Cloud-IX FS Series Foil Wings
There have been foil wings during my journey through foiling that have helped me get to the next level. The MFC Hydros helped me to turn and glide better. The Cloud-IX F-series wings helped me become a multi-waves rider. The Lift 120HA & 170HA put me on the path to high aspect wings and all the benefits of HA. The Mikes Lab wings helped me learn to pump better and showed me what a really stiff set up feels like. The new Cloud-IX FS series wings are one of those wings. These are the wings that will help make you a better rider, a better foiler. Chris & Kent have refined the design of the wings, keeping some of the best characteristics of the old series and adding a new dimension to the new wings. These new FS series are true hybrids. I dislike using that term since it is overused, but it applies here. The wing design is an excellent combination of a surf wing along with a high aspect wing. They have found the sweet spot.
Build
This wing is solid. They have chosen to combine the front wing and fuselage into a solid unit that connects to the mast. The rigidity and flex have improved markedly from the prior generation of Cloud-IX setup. This translates into a better more direct feel of the foil under your feet. They have improved the dihedral curves of the wings. This allows you to pump efficiently yet still control your turns. All the fittings are tight and secure. They are a definite upgrade to the older series.
Mast
I do not know about the new mast since I did not get one. It’s supposed to be lighter and stiffer. I use my No-Limitz and Project Cedrus masts with the new wings. Both are great masts that allow that direct feel with no flex. I would recommend them over any other brand mast for their rigidity and adaptability.
Takeoff & Lift
Cloud-IX FS850
The takeoff with the FS850 is steeper or more abrupt than other similar sized HA type wings. It is still very linear so there is no surprise sudden lift. This wing has a lot of lift for its size. Since it has a longer cord in the middle of the wing allowing it to glide well and provides a fair amount of lift even at low speeds. This allows you to recover from that occasional miss timed pump and enhances its low speed glide.
Cloud-IX FS1000
The takeoff is just as smooth as the 850, but at an even lower speed. It has more lift, so a little more front foot pressure is required, but there are no surprises in the lift profile. It will start lifting at a lower speed and let you pump at a lower speed with great ability to recover if you mess up on your pump.
Cloud-IX FS1150
This wing has a lot of lift at a lower speed. The lift begins at a lower speed so it requires more front foot pressure for the same wave you would ride the others on. It is nothing like the big old surf wings of the past. It has a more linear lift profile to it than those thick old school wings. Smaller waves are fun on this wing because the take offs are easier. Recovery from any ill-timed pumps is easier.
Cloud-IX FS750
This is a bigger wave type foil. It needs lots of speed to get you up. Still the lift is linear and does not just kick in suddenly. This is a head high and above wing or a great grom or light weight rider wing. Speed is your friend on this wing.
Turning
Cloud-IX FS850
Fun! This is a great wing to crank some turns on. I am not a radical surf style foiler, but more into power glide type turns. This is a great wing for those types of turns. Speeding down the line and laying into a long carving turn is a pleasure on this wing. Stability in pitch is easily changed via the tail length. I ride it in the shortest to second shortest position and it is very stable in either setting.
Cloud-IX FS1000
This wing is more your mid-length style wing. You can turn it, but you are not going to be so radical. Pitch stability is fantastic. Roll is controlled but you definitely need to pay more attention, or you will lose it.
Cloud-IX FS1150
This is a big wing. You can turn this wing in small waves rather easily, but you are not going to make radical turns with such a large wing. This is more of a cruisy type wing to make some fun mellow turns on. The pitch is stable on this wing, but yaw is a bit trickier because of the wing width.
Cloud-IX FS750
TThis is the type of wing that you can do some radical turns on. You would be riding it in bigger waves and therefore going pretty fast, but you can lay this wing on rail and just hang on and it’ll power through the turn. If you slow it down a bit you can do those snappy slide type surf turns as well on this wing. The wing will work in shoulder high surf, and you can really snap some turns with it. It is definitely twitchier in turns but if you are on this wing, you are already an advanced rider.
