A Complete guide to the AXIS Foils range
We initially wrote this blog post in 2021/2. The range has grown and changed a lot since then - we're aiming to simply add extra bits on to each category as and when we can, so skip to whichever product you're interested in - or read up on AXIS' full history!
The AXIS Foils system was one of the first truly modular foil designs. Even kit purchased near enough at the start of AXIS's journey with foils will still work alongside the baseplate/mast/fuselage system.
From the outside looking in, the AXIS range can seem daunting - and sure, there are a shed load of products in the range - but with some guidance you'll come to realise the variety in the range simply allows you to select precisely what you require for your own individual foil journey! Whether its Winging, Prone, SUP, dock start or windsurf foiling, AXIS has the kit you need.
Hopefully the information below into the different products will help narrow down your choices - but if you're still struggling to decide, give us a call - we love talking foiling!
Fuselages
Each Fuselage model comes in a variety of sizes. Generally we aim the more beginner riders to the longer fuses as it offers better stability and smoother, more controlled turns while learning their discipline. Once comfortable, the tendency for most improving wingers and prone foilers specifically is to drop down their fuselage size to increase manoeuvrability. Generally the Standard and Short sizes are best for beginner/intermediates and the Ultrashort is probably our most popular size for intermediate/advanced riders. The crazy and silly short options are enormous fun - but take some getting used to!
- Red Fuselage: The original AXIS fuselage, introduced right at the start with the original carve series wings. In our eyes, the strongest connection from fuse to wing on the market - a 3/4 block of aluminium fully moulded to fit inside the wing and fit together flush with 4 x 8mm bolts in a 'T' formation. This fuselage is used on the bigger span and thicker wings which still need this strength of connection to provide the direct feeling they deserve. With AXIS offering some of the biggest span wings on the market for light wind winging, down-winding and dock starting, it is incredibly important to have a stiff connection to allow the rider direct control over the large span.
- Black Fuselage: Introduced on the HPS and the smaller BSC family wings initially, which had a much thinner profile to enable thinner foils. To prevent having to manufacturer wings with big bulbous areas on to house the thicker Red Series Fuselage (the strength would be overkill on these generally smaller and thinner wings, and would cause more drag), a new thinner headed 'Black Series' fuselage was produced. These use 2x 8mm and 2x 6mm bolts in a similar 'T' formation to offer a tonne of strength. These fuselages fit the same doodads, carbon mast connections and rear wings as the Red series fuses.
- Advance+: Generally destined for the more advanced riders, these new Advance Black and Advance Red series fuses for 2022 offer the next level of experience in surf performance. With the development of the ART series wings with severely reduced chords and large spans, the effects of the front wings was being pushed further forwards away from the mast, over larger chord wings. When the best of the best riders started pushing the limits on these wings they noticed that effect and the larger span was making it harder to make tighter turns on the waves. By pushing that mast position 60mm further towards the front wing, riders could turn far harder and get a much more surfy feel out of their setups. Generally most suitable for the ART wings, these fuses also open up even more potential in the HPS range and smaller BSC wings. (I kitefoil the BSC810 on the same crazyshort Advance fuse as i wing my ART's on and its great).
for more information on the Advance fuselages, see our separate blog post Here
Masts
AXIS make both aluminium and carbon masts. The Aluminium comes in two thicknesses and a range of lengths. The 19mm is the gold standard of aluminium masts - the stiffest in the market. The carbon masts are more expensive but offer next level performance.
- 19mm Alu - The gold standard, and something you'll keep and love through your entire foil journey. AXIS have used 19mm masts since the inception of their first surf foil series. Simply put they're strong as hell, and you want strength in a mast to enable a direct feel to your foil setup - no bending around on the bigger span wings that are in the AXIS range. Whether you're learning in a lake restricted by depth, or wanting the longest mast possible to handle the biggest waves there are sizes for everything and everyone. Generally we see the 75cm and 90cm options being the most popular. 75cm's for learning, prone foiling or wakefoiling. 90cm's for Winging.
