Hey,

I cannot find any comparison between those two systems (even biased) despite being maybe the 2 main locally produced European brands.

As far as I can see, AFS allows you to inject way more money in your kit if you want but even if you keep it simple, AFS seems more expensive. But it is not like if I know if we should compare an AFS skinny to a Sab piuma or blackbird mast; a razor to an enduro instead of a silk.

So you have any experience with both ? I am more concerned about downwind but I am curious to hear about the rest too.

Thanks!

I used to ride AFS but have never tried Sabfoil. Any reason you are trying to choose between those two? Just because it's locally produced?

Maybe Gwen LeTutor is worth an email. He sells both and I think he prefers AFS downwind from those two but maybe he can give you some insight. I feel like from a pure DW perspective though, neither of those brands is a top choice at the moment.

I,m am not sponsored, but really like good stuff.
I own a LOT of AFS stuff and before that Sab, and demoed last year some gear from SAB and other brands as well.
With both of them you get what you pay for but with Sab I never found the foil that trully suited me while I found that magic one with plenty of other brands.

Sab is less expensive, but the mast is thicker , more draggy and less stiff at the same time as my AFS uhm80. I,m not sponsored and that mast feels so good that I haven,t felt the ned to upgrade to the pretty expensive UHM80Slim. The stuff simply works wonderfull and never rusts or corode while the aloy SAB fuse needs an adode against corrosion. Not a big drama, but I rather see stuff that doesnt have that problem at all. Same with the foils: AFS is simply more sophisticated and uses no filler while the Sab uses a pretty big coating of it.
In general the AFS stuff is way less dragy and built with higher precision so performance wise they are imo one of the very topbrands where I would rate SAB as a middleclass. That is also reflecting in there pricepoint so nothing wrong with that!, just a different target/user group imo.

Feelwise you need to ride AFS a bit bigger to get the same lift/take off as some other brands due to there less lift and less drag design.
For example, the Silk V1 1050 has the same range as lets say an Armstrong HA880. at the same time its as maneuvrable and faster as the 880. with the v2 i would say that difference is smaller, rather an silk v2 950 against armstrong 880.
If you are lighter this is no issue, but this can be a achillesheel If you are a big fella and want to downwind in knee high and maybe 20knots because you can upsize so much.
For my 95kg and DW on short period bumps on the Dutch lakes the Enduro1300 is great in most conditions but when that is too small due smaller bumps and lighter wing I need to grab my Enduro1600 and that has some serious span, making the whole set up slower to react and more flex!!
Brands that have more lift at lower speed that allow you to ride a smaller, less spanny foils have a benefit there.
That might be the only thing where the Sab might have a benefit, with the frontwing as the Razor has a lot of lift,.....but also a very limited topspeed, a lot more drag imo and again the whole system has more flex as I like/feel with AFS and imo there are better performing brands in that area.
At the moment I,m demoing for that reason the Naish Exacilbur, because there 1144 has more low end lifdt for take off as my E1300 and my hope is that the 1344 can replace my Enduro 1600.
Funnily the AFS Enduro1300 is both faster and more glidey once up as the Exacilbur 1144, but the Naish is more maneuvrable and the take off is trully impresive.
I would like to go in the biggest sizes to a more lifty system, but its really a win some lose some situation and after a 4sessions I,m not sure if want to go that route (or wait for the Code S2 1400+1200 see what they bring to the table).
again If you are a bit lighter/DW in better conditions that whole thing is nothing to bother about.