakethief why dont u test GONG stuff too? Im really hally with mine,...

[@WakeThief]

I've been trying to get it but have been unable to do it. I am working on it now.

[@heavyweather]

​​@@WakeThief wondered the same.You could have had it delivered to Switzerland when you visited. Hope you get your hands on the Sirus series soon. The whole foil setup with the Titanium Fuse, 72cm HM mast, 50cm stab and 2XL Sirus front wing is 1560€. 1640€ with the 3XL and 1800€ with the 5XL. Just watched someone flatwater starting the 3XL on the 6'6" HiPE (inflateable) Cruzader. People are pumping this foil for hours. GONG also makes the Kluber Pumpboard. They will also have a parawing soon.

[@mathieulessard4399]

Hi, no comment on Cloud9?

[@WakeThief]

It was #6. There were about 15 foils tested in this review.

[@paul-akers]

Find the foil drive that you recommend

[@WakeThief]

Please email me. I’m not sure I understand your question, Paul. [e-mail]

[@AlexBurandt]

Have you had a chance to try out the spitfire or Art Pro series?

[@WakeThief]

I’ve tried some of both. Not all of them, however.

[@slappysurf]

Have you tried out the Axis 1180 yet? Or how about the Gong Sirus?

[@WakeThief]

These are both on the 2024 list! Any other suggestions?

[@troymartyn854]

Get to it🔥

[@jamesgarrison4920]

Hello, I love your videos thanks for the sacrifice. I was wondering if you had any opinions on the Roam foils. They have a complete Lite Kit for 1600 bucks US and it looks great but there's no videos online except from the manufacturer. Thanks either way.

[@WakeThief]

Thank you! I haven’t reviewed it. It’s on my To Do list though! Appreciate the comment.

[@jamesgarrison4920]

Then you already know I'm gonna wait for it! Thanks again can't wait ​@WakeThief

[@WakeThief]

I’m sorry. The list is long! It will have to next season.

[@ianv5918]

What foil is better axis 1310 or sabfoil 1350 for pumping

[@WakeThief]

1350.

[@ianv5918]

Oke thanks

[@stiner1009]

So, quick question. How long are you pumping 1150 these days? You said the foils tested in the video would be in the 5 minute range. Just looking for rough comparison.

[@WakeThief]

It’s hard to say because you can’t just grab a foil after not riding it for a few weeks and expect to pump it as efficiently as the one you were riding. You need to a few consecutive hours on one and I just haven’t done it in awhile. My guess is that if 1150 is 2min, the Top 3 here are 3-5min. That’s assuming someone dials in all of the foils before testing.

[@AssassinUK]

@@WakeThief I'm new to this, I don't even get the question .. or the answer.

[@fulcrandlaurens5718]

hello, great comparison, which mast do you recommend with the apf 1675 for dockstart, I have an old v1 72 cm mast. Some riders tell me that it is not good for pumping..but the performance mast is relatively expensive for dockstarting...what do you think? thanks for your return. Seb

[@WakeThief]

I’d recommend performance mast. The original Armstrong carbon mast wasn’t stiff enough for wings >115cm span, in my opinion.

[@fulcrandlaurens5718]

Thanks, I order the alloy mast, normally it’s more rigid… to be continued..

[@WakeThief]

I haven’t tried the alloy. I’d be inclined to order it too.

[@realdealnield]

Hi what were the pumping times e.g 1minute pump time, of these foils?

[@WakeThief]

All of these will be 2-5min for me, depending on my fitness. For these setups, I would give the edge to SAB and AXIS, followed by Indiana and Armstrong. It’s too difficult to back to back pump test each of them, as it takes a couple of hours to master the technique of each, and each requires a slightly different technique.

[@timfitzsimmons4242]

@@WakeThief For maximum length of time pumping on foil (disregarding wake surfing), would you say the Indiana would be best, then Armstrong? Thanks!

[@WakeThief]

@timfitzsimmons4242 it’s hard to say for sure but I guess Indiana, SAB, and Armstrong.

[@timfitzsimmons4242]

@@WakeThief thank you 🙏. Have you also reviewed the Gong Sirius 3xl as a comparison?

[@WakeThief]

@timfitzsimmons4242 the span of that wing is nearly 2x these wings, so I suspect it won’t surf wakes very well, but in terms of pure flat water pumping it is of interest to me and I’ll be trying it soon.

[@jeremye6056]

How did you find the unifoil hyper 250 vs the axis png1150?

[@WakeThief]

I preferred 1150

[@sebastianbrough8570]

What do you think of the arsntrong MA1750 and the HA1525? I am 90kg

[@WakeThief]

Prefer 1880 for dock starting over 1525. Don’t like 1525 behind boat. Not stiff enough. Never been on MA1750

[@Cfrose1965]

Hello for the liquid force budget board what size foil do you recommend for pumping and behind pontoon.

