Jacknife all the way, fast paddler and refined rails even in longer lengths, unlike most other hybrids firewires. Alt good option too, just not as 'allround'

Have been surfing a 6'6" jk a while, im 90kgs, found the 6'4 hf too slow to paddle (im a rubbish paddler) and the 6'6 hf too thick in the rail. I love the paddle speed, thickness, width and foil of the jk, and find it surfs really nicely, it's very forgiving and quite versatile. Sometimes feels a bit weired on my backhand tho but need to do some more fin experiementing. I've been using large sides (kenetic luke egans) and smallish blacksticks rear in a thruster setup and it feels both fast enough and loose. The beauty of the jk is you can go a little longer for paddling, while still enjoying a sensitive forgiving rail, which is a bug bear i have have with other firewire hybrid (hf, sf, dom) models...if you ride them a bit longer than the recommended...they just get too corky and loose that connection to the wave... It's a failing the firewirerange in my opinion.. Great for younger high performance surfers but less suited to the older guys..or busy professional types that don't get out much more than once a fortnight. If they made the mini an inch longer Id like to try that as it appears a nicely foiled and proportioned board. Have ridden the equivalent volume alternator but find the jk a bit more versatile and definitely much easier to get into waves and the shorter length is nice.

The baked/sweet is quite a different ride, i enjoyed mine at first but gonna swap for a potatonator for more conventional shortboard feel and a bit more wave range. Its raglan, theres always gonna be sneaker sets.

How bout UB versus Jacknife Fazza? When would you use what? Or is your JK gathering dust?

I'm a past 6,8 alt rider, now ride the 6'6 jacknife as everday shorty. Easier wave catching, looser, more fun, forgiving, love it. In serious reef waves I like the 6'7 hellrazor.

I'm an past 6,8 alt rider, now ride the 6'6 as everday shorty. Easier wave catching, looser, more fun, forgiving, love it. In serious reef waves I like the 6'7 hellrazor.

Hey fazza how do the rail foils compare between the jk and cc, and does the jk have a high top end (wave size)
thanks in advance.

Hey fazza how do the rail foils compare between the jk and cc, and does the jk have a high top end (wave size)
thanks in advance.

I've ridden both and would actually go hellrazor, refined rails of the alt in a more modern zippier design with quad option, be brilliant for maldives. Just back from fiji on mine - cant fault it.

Ive ridden both extensively, hellrazor is a better board in my opionion, zippier, looser and better control in bigger waves with drop down rail and narrower tail.

Great news about the Unibrow, I find if you ride a little 'over-volumed' cos a your a bit older or don't surf every week, the spit and doms get too thick in the rail in the longer lengths and feel less connected to the wave (for me anyway). This board sounds like it could be the answer. When are they likely to get to Australasia Chris?

Cheers for the great responses guys very helpful. Love the razor in tropical reef waves but after something with a touch more volume in colder wetsuit climes. Chris is 6'6 jk more refined in the rails than a 6'6" hf? How would these differ in ride?

Fazza are you preferring your jk to your hellrazor?

Any chance the hellfire could come on to cbd?

Iggy do you think on most days the potatonator will relace your Dom giving a more ho ride? Cheers in advance

Thanks guys are rail foils of spit and activator similar?

Chris (or anyone) what's your read on the spit versus the activator with both supposedly pitched as more hp versions of the Dom. How does their ride compare or ideal wave conditions. Is the activator more hp than the spit? Would it go better in slightly bigger waves with that tail? Thanks in advance.

In sandwich construction the damage will often happen several surfs prior in harsher conditions, causing one of the inner layers or laminates to fail but still goes unseen, then in a later surf, the angles line up and it goes ping.
Feel for you mate, it's a bugger with you being so isolated. Likewise I've had about 10 fire wires over 10 years and no issues, in fact some boards still look like new after 3 years use. Every now and then though the forces of nature conspire...

Cheers Nev and would you say the hz is of a similar performance level to the alt? Or more hp?

Nev what's you take on the hellfire versus hell razor ....when do you pull out one or tuther.

Am2s seem to go well as a tri, yet to use as a quad, main thing is make sure it's a large size fin.

I'm exactly your age weight and height and went 6'4" and love it. Not the best paddler in terms of speed but catches waves very easily. 6'6 would be a nice easy paddle, but has much thicker rails so may lose a bit of performance in good waves.

I'm in Nz and have also had lots of dealing with FireWire Oz, service and boards have always been superb so something has gone wrong here.

