Any impressions from people who have tried this wing? Looks pretty compelling - particularly for the price and particularly for sizes that might not get a ton of use. Looking for hands on reviews or feedback.

randomfoiler said..

Velocicraptor said..
Any impressions from people who have tried this wing? Looks pretty compelling - particularly for the price and particularly for sizes that might not get a ton of use. Looking for hands on reviews or feedback.

this guy is a big fan and does good reviews. You might have seen that one already:

Yes thank you. Saw that and did my best to decipher the language gap. I think he might be affiliated with the brand as well.

Things are moving so fast in wing design that if these lower priced wings can get me to 90%-95% of the performance of a wing priced twice as much, its a pretty compelling option. Particularly if it is only going to last a season.

I didn't have an issue paying up for a premium kite that I could use for 3 years, but the combination of (a) fast paced evolution of the equipment and (b) lack of durability, makes it harder for me to stomach the premium priced gear in winging. All that said, I'm still considering an aluula 5m though!

mcrt said..
I have the Takoon V1's in 3.5 and 5m.
I would like to know what Hadou Brunner said in the test,i do not speak french but my take on it is they did not change much except handles and valve.
Maybe some french speaker can give the lowdown on the review?.

The Takoon V1's are great , superlight and great handling wings.They do not have the low end grunt of my previous Starboard/Airush(long boom,superloose canopy design) but i do not think many wings are that grunty.
The Takoons are tighter and flatter ,they handle way better,specially in tacks where the Airush was an arm ripping airbrake.

Click on the English subtitle option in the video (although the auto-translate is not the best).

I'm a big fan of the Takoon wing and have had or tried 8+ different brands/wings. I have settled on Takoon v1 5.5m (I also had a 4m V1) and just received V2 4.5m as well. I will post a review when I've had a chance to use it. First impressions very similar but the handles look good.

Siksvan said..
May I ask how much pressure you pump to those wings? I have 3.0 and with 7PSI (max recommended) it's pure spagetti and somewhat impossible to get on foil. It's very well behaving wing on ice, but terrible on the water due to non existing low end.

I have the V1 3.5 and it works fine at 7psi, maybe you could crosscheck your pump pressure indicator with somene else's pump?.They can be unreliable.

mcrt said..

Siksvan said..
May I ask how much pressure you pump to those wings? I have 3.0 and with 7PSI (max recommended) it's pure spagetti and somewhat impossible to get on foil. It's very well behaving wing on ice, but terrible on the water due to non existing low end.

I have the V1 3.5 and it works fine at 7psi, maybe you could crosscheck your pump pressure indicator with somene else's pump?.They can be unreliable.

I have 5 wings and all others feels just fine with recommended preassure, so I believe gauge is reasonably accurate. LE of Takoon is very skinny, so higher preassure may fix this issue, but I'm afraid that could explode LE or strut.

Someone mentioned that Takoon is easy to tack. I fully agree. It's almost like riding on autopilot.

Siksvan said..

mcrt said..

Siksvan said..
May I ask how much pressure you pump to those wings? I have 3.0 and with 7PSI (max recommended) it's pure spagetti and somewhat impossible to get on foil. It's very well behaving wing on ice, but terrible on the water due to non existing low end.

I have the V1 3.5 and it works fine at 7psi, maybe you could crosscheck your pump pressure indicator with somene else's pump?.They can be unreliable.

I have 5 wings and all others feels just fine with recommended preassure, so I believe gauge is reasonably accurate. LE of Takoon is very skinny, so higher preassure may fix this issue, but I'm afraid that could explode LE or strut.

Someone mentioned that Takoon is easy to tack. I fully agree. It's almost like riding on autopilot.

From Takoon website it looks like they increased the LE size in smaller sizes in the v2 wing. Maybe this helped?

