Hydrofoil Product Review | Armstrong HS1250

[@Justin-bw8zi]

Another great video. Fun having two riders POV.

[@HALFLIFEVIDEO]

Thanks Justin -- agreed. Jason's been coming up the curve quickly with his foil skills. Excellent at pumping and as an all around rider.

[@jeffg8243]

Too much fun! Our lakes on the Eastside are now a bit nippy, so keep the Vids coming so I can live vicariously through you guys.

[@HALFLIFEVIDEO]

Hey Jeff -- as long as we can but it's starting to get a little cold here as well. A couple more weeks then water vids and Instagram @halflifet.5 will be Maui based!

[@jeffg8243]

@@HALFLIFEVIDEO Mahalo to you and all your crew...especially for the inspiration!

[@HALFLIFEVIDEO]

@@jeffg8243 Hi Jeff -- so nice of you to say. Thank you very much. It's comments like this that charge us up and keep us going. THANK YOU!

[@bry8636]

That looked really smooth! Thought I had enough wings- damn-now I need another

[@HALFLIFEVIDEO]

Hey Bry -- you won't be disappointed. Buy it from us! [phone] or [e-mail] Cheers, Tim

[@TopsailBeachVibes]

Nicely done! I was wondering how you got that wake so big then I saw the container ship 😂 I’m stoked y’all were able to hook it up with my new mast! Thanks for the great service. I’ll probably be coming back to the trough in a few weeks! Thanks for the great sales experience!

[@HALFLIFEVIDEO]

Hi Gray -- So happy to welcome you to the Half-Life nation! Yep - that container ship really throws a big wake when it's at full speed. Cheers! Tim

[@scnomad3626]

👌 shredding!

[@HALFLIFEVIDEO]

Thanks my man!

[@svenpr9183]

Thanks for the review! The Armstrong mid-aspect (HS-series) is such a great compromise, it seems whatever is left for the CF-series is big waves (and kiting?). Have you even used the CF1200 since getting the HS1250?

[@HALFLIFEVIDEO]

Hi Sven -- For the most part folks who decide to go Armstrong are intermediate + in their respective disciplines given the price point etc. The HS series just gives you more quickness, glide and pump. For the disciplines that we do we prefer the HS1250 to the CF1200. That said -- that 1200 rides REALLY well. But it's the HS1250 that gets pull out of the bag most of the time. Email us at [e-mail] if you're interested in talking more about your Armstrong quiver. Best, Tim

[@sincerbeaux767]

Looking forward to your “fish ladder” vid. Been wondering how to do that? We’re tired of pulling in the long rope:) One question? How much ballast are you guys using for those wakes? We’re just using a stern drive, and we can ride 2nd wake and crossovers but not as easy as you guys make it look. Love your videos.

[@HALFLIFEVIDEO]

Hi John - we'll get you covered! The long rope is a PAIN :-). Ballast - very little - mostly tabs so that we get a clean wave. If you haven't seen this video - check it out: kzbin.info/www/bejne/raXJY6ejhc6bnKc If you have a standard stern drive you can play around with ballast but if it's physical it's tough to optimize for one side and then another...make sense? So, you end up putting more center ballast to bump up the wave. A lot of wave transitions is technique so be sure you're getting a good run at the wave and fly the foil high in the water column. Make sense? Cheers! Tim

[@antoinecoupin1888]

Love your reviews ! How do you compare this wing to hydros FW 1250 ?

[@HALFLIFEVIDEO]

If you're moving from a non-carbon setup to a carbon setup - the MFC FW1250 will feel amazing. That said, we've found workmanship, performance, and the HS lineup from Armstrong to be superior. The HS1250 is a mid aspect wing. The Hydros is more of a traditional shape. As such - thicker in the leading edge. Because the Armstrong HS1250 is mid aspect, it's faster than the MFC while maintaining the looseness. If you want to see that in action - look at the wave transfer in this video at the 3:08 mark (kzbin.info/www/bejne/q3WXe4ykmJyEeq8) and compare it to the wave transfer in this video at the 3:53 mark where I used very little effort. The boats are similar (T23 vs. Supreme just better tab settings on the Supreme {we didn't discover the tab settings until later in the summer}). That said - the MFC Hydros 1250 is FUN to ride. Although a bit slower it is loose, absolutely killer on the first wave and does a decent job on the second wave. You'll just have to work a bit harder. If you currently have a MFC - let the stoke roll there! If you're making an upgrade move -- I'd go Armstrong all the way. The perfect Armstrong quiver depending upon your weight and skill could be HS1250/HS1850 and you never go wrong with the HS1550. Please feel free to email me with questions at [e-mail]. We can also arrange a time to talk - I realize that's a lot of info there to unpack! Cheers, Tim

[@antoinecoupin1888]

Thank you very much for this perfect answer !

