I've been on the Core Halo Pro wings since August this year, after getting a 4m and 5m from Action Sports WA for this season. I've previously been on Duotone Units - which although very good, I'd encountered bladder issues so was keen for a change. I'm 95kg and using the gear in Western Australia mainly with a 60L board, strapped, on a Spitfire 840 or 900, on reef breaks (basically surf wing foil paradise!).
My thoughts are:
- The build quality has been second to none. Really impressed in this regard - my faith in wing construction has been restored! I'm heavy and hard on gear and these wings have really stood up well. Each wing is on the water somewhere between 2 and 4 times a week, and get a frequent smashing in the waves, and the materials are still looking like new.
- The shape has held up really well. Despite all the abuse and pushing the wings to the upper end of their range a lot, the canopy is still taught. Being allula, the frame is of course solid-as also.
- I've found the low end on these really good. I'm probably not going out in lower winds, but I'm choosing the sinker board all the time now, knowing the wing will have the power and stability to allow me to pump up on foil easily. I'm not sure whether the low end is from the greater stability and responsiveness to pumping, or wing shape, but it works well without sacrificing top end.
- Top end has been really good despite the good low end - I put this down to the stability of the frame and the canopy tension - this avoids flapping and allows power to be let go in a controlled way when pushing these things to the top end. With the 4m being the smallest wing I've got, it gets pushed to the top end a lot. When inflated the wing is super solid at 8psi - I've not found a need to pump to 9psi.
- When flagged the wing is stable - I'd found the Units to be susceptible to flipping, and the front handle was a bit soft to effectively control it. The halo just behaves itself when flagged. The front handle is a really nice size and is stiff, allowing good control when flagged.
- The frame is efficient / relatively low drag - this makes it fast, but more importantly it makes any upwind manoeuvres so much easier. Tacking in high winds for example. However, what I've really found is that so much more speed can be carried through an upwind bottom turn, which really opens up wave riding.
- Jumping - the frame holds power and shape when holding my 95kg in the air, making for more lift and softer landings.
- I'd not used a boom before, but that has been an nice bonus of this change (since a boom is the only option). This is a personal thing of course, but I will never go back to handles. This boom doesn't seem to have a downside - its comfortable, yet provides the added versatility for every other aspect of the sport. It can make it easier to start a sinker board (one hand can hold the wing in the air powered, other hand to get up), and its really nice for messing around with some freestyle when there is no swell.
Couple of things I think could be improved:
- Half-metre sizing would be good. For example, in WA a 3.5m would be pretty sweet. I feel like a 3m is too small at my weight, but a 4m isn't really small enough when a cranking sea breeze comes through.
- The EVA on the boom is starting to show signs of wear on the 5m. Maybe some heavier duty material could help here, but I'm not sure as it will be a trade-off in terms of comfort.
- The bags could do with being a couple of inches longer, as it's a bit of a tight fit if you don't roll the wing up perfectly.
Anyway, I could not find many reviews when I made the decision to buy these, so maybe this will help someone. I was a bit nervous buying them as there isn't many around here in WA, but am super pleased with the decision.