- 16mm Alu - for those of you only using the smaller front wings (sub 90cm span) who perhaps just kitefoil or prone foil, a 16mm option was introduced to allow for a lighter setup with less drag. These smaller span wings simply don't need the strength of a 19mm mast so we can allow less material in the mast to aid performance. Not advised for wingspans over 90cm, or for disciplines which require large boards which would create big lever forces (winging and SUP). You'll need a 19to16mm doodad and a 16mm baseplate to house the 16mm mast.
- Carbon - Fast, Light, Snappy and high performing is what these carbon masts were all about. Perfect for kite foiling on the smaller front wings, these first generation carbon masts had quite a bit of flex - we wouldn't use anything over 90cm span on them in an ideal world, and worth leaving alone if you're on the heavier side of things.
- Power carbon - 'For 2022, AXIS HM Power Carbon enters a new realm of control and connection between board and foil.' These masts have been a game changer. For the bigger guys, for riders on the biggest wings or for people wanting to push their foils as far as they'll go - these masts allow for the stiffest connection possible and therefore the best control and drive. 'a more positive feel with immediate response' - exactly what you want while on the most high performance of setups. These are the pinnacle. They're not cheap, but we think they're worth it for the right riders.
- Ultra High Modulus Pro Carbon - photos of prototype masts started floating around the internet prior to the Hawaiian downwind races in 2023, and Adrian spoke of using some military grade HM carbon in some masts that he'd been using for a while. Adrian didn't plan to put it to market, but there was public outcry from the market so he made some to keep people happy. While outrageously expensive, the advantages were clear. If you want the current stiffest, best response and best connection, this is it. We haven't sold many here in the UK - but the demo we use is pretty awesome. Check out the video review here from the guys at the foiling magazine:
Adapters -
The bulk of our customers use the standard 19mm baseplates to connect to their foilboards as the foil tracks system has become a bit of an industry standard. Fitting AXIS foils to a windsurf tuttle box requires a Tuttle adaptor which replaces the 19mm baseplate.
Doodads - either 16mm or 19mm options depending on which aluminium mast you're using, these fit inside the bottom of the mast to then slot into the fuselage. it enables a perfect solid connection to the fuselage. These aren't needed with carbon masts as the shape is already built into the carbon.
Front Wings -
The first range of front wings Adrian designed primarily for SUP, surf and kite foiling. A great all round foil with smooth lift and great turning. We learnt to wing on the 1020 and have kite foiled the 680 a tonne. Although they're not produced anymore, they fit on any Red/S series fuselage and would make great beginner/intermediate wings if you see them come up second hand.
Although not really regarded as 'high aspect' anymore, these were some of the first more progressive shaped front wings brought into the market, built for speed and performance. The 900 was included in the 'windsurf foil' setup that was released as package and was extremely well recieved. Fast and carvy, a great upgrade at the time from the Original Carve Series.
An upgraded, carvier family of front wings designed primarily for surf foiling. The Original carve series set of wings would keep lifting in the turn and could breach if you weren't careful, but with a new gullwing shape the SP range allowed for tight, surfy turns without the risk of breaching so easily. The 660 and 760 are still really popular freeride kite foils for the red series fuselages, and the 860 for winging. All three sizes excel behind a boat as they cruise at a really nice slow speed.
This was a massive step forward for AXIS, and this family is STILL the benchmark for lightwind winging, pump foiling and downwinding around the world 5 years+ later. They keep producing foils for this range, and they all have a very important place in the market.
James Casey calls the 1300PnG the best wing to learn downwinding on. its big and spanny to catch the smallest of wind swell, but has the speed to be able to catch larger waves as you progress, it also makes a great light wind wing machine. The 1150 and 1310 also make great light wind wing options but excel in pump foiling, with the 1310 holding the world record for non stop pump foiling. these two wings are less HA than the 1300 and therefore have a lower stall speed and bottom end. Sure, they're not the most turny wings in the world - but they're well over a metre long, what do you expect?! Chuck them on the Advance red fuselages though and they'll do a great job winging in lighter winds with a large hand wing.
