Mr. Lenny, Direct Drive wing in hand. Photo: KT

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Wing Foiling has been described as the fastest growing watersport in the world, and while we’re not here to confirm or deny such a claim, we can certainly understand why it would be. All you need is a body of water and some wind. No more struggling with the weight and bulk of a windsurfer setup, or the power and required launching-area of a kite. The wing and foil setup is fairly compact and highly versatile, capable of launching nearly anywhere and, with the right equipment, in wind speeds of 10 knots or less. Side-note to the uninitiated – that’s hardly more than a breeze.

The wing itself is born of kite and windsurfing. A combo of the two, it’s a hand-held device that comes in different sizes. And one could argue, it’s almost more pure. There’s little rigging, other than using a pump to inflate it. No need for a harness (although some prefer one). Wingers simply sheet the material into the wind and feel the power as the speed lifts the board off the water, and on to foil. The wing is fully powered with both hands spread on the handles of the wing. To de-power, simply drop your back hand. So no more getting dragged over the jetty by an out-of-control kite, or fumbling with a mast as you try to re-power your board after a fall.

Not to mention, the foil itself is mesmerizing, capturing the eyes of millions of people through social media and online videos. Furthermore, it adds a new element of fun, enabling the rider to surf swell in all shapes and sizes, from waves near shore to open-ocean or freshwater windswell. Even boat wakes offer the potential for a near-endless ride. And with a wing in hand, when the ride ends, simply point upwind and find some more swell to ride. Not to mention, the sensation of foil-riding is one of pure adrenaline – glide and speed like you’ve never experienced before.

Following is our second-edition review of the best wings in the wind industry that’s been a constant testing project over the past two years. You’ll also find a Buyer’s Guide below, with a look at what differentiates different wings, and a side-by-side Comparison Table.  The red-hot wing market is literally changing weekly with new innovations and products constantly hitting the market. So we certainly plan on keeping this review updated. 

In this review, we call out some favorite wings of ours for specific applications. However, take note of the fact that all the wings included in this review are top-tier wings that rose above the competition, and the race for the “best of the best” was often tight and nit-picky. In other words, there’s not much of a gap between the first-listed item on this review and the last – they’re all on this list for a reason and would be an incredible choice for your wing-borne pursuits.

The Best Wings for Foiling of 2024

Best All-Around/Best Freestyle Wing: Duotone Slick 2024

Best High-Powered Wing: F-One Strike V4

Most Versatile Wing: Cabrinha Mantis V4

Best Wing for Surfing and Swell-Riding: F-One Swing V4

Another Top-Tier High-Performance Wing: Ozone Flux

Best Wing for Light Wind: Duotone Ventis

Best All-Around Wing for Freestyle and Maneuvers

Duotone Slick 2024

Price (4m): $1,039 (without boom)
Handles: Boom
Windows: Yes
Inflation Style: Two-way, one inflation point
Best For: All-around/freestyle
Defining Characteristics: Ease of use, predictability

Pros: Boom handle is relatively lightweight and gives the wing incredible rigidity and response
Cons: For portability and weight the boom will not be everyone’s top choice, boom sold separately

The Duotone Slick might just be the best wing on the market for turns, tricks, and maneuvers that we’ve seen. It’s a top-tier freestyle wing, but it’s also our top pick as the best all-around wing, the one we’d shove into anyone’s hands, beginner to expert, and know they’d have a great time. The combination of the boom handle, for effortless hand placement, and the forgiving wing shape with what Duotone calls “positive lift,” simply makes it easier to complete whatever maneuver you may be trying, whether that’s a 360 or your first gybe, this wing wants to keep you in the air and make that process easier. The wing shape is best described as “all-around,” and while the wing retains quite a bit of grunt, it’s certainly more than capable of high-powered and high-performance riding with a speedy profile and feel. This wing is truly an “easy button” for winging. 

The boom is especially helpful in this regard, giving you an intuitive and hard-to-miss location to quickly place your hands. That said, booms are an extra step to deal with in terms of setup, and like most boom wings out there, the Slick does not come with a boom included. You’ll have to purchase one separately: $80 for an aluminum boom, $250 for carbon.

The 2024 Slick receives minor updates over the previous version, most notably an updated canopy construction and layout for improved stability in gusts. The material is still the awesome Mod 3 material that was introduced in 2023, but has received subtle refinements. 

