Review: Liquid Force Orb (foilboard)

[gigibianchi]

Snip...
Most foiboards does have a pad where the "harness is" and my harness didn't leave any marks on any other board i tried or owned, but i wrote that as well on my post... Do you intentionally ignore the parts that you don't like? are you affiliated with LF?

Snip...

I still dont understand this...

Have never seen a board with "deliberate" padding where the harness is - I think it is more a coincidence if there is padding in this area or not.

So my point was, on some of my boards, if I have a plastic harness cleat when I wear board under my arm, it will scratch the board surface between pads, and it will look bad.

Thus I am careful not to wear it like that.

If a problem, I would just add a pad in this very place.

But your pad is not destroyed as I understand it, it HAS a pad in this area, actually a full deck padding I can see on a picture, so you are complaining that it gets marks when something hard on your harness is rubbing against it?

I can not see this being an issue really


Regarding the nose, it seems like a flaw indeed.
My point was, that even if you just put the board on the ground nose down, it might get this delamination very easy, just caused by this, if a bad production - fragile.
Meaning, the board seems to be very fragile in this area, as you can NEVER avoid the nose gets some beating, it will happen many times when foiling, and even when you just put it on the ground nose down.

This is the issue I can see, not the 3 other ones, as they look like they are written in frustration?

My boards cost 1200 dollars (but totally worth it), so seen in this context 800 is not bad.


No, I dont have any LF boards or kites whatsoever
The thing is, it sounds like many non-reasonable claims, on top of maybe a real claim.
So always trying to even out and find the objective view on things, so we can share and learn.

Just like the thread "Armstrong Foil is junk" - which was apparently very misplaced use of words, and proved to be quite wrong, so had to comment on that too, even though I dont have any Armstrong gear.

Some threads are written in anger or desperation, which can be quite misleading sometimes

Peter

First, just to be clear, i issued the claim just for the delamination. I didn't include my other inputs. I could've written some positive stuff here as well but i guess magazines do that better and i wanted to share with the community that the pad, the build and the weight are all together disappointing in my opinion and based on my experience with other foil boards.

This argument with you is kind of funny, it feels as if you just argue for the sake of arguing, but you actually never saw or tried this board and you never compared it to anything else you tried. I mean, you just saw it on a picture for the first time after posting your first comment. I can't see a way in which the discussion with you is gonna evolve positively so maybe post your final word and then we'll let whoever reads it decide for themselves.

[matanshapira]

It's the first fiberglass kitefoil board I saw, very fragile comparing to kite surfboards and foil boards.

Weight, yes, was probably known before purchase but the title of the post is Review so 'heavier than competition' is a valid review.

It costs like Kanaha Shapes and weighs about than 60% more and it's fragile. So, I agree with most of the negative review.

[Peter_Frank]

Hmmm, arent all, or at least most, boards fibreglass boards?

All surfboards are, and most foilboards too, except for the superthin TT sandwich boards of course.

Some got carbon also, but it does not make them less fragile.

Kanaha boards are also fibreglass, with carbon.

In the early days we had some PE boards (windsurf), superheavy and not stiff, awful...

That is not use anymore, luckily.

Some might have a topcoat/gelcoat outer layer over the fibreglass, to avoid the "cracks" they otherwise get easily, but these are a lot heavier, and it does not contribute to strength whatsoever, so might look good, but thats it

This is why you see raceboards totally stripped, no topcoat no paint, as this is the lightest and strongest.

Peter

[matanshapira]

See https://www.surfworld.ie/blogs/news/570 ... ss%20board.

[Peter_Frank]

See https://www.surfworld.ie/blogs/news/570 ... ss%20board.

That link leads to something which is plain and simply rubbish, very very wrong, should be corrected instantly.

All boards are fibreglass boards. Some with carbon fibre added for increased stiffness.

In the old days, the cheap fast surfboards was made with polyester resin, and they were quite fragile regarding cracks.

But the last many many years, everyone use epoxy as resin, as so much stronger.

Still fibreglass it is, all of them - but if some use polyester nowadays, they are on the wrong track - so I hope this isnt true?

Peter

PS: To clarify - all surfboards have the same amount of fibreglass approximately, it is the very fibreglass material that makes them strong and a bit flexible.
Early surfboards used fibreglass and polyester as resin, and as polyester would dissolve many "lighter" foam cores, most often heavier PU cores were used.
Nowadays it is fibreglass and epoxy as resin, and you can choose any core you want, either PU, or a much lighter foam core if you want, maybe with a stringer for stiffness (and still lighter)
On the link it states "Epoxy surfboards have a polystyrene foam core and are then coated with an epoxy resin" - this is not possible and never done, it would break before you lift it up, useless.
It is the fibreglass that makes it strong (and light), and the epoxy only neccesary as a way of "fixating" the fibreglass.
The less epoxy you can use, the stronger and lighter it actually is, but not as neat and blank on the surface.

[revhed]

All boards are fibreglass boards.

I think you mean "production" and even still "most" might have been more accurate.

I have 4 boards, have had many more, not a single strand of F glass in any of them.
100 % carbon and epoxy, all D I Y.
Respectfully just saying to clarify, NOT all boards are fibreglass!
R H

[Peter_Frank]

Correct revhed.

The point here though is, that apparently this link below has gained some general consensus like there are fibreglass boards, as opposed to epoxy boards (without fibreglass nor carbon fiber).

If you have any experience building things, and you read this, you can see how wrong the text here in this link is: https://www.surfworld.ie/blogs/news/570 ... ss%20board.

It states that for "Epoxy boards" a polystyrene core is used, coated with epoxy, and nothing but that

Which wont work at all...

Fibreglass boards, or carbon fibre boards (same thing in this respect), both use either epoxy or polyester as binding resin (but you can not choose as many cores inside the board if using polyester).

But nowadays noone uses anything but epoxy, because of its superior qualities (strength, stiffness, temperature resistance, not shrinking, binding properties way better)

Polyester resin was used in the old days for surfboards, because it was cheap, and fast curing, so surfboards could be made in no time....
But did not last that long, so good for business

What could be interesting to know is, if the LF Orb is made with polyester?

As said, I hope not...

Peter

[matanshapira]

Thanks Peter.
So what is the difference in construction between those cheap surfboards that I often see that are very fragile (the Orb reminds me of those in feel of the outer layer) and the bombproof kite surfboards?

[Trent hink]

Usually the difference is sandwich versus monocoque construction.

[alex 1]

hi,
i have the orb now for a few months- got one of the first ones in Europe- what shall i say? iam happy- about the weight- yeah its not superlight- but on water the relevant points seem to be reinforced; it did not break yet and i have 105 kgs and do strapless airs on it....maybe to mention that it is not 110cm- its 117cm long and has 16l volume...and many inserts for straps- all these things make it heavier than a zero volume 110 board or a board of same size without plugs - and maybe just 2 layers of 6oz glass- such a board would not last under my feet for 1 day...

if you want to get an impression how it is on the water checkout my clip here- i like it, had to repair it after dropping it on the rocks- but this is ok for me, was my fault..every surfer knows that a board does not take all hits without marks, so a bit shapermentality is an issue here- and all surfboards get yellow after a while due to uv-rays..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35IbQj-K5HI&t=28s
last Minute is the action on board..
the pad feels nice- and its correct marks of sharpe things are an issue, so take care and get another harness..maybe to mention i have ride engine slider hook after punching holes into my surfboards years ago- they are no wood core twintips with grindbase..

regards
LXT