I have ridden the 6'10 soul fish a lot, My daughter rides it now, plus have ridden most of the FireWire models but not the advance. The soul fish is actually a good board, its refined rails make it nice to carve for such a big board and it's mainly the surf tech stiffness that holds it back. Its low rocker starts topping out in steep or bigger surf too. I actually think the activator will be the closest to it in feel as it looks as though it also has nice refined rails, plus has that nice pulled in swallow tail like the soul fish. So at the same volume paddling should be similar but on the wave it will be WAY better with more rocker, Nevs magic and the FireWire flex. You may feel 10 years younger! The advance is a much thicker, blockier board, with quite different volume distribution, hence being able to go smaller and get the same volume, so will have quite a different feel But hey, I haven't ridden one!

Raz would you be good enough to share your thoughts on the hellfire hell razor, mb and taj and the role each plays in your quiver and in what waves? Could the hell razor replace the other hp boards? Thanks in advance. I'm considering replacing my alternator with the hell razor as my good wave board, reef breaks etc.

Aid, I'm your weight and height, and recently picked up a 6'2" spit. Absolutely LOVE it for 2-4 feet. Although I do like a bit of volume as not the best paddler. The drop down rail in the tail is fantastic, gives the board a really safe and secure feeling, even when you're caught out in slightly bigger than ideal conditions.

Oh Scott, to answer your question directly, paddle in is about the same I would say...

Scott PJ's assessment of 7'2" FE and 6'10 ALT is probably about right, I would add that to me, the rails of the 6'10 look too thick to really be the goods as a step up...when it's big you really need that finer, dependable rail connection in my view, which is what led me to the 7'2" FE. I've belated on for ages that there's a gap in the firewire range in this space. Since getting that board tho, I was lucky enough to get a round tail 6'8" designed by Nev and that is a great 4 to 7 foot board too so there is some cross over there. Buzzy, I see that you want one, if coming to Auckland you can buy mine as I'm getting a little overlapped in my quiver having just added an HF. As an aside I actually find the 7'2" almost as easy to turn in solid surf as my 6'8 ALTs - I think it's the increased rocker. Only issue is adjusting to the extra length, especially when you've been riding a spud all summer!

Ha cheers buzzy yeah 38 l is my magic number too. Have 6'2 spit at 38 and feels perfect. Have surfed 6 4 hf and liked it, caught waves easily but found general paddling a bit slow and I'm a lazy paddler. Keen to see how much performance I'd give up on the 6'6 before deciding so will try to snag a demo.

Buzzy how do you find the 6'6" Hellfire, tossing up between this and the 6'4, I'm your weight and age, not the strongest paddler.

I'm exactly your weight, height and an intermediate surfer and 5'8 is perfect for small slop. You catch anything. I demoed 5 10 and felt too big. I use pc7 fronts and shaper quad e rears and that works well. Took some time to get to that combo. Interestingly I always hated pc7s in other boards but they feel perfect in the potato.

PRJ, have always been FCS but have been demoing futures boards lately and liking the more solid, connected feel they seem to have. How do you think the Powerbase system compares with futures? Thanks in advance.

Scott it's a beautiful smooth board, I'm an intermediate surfer and gave me the confidence to take on solid restaurants and cloud break yet still really nice to turn, fantastic on dicey drops too. Was easy transition from 6'8 alternator. A keeper. If you Look at the dims it's actually pretty conservative.

Chris which of these would you recommend for Fiji type reef breaks, include hellfire in selection. Im a 44 year old intermediate, like volume around 37, 38 liters. Want to improve my in pocket surfing. Not great at present - too many years on a longboard. Board would compliment 6'2 spit.

Scott I can recommend the wide version 7'2" flex fire for bigger waves at same volume as you're 6'8" alternator. Gets in early, super smooth yet still turns well, a real confidence builder in the bigger stuff

Chris would you say it has a more pulled in tail than the alternator?

Yes I have same question as width length and volumes are almost the same, in fact I need a slightly longer hell razor to get same volume as my alt 6'8.

Ask uncle Nev really nicely

Had the same issue, at 90 kg found 6'8" alt just a tad wide in the tail for serious or surf...especially off the bottom. Ordered a custom 6'8 alt with a nice pulled in round tail which has solved thbe problem. Very smooth and controlled. be good to add this board to the range.

I've been riding FireWire for 3.5 years now in Nz, Fiji, indo. One of them (alt 6'8)doesnt even have a ding or dent and it's been thrashed !! Mostly fst just one rapid sweet potato. No delam issues, no breaks great boards - only complaint for me, is the bigger hybrids ( over say 6'4) would love to see rails a bit more foiled. The deck rail bevel on the sp seems to work great. Have put lots of mates onto FireWire and none have had issues. Like anything tho, treat em with love and they'll repay you in spades