Best Foil
​When I learned to foil, dock starting and pumping didn’t yet exist. After nearly a decade of foiling and riding more than 500 foils, I felt compelled to help build the product I wished I had when I started: more affordable, easier to learn, and high performance. A complete setup where every component was thoughtfully designed and paired—so it’s ready to ride right out of the box, with zero guesswork for beginners. I worked with Indiana Paddle & Surf, leveraging their years of pump foil knowledge and expertise, to help develop the Wake Thief Package—a “no regrets” first foil. This package includes everything you need to learn and grow in this sport. The Scooter Package comes with a removable handle to let you enjoy it as both a scooter (my son's favorite) and as a classic hydrofoil (my favorite). These are the setups we ride and we hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
Best Freefoil
​This is a special product. It packs best-in-class endurance, flight times, easier starting and a compact split front wing that allows for easy transport. It's exceptionally lightweight and made of the highest quality materials. I achieved many firsts with this product. My personal best flight time is 28min of continuous non-stop flight. My longest flight day is 18km, with stops along the way. This product allowed me to explore nature by water, stopping and relaunching from rocks and beaches along the way. It gave me the freedom to explore a lake beyond my wildest dreams.
Best eFoil
​Lift is the OG electric foil company (they have the patent on the efoil). In 2025, they revolutionized our sport with the introduction of the LIFTX, a lightweight efoil that combines the fluidity, speed and control of classic foiling with the ease and comfort of electric foiling. Use the battery and motor to cruise out to the waves with ease. Use the motor to pop up onto the wave, and ride the wave with the motor and propeller out of the water. This gives the same great feeling of classic foiling, with only a bit more weight. If you've dreamed of surfing an ocean wave, but haven't yet done it, learn on a calm lake and then visit the ocean and repeatedly linking waves for hours without falling. The LIFTX made what seemed like an impossible dream, a reality.
Best Budget eFoil
Waydoo EVO Performance Plus 90L / G1100 wing / 45Ah battery / 27” Mast
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I've reviewed efoils from all of the major brands. Efoils are expensive and it's hard for someone new to this sport to know if it's for them. This one launched in 2024, at a much lower price point. It packs luxury performance at a budget price. Its self-leveling feature removes one more variable you have to master when learning and it's fun for advanced riders too. The G1100 wing is the ideal size, and the bigger battery will provide longer flight times. The 27" mast isn't so long that the foil is far away and hard to control, yet it's not so short that I keep touching the board down on the water. Enjoy an amazingly high performance product at a budget price. This is what my kids and I like to ride on our lake.
Best Budget Hybrid Foil
Foil Drive has always allowed foilers to turn their classic foil setups into efoil assists that help you get up onto the wave and fly with the prop out of the water. This gives the feeling of classic foiling in its purest form. Since you can already use most of your classic foiling equipment, this is a lower cost way to enjoy riding an ocean wave with a bit of help. When I go to the ocean, it allows me, with zero surfing experience, to ride waves I never thought possible, without ever needing to learn to "paddle up". Enjoy this transformational piece of technology that lets beginner riders feel like an advanced rider.
My Original Favorite
Slingshot Dwarfcraft 100cm board
AXIS 1150 + Short fuse + 460 Stab + 75cm Mast
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Back in 2020 I began a journey to find my favorite foil. This is where it all began. I tried 500+ foils and have reviewed many in 100+ videos on YouTube. I tried everything I could get my hands on. And within a brands, I tried hundreds of combinations of fuselages, rear wings, front wings and masts to get the perfect pairing. This was my favorite. This is one of the most popular setups on the market and a package I'd recommend.
Financial Disclosure
We're passionate about foiling and dedicated to making the sport more accessible. Our mission is to share the best products in every category, simplify the learning curve, and help you find the right gear so you can enjoy this as much as we do. We’ve flown and tested over 500 unique foils and shared detailed reviews and experiences in 100+ videos. This began as a passion project and continues to grow as a resource for the community.
To be transparent with our audience, we want to share all of our financial relationships. Wake Thief, LLC has affiliate arrangements with: Lift Foils, AXIS Foils, Takuma, Fliteboard, Indiana Paddle & Surf, Bbtalkin, Vibram, MACKiteboarding, and REAL Watersports. I am also a minority owner of Beta Foils, a brand focused on the freefoiling category. I collaborate with Indiana Paddle & Surf, the company behind the Wake Thief Package, and earn a royalty on each sale.
When you use the links or coupon codes that we share, we earn a commission from one of the partners above. Because these partners represent or retail nearly every major brand in the industry, we can recommend products based purely on performance, value, and what’s best for your discipline and riding style, without favoring any single company.
All products are sold and warranted by the respective manufacturers or partners. Our content is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Viewers should assess their own skill level and conditions, and proper safety gear and gradual progression are recommended. We have prepared a safety section on our website to share what we’ve learned and our best practices.
Have a question about a setup or product? Reach out to devon@wakethief.com — I’m happy to help.
Wake Thief, LLC