Duotone Unit 2024 Review
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- Опубліковано 12 жов 2023
- This is our review of the 2024 Duotone Unit.
We test it's performance on the water, analyse the changes from the 2023 wing and highlight who it is for and what it does well.
Equipment used in the review:
5M Duotone Unit
3M Duotone Unit
Swift Foiling NG 80L board
Axis HM Carbon Mast, Crazy Short Advance Fuselage, HPS 930 foil, Progressive 350 Stabilizer
Please show your appreciation for thewatersportscentre.com/ who kindly lent me a 5M Unit as mine has not arrived yet.
Also checkout their instagram / thewatersportscentre - Спорт
excellent and honest review!
Glad you enjoyed it
Excellent format! Looking forward to reviews of foils.
Thanks, I do have access to a number of different foil manufacturers products, so we can do this type of content.
Very good review! You address all the points positives and also negatives….
thanks, I try to cover the important elements both good and bad
Amazing review !! there's nothing like this in internet
much appreciated.
ran the 4,5 and 6 unit v3 last 12 months dw and surf. Thought they were excellent. so if v4 is better I’m excited!
I guess you are in for a treat then.
Can you please make reviews for the Ozone wings? Definitely you have the best reviews on UA-cam 👏
I will be trying to arrange this. The ozone wings don't seem to be easily available for trial /demo in the UK but I will be pushing to get the opportunity to run some tests.
@@Wing-Tips I thought they were a UK company, so it would be easier to try. But i might be wrong.
@@andreferreira6620 they are based in Scotland - so yes they are a UK company. I just learned that my local shop didn't order any Ozone demo wings, so I'm probably going to have to get hold of them through other means.
Hello, Thanks for the video.
I've got a 5.5m2 swing v3 and want another wing for higher wind. I hesitate between the unit v4 in size 4m2 and 3.5m2. Which one do you recommend?
Thanks
I wouldn't put more than 1.5m between wing sizes as the jump will be too large
Nice review. I had a 23 unit for two sessions and sold it. Hated it. The oscillation in flagging was horrible. I assume it was from the amount of dihedral in the wing. Being it was a 2.5, the increased amount of apparent wind when swell riding at the wind speeds when using a 2.5 made it miserable. I had no issues with stability in regular riding. Finally, being a boom rider, I feel hard handles are just a boom with part of it missing, so what's the point? But I know that is just me. All that said, this new version sounds much better specifically on the flagging. A bigger handle: I find that funny as at what point do you just go with a boom? Where you can grab anywhere at anytime, ride one handed, center your harness lines as you choose and have the handle extended full forward for easy tacking and even swell riding. Enjoy!
Hey, thanks for commenting - yeah I agrees on the 23 unit and oscillation, it was self exacerbating and would just get worse and worse, so they really had to address this. the 24 will settle itself most of the time and in the instances where it needs some input it doesn't take much input to the flag handle to get it under control. For me I can't use booms for any length of time as the ergonomics of them from hand to wrist is just so bad, it causes me severe tendonitis and shoulder issues. That's why this new long handle approach is so much better (for me) - with the very small gap in the middle the handles can be angled to be much more ergonomic and less stress on the joints / tendons. If this is the way wings go in future then boom wings will struggle to find a place in the market as they aren't offering anything different / better, the new 24 unit has all the benefit of the boom wing with virtually none of the drawbacks (other than a bit more weight from more handle real estate).
Boom rider too, on slick Sls, it looks now like a boom! I’ll give a try for a new 5.0.
yeah it is very similar to riding a boom in terms of ease of use - but without having to cart a boom around that doesn't fit in the wing bag
@@Wing-Tipson travel this days , everything fils in the travel bag: 3 wings plus wish, plus board. I think all those handles are going to finish in the trash when the wing will be too old. A lot of waste while my boom is still there for all my wings since 3 years and more to come if Duotone continue the Slick. But looking at the Unit know, it might be possible that they stop the Slick. Handles should be sold separetely as the boom and easily fix, transfer drop one wing to other.
