Windsurf MagazineLOFTSAILS OXYGEN HD 7.0 2021 TEST REVIEW

THE VERDICT

Subtle and precise in power delivery, compact in feel and impeccably mannered, the Oxygen’s true quality is realised when the chips are down and the conditions are on!

OVERVIEW

The Oxygen is back for 2021, tested here in its HD construction, using x-ply and scrim of varying weights throughout its panels. With this incarnation stated as remaining current for the 2022 season too, there have been a number of updates made, reducing the boom length and maintaining the same luff length, giving the sail a higher aspect ratio. The head of the luff sleeve has been closed, replacing the ‘plug’ fitting used in previous seasons, whilst the luff curve and leech design are said to have been refined for greater tuning options and bottom end grunt. Recommended for use with the brand’s Vision range of 75% carbon masts, rather than their top end Team Edition, it is compatible with both RDM and SDM, and was tested here on an SDM.

Interestingly, the Oxygen is also the only sail in this test category to be recommended for use with a 430 cm mast. Downhauling the sail so that the looseness in the upper panel reaches the reference logo, the leech falls away uniformly down to batten four, the Oxygen adopting the shallowest profile at rest, with only the long cross batten retaining any contact with the mast. Build quality and detailing remain exemplary, as we have come to expect from this loft, with a double Dacron head panel for durability when rolling, a large easy entry moulded tacking fairing, and beading along the full length of both sides of the two bottom battens.

BRAND CLAIM

“The Oxygen design is pure and easy freeride performance. Making its first appearance back in 1999, the Oxygen 2021 continues the legacy of being a proven and reliable freeride design.”

PERFORMANCE

Over the years we have been testing, the sails coming from Loftsails have gained a well-deserved reputation for coming into their own when the conditions get hairy. In powered to overpowered conditions, the balanced handling and manners of a Loftsails sail can be relied upon implicitly. We haven’t found an exception yet … and this Oxygen certainly isn’t one! Rigged according to its guides, it is a real weapon in high-octane drag races with your peers, feeling compact in the hands and accelerating efficiently as every gust hits. Crisp and inspiring in its power delivery, it has the handling and feel of a sail half a metre its junior and empowers the rider with the feeling that they can take on anything that’s thrown at them. The more severe the conditions, the more the Oxygen’s quality shines through, both in a straight-line and transition. Taking the Oxygen into lighter winds, you’d be well served to start playing with the settings to achieve the most from it. We found reducing the downhaul by around three or four centimetres made a significant difference to the bottom-end power and feedback the sail presented. Its profile is still relatively shallow, but there’s a little more connection to the upper panels and movement to play with when pumping. The power is still quite subtle, but with good technique the Oxygen can charge and spring a board loose from the water and onto the plane in gentle winds. Once going, its precision and efficiency shine through again, seeming to glide through lulls as if impervious to any drop in pressure. A real rider’s sail, ideal for those who are happy to play and experiment with sail settings to get the most from it; when fully lit, just hold on and let the Oxygen do its thing!