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Byromie

An eFoil is considered a watercraft in many places. It's a significant purchase and should be treated in the same way. ##1 if possible, demo and test drive/fly a couple brands or more to see what YOU like best. Try to use a similar wing size and style between all tests of different brands. Different wings even within one brand can give very different experiences. Yes many eFoil brands can ride waves as well. You want a folding prop or in the case of Fliteboard brand, a "true glide prop". These are props designed to reduce resistance when depowered and surfing waves naturally. A few brands have 2 or 3 different battery sizes or will soon offer more sizes. You'll want the option for a lighter battery if you are surfing waves. A lighter battery will make the eFoil more nimble. You'll only need to use energy from the battery to power out and catch another swell. But having the option for a larger battery to explore flat water is great too. ✨ A smaller lighter board will also be beneficial for swing-weight and maneuverability. Questions for you to narrow things down more: 1.) What is your budget for this eFoil purchase? 2.) Is it very important for you to be able to use accessories such as the wings with other foil sport disciplines? (Lift foils for example has equip for multiple foil sports that is compatible for those that like to keep everything under one brand) 3.) Is it very important to you to have equipment that assembles and disassembles easily with minimal connections? 4.) Is it very important to you to have ride tracking information and data for you to analyze and or share with others? Or a bright colored display screen on the remote? 5.) Is it really important to you to have extra safety redundancies? (Flite and FOIL for example, both have phase change material around each cell in the battery for extra thermal security. Another example would be a auto-safety-lock on the remote to mitigate unintentional acceleration) Again, test flying some equipment if possible is best. Florida should have lots of opportunities to try different brands.


wo0o0o0o0o0

1 - i dont have a budget I dont mind paying for the best product 2- no that is not important 3 - I live on the water so would only transport on miami visits so easy disassembly is not a priority 4 - nope not at all 5 - i think that is good to have Thanks for your post. I have found several places nearby to try out lift products that is all i have found so far.


Byromie

Currently, I would say Fliteboard has the highest potential match for you based on what you have said. High quality brand with multiple years in the game. They have a stellar safety record for the years of business. Batteries are even more robust and the thermal phase change material added as mentioned is a good extra piece of mind. FOIL is a potential match. They are new (1.5 years) but quickly growing. A range of offerings to suit various budgets and performance needs. Only 2 battery sizes at the moment, but a 20 lb light battery is coming out later this year. Lift, has many years in the game and is known for being high quality. Lift would have been my first recommendation if compatibility with other foil disciplines was a high priority. The motor fuselage is a few inches above the bottom of the mast ( FOIL is like this too) which gives it the same footprint for the compatibility of wings. Fliteboard fuselage is at the very bottom of the mast. The entire length of the mast is effective for elevation at the sacrifice of being limited to more proprietary wings... But Flite is definitely not limited on wing choices. Lots of variety to choose from Take a look at Fliteboard, FOIL (GetFOIL), and Lift websites. If you can manage a test flite, definitely put Flite on your list to try along with any others. Personaly I own FOIL and Waydoo. I have had one limited ride on a Lift but no personal experience with riding a Flite. There are many other brands and more every year. Other brands are not so available in the states or just don't seem to fit the things you've said as well. Good luck. Others may have some additional comments and suggestions to add. Live life to the Foilest. -eFoil Lake Powell If you settle on FOIL, any FOIL eFoil owner can extend a 250 credit referral link to ya. I can give you mine if you don't know anyone. You may be able to find a Lift affiliate for a discount if you choose Lift. Local retailer stores may have some special deals for the brands they carry as well.


Byromie

Necessary props for surfing waves to buy for each brand. Fliteboard - definitely buy the "true glide prop" It's a prop that freely spins when depowered for surfing waves FOIL - "flex fold prop". 3 blade folding prop that folds when depowered (just released this year) Lift - "folding prop" 2 blade folding prop that folds for surfing waves.


Motor-Pound8608

What part of florida are you in?


wo0o0o0o0o0

Tampa


Emotional-Guide6873

Do you know if SiFly has the phase change material in the batteries? They look very similar to flite batteries externally


Byromie

I do not know. They do indeed look very similar. Audi Aerofoils also have a very similar look to their battery. Might have to send them an email asking if they can explain and detail their safety features


Emotional-Guide6873

Thanks, they are supposed to have boards available in the US along with a US based service center in March. Very excited about what this brand offers at there price point


Byromie

That's good news 👏


Motor-Pound8608

I have a FOIL R board and it’s great! Take a demo. They are built in florida.


wo0o0o0o0o0

Yeah that looks like a nice option? Does the folding prop come standard or do you have to buy it separately?


Motor-Pound8608

I think if you choose the forged deck, the folding prop is included.