The 1010 and 910 maintain their positions in the intermediate cruising category with winging their main priority in our books. Both great allrounders, we use these the progress customers on to from their beginner wings winging, or as smaller wave options for prone foiling (the 910b is awesome for this)
For 2024 the 1300V2 was introduced - scroll down to read more, we decided to start a new section for these as theres likely to be more models coming eventually....
This is the best All-rounder, for everything Wing, SUP, prone, kite and wake foil related. The bigger sizes (1120, 1060, 970) are perfect for the slower sports - wing and SUP - whereas the smaller sizes (890, 810, 740) are fantastic free-ride foils for prone and kite.
The bigger sized BSC's are perfect for the wing beginners, weight dependant. 1120 for 90kg+, 1060 for 75-90kg and 970 for below 75kg. These 3 front wings all fit on the Red Series Fuselage only.
We learnt to prone foil on the 890BSC while also using it as a higher wind option for winging. As we progressed we've dropped to the 810BSC which crosses over perfectly to kite foiling as well. The smaller 3 wings in the family all fit on the Black Series Fuselage only.
They're not as quick as the HPS/ART wings, but pop up early at low speed and allow a lot more manoeuvrability on the wave - the likes of the HPS and ART wings are faster but tend to outrun all but the fastest waves, and it takes a good amount of skill to stay put - whereas the BSC's sit easily on the wave.
A super accessible and useable family of performance front wings and the natural stepping stone to lead onto from the BSC setups for the more intermediate/advanced riders. The entire range of HPS wings fits on the Black Fuselages and benefits from the reduced thickness these fuses offer - allowing less drag and more speed. The aim for this family was to be fast and glidey but also as easy to use as possible. Sure, they take a slightly different technique to get onto foil - ie. they need more speed - but once up they're smooth, comfortable and reasonably forgiving.
Similar to the BSC family, the larger wings are used predominantly for winging and SUP foiling (the 1050 is a beast for SUP), and the smaller range is used for kite, prone and high wind winging.
Best suited with the Progressive and Speed rear wings to get the most out of them. We have found though that when progressing from the BSC's, customers may benefit from using a slower rear wing initially so its not too much of a shock to the system.
The ART's - the pinnacle in the range, this range of front wings is all about frictionless glide and performance. Used primarily by advanced wingers and Prone riders in the UK, these wings are also used for downwinding but only by the best of the best.
For best results these wings pair with the Power Carbon Masts, advance black fuselages and smaller progressive rear wings - all together giving you THE most performance setup AXIS offer. Ultimate stiffness from the mast gives you direct control over these reduced chord, high aspect front wings. The advance fuse and rear wing combos then offer the best turning ability possible for these larger span wings.
We recommend progressing onto the ART wings only once proficient on the HPS range. Jumping from something slower onto the ART's is not much fun and will take a while to get to grips with. its also worth considering where you ride predominantly, the ART's don't like turbulent waters due to the reduced chord and large span - we're talking disruptive white water, tonnes of current or mismatched swell lines. In these locations the HPS is more likely a more comfortable range that still offers great speed and glide.
The newest iteration to the ART Family for 2023, and the new pinnacle in performance for fast winging and downwind. The 1201 was released first and quickly staked its claim on the 2nd or 3rd wing to progress onto for SUP downwinding, after learning on the 1300PnG. More glide than the 1099, with a lower stall speed and better tip release. By all accounts the smaller sizes released after the M2O race in Hawaii have the same attributes but with much smaller span are geared towards speed. This family of wings is not for the feint hearted - but did take AXIS team rider Edo to a 3rd place finish and Kai Lenny to a 5th spot. The most impressive thing watching that race was knowing Kai was on the soon to be released 951 ART Pro at the time - he struggled to get going in the flat water to begin with, as expected - but then proceeded to fly past the entire fleet from the back to his eventual 5th spot as soon as he hit the wind line. These Wings are FAST.
