Phi BEAT & BEAT Light Paraglider Review: Are they really as good as pilots say?! 

Yes. Glider is great 👌🏻

Hi Frankzj, thanks for commenting and sharing your pilot feedback about your Beat Light. 👍 About the two points you make: 1. Actually I agree with you that in stronger conditions the Beat and Beat Light tend to overshoot a bit (not much) - this is especially if the pilot pulls the wing up too hard or doesn't move towards the wing enough. In this review video I say: "Obviously it's down to the input from the pilot. At the top you do need to catch it a little bit when the wind is stronger. But it's easy to manage in that way." The Beat and Beat Light are not highly pitch-dampened wings, like most low B wings tend to be (notable exceptions: Advance Epsilon 9, Phi Tenor and Tenor Light, Triple Seven Knight 2). They have a bit more more speed, energy and pitch movement than most low B wings so need a bit more correct pilot input. However, especially considering their amazing performance, we have found the Beat and Beat Light to be relatively easy to control in pitch (assuming the pilot doesn't pull the wing up too hard or not move towards the wing enough, of course). 2. In this video Nancy says: "... the speed system is quite light, but also feels very efficient. It's light to put on. Certainly not a lot of strain. ... not hard to push." My comments about the speed system didn't make the cut in this video because the video is already quite long and I found and reported much the same as Nancy i.e. quite light, very efficient, not a lot of strain, not hard to push. However an important point to consider is that we've found the speed system setup and pulleys on the harness and risers can effect the speed system pressure significantly. Between us, Nancy and I have tested the Beat and Beat Light with many harnesses* and, as with all wings, it's very noticeable how different the speed system pressure is between harness models (ones with big ball-bearing pulleys best = lightest). Similarly with the risers, we've found that the options with big ball-bearing pulleys make the speed system pressure significantly lighter than the next best option. Next best/lightest are more basic pulleys. Heaviest (most friction) are the ones with ceramic rings. For this reason we generally recommend to go for the risers with big ball-bearing pulleys, unless saving one or two hundred grams is more important to you than having a significantly lighter speed system. Which harness do you fly your Beat Light with, and which risers do you have fitted? * Of the top of my head, harnesses we've tested the Beat or Beat Light with since they first launched: Advance EASINESS 3, Advance SUCCESS 4, Advance SUCCESS 5, Advance IMPRESS 4, Advance WEIGHTLESS (yes, we do like Advance harnesses), Gin Genie Lite 3, Skywalk BREEZE Permair, Supair Altirando LITE, Supair EVO LITE, Supair DELIGHT 3, Supair STRIKE 2, Supair RADICAL 4, Supair ACRO 4, Woody Valley Wani light 2 and Woody Valley Wani 3.

@@flybubblecarlo Hi Carlo, thanks for your reply. I've flown my Beat Light with 2 harnesses; An Independence Hike (with pulleys), and my BogdanFly (ceramic rings). I think it is easier with the Independence, but not much. My risers have the ceramic rings too. So yeah, I'm sure that has a lot to do with it. It's just a lot more pressure than my other wing, a Skyman Rock 2. But I don't have as much experience as you guys. I just find it a lot of pressure, to the point where I sometimes get sore quads, and I don't push bar much! With regards to the overshoot, just compared to my previous wing and the few other wings I've tested, it does shoot. However, never so bad that I didn't catch it. I'm sure other wings are worse. I've flown about 90 hrs on my Beat Light, all in the Alps.

​@@frankzj Thanks for your further pilot feedback. 👍 I use the speed system a lot, often for extended periods, so having a light speed system is important for me. Also something I always check on every wing as part of my testing. However many pilots don't use the speed system so much so it's less important for them. From my experience having high quality, good-sized (18-20mm) ball-bearing pulleys on the speed system routing of the risers or/and harness has a very significant effect on the pressure of the speed system. The ceramic rings save a bit of weight and cost but have significantly more friction/resistance than high quality, good-sized ball-bearing pulleys. If you have the opportunity I recommend you try the same size Beat Light with either the Comfort R01 or Semlight C Handle R07 risers. Also the Independence Hike harness comes with AustriAlpin Idler pulleys, which are small and inefficient - again they have significantly more friction/resistance than high quality, good-sized ball-bearing pulleys. Hope this helps. Wishing you nice flights and strong quads! 🙂

😂 Hehe

Did you upgrade from your Tenor? I upgraded Tenor to Maestro 2. Easy transition. Highly recommend. I also fly in alpine conditions.

