Sabfoil MEDUSA PRO 669 - A new era of foils - Reviewing the future

I really took my time and effort to make this review, but I honestly believe the Medusa Pro line and especially the Medua Pro 669 ushers in a new era in foil design.
Let me know what you think in the comments and don't forget to subscribe, there's more content in the pipeline.
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[@ywata6676]

Thanks for sharing your review! I have just ordered WMP669 during SAB BlackFriday Sale. I'm looking forward to receiving my one ❤

[@hoppline]

Great choice! Hope you have as much fun as I do!! Takes some wind and time to get used to being so free, but once you get the hang of it, it's a blast!

[@hahn8552]

Hello from Hood River! I just got this for kite foiling and I’m super stoked to start riding it but it’s still just a bit too cold for me. Everything I’ve learned about foil specs tells me this is going to be amazing. Thanks for putting up one of the very few reviews of this foil! If you get a chance to post some winging footage, please do - a winger friend of mine finds it hard to believe any adult could wing on a foil this small. 😂

[@hoppline]

Hahaha....yeap, the Medusa Pro 669 really looks tiny. I see if I can find some footage and let you know once I uploaded something !!

[@dcjtv]

I love my Medusa Pro front wings. I have the 869 and the 769 and find I need quite a bit more wind for the 769. I didn’t even imagine using the 669 but after watching your video I want to try it. Do you have any tips to get these smaller foils going? What stab do you use with your 669? Thanks!

[@hoppline]

Hey, good to hear you love the Medusa Pro, too. The small wings like the 769 and the 669 do really behave different to what I have been riding before. It all starts with sitting or standing on your board and you can definitely tell that the big "anchor" under water is missing. Not even being on foil, everything gets a little more loose (and unstable) already. Starting and pumping such a small surface is something you have to get used to. I call these extra small wings "flowwings" as they barely have any physical resistance from their size. So they need to be in a flow to develop some physical forces you can work with and pump against. This being said, the 669 need to be treated gentle at the start, building up speed first and than starting your pumping technique. The advantage of having no resistance from the size, is that this also applies to moving the foil upwards, making it easy to lift the 669 up by decreasing the pressure on your front foot and gentle pushing on your back foot. A bigger stabilizer helps at the beginning. I like the S370 but mostly ride the S325 for an even more surfy feeling......

[@FoilingPastor]

Your lightning looks insane. Are you using a ring light for your face and then some background light?

[@hoppline]

THANKS 🤩! You are absolutely right. It's a ring light and a hair light + one small light facing towards to background for better separation. It's a pretty affordable and easy lighting and the look of the ring light definitely leaves some room for discussions, but it works for me at the moment. Affiliate links: Ring light: amzn.to/3T5nciG / Hair light (super multi purpose) amzn.to/46SFdUJ / Background light amzn.to/3R865u0

[@FoilingPastor]

@@hoppline I didn`t think of the hair light, but it makes sense. It looks very cool how you can create all this different colored backgrounds

[@hoppline]

@@FoilingPastor Yeap...but it all takes time like you probably know. Wish I had someone else talking care of the lighting and the camera, but I guess with the video subject "foiling" we are stuck in a one man show. I guess a single mobile phone review would score more clicks than my entire channel 😂😂😂

[@FoilingPastor]

@@hoppline I looked at your numbers and they don`t look too bad. I guess it takes time to grow. Are you working full time? How do you find time to be on the water, to film and all that?

[@hoppline]

@@FoilingPastor Hey, thanks, I take "not too bad" for a compliment (-: ! I roughly started to invest more time and grow this channel about 6 month ago. I am a studied Industrial Designer and at the moment work self employed as a coach ( www.minimal-approach.com ). Surfing, filming and editing really takes up a lot of time and it only works with a drastic cut back in income. At the moment "hoppline" is not generating any money but I hope to change this soon. Actually at the moment I am not earning enough to feed my family and mainly rely on savings. I hope it will pay off sooner or later as I really enjoy making surf content. The whole process is a big leaning, from standing in front of the camera for the first time, to networking and building up different revenue streams. I hope to make at least a small income from KZbin and Instagram once I have reached the needed followers (To all non followers reading this: Subscribing helps us content creators BIG TIME (-:). I had a few requests for payed reviews but turned them down to stay independent. I honestly don't understand how channels like Gleiten TV can take money for their reviews and stay honest at the same time?! Uwe is a nice guy and he seems to have found a way to do what he loves and generate an income by doing so, but I think this will not be my path.....how about you?? Having a little head start you should already make some money from KZbin? Do you have any other ideas for income? Looks like you are too dedicating a lot of love, passion and time for your channel!