Pump & Glide
Cloud-IX FS850
This wing pumps well for its size. I find that on this wing I can get doubles easier than other wings of similar size. It does not have the speed of a Mikes Lab wing which is more of a pure HA type wing, but with the increased cord in the mid-section you have a lower speed to recover.
Cloud-IX FS1000
This wing has more pump and glide to it. I find with this size wing I can slow my cadence down. It definitely has a slower pump speed. Relax and don’t try to push the speed up and you will go further.
Cloud-IX FS1150
This is a pumping and gliding machine. Slow everything down a notch more and you are golden to get that extra wave or just relax and cruise on that micro-wave without pumping a lot. This is my small wave go to wing.
Cloud-IX FS750
If you are an excellent pumper then this wing is no problem. I find that if I have the speed and keep a good pump I can get to that second wave, but any little flaw and there is not a lot of forgiveness. This is my big wave foil wing, head high or above. Again, speed is your friend on this wing.
Stability
The FS series is stable, but not too stable. The wings do not have that locked in type feeling to them. They are playful and fun wings that require you to pay attention. They are not the instability you would feel with a wing like the Lift 120HA, but they are not the on rails feeling you get with say a Armstrong 1550 wing. The beauty of Cloud-IX is this feeling can be changed with how far back you set the tail. The further back the more stable it will feel. I really like being able to set the tail wings at different lengths so you can fine turn what you want. I like the tail furthest back on the FS1150 for those nice slow pumps. If I set the tail closer on the FS1150 it loosens up a lot for more aggressive turns. The construction is solid, and the flex is minimal. This translates into a more connected and stable feeling. I use a very stiff mast with it so I would be able to sense flex right away compared to other foils. This system doesn’t have much flex.
Catalyst Tail
This tail is new for the year 2023. The tail is designed as a single unit of the tail-fuselage attached to the tail. The tail itself is a smaller size tail equivalent to the 157-size tail. It has a HA style with a short chord and flat. The tail increases the pump and glide of the front wings. It pairs well with the FS850 and the new FS900. It is not as good in the turns as the original tails. Where it excels is in increased speed and pump. It brings a new dimension to the FS series and is worth getting.
Summary
These are amazing wings. I have no reservations about recommending them to anyone. Beginners or experts will enjoy these wings and be able to advance their riding skills and techniques with the Cloud-IX FS series wings. I have found with riding many different manufactures wings that they are all pretty good. As of this writing I have Lift, Cabrinha, Takuma, Unifoil and Mike’s lab. They are all great wings, but I find that when I am getting my stuff together to go out, I grab the Cloud-IX ninety percent of the time for the past two months. That should tell you enough. I took them to Hawaii for my trip there. They are the wings I want with me when the conditions are good. I would say that if you only had one brand to get, I would say Cloud-IX is the way to go. They give you the best of both worlds in a wing, High aspect and surf. They are not the best HA wing nor the best surf wing, but they are the happy medium in-between. They excel in a wide variety of conditions. If you can only get two wings, then the FS850 and the FS1150 will allow you to ride on one foot to overhead conditions. One wing quiver killer is the FS850.
Cloud-IX FS900
This is the newest addition to the Cloud-IX line-up. It is slightly wider than the FS850 with a narrower chord and thinner. It is closer to a high aspect style wing. All these changes make the wing faster than the FS850 with increased glide and pump. It is like the FS850 on steroids. Turning is mildly compromised due to this as well. It is a great wing in the surf. If you want to scream down the line at Mach type speed and then be able to pump back out to another wave, then this is your wing. It is fast. I feel this wing will excel in downwind conditions. The only caveat is the low end is not as good. You need to keep your speed to maintain the glide. I did find when I slowed down it would drop off. It has that cliff edge type feel to it. Some wings just glide to that very slow speed. This wing gives an abrupt lack of lift at the end. It is similar to many HA-style wings. It is nothing bad, but something to keep in mind while downwinding.