Hellfire reviews

[Danga]

How do you put in a signature block?

[C0111N5]

Found it!
Log in, go to 'Settings' at the top right and 'Edit Signature' is in the left menu under 'My Settings'.

[Danga]

thanks

[surferireland]

Id be interested in the stepup query also

[Chris]

thanks C011N5.

[C0111N5]

No worries Chris.

Have you or any of the other Firewire Team been riding the HellRazor? How does it compare to the HellFire?

[Fazza]

CO11N5

I am getting a 6'1 Hellrazor and it is my understanding that is would be a great board for punchy 2-6ft waves that are either nice and clean or with a bit of chop on the face. It should handle a lot better than a Hellfire as it does have a touch thinner nose and tail. I believe that it has step rails the same as the tail of the Hellfire but along the side of the board to make burying the rails easier. I also think that with this setup and the Coffin tail there will be a nice lot of release in the tail when you come out of turns.

May be some one form Firewire who has ridden one can give some comments on how it rides.

[Slowman]

I've had my hellfire for 2 days now and spent about 4 hours in total but I'm impressed already. The more waves I've surfed on it the better it gets. I would have spent maybe 4 hours in the water today but after 2 hours the shark bell rang. Our beach is sharky anyway but during the week a couple of friends had what they think was a great white surface about 5m away...they're calling 2' dorsal fin! Anyway different shark today 3m tiger I believe, many schools of fish inshore I watched the rubber ducky chase it around and it wasn't leaving, but whatever it was it was fast if the speed of the rubber ducky chasing it was any indication.

This morning there was the odd overhead wave and even barrel on offer and surface conditions were pretty clean to start with. I just love the way this thing drops into steep and sucky sections. It feels like it just drops in and gets to the bottom faster than the dominator, which has plenty of forward speed but doesn't seem to drop down the face as quickly. Anyway the hellfire takes off brilliantly and handles the drop beautifully. Drop into the pocket and turn straight up and aim at the lip and it seems to accelerate its way back up. Even a wiggle and it accelerates!

I mostly surfed a right hand peak this morning but it had the occasional left off it too. The rights were generally the pick and it was really going well on my forehand, turning tightly off the bottom and just as tightly off the top, does this thing snap or what? Mid face I snapped it round into a cutback just as it started to suck up and I thought oh oh but it turned off the foam like lightning and I was zipping down the line again, too easy. Re-entries are unreal, so much snap and speed and like I said drops fast to the bottom in time for another smash at the lip before it closes out like a typical beachie. I got a couple of lefts that were OK and did this one snap on my backhand off the top which really surprised me. The speed again off the top was unbelievable - I wasn't totally in control but came down from the lip and hooked into a bit of a cut back as the lip broke over me and I regained control and managed to make it out of there as the whole section closed. So that's both hands covered - can see this board goes well either way for me.

I'm still working out where the sweet spots are but because it feels so similar to other boards I've ridden before (typically those with a double barrel) I don't think it is going to be a very long "break-in" period. It feels similar but faster and turns tighter and with plenty of drive. It's loose but with very good control. Even as the breeze came up and surface conditions deteriorated the hellfire still went very well. It gets over fullish sections very well perhaps not as well as the dominator but if you can come out of one section with some speed already it is very easy to get through the flatter sections. It also seemed a little less forgiving than the dominator too as if you turned the wrong way, that is without enough power, it felt like it might bog - it didn't actually but felt like it might whereas the dom is so forgiving with that kind of thing.

Like my dominator I am riding the hellfire as a quad using Rusty R2s and I have an even smaller stabiliser - it probably does next to nothing except fill the plugholes but it goes like the shiznit, so I'll probably just leave it be.
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After the hellfire I'm another bloke on the stoke! Can't wait to surf it more and in better conditions, with some luck tomorrow...

[hanaleisurfer]

Great review slowman. I totally agree with the Hellfire being less forgiving than the Dom. If you miss the sweet spot, the board will catch a rail. The Dom seems to be more forgiving in that respect. But once you find that sweet spot, the Hellfire is magical!!

[hwork50]

I have only surfed mine twice and the waves were just ok. Had it set up as a thruster so I will be trying it as a quad as my DOM is just amazing as a quad and I love that board. Can't wait to use mine as you have yours, great review!