@@Wing-Tipson travel this days , everything fits in the travel bag: 3 wings plus wish, plus board. I think all those handles are going to finish in the trash when the wing will be too old. A lot of waste while my boom is still there for all my wings since 3 years and more to come if Duotone continue the Slick. But looking at the Unit know, it might be possible that they stop the Slick. Handles should be sold separetely as the boom and easily fix, transfer from one wing to other.
Hi, nice review! a question, which wing sizes did you use for Unit 2023 and which ones are planned for Unit 2024? THX Gerd
I had 4,5, 6.5m in 2023 and for 2024 I have 3,4,5 and I'm still using the 2023 6.5. I'm considering going DLab in 6 or 6.5 for 2024.
Thanks for the quick response, for 2023 you have a gradation of 2sqm and for 2024 1sqm? Why? I use the Unit 2023 5.5 and 4.5. I'm thinking about buying a Unit 2024 in 3 or 3.5 but can't decide.@@Wing-Tips
@@gerdsimons8146 no I haven't changed my quiver at all in terms of sizing as I had a 3.5m strike v2 in last years quiver (less powerful than the unit - equivalent to a 3m Unit) - but you only asked me about Units so my initial response only included those wings.
@@gerdsimons8146 personally I would not make 1.5m jumps in smaller wing sizes as the percentage change is much larger in smaller wings - I only do 1.5m jumps at the large end of the range where a big jump in size is less critical and you can go 1.5m or even 2.5m without too much bother.
Have you been able to have a go on the latest Slick (not the SLS, the one after that). If yes, how do they compare?
yes I have ridden the Slick to review it (written review) earlier this year. It is less powerful than the Unit. Similar top end, much less stable when flagged out. Personally I don't like the ergonomics of boom wings, the Unit is a much nicer wing from an ergonomics perspective and aligning your wrists correctly to the wing. The Slick feels less punchy than the Unit but has a smooth power delivery. I just don't like how it behaves flagged out, it's not aimed at wave riding and moves around too much.
@@Wing-Tips where can we read the written reviews?
@@strekke1986 the majority of them are unpublished - I wrote them for the sales staff at my local wing dealer so they could assist customers better in product selection. They do have my Unit review on their site for customers but the Slick review I'm sorry to say isn't one they published. The new Slick will be out in spring, so I will do a video review on that one rather than revisiting this years wing.
Hi. Have just watched this Unit review, and before it the Nova, and it looks like the Unit has no down sides for me - good for tacking and waves.
I notice you have not done a Slick review yet. Does the 2024 Slick have any advantages over the Unit, especially in the 2 areas mentioned, and, conversely, is the Slick weaker than the Unit in any criteria?
Thanks!
The 2024 Slick is a very good wing, I haven't used it enough to do a full review yet but I have sailed it twice and it has a better top end than the Unit, is slightly better upwind and they have really improved the flag out on it this year compared to last. The only downside for me is boom wings are not as nice ergonomically for your wrists. Given a choice between Nova Pro and Slick I personally would pick the 2024 Slick, it just rides way better and is much lighter.
Would I be right in thinking that out of the 3; Slick, Nova and Unit, the Unit comes out on top?
@@timhealey3737 no not really. The Slick and the Unit are designed for slightly different things. The Slick is more freestyle orientated and is a little better on the top end and for racing. The Unit is better on the low end for beginners, has better ergonomics and historically has had a better flag out for wave riding. We won't know if that is still true (better flag out) until September when the new Unit launches. Right now the flag out between Slick and Unit is very similar as the Slick is the newer of the two wings currently. I would place both the Slick and the Unit as better wings than the Nova from an allround perspective. The Nova would likely win on durability and stiffness but the Slick and Unit would win on overall performance.
Thanks for reply. Your reviews are great, very matter of fact and objective, no flannel.
One last Q - i am looking for a wing that is good for wave riding and good for tacks, ie makes them as easy as possible. I'm not interested in jumping or racing.
What would be your recommendation. Have been drawn towards Unit, but if, eg, Core or Ozone may be better, would welcome your opinion.
Thanks. Tim.
