Author: Tantrum

Having just got our hands on one of these we thought we’d let you know what we think of it. Now bear in mind we’ve only ridden this in Tarifa, but have tested it in butter flat Levante and choppy Poniente so have a pretty good idea of how it works across the board.

Who is it aimed at?

This is Bests free ride board, generally that means that it’s aimed at a huge cross section of riders from those of you just starting to go upwind and practice your first turns and jumps, to those of you starting to go BIG, looking at kite loops and more advanced tricks.

As a result this is a board that does everything really well (but conversely specialises in nothing). It’s a very comfortable ride in all the conditions we tested it in but shaped dynamically enough that you’re not going to grow out of it in a hurry.

Construction wise it’s built stronger and a little lighter than the 2013 Armada, but apart from that nothing has really changed dramatically with the board itself. That said the 2013 was a damn fine board – the guys at Real Watersports who hire out 1000’s of boards over the course of a year reckon this was the most popular board of 2013, so it looks like Best have gone with an, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it attitude!

One thing that did come under fire in 2013 were the pads and straps. This year they have been massively upgraded with some of the chunkiest (and most complicated looking) pads on the market.

Bear Traps to Breaking Point

I have to admit this was almost the breaking point for me. Until these babies are worn in it’s like locking your feet into a couple of bear traps and going kitesurfing, and for the first few sessions I had to come off the water as my feet were cramping up (poor baby!). However once you wear them in, they really get to work. These things hold you about as tight as I imagine it’s possible to be held in by straps alone. They cover an enormous amount of your foot and really give you that locked in feel.

As a result of this however they are a bugger to get into and out of on the water. And many’s the time I’ve come a cropper heading out over shore break on my first run of the day only half way into the straps…but hey at least that gives me something to blame my poor performance on!

In summary a great all round board, once you get used to the straps!