Other top-tier all-around picks of ours include the F-One Strike, Ozone Flux, and the Cabrinha Mantis. In our opinion, if you prioritize speed/high-powered riding, are willing to sacrifice a bit of grunt for it, and are not a beginner, the Strike would be our top choice.  For speed and wave-riding, go with the Flux (also a fairly advanced wing). If you prefer having a bit of extra grunt and are willing to sacrifice a little bit of speed and top-end ability, the Slick is where it’s at. The Cabrinha Mantis brings a bit more grunt, and a bit less high-end speed than the Slick, and as such it’s a good bit more user-friendly than the Strike or Flux. 

For those who are truly looking for the stiffest and lightest wing out there, Duotone also makes its Unit and Slick wings in a D/LAB construction that uses Aluula, a stiffer and lighter material than the classic Dacron. It’s pricey, but stiffer and lighter is a recipe for success in wing design.

check price on MACkite check D/Lab price on MACkite

Best High-Powered Wing

F-One Strike V4

Price (4m): $1,179
Handles: Interchangeable: Soft, hard handles, boom
Windows: No
Inflation Style: Two-way, two inflation points
Best For: Advanced riding, freestyle, speed/efficiency
Defining Characteristics: Fast, performs when overpowered

Pros: Very light, stable in the air, and in higher winds, stiff construction, new interchangeable handles
Cons: No windows, not as much grunt as other wings in low-end winds

F-One’s Strike V3 was one of our top-choice wings last year thanks to its greatly improved construction and stiffness. This spring, the Strike V4 dropped, making subtle construction improvements, and introducing a feature that we’ve been waiting on for a while with F-One: the option for hard handles. 

F-One finally did it this year, rolling out a line of wings (the updated Strike and Swing, and the all-new Origin) with interchangeable handles that will allow riders to pair the top-tier performance of F-One’s wings with the direct response and ease-of-use that comes with hard handles or a boom. Of note, the wings ship with soft handles, and the hard handles or boom must be purchased separately. F-One also now offers hybrid handles that are a good bit stiffer than their soft handles while still providing some flexibility.

The Strike has always been a high-performance wing designed for speed, but this year’s version takes that a bit further. The Strike is a wing that thrives in the high-end, and is not easily overpowered, but it sacrifices some grunt to get there. You’ll likely be happier riding this wing slightly overpowered than slightly underpowered, so it’s worth considering going up a half size than you would normally with this wing. The upgraded Swing flips that equation, with a bit more grunt and a bit less top-end speed, and is a wing that can be ridden smaller for better maneuverability and luffed performance when wave-riding.

The only real dings we had on this wing is the lack of windows, which some will care about, and others won’t. For more info on windows, check out our buyer’s guide. Another, very small but significant detail are the two-way inflation valves on the F-One and Duotone wings. These valves, over the standard one-way, allow for precise pumping with a hand pump, taking a certain amount of guesswork out of the inflation process. The high-powered needs of the wing also make this less of an all-around wing. This is certainly not the wing we would recommend to a beginner, but for those who know what they are doing, and in the right conditions, the efficiency and control of this wing are pretty unmatched. 

Most Versatile Wing

Cabrinha Mantis V4

Price (4m): $1,019
Handles: Hard
Windows: Yes
Inflation Style: Single inflation point
Best For: All-around/surf
Defining Characteristics: Incredible control, great handles

Pros: Extremely versatile wing, stiff construction
Cons: Some riders don’t like wings with single-inflation points, all-around design isn’t a standout in any category

Cabrinha is easily one of the best wind brands in the world and has put years into the kitesurfing (and SUP) market. And their wings show it. The Mantis V4 is their latest iteration of their longstanding Mantis design, and it comes packed to the gills with awesome performance and design features. 

Admittedly, we’ve had limited time on this wing, but the couple of sessions we were able to get on a demo unit showed us what we need to know – this is easily one of the best wings on the market right now. Performance is top-tier, with an all-around profile that delivers solid upwind potential and plenty of on-demand power with a stiff and responsive construction, but not so much grunt that we felt ourselves getting yanked around when riding in overpowered conditions. When flagged out, the wing is super stable, perhaps not as light-feeling as the new F-One Swing, but the rigid front handle provides an insane amount of control when the wing is depowered.