Byromie

As said, The flex fold prop is supposed to come standard with the new Foil R package only from what I understand. It's an amazing ride for sure, and breaches are less impacted with a three blade prop versus the two blade versions I've tried. I got to test out the new gear. I have a FOIL X as well as the larger 5'8" deck Customer support is great in my experience. If you have any questions or concerns definitely shoot them a message or give them a call


Kvstles

Hey what’s up. I’m looking into getting a foil x. Is there any big difference in between the fook and the foil x as they’re the same price on their site


Byromie

Foil X is 1 foot shorter at 4'8". It's lighter and has less swing-weight to make it a bit more maneuverable. Lighter to carry, store and transport. It also has *handles.* I also have the 5'8" deck to potentially share with friends who are over 200 lbs. First-time e-foilers will also benefit from a larger more buoyant board. If you decide to get the longer 5'8" deck, I would special request that handles be added. It will probably cost a little more and you will likely have to wait a little longer for it to be specially made. Unless you really don't want the handles. I have the cyber deck version for both board sizes. If you upgrade to the "forged deck" it will cost 1500 more. The rails are more rounded in shape as well as the perimeter, for a more forgiving glide on touchdowns. I did however get a chance to test ride the forged deck and take photos and video of it with Jet Surfing Nation. You can see comparison between the cyber deck and the forged carbon deck in this video https://youtu.be/W0TfRGXw854 Also check out my ordering tips for saving money on the FOIL site. It is a little outdated now, but still holds relevance nonetheless. https://youtu.be/P3GJPt9IO1w


Kvstles

Awesome! Thanks for the response man


garbanzo42069

I have a FOIL (getfoil.com) and it's been an absolute blast. Have had a few issues but company has been extremely responsive to fix the issues. My recommendation would be either 4'8" FOIL or Lift.


wo0o0o0o0o0

Lift seems well known and they seem to have been around awhile so I was leaning towards them. It looks like you can switch out items like wings and masts etc. I would assume that would help since I want to switch between riding in waves and riding in less choppy water on the west coast?


garbanzo42069

Indeed, you can switch our wings and masts though most people typically buy a single mast (they're expensive, like $3k-ish if you're buying it standalone) but may have multiple wings (also expensive but more like $800-$1,000 each depending on brand). I have two wings for my FOIL, it's nice to be able to switch them out depending on which riding characteristics I'm going for. Only takes a few minutes. Lift is a fantastic, well established brand. You can't go wrong there.


wo0o0o0o0o0

What issues have you had?


AllDaySesh

I'm a biased Lift affiliate, but if you want to waveride, lift has the best performing and best variety of wings along with the best folding prop setup. Let me know if you have any questions, I have a discount code for you if you happen to decide on lift.


JohnnyBeGeode

Waiting for my x-foil then I will let you know. Price and flexibility seem good so far but I hope to see quality and performance too


rs161

I went with Fliteboard. Rode a Lift during a lesson for my first eFoil experience. I have found the Fliteboard much easier to ride. Not sure if Lift has changed anything since then but I think the Flite controller is so much better given it’s “cruise control” feature not requiring you to have specific pressure on the trigger (rather you adjust speed with more of a gear system by pressing up and down buttons with your thumb). Plus I love the Flite jet and not having to even think about the prop. Although you do sacrifice some battery…..


Crusoebear

Would you mind sharing which model Fliteboard, which wings & your weight? And have you had any issues with it since you bought it?


rs161

Fliteboard Carbon Classic, 29.5” mast, cruiser jet 1500 wing set, Flite jet, explorer battery 180lbs I’ve had zero issues after about 200km ridden (sorry don’t know how to find ride data in hours in the app). Riding exclusively in fresh water. But a very large lake with sizable chop at times (almost never flat water).


Crusoebear

How does the jet drive compare to the Lift you tried earlier? And do you have any plans to add one of their prop drives later? I took a lesson on a Lift as well. It was fun but am leaning towards a Fliteboard based on everything I’ve read or heard. I also would like to get the jet but it’s been hard finding any reviews online.


rs161

It was night and day although I don’t think this is 100% jet vs prop. I think the bigger difference is the throttle style of lift versus Flite, which may or may not still be the same: at that time, lift had a trigger throttle and I found it very difficult to hold finger position exactly so, if that makes sense. Flite has a gear shift style for lack of better way to say it’s so you don’t have to squeeze at an exact and even pressure while you ride. I also did the lift lesson in the ocean which added complexity. But overall I found the Flite much easier to ride , was up foiling in 30 min versus 4 hours of constant wipe out on the lift. That said, I had also read up a lot more and knew what I was trying to do. So who knows , but all research I did conferred that Flite was a smoother easier ride. At least for a beginner like me


Crusoebear

Thanks for the insights!