[@hansmaier479]

Anybody tried the 769 and 669 with a kite? How do they compare in terms of light wind performance and take off speed? And how do they compare to the older 679 and the more recent 671?

[@hoppline]

Hey, unfortunately I don't kite much, but from my winging experience the 769 has significant more low end than the 669, whereas the 669 is much more fun to ride.

[@hansmaier479]

@@hoppline Just tried the new 769 and compared it directly to the old 679 both with a S355 Stabilizer and 9m UFO and 11m Chrono kite in rather light winds (5-10 knots). For me the old 679 wins over the new 769, I think. It seems to me that the old 679 has a better low end, better pitch stability, and, most importantly, it is easier to get a stand on the board when starting. The rather high aspect ratio and long wing span of the 769 made it rather difficult to tilt the board in the water and get up on it in light winds. In stronger winds that may be less of an issue. However, getting on the board I found fairly more complicated with the 769 than with the 679 - and for me this is crucial (or a no go). Since the wing span is decreased in the 669 that should be less of a problem with this and the 671 wing, I hope. Moreover, I did not notice much of a speed increase with the 769 compared to the 679. Neither did the 769 increase manouverability compared to the 679.

[@hoppline]

@@hansmaier479 THANKS!! Really appreciate your input!!!

[@jongroten5377]

Recently got the 769 after my 679 was destroyed... 769 needs a hair more wind to waterstart a pocket board at the extreme bottom end. I found that I need an extra half second more acceleration before takeoff (otherwise you stall out). So, if you were looking for a one foil setup in a light wind area, might be a deal breaker. But would pair well with a 633 or 945 (or whatever the new close equivalents are) to cover the extreme low end. I felt like 769 had better pump/glide, 679 has a marginally better low end ease of water start. I suspect 679 has better stability on steep waves but haven't tested it in larger ocean swell yet (mid AR being more draggy/stable on the waves in general). Will leave a comment on top end when I ride in bigger conditions.

[@RM-tl7mr]

@@jongroten5377 ​ @hansmaier479 Your input is very useful. I´m currently riding 679 + 425 with UFOs and arrived here in the research for my next wing, looking for something "more modern", more playful in small waves and in turning and more forgiving for breaching in tight turns, without compromising pitch too much. It seems that 699 and 799 didn´t got the favour of kiters, and it seems that new 769 Pro is not a clear winner over 679. I hope I can keep my 679 in good condition for long...🤞

[@jimmymazzanti1451]

what is your favorite set up? which fuselage and stab , if you could only pick up 1. thank you !!

[@hoppline]

WMP769 / M83K / F703K / S325 - mainly because it covers 90 % of the conditions I am riding in. But just one set is hard !! I love the mix, riding swell on the Razor, pumping the Leviathans or enjoying perfect freedom on the 669. But I sure wish there was a "one foil quiver" !

[@aminefadous5875]

Did you try them with the Slingshot set up?

[@hoppline]

@@aminefadous5875 Yes, works sweet. My favourite stab was the PS340 followed by PS325

[@aminefadous5875]

@@hoppline my favorite setup is the new ptm899 with the 340 I have the 825 as well but I find it very touchy would you think the Medusa pro would be better for hiwind and what size would you suggest

[@hoppline]

@@aminefadous5875 Hey, the PTM899 is the only PTM I haven't tried but I know the 825 quite well. What do you mean by touchy. Missing front foot pressure?

[@GARAASJ]

Could you compare the medusa to the razor (pro)? Do you still use the razor? Thanks 😁

[@hoppline]

Hey, sure! The Medusa is a Mid Aspect Wing that carries a lot of chord towards the tips, allowing for a shorter wingspan but still providing plenty of lift and glide. It's a very compact shape allowing for radical turns and tricks but still offers ease of use. Because of the small wingspan it turns great and feels very pivoty in a positive way. It has good speed but thinner profiles like the Medusa Pro are faster, if that's what you are after. The Razor is a different concept. Personally I see it more as a scaled down and faster Leviathan. It's a High Aspect Wing with a decent chamber (less than Leviathan for more speed) providing even earlier lift and more glide than the Medusa. The drawback is less agility and less top speed. The Razor is my go to weapon for fast pumping and super low wind winging. I can get up in the slightest breeze and even more important, stay up on foil for a very long time if the wind drops down to zero. In low winds it's often hard to do tacks and jibes but with the Razor you can easily pump your turns and than catch up with the wind again. The Razor also does very well in small waves, especially if you are more cruising than throwing radical turns. If you want to step up the game a little, that's where the Razor Pro comes in. You are sacrificing a little low end for more agility and speed. This pays off especially in turns and faster waves. In fast waves I sometimes struggle to keep up with the speed using the Razor. The more active you are getting on a wave and the more turns you are doing, the more distance you are covering in the same time, so as a result you have to go faster. That's where I enjoy having the Razor Pro. I still use the Razor and hope I will be able to do a flat water start on the 980 soon. Just broke both my feet, so practice is on hold though....