That brings us from performance aspects to features. And that’s an area that this wing really takes the cake. Massive, well-placed windows provide a ton of visibility while riding. The hard handles are comfortable and responsive with an angled design that allows for a more comfortable riding experience. Furthermore, it’s super easy to hold the front handle in a pistol-grip, which is super useful for riding waves. And the rigid front handle cannot be overstated.

The one and only design feature we weren’t stoked on with the Mantis was the single inflation-point construction. Many wings these days are moving to dual inflation point designs, allowing the center strut and leading edge to be inflated to different PSI, or locking valves that keep the leading edge and strut separate for better performance. However, that’s a pretty nit-picky con, and overall the Cabrinha Mantis is one of the best wings on the market right now with oodles of versatility and some great high-performance features.

Best Wing for Surfing and Swell-Riding

F-One Swing V4

Price (4m): $1,129
Handles: Interchangeable: Soft, hard handles, boom
Windows: No
Inflation Style: Two-way, two inflation points
Best For: Wave-riding, freeride
Defining Characteristics: Grunty, direct response, stable when luffed

Pros: Very light, stable in the air and when luffed, plenty of grunt lets you ride a smaller size
Cons: No windows, not as much upwind efficiency/speed as the Strike

A couple of years ago, the Swing was F-One’s entry-level wing. With the V3 Swing, that changed slightly, as some subtle improvements were made to give this light and grunty wing better luffed performance for a stable and intuitive wave-riding experience. That trend continues with the v4 Swing, so much so that we’re naming it the best wing for wave-riding that we’ve tested. Even with the new (optional) hard handles attached, the wing maintains a very low weight and the flatter dihedral helps keep it steady and makes it very easily controlled when flagged out.

The wing benefits from the same stiffness improvements that were made to the Strike over the past couple of iterations, giving it tons of direct control, a huge boon when coming off of a wave and needing a quick boost of power to stay on foil and get out past the break for another ride. The extra gruntiness also allows you to ride this wing a bit smaller than many other wings out there, which, along with the compact wingspan makes this wing highly maneuverable and easy to manage both under power and when luffed for swell/wave-riding. Despite all of these “wave-specific” features, we found that the Swing is still a very solid wing in higher winds, and has great upwind efficiency, though the Strike V4 and other, more speed-oriented wings will be a better choice if high-powered riding and speed/efficiency are your priorities. This wing compares quite well to the Cabrinha Mantis, which didn’t feel quite as light when luffed out, but does have that awesome front handle. 

Another Top-Tier High-Performance Wing

Ozone Flux

Price (4.3m): $1,199
Handles: Hard, padded
Windows: Yes
Inflation Style:
Best For: High-performance speed, some surf
Defining Characteristics: Fast, stable, durable

Pros: Great mix of speed/high-powered riding and stability for wave-riding
Cons: Inflation valve doesn’t lock on, a minor inconvenience when pumping

It had been a while since Ozone debuted a new wing. Then, the Ozone Flux came along, and all that waiting turned out to be well worth it. The Ozone Flux is a wing that is entirely built around speed. The wing thrives in high-powered conditions, with a super stiff construction, updated materials, and a well-designed panel layout that helps it handle overpowered conditions and improve the wing’s lifespan by keeping it from bagging out too quickly.

Upwind performance is top-tier as well thanks to the racier profile. However, despite all these race-oriented features, the wing has proven itself to be a great choice for waves as well with a steadiness when luffed that is extremely impressive. The materials, as well as being stiff, are quite lightweight, and the hard handles are shaped to allow a semi-luffed, one-handed “pistol grip” on the front handle, a design that many wing manufacturers are starting to incorporate. Inflation is two-point with the leading edge and strut being inflated separately, using a non-locking boston-style valve that is not our favorite in terms of connection style.

We were only able to spend one lighter-wind session on this wing at the AWSI expo in Hood River, hardly ideal conditions for such a high-performance and speedy wing. That lack of experience has kept it out of the running for a top-tier pick this time around, but given its popularity, we simply had to include it in the review. At Crissy Field in San Francisco (where our lead tester rides) the Ozone has quickly become one of, if not the, most popular wing to ride due to the speed and on-wave performance. We’re getting our hands on a demo this summer and will update this review when we’ve spent enough time on the new wing to give it a thorough review.

Similar wings include the F-One Strike V4, which similarly thrives in the high end, and being very lightweight, is a solid choice for riding waves as well, though in our testing we found the Strike to be a bit jumpier when luffed than the Flux, and perhaps a bit more capable in overpowered conditions.