[@WakeThief]

For LF I’d go 160 or bigger

[@OrlovAleksandr]

1880 or 1675 , if I’m 67 kg?

[@WakeThief]

Great question. If pumping / dock starting is the most important, go 1880. If you will want to carve, ride wakes, etc, go 1675.

[@OrlovAleksandr]

I want to pump and they tell me a hundred times with my low weight, 1675 is enough for me and it will be more diverse and 1880 is unnecessary .

[@WakeThief]

Go for it!

[@CarkeekW]

@@OrlovAleksandr I agree , the 1675 is almost as lifty as 1880 and a good rider even at 80 kg would still like the 1675 , for even heavier riders the 1880 is probably necessary unless they are already good foilers.

[@123jacquesattaque]

Try the new APF 1350, probably the most advanced pump foil in terms of section design that I have seen. More manoeuvrable and faster than the larger APFs and I can pump it longer than the 1675 as well...

[@Bauley187]

i managed to pump 2 minutes to day axis

[@Henrich205]

How id Betafoil doing? :)

[@WakeThief]

New product coming this Spring. It’s still my favorite for exploring / freefoiling. We had a blast in Switzerland …. kzbin.info/www/bejne/aqe6daqwbatlqMUsi=a0XcIuistbORzSlz

[@rvart6779]

im new to it, is it possible to use a wing/like sail wing with a pump foil board, or that's like a different sport?

[@WakeThief]

Same concept. You need a board that can float you for winging while these boards can be much smaller

[@rvart6779]

@@WakeThief thank you for replying, so these pump/dock start boards can pretty much be used for winging, im on a lighter side about 115lb and wish i could do both dock start pumping and winging/foiling with wing/sail wing with the same board, and wonder if i get this "best budget pack" you recommended to do both, will it work for winging or dock start boards is like its own animal?

[@WakeThief]

@rvart6779 you’ll need a much bigger board for winging.

[@WakeThief]

@rvart6779 id get the budget setup If you’ll mostly be behind the boat / dock starting. If you’ll mostly be winging, get a setup with a larger board.

[@higliner64]

Have you tried the Sabfoil leviathan 1750? Curious how it comparison to the Beta foil. Same question with the gong Sirius xxl. Thanks

[@WakeThief]

I was able to pump the 1750 for 8min. Great to launch. The mast flexes which took some getting used to, but if you want to freefoil you’ll have a great experience with the 1750. I haven’t tried Gong.

[@higliner64]

Which mast were you on? I have the 73p without the quick release. Saw some testing that shows the kraken quick release is a flex point. Will see if I can find video. Thanks for your info!

[@WakeThief]

@higliner64 yes, with the screw attached on the underside of the mast too. I’ve seen data with and without the screw. Stiffer when screw attached.

[@brandonkincade278]

Can I email you some questions about my current setup and what you would recommend for different scenarios? I just feel like it would be too much for a KZbin comment, and if I email I can send pictures of my setup. Thanks!

[@WakeThief]

Of course!

[@brandonkincade278]

Thanks! I just sent the email over.

[@ironphil62]

👍🍺

[@prioa_]

Where would you place the freefoil?

[@WakeThief]

The freefoil is for flat water exploration. These are for wake thieving.

[@prioa_]

Thanks!

[@LIGAMENTTB]

Good Day, Hope all is well🤘🏼 I have a few questions if you do not mind….. I saw you weight 190lbs/86kgs. along with your video on the APF1880 being your favorite for 2024. I have an order in for one myself but I am under 90kg and I am being told to go to the APF1675. Thoughts? I am 82 kg’s or 180 lbs. Also, trying to get deep into the sport and would like to utilize the Armstrong brand and acquire three separate front wings. I am an expert on water in all the other sports but new to foiling. I cannot link waves but after only four days on water utilizing a Lift 150 surf, 965cm2 and 38 surf I am riding without rope, pumping and carving and so learning very quickly. I am wondering your thoughts on Newest technology products to buy and grow with. My thought: Utilize Behind Boat: 1.) S1 1850 vs. CF 1600 vs. S1 1550 for me to progress, wife, kids, etc. behind Utilize for flat water, lakes: 2.) HS 1850 vs. APF 1675 vs. 1880 vs. Axis1300… Last Advanced Foiling on Waves, SUP, Toe-In & Boat. 3.) HA 880 to 1080 or CF? Or MA Thanks In Advance along with all the videos you have done. Great fluidity in your explanations and footage. Five Stars ⭐️🤘🏼🌅

[@WakeThief]

1) 1550. See my Armstrong wake review 2) 1880. Flat water 3) I can’t speak to this