For UK riding we see these as the ultimate for advanced riders wanting speed and glide. They're stiffer and therefore more responsive than the ART's, and because of this need the right riders on them to dictate what they do instead of the other way round.
Spitfires
Wave riding extraordinaire - these wings excel in waves. if your aim with winging is solidly wave orientated, look no further. Likewise if you're advancing through your prone game - these are for you. They pump, they're quick and they turn sharper and smoother than anything else in the AXIS range. Pair these with the Advance+ fuselages and smaller progressive rear wings for the ultimate in carviness.
Confidence inspiring in the turns, still being able to enable that turn at speed and not feeling locked in to a straight line. The 620, 670, 720, and 780 excel for advanced riders in powered conditions and are very straight forward to get going. The 840, 900 and 960 will be spot on for most UK Prone conditions and for those less advanced or less powered wing conditions. The 1030 and 1100 suit lighter wind winging, SUP Foil and Downwinding in sub par UK conditions with churned up water - they handle turbulence better than either of the ART families. The latest addition - the 1180 - has proven to be incredibly popular, and the catalyst for a lot of customers to jump into the Spitfire family. Downwinding progression has been the main aim for most folk on this larger foil, and the ability to have one family of foils to do the bulk of foiling disciplines has been the big appeal.
ART V2's - 2024
Kit in the foil game was changing - again, popularity for the V1 ART had dropped while there were more user friendly foils on the market. The Spitfire has been hugely popular but The People still missed the glide. Que the ART V2, or the Spitfire Pro as it may be nicknamed by some.....
Way more forgiving than the V1 in terms of stall speed and tip breaching, yet much 'turnier'. A spitfire pro is a good comparison - its a spitfires turn and forgiveness with a lot more glide and speed. This will be an awesome bit of kit in our UK conditions where the bulk of folk don't get to ride in the solid wave conditions where the Spitfire excels. To compensate, they'll scale up Spitfire sizes to get the glide they want on weaker waves, which then reduces their manoeuvrability and top speeds. The V2 ART allows them to keep gliding, maintaining higher speeds and turnyness - Win Win!
Winging in smaller less powerful waves is its fortay, but we see this being a great intermediate downwind foil once you've battled through the initial stages and get out in bigger conditions. Its also a lot of fun to prone foil - but worth noting it still isn't massively forgiving on accidental tip breaches - however the glide in more mediocre conditions is more than enough to win you over here.
Fireballs - 2024
Rightly or wrongly, the whole industry has been trying to push the boundary of SUP downwind race foil design. This discipline in particular seems to be the F1 of our sport, and the design features being implemented are starting to trickle down into the other ranges of foils too.
The ART pro's are great, but can be tricky to ride for the average riders. The fireball aims to fix that, introducing a lot more camber than AXIS have used before and a higher Aspect Ratio of around 13 to maintain huge amounts of glide. The higher camber essentially allows for a really low lift and stall speed compared to what you'd think would be possible for such a high performance foil. Essentially you can get up on foil earlier and still have a high top end speed to fire over any bumps that come your way. This is a wing for more proficient downwind SUP foilers, and for those wingers who want to blast around and link bumps. Mark Shinn explains a bit more on the fireballs below.
PnG V2
The pump n glide family was left largely untouched for many years and yet still remained one of the easiest and best wings to learn to pump on. The 1150 is still our best selling pump foil, and the 1300V1 was the best wing to learn to downwind on. Adrian himself admitted that for a long time he couldnt make a better wing, until progressing his designs through the spitfire, ART V2 and Fireballs, ideas started to fly around for a new PnG.
