Every spring I get the desire to try something new with my foils so I start hunting around for demos on various brands that have been on my mind for the last few months. I'm coming off a big year on Cloud IX foils and have also tested Code, F-one and Lift this spring. AFS quite honestly wasn't on my mind but Chloe, the Events and Community Manager at AFS reached out to me asking if I knew about their gear and it got me interested. I hunted around for reviews, which were all positive, so I reached out to Gwen at Wingfoil Pro Center to learn a little more and was incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to demo his foils (when the demo was offered he did not know that I write, nor did he ask for me to write any sort of review). I know how hard it can be to make buying choices when you can't demo, and often times can't even see foils, so I made videos day by day sharing my experience as I had it on Instagram. You'll see how a prolonged demo can unfold over numerous sessions and how that can alter your buying decision by the end of your experience. Here, I'll touch on some data points, tell the story as it unfolded, and summarize my thoughts on the Silk foils.
Rider Data:
I like to explore. I'm a dedicated swell rider and use my wings to get me around. I commonly downwind for several miles while flagged out and then work my way back upwind. I've just started to show a small amount interest in wing powered tricks but historically haven't invested time in learning them. I'm 87kg and am riding a Sunova Carver 5'10"x20" 85l board for all of these demo days. I ride in the Columbia River Gorge 150-200 days a year.
Total miles tested: 300+ (200+ on the 1050 and 100+ on the 850)
Wind range for these test days: 9-47 knots.
Wing sizes used: 2m-4m
Swell sizes ridden: Flat to head high.
Longest downwind glides on each foil: 2-3 miles.
First Impressions:
When I first picked up the gear and sorted through the tails, fronts, and 80cm UHM mast my immediate thought was "wow, this is really light and crazy stiff." I don't typically think of light as being stiff and strong. However, these foils are beautifully made and everything I noticed about them backed up the reputation that AFS has for being exceptionally well made in France. The foil cover on the 1050 is the only thing lacking in my opinion. It leaves the center of the foil exposed and seems out of place in comparison to everything else in the kit. With AFS, everything is built in house, with UHM carbon, and the foil to mast connection is my preferred, robust, m8 hardware. The strength and quality present in the craftsmanship here is something I strongly value.
Weight Comparisons of 2024 Gear:
Code UHM+ 80cm mast: 1950g
AFS UHM 80cm mast: 1839g
Evolution Surf 81cm mast w/AFS adapter: 1835g
Cloud IX 80cm high mod mast: 1450g
Lift M2 32" mast: 1549g
Code UHM+ 75cm mast: 1900g
AFS 75cm UHM mast: 1600g
No Limitz 78cm AFS Mast: 1433g - Lightest -
(Foils have tails attached and are listed from largest to smallest)
Cloud IX 1150 w/Catalyst: 1670g
Sk8 1050, 950, 850: (no weights recorded)
Silk 1050 w/132: 1135g
Code 980s short fuse w/142: 1758g
Lift Havoc 148 955cm^2 w/20 Carve: 1650g
Silk 850 w/132: 1140g
Cloud IX 850 w/177: 1440g
Lift 130 X 839cm^2 w/21 X: 1478g
Code 850s w/150: 1652g
Lift Havoc 121 774cm^2 w/20 Carve: 1425g
Ultra 750 w/ha 38: 1338g
Lift 110 X 710cm^2 w/20 Carve: 1265g
Silk 650 w/132: 927g - Lightest -
As you can see above, the Silk foils are incredibly light in comparison to the other foils tested in the last few months. I would also say they are the stiffest foils and masts I've ever felt.
~How it unfolded~
First 100 miles of testing:
My first few days I tested the 1050 and 850 in small to progressively larger swell. I wanted to get a confident feel for the pump and which size tails worked best in small conditions before chasing the big stuff. I found the 1050 to be wildly user friendly and confidence inspiring every step of the way. I quickly gravitated to the 132 tail on the 1050 and have never looked back. This setup turned so fluidly, so naturally, that it begged me to perform never before tried maneuvers and I happily obliged. Carving 360s, flashy tacks and finding turns on swell that weren't there before all became on demand maneuvers.
The 850 took more time for me to warm up to. It undoubtedly has my favorite turns of the two but initially, with the 142 tail I felt it struggled badly with glide and stall speed. Even in big swell, it struggled to link on downwind runs and would stall out on upwind reaches. I simply couldn't tolerate that. It took me a while to get back to the 850 because I had almost written it off due to these issues. When I returned to it with a more efficient tail and mast, my opinion changed completely.