Best Wing for Light Wind

Duotone Ventis

Price (7m): $1,519
Handles: Hard
Windows: Yes
Inflation Style: Two-way, one inflation point
Best For: Light wind
Defining Characteristics: extended front handle, extra struts

Pros: awesome lift and power for super low-wind conditions, extended front handle allows for one-handed riding, Aluula construction provides stiffness and light-weight that vastly improves the light-wind experience
Cons: Aluula construction is expensive

Based on our testing, there are three top-tier light-wind wings in the industry: Those are the F-One Strike CWC, the Duotone Ventis, and the North Loft Pro. The Duotone and F-One wings benefit here from a design that was pioneered a couple years ago by F-One, the CWC (Compact Wing Concept). The CWC construction involves two extra struts on either side of the main one, that give the wing extra stiffness in relation to the size, and allows for more square meters of wing to be packed into a smaller wingspan. This design gives wings like the CWC and Ventis improved all-around performance, from maneuvers to upwind potential.

For the “2025” version, the Ventis received a few refinements. The windows are bigger, and the overall shape of the wing has been updated to provide better upwind potential, and an easier time getting up onto foil with a reduced wing-tip design. The wing is available in two constructions, Duotone’s regular construction, and the D/LAB construction, which uses Aluula material in the struts and leading edge, as well as a lighter-weight canopy material. The stiffness and lightness of Aluula is a winner for light wind and bigger wings, but it costs quite a bit extra.

We’re also big fans of the extended front handle on the Ventis, unlocking one-handed riding. For our tester, that was actually a fairly significant point of difference. In lighter winds, there’s often less “fun” things to do out on the water. You likely won’t be finding any windswell to ride, and the lack of wind can make gybes and other maneuvers more difficult. With that in mind, light wind can be a great time to experiment with fun and less technical foil tricks, like riding one-handed.

A few new light-wind wings have hit the market recently that we have yet to test. The Ozone Liteforce and the Armstrong XPS Lightwind. The F-One Strike CWC, the wing that started it all, just received an update as well, with the latest version introducing Aluula struts for reduced weight and increased stiffness. We’ll be updating things here as we get a chance to test and compare these latest light wind wings, but we’re fairly confident in our selection of the Ventis as the best overall light wind wing due to the availability of Aluula and non-Aluula constructions, the great handles, overall design, and on-the-water performance.

Best of the Rest

Runner-Up Best Wing for Light Wind

F-One Strike CWC

Price (6m): $1,769
Handles: Interchangeable
Windows: No
Inflation Style: Two-way, two inflation points
Best For: Light wind
Defining Characteristics: Three-strut design

Pros: CWC construction packs a punch in light winds
Cons: Still a huge wing

When it comes to light-wind winging, light and stiff is a winning combination. That’s why, for 2024, F-One is integrating the renowned top-tier stiff and light material, Aluula, into their Strike CWC light wind wing. Notably, the Aluula is only used in the struts (not the leading edge), and there isn’t a non-Aluula version available – most companies that make an Aluula wing also have a non-Aluula version for those unable to swallow the much higher price-point that comes with Aluula. However, since the Aluula material is only used in the struts, this is actually one of the cheaper Aluula wings on the market for its size. 

Design-wise, the Strike CWC looks a bit different from you usual wing, using two extra inflatable struts off of the leading edge to add stiffness and allow them to pack those extra square meters of wing into a tighter and higher-performing package. The wing is available in sizes from 6 to 9m. 

Of note are the wing tips, which feature cut-outs to help the user recover from wing-tip strikes faster and easier. And that’s a big deal, as with such a big wing, wing-tip strikes are somewhat inevitable. On that note, it’s also worth mentioning that bigger is not always better when you reach this size of a wing. In theory, a 9m wing should get you off the ground in just about any puff of wind, but in practice, unless you’re well over six-feet tall, a 9m will likely be far too much wing to handle and keep the tips out of the water, especially while pumping to get up on foil in the presumably light wind that you’ll be using it in. 

We have yet to test the latest CWC design, so from our testing of the previous version, as well as other light-wind wings on the market, we gave the nod to the Duotone Ventis. The Ventis is available in both an Aluula (struts and leading edge) construction, and a non-Aluula construction.