[@aquapoleby3pv]

If you had to choose 1 foil for behind the boat and big boat wave stealing, would it be ha925 or hs1250?

[@HALFLIFEVIDEO]

"Big Boat Stealing"....well....all waves are not made equal my friend. If you're talking a big clean wave like the tug wave kzbin.info/www/bejne/n52zdYtorbx7gJI it would be the HA925 all the way. If it were to be a wave with more cavitation - I'd go HS1250. If in the ocean shoulder high - 925. If it was tough pumping conditions 1250 for me (more forgiving), 925 for John. Pumping speed - 925. Pumping forgiveness 1250. If we could only choose one - it would be the HA925. Cheers, Tim

[@aquapoleby3pv]

@@HALFLIFEVIDEO Awesome😀

[@Popcorncereal]

Which board and board size you riding on this review? What's the riders weight? Cheers

[@HALFLIFEVIDEO]

Hi Brad -- I think there may be an issue with KZbin - it shows as if I didn't reply already but I'm sure I did..... Regardless -- that is the Armstrong SKT311. It is 3'11" and rocks the house! I weigh ~178LB. Jason weights about 165LB. Please don't hesitate with questions. Feel free to ping me at [e-mail] Cheers, Tim

[@IRWE905]

What mast length were you riding with the HS1250 ?

[@HALFLIFEVIDEO]

72cm

[@nwinboards1747]

that looks like "the wing" for behind the boat!

[@HALFLIFEVIDEO]

it would be hard not to include the 1550 and the 1850.....but....you may be right. so loose and fun but maintains speed very well.

[@HALFLIFEVIDEO]

After 3rd session - It's looking more and more like this is THE WING for behind the boat. The video was done with a '0' shim. I rode yesterday on the '+1' shim and it only got better. Let's get out on Lake Sammamish. I'd love to see you ride it!

[@jamesc6137]

That begs the question as to why not show us the 1050 behind the boat exampling some small airs or hops holding on to the rope first wave maybe. I think that would be great as thats where its heading. (Austin Tovey) I’m getting ready to buy the 1050 because as a seasoned wakeboarder I’m getting kinda of tired of just lolly gagging around on the 1850 and 3’11” board surfing the wake. Ive tried a few small airs on the 1850 and landing that big wing is just not working well on re-entry. As much as y’all boat surf my goodness show us something a tad more exciting than "climb the freaking latter” and “down the shaft” of whatever you call it. It can’t be that difficult THX!!

[@HALFLIFEVIDEO]

Fair enough James. You can actually get air on all sizes. The HS1050 is a bit tough to hold the wave but if you're doing airs with the rope, go for it. We use the HS1050 for larger waves in the ocean and for tow in into freighters. You should try the HS1250 as a good combination of speed and ability to take off and land airs. Cheers, The Half-Life Crew

[@jamesc6137]

@@HALFLIFEVIDEO perhaps we can discuss via phone further on the two 1050 and 1250 concerning my size, intentions, expectations, and I’ll buy one from y’all. I appreciate y’all’s videos and efforts!

[@FourthWayRanch]

I wonder if painting black and white stripes on my foil will ruin it?

[@HALFLIFEVIDEO]

Haha -- I assume you're going to paint a non Armstrong foil with the stripes? Best Half-Life Crew

[@FourthWayRanch]

@@HALFLIFEVIDEO I'm serious, what effect will the ridges of the paint lines have on the laminar flow over the hydrofoil??

[@HALFLIFEVIDEO]

Well....I'm just not sure why you would do that. I will tell you this -- when we scratch our foils on the reef or have other damage we apply solar resin and then sand it back down to a smooth surface. So if you were to paint your foil, I would plan on doing some level of sanding so that it is flush. What brand of foil are you planning on painting?

[@FourthWayRanch]

@@HALFLIFEVIDEO it repels sharks, they make wet suits with that pattern too. I got a slingshot

[@NoProDad]

i got to get on one of these! 🤙

[@HALFLIFEVIDEO]

The 1250 absolutely rocks. The more I ride it, the more I love it. Foiling is changing water sports and is an absolute blast. Don't hesitate to reach out with additional questions. email [e-mail] Let's get you flying on the water! Cheers, Tim