100-200 miles of testing: Adding the Cedrus Evolution Surf mast
After settling in to the kit nicely I reached the next stage of testing. Adding in the Cedrus mast. I wasn't quite sure what to expect to be honest. I felt the 1050 with 132 tail and UHM 80cm mast was close to perfection for me. Adding in the new mast did, however, change a few things. With the 1050 I was given a little more maneuverability and better upwind speeds. The pump was also slightly better on the Cedrus mast. However, it can't all be pros with no cons. Unfortunately the Cedrus mast was not as stable in the whitewater or during tip breaches. With the AFS mast I was, quite honestly, completely oblivious to tip breaches unless I heard them. My wife filmed me doing tacks on the AFS mast and I didn't even realize I had the tips out. On 360's I also commonly brought the tips out with no consequence. With the Cedrus mast, that is simply not the case. I don't know if it's the change in stiffness, or the narrow chord, but the Cedrus mast does not handle tip breaches as well as the AFS. The AFS mast is also quite simply a smoother ride than the Cedrus when you are just casually gliding on swell.
Next to try was the 850 with the Cedrus mast while also switching from the 142 tail over to the 132 tail. My first ride had me grinning from ear to ear. The added glide of the 132 and Cedrus completely unlocked the 850 for me. What had once been a foil that needed power and felt a bit disappointing was transformed into a high performance machine that aggressively chased down swell and linked long downwind sections without wing assist. Before trying this combo I was confident that the 1050 would be my first choice and an excellent all around foil, the one I would most likely end up with. Now though, it would be hard to forget the turns of the 850 and not owning it would be hard to imagine. The same stability, smoothness, and tip breach issues of the 1050 were present with the 850 on the Cedrus, but I would argue that they are worth it to unlock the glide and lower stall speed of this foil. I'd expect that the 850 probably pairs better with the AFS UHM 75cm mast, which has a 100mm chord at its narrowest point and is a mast that I would really like to try.
200-250 miles of testing:
Sadly, most of our surf here is super shallow beach break and not something I fool around on foil with. However, we had great wind and mellow surf coming up so I took the 1050 and 850 to the ocean for a spin. Open ocean swell is not what these foils are designed for, but they performed sufficiently enough to have a good time with friends on the water. The 1050 performed just as expected. It has nice, mellow glide. Never feels out of control, but never gives you a huge speed burst either. It's incredibly friendly to ride. The 850 gathered a bit more speed and made linking the big ocean swell much more fun, but it didn't have the fire that was present in the gorge when riding steep swell on nuking days.
250+ miles of testing:
At this point it's more or less confirmation of previous points and becoming more familiar with the foils. So, to summarize:
Silk 1050 w/132 tail: Authentic Joy
The 1050 is the best blend of high performance and user friendliness I've ever experienced. I love it in small to medium swell due to its inherent desire to match swell speed, instead of outrun it. Its low end is lovely for when I'm out exploring low wind areas and as soon as it's blowing 20 knots I can use my 2.5m wing. It's a gem for surf style riding in all conditions. It's also a ridiculously casual foil for cruising downwind when it's big and is completely capable of carving nice turns in high winds with ample swell. Rumors have it that throwing the new 135 HA tail on it will give it even more range without sacrificing much in the turns but I have not had the opportunity to try this. If I could only own one foil, this would be it. I expect it to be my most commonly ridden summer foil for the foreseeable future. If you are looking for a foil that is high performance, user friendly, and wants you to progress with your turns and wing maneuvers, this is the one!
Silk 850 w/132 tail: Pure Performance
The 850 has given me the best turns of my life in medium to large swell. I've also hit my personal surf foil top speed on it. It's impossible to deny how fast, fun, playful, and confidence inspiring the 850 is. When the wind and swell have picked up, this is my first choice for powerful performance oriented riding and it's turns are unmatched by any other foil I've ridden.
Pricing:
Price is the last thing I consider for any foil gear. Everything else gets weighed much heavier and in the end it simply comes down to saving up to get what you want. I believe in: "you get what you pay for" and, "buy once cry once." These are applicable here. Retail for a front wing and tail will run you $1548 with your future front wings costing approximately $1299 assuming you don't get an additional tail. Their mast is wildly reasonable at $1299 for the one I tested. Check that price against any other brands UHM mast and you'll see you're getting a bargain. The craftsmanship is excellent and these foils, while expensive, should be respected as top of the line kits that will pay for themselves with smiles per mile in no time.
Thank You:
I had a blast testing these foils and have to send a huge thank you to Chloe at AFS for bringing them to my attention and to Gwen at Wingfoil Pro Center for allowing me to demo them. The Silk is undoubtedly my favorite foil to date and I highly recommend them to anyone who's looking for the highest level of performance in their equipment.
See you at the river,
Bryan Lee, M.S. Experiential Education.
Comments