[@GARAASJ]

@@hoppline Auwtch, I wish you a speedy recovery 🤞thank you very much for the detailed description. I’m on Onix foils, which can fit T6 sab frontwings. Considering adding the razor 820 to have easy fun in slow lake swell as an 85kg guy 🤙

[@hoppline]

@@GARAASJ Thanks! At 85 kg you might consider going bigger. Maybe the 880 would be a better pick. Depends in what kind of winds you would like to surf....

[@GARAASJ]

@@hoppline there’s an 820 on sale for 200 euro so that’s why, but you’re right that a bigger size would be (even) more suited. I guess the 820 would work in 15-25 knot short period wind swell? Lesser wind don’t produce much waves so below +-17 knots a faster foil is more fun. Sea swell and waves are imo also better with a relatively fast foil like the Onix.

[@hoppline]

@@GARAASJ Sounds like a plan!! With 15-25 knots the 820 should be alright or even the better choice

[@t.m.8983]

Mal Hand auf`s Herz, meinst du das bei einem Endfünfziger durch und durch foilbegeisterten bei dem das 105 Liter ein Sinker ist, das gleiche Hochgefühl aufkommt 😂? Ich glaube kaum ,das sehe ich immer wieder wenn meine Kollegen mit 25 Kg weniger auf den Rippen antreten und bis zu 2 m² kleiner fliegen. Habe auch einen 2,8 m² Wing brauche aber eher knappe 30 kn mit einem 850 iger Foil . Ich sage immer ein Fliege kanst nicht mit einer Taube vergleichen , ansonsten Top Bericht, weiter so👍

[@hoppline]

Durch und durch foilbegeistert ... da haben wir definitiv schon mal etwas gemeinsam (-: ! Mit Taube und Fliege hast du natürlich recht, Gewicht und Können spielen bei der Wing und Foil Wahl immer noch eine große Rolle. Ich glaube aber wirklich, das Spannweite und Fläche in der Beurteilung und Auswahl eines Frontwings nicht mehr das Hauptkriterium sind, sondern Faktoren wie Shape und die dahinter steckende Physik einen immer größeren Stellenwert einnehmen. Bei modernen Foils wie der Medusa Line oder dem Fanatic Aero Glide sieht man das sehr eindrucksvoll. Im Grunde geht es aber wie du schon sagst immer darum, dass für einen passende Equipment zu finden und für mich steht hierbei immer der Spaß im Vordergrund. Aktuell zaubern mir der Medusa Pro 769 (mein Brott und Butter Wing) und der 669 fast immer ein Lächeln ins Gesicht. Vielleicht hast du ja mal die Chance den 869 zu testen und ich glaube du wärst überrascht, wie gut Du mit so wenig Fläche zurecht kommst.

[@wingfoiladvice]

I can’t imagine me with my 90 kg on a medusa pro 669 in 15 knots 🤣🤣🤣 Probably you are very thin!!! It’s a front wing for a storming condition for my heavy weight!!!! My front wing for all conditions it’s medusa 909….

[@hoppline]

YEAP! I am 65 kg so 90kg and 15 knots would be a REAL challenge. The 669 excels in stormy conditions but even on "windy" days it can be fun. You just have to keep it on a certain speed level by for example riding more turns than you normally would. But I agree, for most people the 669 will be a storm frontwing and the 909 will be the best allround wing for sure!

[@wingfoiladvice]

@@hoppline yup 909 it’s my favorite and “all conditions “ front wing, from 12 to 30 knots I really love it… It’s turn well but not fast when 669…😆

[@hoppline]

@@wingfoiladvice I think that's what Balz "made" it for....

[@wingfoiladvice]

@@hoppline yes!! The only advice for all the new pro lines in my opinion it’s to make the tail little bit rounded because are very thin and sharp….. For our safe and the safe for out gear….💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻

[@hoppline]

@@wingfoiladvice Totally agree !!!! The 769 killed one of my wings with just the slightest contact and the 669 ate some of my wetsuit (-: