Slater's Surf Ranch Inferno 72 VS Medina VS Dominator 2 Surfboard Testing

[@KouSurfGuy]

Awesome video, I couldn't believe that I bumped into you @ Lower's the other day, thanks for the forecast of the waves as we crossed paths, there were some sick waves that came in.

[@mark2talk2u]

Great review. Your review points out two aspects of the wave that people find hard to believe: 1) It’s powerful; 2) It’s fast. Crashes there are much more violent than I thought possible. And, just watch a pro contest. The pros regularly fall behind on this wave and they are all faster than I am (and a typical surfer).

[@UniqueStranger]

When are you going to review Italo's signature boards by T. Patterson?

[@micbancap]

Great dissection and surfing on each board Noel. Aaron glad to see you Surf its been a while since I've witnessed it and you definitely killed it great job.

[@DGT73]

Single handedly creating the Craigslist nearly new board market

[@Lillelj]

Either because folks are stoked to get new boards, and selling their quivers and kidneys to afford the "artisan" ultra expensive shortboard. Or more more likely....bunch of people with money burning a hole in their pocket, soon realising they can't actually ride these boards.

[@brantrichardson1949]

"Looking to sell or trade for the same board 1" smaller, this one is way too big for me."

[@RaulEdu33]

Just sold two of my boards on Craigslist last week 🤣🤙 and yes it was Noel's fault

[@luclamouliatte9582]

To me you surf better on the 72. Great job Noel and thank you for everything :)

[@joseande9627]

Sick vid Noel! some of the best footage of the Ranch so far. When you started talking about that turn on the inferno72 i already knew the one you were going to mention. I thought you had the most flare on the sharpeye, followed by the medina!

[@paulyc5455]

Great reviews! I have a board dilemma. I'm looking for a board to sit above my seaside fish which I really like, thanks to your reviews! (5'8, use it in mostly mini gutless northern European surf with thick wetsuit). I'm 170 (5'7'') cm 77kg, so 32L-33.5L range (30L current daily driver board is sometimes a bit too small with thick wetsuits and increasing crowds). Customs delivery times are very long at the moment. Options I'm looking at are Phantom XL 5'11 (~33+L only PU available), Flat earth 5'10 (~33.5L), Dominator II 5'10 (33L) or a Pukas Tasty treat 6'0 (33L) which I think is similar to the Inferno 72, with relaxed tail rocker. I'm thinking the Phantom would be easiest, but a bit too much board and no fun, the D2 a touch too wide... I prefer speed, carving, easy paddling, responsive rail to rail, a board that would go good also in steeper waves and still easy to shred, I tend to surf heavier front foot. I see you give great advice through your channel and hope you could help me out a bit :)! Thanks a bunch!

[@foxgd88]

Dominator 2 can sit higher than the seaside

[@1flatabs]

Just about "perfect boards" with a perfect wave, so can't go wrong. That being said, I think you're getting better and your performance is ramping up so much since your earlier videos. Ripping. Thanks for sharing.

[@surfnshowreviews7777]

Cheers for the kind words and encouragement

[@kiterJ]

The longer 5'7 made the turns look more stylish 👌🤙

[@ArdyAryan]

what an experience! Awesome video Noel!

[@guy2448]

I just got the dominator 2.0 but the inferno looks epic

[@rallnaude642]

Hi Noel the DM2 is a sick board 🤙🏻 I am having so much fun on it! I am riding KA fins, but want to try Quads 😎

[@surfnshowreviews7777]

You gotta try my Five fin set… check them out here in Twin Tab. Silky smooth and fast. www.shopsurfnshow.com/collections/fins/products/momentum-series-5-fin-set

[@adamwaz5615]

Another belta Noel 🤙. The sharpeye was my least favourite for you. It looked like it bogged down on your front side bottom turns. The Madina looked snappy but a tad slow. The FireWire looked quick and snappy and on 🔥👌🤙 yeeewwwww

[@emiliogerbelli]

Amazing review, thanks Noel!

[@alvarov4154]

Hi Noel, how do you compare the Uber Twin model with the Pyzel Astro Pop?

[@surfnshowreviews7777]

I have a 5’6” Uber Twin and 5’5” for the review and due to them being longer I can surf them more like a HPSB. With the Stabilizer the Uber Twin feels like a Thruster with more speed and release. The AP is a true Groveler… more like a high performance fish. With the AP being so short my turns are quicker but shorter arc in rail turns. Both boards are really fun

[@wendellfugate4225]

Extra primo good, Sir. Well set up equipment for the right places always helps.

[@GeniusUnleashed]

Thanks for not cutting out the goofy looking parts of your waves. It shows just how technical that wave is. No gonna lie, seing that makes me nervous if I ever get a chance to go up there, haha.

[@Toades8513]

Would love to see you on the seaside see how that board does there

[@girat08]

Does the jet always follow you? Is it for safety reasons? Or just to take you to the line up faster?

[@girat08]

Great video btw! Thx!

[@marcolima7074]

Noel congratulations!! for me this was one of the best reviews! It’s not easy to make this!! Can I ask you which boards you prefer for one board quiver: FW D2 or Chilli BV2 for 2-6 fts - intermediate surfer. Thank you for your excellent reviews! Cheers from Portugal (Marco Lima)

[@surfnshowreviews7777]

Go BV2… it paddles better and Carrie’s more speed. When you are ready for a HPSB then go D2

[@marcolima7074]

Thank you for your help and share your pro experience! Your reviews have been a great contribution to surf community!! Best regards

[@huey_donotmess]

Hi Noel, Great work. Be cool to repair that board and let us all know whether the myth about poor spring in fixed snaps is true or busted.

[@joshsmith7999]

I had an old school epoxy board glassed back together by local repair guy in Sumatra - it had 25% more drive after being fixed, I couldn't believe it seeing as I loved that board to start with. Then I snapped it again in a different spot and thought why not get it fixed again - only cost $30, went like total shit haha

[@huey_donotmess]

@@joshsmith7999 ha, nice one. I reckon a review from Noel, if it came up good, would do well for the sustainability of the industry. I have been guilty of putting a fully snapped board (A 5'9" Rusty PU "Yes Thanks" Josh Kerr model) in the carpark bin (it quickly got claimed). I have also had my Epoxy 5'4" Diamond tail quad (McKee with stretch fins) repaired from crease twice. Still goes great, but it was only a deck crease so didn't affect the contours.

[@indecisionOfWant]

aside from boards you're testing, what's in your quiver?

[@surfnshowreviews7777]

Mostly Twin Fins…

[@ThomyeSurfs]

Personally I really liked the way the Medina looked backside. I wonder if the results would have been slightly different if you changed the order. The D2 was the first board you surfed on Day 1. I remember surfing Waco BSR 2 days and by day 2, I couldn't hold a bottom turn cuz my legs were so blown out. Anyways, to me the D2 looked to squirrely. Great job on the comparison. Makes me want to buy all 4 boards. :)

[@simrdownmon6431]

I thought he could go another inch or two longer on the D2 but besides that his best surfing was done on that board IMO. He was ripping whoot whoot.

[@desancti1]

So many guys have trouble getting the board vertical

[@sdigsy4414]

I really enjoy your reviews. For a daily driver I'm leaning towards inferno 72 but also considering Pyzel Phantom in the 33L range. 2 totally different boards but do you have any opinions or ideas I should keep in mind? Cheers

[@SkipperSurfReview]

What a dream session! Love this review! The Dominator 2 is a solid high performance board which also grovels well in crappy conditions. Perfect combo. I feel like it's the best one out there. It's light, user friendly and very durable :)

[@skeres01]

I purchased the Dominator 2 partly based on Noel's review. I've only ridden mine a few times now, but it feels stable on the drop and still very responsive. I know that sounds like marketing crap, but it really feels like an excellent board.

[@SkipperSurfReview]

@@skeres01 Totally agree. What fins do you set it up with? I found Machado Quad set to be working well in crappy/weak conditions and when it's better -> Machado Tri or FCS2 Performer set🤘🏼

[@skeres01]

@@SkipperSurfReview I haven't ridden the board enough to have settled on fins, but your feedback on the Machado Quads is very interesting. I have a set so I'll try that out on smaller days. My best surf so far was 5ft+ Bells on a set of Mick Fanning tri fins. That was what I based my initial comments on. I tried Stretch quads but I think it needs a more upright template. Next I am trying the performer in quad and then the MR twin + trailer. I'll let you know how I go. Unfortunately we just went into covid lockdown so it might be awhile before I can post feedback.

[@NCsurfer607]

@@skeres01 Any new update on what fins you been using on the D2 ? I've been liking the AM1 as an thruster so far and MR twins for smaller surf "so fun" Quad is next

[@skeres01]

@@NCsurfer607 Hi Brett, I tried a full quad set of medium performers but it needed a bit more fin in the water for me (85kg). Maybe a set of Large quad performers would have worked better. I ended up replacing the leading quad fins with large accelerator fins and it works very well now. This is definitely my go to setup for pretty much everything now. I surfed it today in rough 5ft and it worked well, and surfed it a few days back with clean 3-4ft and felt good in both. I'm only an intermediate level surfer but have surfed for 30+ years and this is still the best board I've owned.

[@MyMotherWasaNinja]

Longer boards look better.

[@markm7632]

The dark arts looked jittery, but dominator 2 so balanced

[@John-ed5qb]

Helo! i currently have a pyzel phantom... i'm looking for a board with more performance for waves up to 6ft, do you think inferno 72 (PU) is an upgrade, or are they both very similar? thanks

[@surfnshowreviews7777]

The are similar… however the I72 will do tighter turns in the pocket. If you go for more high performance then the I72 then your looking at a HPSB… maybe more rocker than you want

[@John-ed5qb]

@@surfnshowreviews7777 Thanks in advance for the reply. Since I want a board that moves away from the Phantom, I'll forget about the I72 and look for a friendly hpsb. Based on your reviews I found the shadow and lost driver 2.0. In short, it seemed to me that the shadow adapts better to a front footer, my case...but it needs more powerful and perfect waves. The driver 2.0 is more versatile in all types of waves, my case (surf mostly beach break, mushi or punchi small 3ft or bigger 8ft). Despite the Driver 2.0 being more suitable for front footer, than the 1.0 driver, maybe not so suitable for front footer as the shadow. In your opinion which feature should I value more, the board suits to me or to the waves i surf? Are there any other brands/models that I should include on my radar? PS. Seing that the 2.0 driver has the "seal" one of the favorites, I'm leaning towards that one, I had the same doubt when I looked for a smaller wave board starting from the phantom that Works really good for me, the doubt was Pyzel Gemlin or CI Rocket Wide, you advise Rocket Wide .. and I'm super satisfied!! Thanks 🤙🏼

[@surfnshowreviews7777]

@@John-ed5qb Check out the SharpEye I72

[@barrenwuffet3732]

Why is the Dominator 2 broken in half? :)

[@raymondstevens7152]

You should test in the mentawais

[@salitre511]

It looks like with the Dominator you have to put your weight on the back foot after every turn so as not to sink the nose. it makes you to loose some flow

[@nathanmaurice4103]

I think you are right. I have one and find I just need a bit mpre nose kick to clear catching it coming down from the top of the wave

[@catinthehat8412]

would you do a review on stretch surfboards and the fins it could be interesting

[@brba1325]

So awesome. Looks like I'll be buying more boards. :)

[@jamessantana165]

Professor, gostei muito dos testes, e achei o seu surf muito mais potente e bonito na prancha modelo Medina. Parabens!!!

[@girat08]

Ele entende português? Surfa muito esse careca! Kkkk achei q surfou muito bem com as 3 difícil decidir

[@caseymccormack2000]

Love watching you surf Noel... I would have loved to see the Seaside or Craig's Golden Hypto on that wave.. It doesn't look like a vertical wave and both of those boards seem so fast and flowy. I don't know how the Seaside likes barrels but I know Craig loves the Hypto in barrels and fast waves.. Sorry to see the D2 in half.. Just a bummer.. Glad your bro got to have some Stoke sent his way..

[@surfgeek]

Great review . Thanks !

[@brantrichardson1949]

I think you looked best on the Inferno 72.

[@justinlins4720]

Awesome stuff 🤙🏼🤙🏼🤙🏼

[@jorgeandrescoppiano]

Sooo much speed on that floater!!

[@eyalpolishook6486]

great surf noel🤟

[@shannonyoung3465]

Would’ve like to see you ride the Medina board 1st or 2nd, instead of last. The FW D2 looked best by overall out of the 4. Stoked Aarron scored the wave of his life!!! That’s awesomeness

[@mark2talk2u]

I’m confused. Why does review order matter? One can always FF and RW in KZbin. Is it because he is fresher at the beginning and more tired at the end?

[@shannonyoung3465]

@@mark2talk2u yes. He said he was tired by the time he surfed the Medina board. Would have liked to see him ride that one, before he was tired.

[@MrB1019]

These clips helped me from buying the wrong board 😂 also Noel surfs better at night 😂

[@CoolCovers]

Yew! Nice work mate.

[@mrmr314]

You snapped the Dominator 2 EPS in the wave pool? WHAT? With board shorts on? We have been told they are tough. They are supposed to be tough. If Firewire wants to sell boards for AUD$1200 then they can't be snapping in what are pretty weak waves (but sure it's shallow). The Medina looks wider and arguably surfed better for you.

[@surfnshowreviews7777]

Kelly’s pool has power…. It’s not only shallow but the wave will punish you and the board when the wave hits you hard

[@woodrowousley5977]

Aloha from Texas

[@woodrowousley5977]

Dominator looked the best under your feet. My opinion.

[@shaunjej1855]

I'm on my second Dominator II. I love that board. I find it a bit slidey on bigger grunty waves, but by then the surf is probably a bit too big for me anyway. Off to the Maldives in a week, which is probably the best testing ground outside of a ranch pool. Taking my old Vader as a backup and keen to see the difference.

[@foxgd88]

Tell me as I have a Vader and looking for a dm2

[@shaunjej1855]

@@foxgd88 G'day mate. You wont believe it but I ended up riding the vader every day as the DM2 slid out too much. Mind you the surf did not drop below 6 foot on any day and all the boys struggled on their epoxy's. In no way did it diminish my enjoyment of the DM2, but the vader handled the size way better.

[@geofffelsing1283]

How do you get deeper in the barrel? become a better surfer!

[@camz9014]

I already expected you will choose the firewire since you mentioned before in your comment long ago that you’re going to have a collab w/ firewire about board design. Anyway should have rode all these boards for weeks in different conditions just like kales brock did.

[@surfnshowreviews7777]

I have no collaboration with Firewire on a board coming. I never said the Dominator 2 was the best board in the world right now either. I said it went best at Kelly’s pool.

[@MegaMr28]

the last 2 seconds..lol. he go smashed!

[@h.peterzimmer883]

“I’m in the barrel! I’m in the barrel! No!!!”

[@charlesoldfather517]

looks fun

[@soulsurfer3102]

If72 look loose..

[@aleshaper]

the best board test in the world! """ ale surfboards

[@boltup5566]

Did you have to pay? I got invited. $5000 per day. About $250 per wave. I said no thanks.

[@DarknessYT2010]

you look better on the dark arts

[@allornothing3968]

killer:)

[@RootinRichy]

First

[@legrainproduction2760]

second...shit! once again today !

[@iraklein1625]

For a wave like that you could take you peregrine