Interchangeable Handles

North Nova Pro

Price (4.2m): $1,059
Handles: Interchangeable: hard handles or boom (not included)
Windows: Yes
Inflation Style: one-way, single inflation point
Best For: All-around/freestyle
Defining Characteristics: Stiff and responsive, interchangeable handles, powerful

Pros: Super stiff, lightweight, interchangeable handles gives tons of customization
Cons: interchangeable handles are tricky to get on and off 

North’s Nova is their all-around, user-friendly wing for foiling. The Nova Pro is by no means a less user-friendly wing, but it has some significant and interesting upgrades over the base version. First of all, the materials. North uses a special N Weave 45 material for the frame and what they call Matrix material in the canopy. While the words are just marketing-speak, the difference in materials is palpable, especially in the frame of the wing with a rock-solid feeling that helps in both under and overpowered conditions.

Another interesting upgrade, and adding to the wing’s overall stiffness, is North’s new Shiftlock handle system which uses two thin rails integrated into the center strut that the hard handles or boom (your choice) latch onto. The connection is super secure and quite rigid, providing a very direct response in controlling the wing.

The rails themselves add a bit of stiffness to the wing, as does the boom if you choose to go that route. We did discover one frustrating downside to the boom, however, as, like most boom-style wings, to pack it back into the included carry-bag, you’ll have to take off the boom. Unlike most boom-wings, however, that process requires a Torx screwdriver (T40 to be exact) to unclamp the boom from the tracks. While that’s not the biggest deal, and may be a non-issue for some, we’re all about simplicity so we felt this was worth noting. The handles and boom also need to be purchased separately from the wing.

Stiff Construction

Armstrong XPS

Price (4m): $1,019
Handles: Hard, fabric-covered
Windows: Yes
Inflation Style: One-way, two inflation points
Best For: Surf/all-around
Defining Characteristics: Stiff and responsive, compact wingspan

Pros: Well-constructed all-around wing geared towards surfing and freeride
Cons: Flat hard handles can be tough on the hands during longer sessions 

A couple of years ago, the Armstrong A wing was one of the best wings on the market. But in the quickly-changing and always-improving wing-market, the industry improvements that soon followed left Armstrong out of our top picks as we didn’t see the a wing get an upgrade for a couple of years, with Armstrong focusing their innovation and efforts on their (admittedly very impressive) line of foils.

The XPS brings Armstrong back into the equation, with a stiffer construction and hard handles that together result in a much more direct response over the previous generation of Armstrong wings, and performance that is on-par with some of the best wings on the market. The XPS is an all-around wing with solid grunt and solid upwind performance/speed, although there are better wings out there for racing if that’s what you’re looking for. Like the A-wing before it, the XPS luffs quite well, and the improved depower handle on the front of the wing is quite stiff, providing a very direct response when the wing is luffed for wave-riding, all the better for making sure it stays out of your way. 

The stiffer construction also makes the wings much more capable in the high-end, and less prone to flexing/deforming when overpowered. What kept this wing from earning one of the spots at the top of this list were the handles, which we found to be a bit uncomfortable during longer riding sessions. The handles are stiff (carbon fiber?), fabric-wrapped, and have a very flat shape. We would have preferred a more rounded surface on the backs of the handles for the fingers to wrap around. 

Tons of Power

Duotone Unit 2024

Price (4m): $1,119
Handles: Hard handles
Windows: Yes
Inflation Style: Two-way, one inflation point
Best For: All-around
Defining Characteristics: Grunty yet retains solid upwind potential

Pros: Super stable in the air, direct response with firm wing design/construction, extended front handle allows for one-handed riding
Cons: Great all-around performance but not a standout in any category

The Duotone Unit V3 was one of our favorite wings in this review for its reliable and intuitive handling while in the air. With a decent amount of dihedral, the wing was one of our top choices for turns, maneuvers, and freestyle winging, though the boom handle on the Duotone Slick gave it the edge in that regard. The Unit is Duotone’s more surf-oriented wing, and while it makes a great all-around wing, we wouldn’t say it’s a surf-specific wing by any means as the moderate dihedral makes the wing a bit squirmier when luffed than, for example, the F-One Swing V4. 

As mentioned above, the past couple of years have seen large advancements in material go down in the wing business, with F-One and Duotone leading the charge among wings we tested, though the rest of the industry is quickly catching up. The materials in question provide lower elasticity to better retain the wing’s shape under tension, making for a much more direct-feeling response, as well as more power in lower winds. The materials also help with long-term durability, although it would take a decent bit more time than we’ve had with these brand new wings to be able to speak to that fact. 

