EDGE PRO 2 Review!
There has been a lot of hype surrounding the One Ocean Sports EDGE PRO 2.0 design dubbed a “game changer” and one of the most innovative flatwater boards. We caught up with Christian Oliver, a Seattle-based SUP athlete and ONE Team Rider to go beyond the gimmick and take an in depth look at the key features of the EDGE PRO 2.0 14’ x 22.5” board.
Reviewer Stats: 6'1" (186cm) and 180lbs (81kgs)
“I ordered the 22.5” Carbon (not Hollow) thinking it would be a bit more challenging than my 23.5” Edge 2.0, but would offer more flat water speed over longer distances. In other words I thought it would be a flat water only board. As it turns out, I’ve found this board to be substantially more capable in rough water than I was ever expecting. I take it out in rough water regularly now. I am 1000% pleased with my width choice.”
STABILITY
“The soft rails make for a slightly more initial “rolly” feel, which just takes a little getting used to. But the secondary stability is very high. I think this is due to two things, first the very low standing area and high sides. Secondly, the rear “shoulders” or “wings”, which are normally out of the water when paddling. But as you lean far enough over, they eventually make contact with the water and seem to catch you. I think a lot of people mistakenly make decisions on boards because of perceived initial stability, but there’s so much more to it than that. Even at my size, my 22.5” is perfectly at home in choppy semi-open waters of the Puget Sound. I’ve even done a few small downwinds on it, including my 16-mile virtual M2O recently.”
SPEED
“I’ve found the EDGE PRO 2.0 to be significantly faster in any condition to any board I’ve been on previously. ESPECIALLY upwind. It absolutely flies upwind. And does really nicely in small downwinds too. The narrow, lower volume tail makes it very easy to trim the board for different conditions. As opposed to boards with big chunky square tails, the EDGE PRO 2.0 only requires a small foot placement adjustment to keep the nose just above the water when in following seas. I’ve watched other boards around me hobby-horsing in upwind grinds, but on the EDGE PRO 2.0 with moderate effort I just motor past them. I also think the softer rounded rails allow for improved performance in rough water because there’s nothing for chop to “grab” onto. And it goes without saying that it is fast in the flats! All one has to do is look at the lack of wake behind it.”
COMPARISON
“I was able to do a back to back comparison with my friend’s 2019 14x21.5” Starboard Sprint a few days ago. In flat water the achievable speeds seemed pretty close. Which is saying a lot since my EDGE PRO 2.0 is an inch wider and the Sprint is supposed to be the industry leader for speed. But interestingly the owner of the sprint acknowledged that the EDGE PRO 2.0 seems to have better glide. But the upwind grind was faster on the EDGE PRO 2.0, no contest. And I think the downwind was faster too. It just “settled” into bumps so much more easily than the Sprint. The standing area is lower on the EDGE PRO 2.0, which is to say there is more board thickness below your feet on the Sprint. This could be the reason the Sprint is listed as having more volume. I prefer the lower center of gravity that I have on the EDGE PRO 2.0. The Edge Pro 2.0 also feels more stable to me. The Sprint has a decent amount of initial stability considering its width (due to the squarer rails and wide tail). And it resists rolling the first few degrees, but once it passes that point it was more snappy and I found it to be a bit more of a nervous feeling. Whereas the EDGE PRO 2.0 has a more noticeable initial roll, and the secondary stability is extremely high, creating a more consistent roll sensation.”
CONCLUSION
“I certainly wouldn’t insist that someone should go overly narrow with an EDGE PRO 2.0, because ONE has created an outrageously sleek outline that doesn’t require going silly narrow. A 23.5” in hollow is probably the workhorse of the stock size offerings. But after owning a 22.5” I wouldn’t hesitate considering the 21.5” if you’re on the lighter side, or if you’re a more advanced paddler who mostly paddles inland or sheltered waterways. With all that said, this board is so sleek through the water that I’ll bet the 25.5” still blows the socks off most 23” boards.”
Checkout our Boards page for the EDGE PRO 2.0. We also have more stock arriving in November in all hollow size options. Contact us to get your on order now.