"New diameter on sizes 2.5/3/3.5/4/4.5 for more rigidity"

Just got my 3.5 in the mail. Superficial observations (won't try it for another week or so):

- Really like the feel of these handles. Nice and stiff flat webbing. Not too loose and loopy like Slingshot or FOne. Very well done.
- The double luff handle idea is interesting. Time will tell as to whether I find use for the lower "half luff" handle, but it will be interesting to play with.
- Build quality is pretty much what I expected. Feels reasonably solid, and well-engineered, with no premium extras. No reinforcements or but it has what it needs, and I'm happy with the build for the money.
- The frame material is very stiff and crinkly. Maybe it breaks in with some use, but its oddly hard to pack this wing up. TBD as to whether this translates to more durability or stiffness in use...
- Canopy is nice and taught when the frame is pumped up.
- Not a big fan of the bag and won't find myself using it. Its very flimsy, but also heavy due to the big mesh condom thing. Also doesn't cinch down very well.
- Weighs about 1980 g, which is pretty middle-of-the-road for the size. Honestly I don't care much about weight for my wings at this size, but given the streamlined design, I'm a bit surprised its not lighter.
- Wish it just used a standard "oral inflation" valve for the strut dump (like slingshot and Fone). Not sure I'm going to go to the trouble of undoing the boston style dump valve and it seems a bit unnecessary.

It definitely passes the first observation test. Can't wait to get it onto the water!

Any more input on these V2's???...couldn't get much from the Hadou videos with the "translated" subtitles...

SpokeyDoke said..
Any more input on these V2's???...couldn't get much from the Hadou videos with the "translated" subtitles...

I have used a V2 3m for three sessions.
Very strong&gusty wind, getting up on foil (Kujira 1210) with no pumping at all.

The valve is much better that the V1, it has a second valve on the strut (deflate only) which is not necessary on a 3m wing IMHO.

The handles: i like the long handle for the back hand, but it sucks for the front one and i miss a mid handle.
Overall i would rather have old style handles.

Handling: smaller wings are twitchier, this one felt a bit harsh in the gusty conditions.I think it is stiffer than V1 ,it is also new :)
The front handle slips through the fingers if you need to grab at the front, very tiring.Have to find a fix for this.
Got better with less pressure (7.5 instead of the max 8PSI), more dampened and less front hand pull.

Very good upwind,good low end,faster than i dare go in 30kt chop :).

Overall it is still the best bang for buck in the market IMHO.Just need to DIY some "stopper" in the middle of that front handle.

I bought a quiver of V2's back in Sept when they first came out - have the 3.0, 4.5, 6.0.

Overall I really like them; they have quite a flat profile and tight leach so develop plenty of power and are stable. Smallest one is more twitchy than others but that's normal on the smaller sizes.

I like the 2 handles, was coming from a boom previously and find it a natural transition with separate handles for front and back hand, but easy to slide hands up and down for different points of sail.

I tend to run them near the top of the recommended pressure 7.5-8.0PSI and at this they are stiff and powerful and have great pointing. Lower pressures they do lose significant pumping and pointing ability.

Construction seems solid but simple, have no significant wear on mine to date and they have seen a fair bit of use, especially the 4.5 which is my go to wing in 14-21kts.

Only issue I have had is with the valves - first wing had super stiff thread but Takoon replaced the bladder without question - but others still have slow leak from the valve if not very careful when attaching.
I'm not totally sure what is causing issue - possibly sand on valve seat that is quite shallow - but have not had issue on other wings / kites previously. But provided care is taken on rigging seems to hold full pressure enough for 2hr session.

I am about 20-25 sessions into my winging journey. 95kg, 100+ with the wetsuit I have to use most of the year. Wind here is either light (10-15 knots) and stable, or 15-35kn, gusty and turbulent. I have the v1 in 7 and 5m, v2 in 4 and 3m. No other wings to compare against unfortunately.

As others have said, went Takoon on the value for money proposition. Happy with the wings so far, unlike initial gong curve foils and Zuma board after just a few sessions, don't feel like the wings are limiting me in any way.