@@timhealey3737 thanks for the feedback on the reviews, I just tell it how it is. The Slick is probably the best tacking wing on the market - certainly a little bit better than the Unit but both of them are good at tacking. The only Ozone I've tried is the flow and that has a reasonable tack and flags out well but its pumping in light wind leaves a lot to be desired. Not tried a Core.
What wing leash are you using?
I use the Ensis wing leash as it's got the locking velcro straps and a buckle, plus it comes with built in extensions so you can shorten it if need be for smaller wings, it's very comfortable. The Duotone leash has no locking straps, no buckle, a very heavy and tangly plastic coil and an uncomfortable attachment of the leash to the wrist cuff that sticks out perpendicular to your wrist and lastly the heavy coils smack you right in the face when you pump - it's an abomination of a leash :D
So is it worth the upgrade? I just bought a 2022 Unit D-LAB 5.5m for a quarter of the original price.
First thing I did obvioulsy was print an adapter for rhe pump.
Handles could easily be adapted as well. just extend the front bar to the rear, maybe alter the angle and switch the aluminum bars for carbon.
I understand the canopy has changed from 22 to 23 but I guess I wouldn't notize much, if any.
Buy them...I might switch in 2 years 😂
What something is worth to someone depends on how they value things. If you are asking me is the 2023 wing different to the 2022 wing and an upgrade - yes it is. If you are asking is the 2024 wing an upgrade to the 2023 wing - again - yes it is. Is it worth it to you - only you can make that decision. For me it is worth it and that's why I have a full quiver of 2024 wings.
@@Wing-Tips that's good. Do you sell your wings every year?
@@heavyweather personally yes, I change each year. However - I do get to ride older versions of the wings for longer than a year as I have access to the demo wings from the local watersports shop, so I do get to see how they fare over much longer than a year and also go back and compare new wings to old.
@@Wing-Tips it's still crazy how much value the expensive wings lose over time. Just saw a 2023 DLab Unit for half the retail price. Owner claiming 5 times on the water 😲
@@heavyweather I believe it won't be this way for much longer (maybe one more year). Manufacturers are building wings to last a lot better and the changes from year to year are becoming much less radical. Which reduces the insentive to need to upgrade as the performance gain is becoming less significant.
What is the best wing for racing? As you mention the unit is good but not best …. Flux maybe ?
Wings with more high end on them are ones such as the North Mode, Ocean Rodeo Glide or if you want something very race specialised then the Zaoli Sails wing.
@@Wing-Tips Fone Strike as well
@@lewiss66 the strike is a freestyle wing, whilst it has ok top end it's not specifically designed for racing. The Gong Pulse double skin or Ozone Fusion double skin are what I would call wings designed for racing.
hello, can you tell me the weight of this 65l?
65L - you mean a board of some sort? I have a 60L and when I did this review I was probably on my 80L.
Leaks, leaks, leaks in bladders has plagued my Duotone experiences. V2 Unit and Slick SLS. I could not make more than 8 sessions in a row without a pinhole leak. I have replaced the bladders with OEM and alternative high quality aftermarket bladders with no success. I suspect stitching inside the bladder housing may be the issue...sad because price and performance are there, but it is ruining things for me.
I have only ever had a pinhole leak on my 6.5 Unit (2023) and this was caused by a design issue (I haven't checked if they have changed this for 2024). It was caused by the velcro that holds the wing tip ends in place. There is a hooked piece of velcro and a fluffly piece and by design the hooked piece faces in towards the bladder. This should be changed so the fluffy piece faces inwards and the hooked piece faces outwards. Duotone provided a new bladder under warranty - which I haven't fitted as a small bladder patch and an adjustment to make sure all the hooks are perfectly aligned with the fluffy part resolved it.
@@Wing-Tips Mine have all been between the inflation valve and handle area. Tiny, but a PIA to find and patch. I had one bladder replaced by Duotone, but after lost time on the water in the warranty process, I just sucked it up and bought the following two. My current leak is super small, but pisses me off when I can hear it. I am just pressing on, until I can find time to leave it with a professional repairer.