The all new Firewire x Tomo colab, the Firewire Mindcraft has landed. Slater and Tomo put their heads together to design a board that is fast and drivey and that delivers precision surfing, effectively this board does exactly what you tell it to do through your surfing. Its got a forgiving feel which means its a great option for a wide range of surfing abilities.

As usual in the write up for this board there are some big words which we don't really know what they mean in the context of actually surfing the board but what we can tell yopu is that it passes the underarm test!

The outline is a blend of straightened and elliptical curves with a torpedo nose. The functional torpedo nose profile is designed to be forgiving in the most critical moments, and is design that works for the normal surfer. There is a bump wing round tail, this allows for tight turns at speed whilst giving exceptional control. The bottom contours are smoother, more continuous, and more subtle compared to Tomo’s past models. No Tomo fan can forget the Evo or Revo set up, this is different one offering plenty of speed and flow with a moderate performance rocker. There’s! There is a single to double concave that keeps the design engaged with the wave face while still offering release.

Wave range is waist to overhead, basically a board you can surf pretty much everyday, Firewire often say that boards like this are a performance option for better waves but the reality for us lot is that you can surf it in most conditions. We've all had Tomo boards over the years, Evos, Revos etc and we surf them in anything, the Mindcraft is no different. You don't have to be a ripper to ride this board, anyone who can ride a shorter board will be fine.

Paddling wise the wider nose template gives it real paddle power even in slacker waves, it gets you in nicely and is also great for cruising round the line up. The bottom contours although not as extreme as previous Tommo creations are enough for you to feel the lift as you take off down the line, the board feels fast but in a controlled, forgiving kind of way. it gets on a rail relatively easily, there is still a bit of foam in the rails but the wing definitely helps turning wise. When you push it harder into more agressive turns it feels rock solid. We surfed it as a quad in normal conditions, if you're putting it through its paces it better punchier waves and want to go more vertical then the thruster set up is the go. we used the Slater KS1 fins - all good.

The Ibolic 2.0 is an update on the outstanding Ibolic we've all ridden. A few tweaks in construction is a leap forward in surfboard manufacturing with the best elements of LFT and Helium combined. This Patent Pending technology is built into the core blank construction to create preloaded structural flex together with structure strength and durability. Ibolic 2.0 has a Fibre Reinforced I-Beam high density foam stringer down the centre with Parabolic Rail Springers from nose to tail. There are three independent points for flex control and break resistance. I-Beam ensures firmness underfoot and unparalleled strength. The two Parabolic Rail Springers enable even flex and give great recoil through your turns. I-BOLIC Technology is an engineering feat that builds performance into the core of the surfboard there are no external carbon layups or heavy laminations with this cracking tech. What this all means is that get a board that is stronger than a helium board and has the feel of an LFT with even faster recoil, this tech is really nicely weighted too- you'll surfer faster and harder all in the knowledge that the Ibolic 2.0 tech is Firewire's toughest yet.

Firewire surfboards are more durable than other surfboard manufacturing processes; Firewire is pushing the limits of applying new technology and innovation to surfboard design and always has an eye on the environmental impact of what they do, they truly are different to the other board companies out there. Firewire have come a long way since the early boards and the range of shapes and tech just gets better and better. A big chunk of the boards in the range are perfectly suited to the waves that 90% of us surf on a regular basis so if you haven't already give them a try.

The staff here have surfed pretty much every surfboard in the Firewire range at some time or another and we speak to surfers from all over the world and get their feedback on how the boards perform in all sorts of conditions so we're well placed to talk about all aspects of Firewire surfboards. We're happy to consider trading in your old board against a new Firewire, so If you have any questions about this we'd be delighted to answer them and advise on any potential board choices or enquiries you might have, just drop us an email to [email protected] or call us on 0044 (0) 1243 674250.