As mentioned with the Slick, the choice of a two-way, rather than a one-way valve for inflation is one that we found useful for precise pumping, although the Duotone-proprietary attachment can be a bit of a pain with other-brand pumps.

User-Friendly, Sometimes Cheaper

Slingshot Slingwing V4

Price (4m): $1,049
Handles: Hard
Windows: Yes
Inflation Style: One-way, one inflation point
Best For: All-around
Defining Characteristics: Grunty and easy to use

Pros: Great power and price, V4 introduces hard handles, windows, and a stiffer construction
Cons: Not the highest-performing design that we have encountered

Slingshot’s Slingwing V3 is still a surprisingly solid wing – Unassuming with a clean design and approachable price-point (it can now be found on sale for just $399), the wing is very powerful, fairly maneuverable, and exceedingly simple to use. The Slingwing V4 builds upon these characteristics, adding even more grunt, a stiffer construction, windows, and hard handles to bring the wing up to par with current design characteristics on the wing market. 

The wing’s gruntiness is an aspect that’s great for those learning to foil, helping pull the rider up on foil in the beginning stages of the learning process. The V3 was already a very grunty wing, and the V4 brings even more power. That’s in part due to the stiffer construction, and the direct response one gets from hard handles as opposed to soft ones. The handles themselves are also interchangeable, leading us to hope that sooner or later Slingshot might introduce a boom compatible with the Slingwing. 

The wing is a great choice for beginner or intermediate riders with the user-friendly design, however, advanced riders will likely find themselves better-served by a stiffer wing more geared towards high-performance riding. At the time of publishing, the Slingwing V4 is on sale for $891 for a 4m.

KT Surfing Direct Drive

Price (4m): $986
Handles: Hard, EVA foam grip
Windows: No
Inflation Style: Double inflation point
Best For: Surf/all-around
Defining Characteristics: Surf-oriented design

Pros: Great all-around design, awesome handles
Cons: No windows, wing hasn’t been upgraded in a year or so

KT Surfing has solidified itself as a leader in surfing innovation, both from a shaping perspective – putting boards under the feet of Kai Lenny, among others – and in the wind realm. Enter the Direct Drive. We tested out the four-meter version and found it to be super versatile with a great all-around shape, and well-designed hard handles.

For 2023, KT focused on improving the Direct Drive’s handle system as well as beefing up the leading edge and strut. It seemed to work. The DD is easy to transfer hand to hand, allows one to turn on a dime,  and is a simple package to navigate with overall. Though the wing has not seen any improvements since then, it’s still a wing we’d recommend, especially if you can find it on sale. 

The handles feature a contour EVA foam grip, which make them that much easier to use. Some may find them rigid, which is understandable, but we appreciated the rigidness (and control) they create, allowing for more powerful pumping when we needed to keep on foil in spotty wind. That stiffness and control also made this wing very maneuverable in tough conditions and easy to sheet in – or drop if need be, when the glide is on. This was a top-tier wing in our last review, but as time has passed, some aspects of the wing have been surpassed by new designs. That said, if you can get this wing on a discount you won’t be disappointed. 

Honorable Mentions

The wing market is awash with options at the moment, with new and constantly improving designs being released on what feels like a weekly basis. With only so much time for testing and writing, we had to focus on the more widely available and well-known brands here in the states, but there’s a lot of other awesome wings out there.

First off, the Ocean Rodeo Glide AA series deserves a mention. This all-Aluula wing just might be the lightest wing on the market with the entire thing from leading edge to canopy being constructed from the super lightweight and stiff material. It has tons of speed, great upwind potential, and feels like you’re holding onto nothing when the wing is flagged out for wave-riding (it’s also super stable). However, the $3,000+ price tag and lack of availability kept it out of this review.

Another Aluula wing that has become a favorite of the high-performance wave-riders of Crissy Field in San Francisco (where much of the testing for this review took place) is the CORE Halo Pro. We were only able to snag one abbreviated session in very overpowered conditions on this wing, so were not, in good conscience, able to add the wing to this review, but we’ll be doing our best to spend some time on one of these this summer.