Can get up on a Gong Fluid xlt and the massive Zuma board with draggy draggy tail kick in 12 knot gusts with the 7m. Have been out on the same foil and board fairly comfortably in 30kn gusting 40 with the 3m. Definitely no issues with stiffness in 3 and 4m on the v2, 8psi max pressure and bigger LE than v1. Like the handles on v2 over v1, makes gybing and handling the wing easier, but in gusty wind you do require more input to keep the wing going where you want as there is a bit more play in wing yaw with the v2 handles. Overall an improvement in my opinion. The LE handle is a step backwards for me, just learning to flag the wing and the wider v2 LE handle gives way more play in roll than the v1, definitely makes it harder for me to maintain balance while the wing is flagged.

The pump hose compatibility issue Hadou mentions on the v2 is real, my ocean rodeo pump is a struggle while a cheap gong pump works fine. Honestly like the v1 inflation port better.

Still, have a 4 wing quiver for the cost of two duotone or north wings. Happy, progressing, and will be sticking with this bang for buck approach, of which Takoon seem to be the current champions, until wing design development slows down a bit. Hopefully I will pose less danger to my wings by then also.

SpokeyDoke said..

Svendson said..

The pump hose compatibility issue Hadou mentions on the v2 is real

Can you explain this a bit and what if any suggestions there are to address it?

FWIW, I have no pump issues with the wing. I use the same pump as on my OR and Cabrinha wings and it has always worked perfectly. No adapters, no leaks and no fuss.

Hadou says that he likes the V2 alot but hasn't used it as much as his V1 and he says he used it hard hard. He said some people have complained that abrasion wore the stitching on the leading edge but he never had any probs in long term use. He feels that the future of wings is only 2 handles and not several.
Overall he really likes this wing for performance (speed, top end, pumping), build quality and price. He has some niggles with the accessories, the boston valve cap scratch doesnt shut the cap well and the cap is a bit too hard, he doesn't like the swivel on the leash or the leash attachment as it can get ripped off (not having a buckle I guess), he feels Takoon did a good job and he can overlook the minor niggles - hope that helps.
The 4.0m is his go to size

(here's the first few minutes to get you started)
Hello there, Haddou here, today I am talking about the new Takoon V2, new not exactly but it's an evolution of the V1 which has some interesting things to offer for this year, it goes much further than the v1 which I liked a lot and did a test on the channel a year ago, I still have it, used it a ton, I receive test wings from the makers but I like to keep my own gear that I use, the 3m and 4m, and I can tell you that I really gave the 4m a hiding, I rode it with a harness, with a harness line, with the line fixed to the handles, I sailed in in very strong and very light winds, I pumped it a lot, I almost only use a 4m, I'm a one size winger if you ride with me, this 4m paid for it, I don't overly look after my kit, but usually pump up on the beach, I never pack my wing away, I always pack it wet, stuff it in the bag, nothing noteworthy, I pulled it out a year later to check the stitching, I saw on social media some people who said their stitching didn't hold up, abrasion, some of the wings had an issue, however mine are tip top, I won't cite the 3m as I didn't use it much, but as you can see in the video the stitching on my 4m is still sweet where it rubs and my wings have aged well..

SpokeyDoke said..

Svendson said..

The pump hose compatibility issue Hadou mentions on the v2 is real

Can you explain this a bit and what if any suggestions there are to address it?

Some pump hoses don't have a big enough diameter deep enough to lock onto the inflation port. My ocean rodeo pump hose is like this, I can get it on if I line it up and wiggle juuust right. Solutions are modify the hose end (grind out a bit of material), modify the inflation port on the wing by shortening it, or use a different hose. Not a deal breaker at all but good to be aware of and check at home. Pump issues have to be one of the most frustrating reasons to lose a session.

SpokeyDoke said..

Svendson said..

The pump hose compatibility issue Hadou mentions on the v2 is real

Can you explain this a bit and what if any suggestions there are to address it?

Some pump hoses don't have a big enough diameter deep enough to lock onto the inflation port. My ocean rodeo pump hose is like this, I can get it on if I line it up and wiggle juuust right. Solutions are modify the hose end (grind out a bit of material), modify the inflation port on the wing by shortening it, or use a different hose. Not a deal breaker at all but good to be aware of and check at home. Pump issues have to be one of the most frustrating reasons to lose a session.