The 1300 is the first in the family, and presumably more will follow - but we're only guesstimating! Its just as early lifting as the V1, but its smoother, handles more speed and turns better. What more could we want? It doesn't have the glide of the larger ART Pro's, but handles more turbulent and flukey conditions better. We see this as retaining the mantel for the best beginner downwind wing. Again, Mark Shinn has spent some time on the newer 1300 and talks through his findings.
Rear Wings
The Freeride original rear wings are built for stability and ease of use. They're designed for beginner and intermediate riders and will suit a very wide range of setups for different foil disciplines. The 500 suits the biggest riders learning to wing or SUP foil, whereas the 440/400's will do for the medium and lighter weight riders. The smaller 370/340 sizes will remain stable in a straight line while loosening turns up for the more intermediate riders. The 390GAP has been a headliner for a lot of intermediate wing riders as it maintains smooth steady speed while achieving better hold in the carves due to the anhedral (downturned) shape.
The rear wing has a surprising effect on overall foil setup speed - more than you may think. After a couple of years using the freeride foils and bringing out smaller and smaller options (370/340), AXIS started playing with completely different shapes and profiles of rear wings - resulting in the Speed range. By removing the foam core and going 100% carbon, Adrian was able to drop the chord, increase the aspect ratio and produce a much flatter foil section - making this range of wings very, very fast. The 460 and 400 Speed options are very loose in the Yaw axis and are very popular for prone surfers who want to kick the back end of the board out in the turn to replicate short board surfing. Both completely flat, they don't have much hold in the cornering and have a very specific feel - which has made them slightly less popular for winging. However, the 460 has been the most popular pump wing since its inception, due to the large span and surface area to pump against - pair this with the 1150/1310 options or dock starting.
Next came the evil little winglets on the 380 and 420 Speed rears. Thinner still than the 400/460, these wings had winglets on the tips to stop the slide out while carving but keeping the loose feel and speed. For the fastest rear possible, remove the winglets on the 380.
The newest range of rear wings to come out of AXIS HQ, and have proven to tick a tonne of boxes across a multitude of different disciplines. A mixture of the carvy feel of the 390GAP coupled with the thinner profile of the speed wings. Maybe a little bit too loose and quick for your everyday beginner, but the bigger sizes can be a good introduction to the range for the more intermediate rider - start with something bigger and work your way downwards as you progress. We advise the 400 or 375 as a good starting point for around the 80kg Bodyweight riders for winging. The larger 475/450 sizes have become popular with pump foilers who also wing and want something a little grippier than the 460 speed.
Don't jump too many sizes too quickly - we found jumping from the 375 to the 300 to be a very big change and its taken a long time to adjust. This adjustment takes time and may make you feel like you've made the wrong choice, smaller jumps in size will make it easier to get used to the increased turning ability but less stability.
Skinnys
Think of these rear wings like the ART's or ART Pro front wings. Slim, higher AR, fast and glidey with less roll. For most wingers in the UK wanting to liven up their existing setups as they progress through the ranks - these will be awesome. For those with solid waves on the mind, the progressives still hold the mantle.
Be careful with sizing - the most popular model is the 362/50. The more you drop sizes, the harder the pitch stability is on these things. You'll want to stick with the fuse and front wing when you drop to one of the Skinnys, to save the brain struggling to keep up with changing too much at once. However, it won't be long until you're tempted to go even skinnier....
Accessories
Waist Leash
This is a simple product but has been a best seller for a while. A coiled Waist leash for your foilboard. Keeping the leash from rattling around your feet by using a waist leash instead has proven super popular with wingers.
Bags
AXIS now produce the Quiver Bags to fit all your foil bits in one place - before these we had fuselages and wings flying all over the van. Built solidly, we have a tonne of demo gear in our smaller 1150 bag and can vouch for the build quality and strength. Anyone with the 1300 or 1310 PnG wings can opt for the larger of the bags.
There are also bags available for all the AXIS Wing/SUP boards
