AK Durable Supply Co. Speed Dialer Fins 2022
Reviews / Fins
689
At A Glance
For those who don't know, AK Durable Supply Co. is a Cape Town-based watersports brand distributed internationally. They primarily focus on creating boards and watersports accessories, including harnesses, fins, surf grips, etc. AK Durable Supply Co. has slowly been expanding its range, and they have everything you would need to set up your new board. You won't see an AK kite out there, but you may see some of the most talented watermen and women on the water riding AK accessories.
If you've embraced the way of the wave and committed to directional surfboard riding, you may have already dove off the deep end when it comes to tricking out your surfboard. After all, in the waves, a board isn't just a board. There are your traction pads, front grips (if you're into that kind of thing), and a whole host of surf fins that can really tweak the way you ride.
We've been testing the new and uniquely shaped AK Speed Dialer fins for the past few months. These fins are compatible with Future fin boxes and are designed to allow the rider to control and carry more speed, and after spending some time on this fin set, we're impressed.
At first glance, the black honeycomb based fin looks futuristic, with nice gold accent colours that make it stand out even more. The unusual shape seems strange; it definitely differs from the common shapes you see when shopping the fin wall at your local surf shop. The side fins look chunkier and less swooped than the typical surf or kitesurf fin, and the shorter (from front to back) and even less swooped centre fin has its own shape entirely. All in all, these fins stand out in the lineup.
The Future fin box compatible base gives you the best connection between board and fin, especially for kiteboarding. With a simple single screw lock in system, it hardly gets easier and stronger... what's not to like?
Size: Medium - 65 – 80kg / 145 – 175 Lbs.
On The Water
It didn't take long on the water before it was clear why these fins are called the Speed Dialers. Compared to a traditionally shaped fin, there was the feeling of almost no drag, allowing the board to accelerate through chop.
We tested this fin set on a freestyle-oriented board, which is where it's most at home, considering they were designed in collaboration with the talented strapless rider, Kiko Roig Torres. If you've seen Kiko ride, you know he is a ripper in strapless freestyle - and everything else, of course.
We were hesitant to mix it up and put these fins into the waves, but we were surprised! We could go into bottom turns at Mach 10 and still manage to lock in the turn and do some proper hacks off the top, fully in control. In the waves, we noticed that the fin released a little bit earlier than a traditional fin, which took some getting used to, but after a while, you can dial it in and control the release. The release is coming from a smaller centre fin, so perhaps a bigger centre fin would give you more hold in the waves. That said, if you want a wave-specific fin, take a look at the AK Staples, Thrashers, or AK6 models.
The Speed Dialers are optimised for down-the-line speed and increased pop, which we tested with some strapless freestyle sessions. We could approach the chop with speed and get a lot of grip from the fins before take-off. Landing strapless kite loops at high speed was no issue for these fins. We threw everything we had at them without a worry in the world; with these fins, speed is your friend!
Overall
If you are looking for a top-performing fin for strapless freestyle, the AK Speed Dialers are your best match. If you want a little bit more grip for riding the waves, a traditional fin shape like the Thruster, Staple, or AK6 models would be better suited. After several sessions on the Speed Dialers, these fins have definitely found their home - attached to our strapless freestyle board! Our only hope is that there will be more sizes available for the Speed Dialer in the future, as they are a whole lot of fun, and we'd love to see what one size up feels like!
Videos
This review was in Issue 97 of IKSURFMAG.
For more information visit AK Durable Supply Co.Related
By Luke McGillewie