Best Wings for Wing Foiling Comparison Table

This was a serious test. The Inertia’s Will Sileo, ahead of a boat wake. Photo: Skyler Fitzmaurice//The Inertia

How We Tested The Best Wings for Wing Foiling

We winged with them, of course. The Inertia’s Senior Editor Joe Carberry and Gear Editor Will Sileo have spent the past couple seasons on the latest and greatest wings out there. Neither are pros by any means, but both are proficient wingers who know a good wing when they see (and feel) one. And not being paid to wing does give us a certain amount of neutrality, which a sponsorship wouldn’t allow for. 

Overall, we’ve spent a lot of time in the water on these wings, and would stand behind any wing included in this review as an incredible option for the sport of wing foiling, whether you’re just starting out or looking for a wing that will boost you skyward. 

It’s hard to talk about power when comparing different sized wings in varying conditions, so with this first foray into the category we did our best to stick to the features and design elements that made each wing in the review unique. We’ll be putting significant effort into keeping this article updated as we’re able to try new wings this season and continue to ride the wings we’re currently testing. 

The Strike V3 is far more than just a surf wing, but it does that job beautifully. Photo: F-One

Best Wings for Wing Foiling Buyer’s Guide

Best Budget Wing

You may have noticed that we left a “Best Budget” option out of our awards, above. That’s because, first of all the “best budget wing” is a bit of an oxymoron when the “budget” item in question is likely well over $500 bucks, and also because the best budget wing is undoubtedly whatever is on sale.

With the insane amount of product development going on, and new models of your favorite wings coming out every season, there’s almost always a deal to be had on brand new wings from last season. Sure, they might not have all of the latest and greatest features, but give it another season and those “latest and greatest features” will already be obsolete. The reality is, all of these wings will do what you want them to, which is get you up on foil and enjoying the water. If price is your main consideration, we’d recommend whatever you can find that’s on sale. 

Dihedral and Wing Shape

The dihedral of a wing refers to the angle that the two sides of the wing make against each other. A flatter dihedral (such as on the F-One Swing Wing) is better for surfing and swell-riding, as the wing is more stable while depowered or “luffed”. A higher dihedral wing is stabler in maneuvers and at speed, but when depowered is less stable than their flatter counterparts. 

The wingspan, and aspect ratio between the length and width of the wing also matters. A wing with a lower aspect ratio and therefore smaller wingspan will be more compact for maneuvers and pumping, while a wing with a higher aspect ratio tends to be more efficient in light winds and able to cut through high winds better as well for better upwind angles.

Our tester, getting after it in the shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge. Photo: Skyler Fitzmaurice//The Inertia

Handle Design

This is perhaps one of the most rapidly changing areas of wing design. A couple years ago, everyone had soft handles, now the majority of wing handles are hard handles, with a few hybrids, booms and holdout softies in the mix. 

Booms make a wing more rigid but add weight for luffing while riding waves or swell. They also provide an incredibly large target for swapping hands during turns, maneuvers, etc., you just might complete a higher number of your maneuvers with a boom-style wing. They’re also a bit of a pain to pack up and travel with, adding yet another detachable piece of equipment to the mix

More and more, hard handles are becoming the industry standard. They seek to bring the best of the boom with the same simplicity and packability of a soft handle. And they come pretty darn close. All hard handles provide the same sort of direct response as a boom. Longer handles allow for the sort of trim adjustments that you get with a boom, at the cost of some weight. 

It’s also worth noting that hard handles may have more of a long-term durability problem for wings than other handle styles. Most wings in this review with hard handles do not have detachable hard handles, meaning they need to be packed up inside of the wing when it’s stored in the carry bag it came with. There, the hard handles do provide a bit more of a potential for damage than other options. So far, however, we have yet to see any issues with hard-handled wings, but it’s a potential point of failure for sure. All booms we tested are detachable, and soft handles, are, soft. 

Soft handles are being phased out relatively quickly nowadays. Even F-One has relented and begun offering their wings with interchangeable handles so you can choose hard or soft (though the wings still ship with the soft handles).

Boom-wing testing day at Crissy Field. Photo: Will Sileo//The Inertia

Windows

For some reason or another, it seems like windows are the hardest part for wing manufacturers to get right. With most windows, we found ourselves straining to see through them, or needing to put the wing at such an awkward angle that a quick under-wing-peep is almost easier. Our favorite windows are those on the Cabrinha Mantis V4 and the Duotone Unit/Slick.