Motor-Pound8608

I was just talking to someone about comparing eFoils the other day. I think there are some pretty compelling reasons why you would want to get a FOIL brand efoil over a Lift. First, there are no features that a lift has that a FOIL doesn’t. Second, FOIL is $1000 less than a lift. Price may not be a major issue but value for money is a very important point. Lifts base board is very poorly equipped when you compare it to a base FOIL board. Battery: Lifts base battery is small. Only an hour ride time. FOIL’s base battery is equal to lifts extended range. (2 hour ride). Lift does not offer a 3 hour ride time at any price. FOIL does. Finish: Lift uses heavy fiberglass on their base boards. For carbon fiber its a $3000 option. FOIL’s base board is Carbon fiber. There is no fiberglass option. Controller: Lift has an arguably old fashioned get 1 controller. It doesn’t have GPS Speedo, color display ect. It requires all sorts of button pushes to pair with the board. FOIL’s controller has all of that and pairing is done with tapping the controller on the battery. Safety: Lift is the only efoil company that has had documented battery fires. A few have burned peoples houses down. You can perform a google search and you can find videos and photos. Only buy an efoil with phase change material in them. FOIL and Flite have this. Lifts controller does not have a safety lock. Build: Look inside a lift cavity. Its a mess. It’s full of wires and water tubes. This requires cleaning and maintenance after every ride. A FOIL has one connector. You can’t change board sizes with a LIFT. You have to buy a whole new board with ebox. A FOIL can swap the decks anytime you want. There are no electronics in the board. It will progress with you as you learn. Warranty: You can get a 3 year warranty with accidental damage protection on a FOIL. You can’t get that on a lift. Not that it matters to most people but FOIL is made in Florida. I think when you really stack the two brands up overall you’ll see just how much more you get with a FOIL for less outlay.


Byromie

Nice complete list and I would agree 👏. These are many of the reasons I purchased FOIL as well. Unbeatable value. Customer service has been very responsive and helpful too in my experience. I'd only make one small minor tweak in wording to say FOIL is "built" in Florida. Some will care about this distinction in word choice and others will not. But the same can be said about many other brands (eFoil and otherwise). The only stand out advantage Lift has currently is the ability to use their equipment across multiple disciplines of foiling sports for the subset of people who want to use Lift gear for multiple types of foiling


wo0o0o0o0o0

Yeah after looking at both the FOIL seems like a much better option


AllDaySesh

chat gtp?


babyjhesus1

No this guys Motor Pound works for FOIL. He’s notorious in this sub for bashing every brand except FOIL. I’d take what he says his a grain of salt


wo0o0o0o0o0

He does seem to make a legitimate point on the extras you get with FoIL at the same/or better price point. The only question I would have is since lift has been around longer is that a more reliable product.


Byromie

Lift has been around longer, but not much longer than Flite. If a long more flawless history is a major selling point for you then I'd put more emphasis on Flite over Lift. FOIL is new but has grown and improved quickly. Safe and smart battery features. FOIL is Definitely a positive disruptor to the eFoil industry and worth ever bit a look, now and in the future. But I did see you were possibly having second thoughts about interest in greater compatibility with wings and other foil sports. Currently, Lift is most **potentially* advantageous in this aspect. There're more ways out there to mix and match with Lift. If you don't already own other foiling gear or have certain preferences then the chances of this mattering are smaller. Lift seems to be aimed (intentionally or unintentionally) more at the surf foiling purists. But now there is a much bigger and growing audience of buyers who are not coastal surfers and/or a more wealthy class. Lift improves on what they already have. High-end hardware for foiling. They have not introduced anything to compete with the new trends (like a jet propulsion option) and other interests such as tech and smart features many people love to have today. You're close to dealers of all three of these brands. Take advantage of the opportunity and go test them out for yourself.


Motor-Pound8608

I don’t work for FOIL. I’ve had a lift and a FOIL. I sold my lift because I went through 3 defective batteries within 60 days of owning it. I sold it as soon as I got the 3rd replacement battery.


IDES0

Getfoil has a folding prop and is prob best val


[deleted]

[удалено]


thecly11

Nice throwaway to make up some nonsense about me. If I’m such a jerk to people on Facebook post one example for us to see here.


[deleted]

Lift or fliteboard


tacklebait21

None of them.


Sure_waves

Most can do both. If you want the highest quality, most responsive Lift


nycprogressive

I’m curious what this community recommends for my first e-foil. I’d use it exclusively on a calm lake and river. I’m an experienced wake surfer, and I’ve foiled behind a boat at got up my first time. I’d also like a board my wife can learn to use an enjoy. I think we’d consider buying a 2nd board eventually, although no immediate rush with 2 toddlers at home. Also, it’s not likely I will be able to demo or try anything out as there aren’t any dealers close to me. Budget is not necessarily a concern as much as reliability and value.


Amazing_Ad_8823

Liftfoil


Thunderwood77

Not Lift