The Duotones has two vertically-oriented strips of window material that let you see a very narrow field of view – basically at any angle your wing might be at, whether you’re hauling hard upwind or catching swell on your toe-side. The Cabrinha wings have a horizontally-oriented (and fairly wide) strip of window material right above and below the center strut, allowing for a very wide field of view, with much larger window-areas as the window gets close to the leading edge. It’s at the perfect position to see through when hauling upwind, as well as riding toe side, and is the best window that we have encountered thus far. 

That said, some wings, don’t have windows, and there’s a few solid reasons why not. While windows do allow you to see while your wing is under power as said above, the lining-up process can be tricky – unless the manufacturer gets the placement right, the windows are basically useless, and there’s a couple of other drawbacks to adding windows to a wing. First is that they do add some weight to the wing itself, and secondly, they are a potential long-term failure point that is fairly hard to repair properly. Written on the Unit wing itself, Duotone cautions the user to “avoid creasing the windows” when rolling up the wing, and that any damage due to such creases won’t be covered under warranty. Yikes. 

The Bag, and Other Accessories

While we certainly wouldn’t determine the best wing based on how easy it was to get the wing back in its bag after a session, these often-neglected details can contribute to that windsports frustration that can turn a nuking session into one that makes you want to tear your hair out. Among the wings we tested, we found the bag for the Dakine Cyclone and F-One wings to be the easiest to use, with wide openings and plenty of room inside the bag, which is also nice when you need to pack up a slightly damp wing – better for it to have some air than having that wet fabric super-compacted. 

Other common accessories include a small repair kit for patching pinholes and other small dings, and, if necessary, an adapter for connecting to a regular pump connection. F-One and Duotone were the two wings in this review that required a pump adapter from the classic windsports pump valve, and (at least with the samples we tested) an adapter was included with both, but it’s worth double-checking if you’re switching from a different wing-valve system.

Sure, it’s not as important as what’s inside, but the bag can be a pain point, so it sure matters. Photo: Will Sileo//The Inertia

Info for Beginners

With winging being such a new sport, and its exploding popularity, there’s a lot of people who are new to the sport. Heck, only a few years ago, we all were. Here’s a few tips on wings for those who are just starting out. For more advice, check out our guide to The Best Wing Foil Gear for Beginners.

Wing Rules to Live By

There are a few things to remember when using wings. Most of us have a self preservation mode so it (almost) goes without saying, don’t buy a wing and take your foil out into the lineup. Find a forgotten wave if you want to learn to surf with a foil and wing – it ain’t as easy as it looks. The best place to learn is open water, a bay, or a lake, with no shore break to beat you up while you’ve got a four meter piece of fabric in one hand and hard board with a carbon-fiber saber in the other.

Winging, and foiling are essentially two separate skill sets. Learn to foil by towing behind a Jet Ski or boat. Then learn to wing. However, they can essentially be done together if you’re willing to take your lumps. The wing allows you to de-power whenever you want so you can simply learn to move with speed before getting up on foil. But flatwater is definitely recommended.

There are places to get wing lessons but they’re generally in wind-centered locales like Hood River, Oregon; Long Beach and the Bay Area in California; and North Carolina’s Outer Banks. While it’s actually fairly easy to learn to wing, a lesson is never a bad thing.

Sizing

As a general rule of thumb for beginners, size up, as it’s better to be overpowered than underpowered. Figure out where you’re going to be learning, and get a wing size that suits the location. For example, 5m is often a good beginner size around the Bay Area, but might be too small somewhere with lighter wind. Or too big for somewhere like Maui. When in doubt, ask around.

Quiver-Building

As you start to build your quiver of wings for windier and lighter days, you’ll notice it’s most common for wingers to build their quivers in one-meter increments. Three meter, 4m, 5m, for example. While that’s not a hard and fast rule, it certainly helps make sure you have all your bases covered without too much overlap. 

Handles

Which handles are best for beginners? Good question. Honestly, you can’t go wrong with any of the different handle options, but it’s worth noting that those coming from a windsports background will likely find the boom handle to provide the most intuitive and natural crossover to winging. Those coming into the sport completely fresh may benefit from soft handles for their simplicity, and decreased risk of injury should they, say, come within close proximity to your face.

Editor’s Note: Need a board to go with that wing? Check out The Best Wing Foil Boards. If you’re interested in purchasing it all together as a package here’s our article on The Best Wing Foil Packages. For more gear reviews and features on The Inertia, click here.

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