From our (Flybubble crew's) extensive testing, the Arak and Beat are both excellent performers in the mid B class. However, all else being equal, our testing showed that the Beat has the edge in performance over the Arak in all areas, especially glide. The Beat is also exceptionally well-balanced all-round - on the ground and in the air - so the pilot demands are actually a bit lower than the Arak. The Beat's brake pressure is lighter (moderate, the Arak's are a bit heavy), and it's more agile and responsive. It also gives a bit more feedback - better for thermalling, especially in weaker conditions. All of this together makes the Beat more playful and fun to fly. The Arak and Beat are both great mid B wings. The Beat offers an exceptional safety : performance : fun ratio. A pilot who prefers their wing to be more calm feeling and dampened might prefer the Arak. The Beat does not feel overtly sporty for a mid B wing - actually it's very confidence inspiring - but it is less calm and dampened feeling than the Arak. Hope this helps! 🤓

Hey Sascha, I think that is a great idea! I myself own a Beat Light, and I am truly so so pleased with it :) I feel like I can enjoy my flights while still having great performance truly up there with many High B wings! I live and fly in the mountains of Northern Norway which have lots of bumpy air, and it cuts right through it. You will deffinetly be happy if you decide to move to a Beat Light. Have a good day

Agree but I'd like to see that suggestion expanded. Since the Maestro 2 has been announced, I might suggest a comparison across the Phi line with Tenor below and Maestro2 and Allegro above.

Hi Tob i have a beat and have been in two situations on glide with Base 2 and a Base 2 lite i love the Beat on climb but on glide i got left behind in height and speed.

@@andrewmaxwell5605 OK thanks, sounds reasonable for a wing with a more freestyle shape compared to one made for XC flights. Now I just need some more practice to get up and stay up at our local site. I can't blame my A glider anymore :D

@@andrewmaxwell5605 Is the Base 2 a high B or mid B?

First, see our Flybubble written and video reviews of the Skywalk Arak ( flybubble.com/blog/skywalk-arak-paraglider-review ) and Arak Air ( ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-eTquuD2xqG0.html ) to get an idea of these, and for comparison to this Beat and Beat Light review. In brief, both the Skywalk Arak and Arak Air and Phi Beat and Beat Light are excellent all-round mid B wings that will make very many pilots very happy. By comparison, the main differences I can think of off the top of my head right now are that Beat and Beat Light are newer models offering slightly higher performance (mainly glide but also speed, sink and climb rate) yet slightly lower pilot demands (both on the ground and in the air), with lighter brakes, more agile handling and a bit more feeling/feedback. Hope this helps.

Take it from someone who already made the mistake jumping to the EN-C class too quickly - upgrading too quickly will put a dent in your flying career! Low B wings are so good these days you won't really get much from a high B unless you're flying > 50hrs/yr, XC and regularly on bar. When it's rough or stuff goes wrong - you'll be pleased you're on a lower aspect ratio wing. Also, wings with lower demands let you think about where you're flying rather than using all your concentration on actually flying and that is the best way to progress if your goal is to fly XC. FWIW the "mid Bs" I've flown (Beat + Kibo) are a nice middle ground - they do have slightly better glide ratio than the lower Bs but still suffer when on bar vs high Bs. For your average weekend warrior with a few XC days per year, I think they're ideal. Also, I'd advise anyone looking to fly with a pod to get comfortable with one on a low B first. Hope that helps -- just my opinion, only you will know what is right for you.

@@notafanatic cheers. That makes sense. Appreciate the advice. I saw a recently graduated student that got a second hand c and got a scary collapse just after launch, very close to terrain. It turned out ok, but very scary for the pilot and spectators. I actually fly a kibo and love it, but, as you say, on bar, it isnt that fast and it sinks real quick. Very stable in turbulence though and very forgiving but twice I've found myself in an slight wind increase and the kibo just wasn't that fast. Even with bar. I fly XC with a pod now and that gives me an extra 5 kph and has given me a bit more confidence. I feel after 5 years of flying that I'm not good enough for a C but a higher B might help me enjoy XC a bit more. This wing looks pretty good, but I don't want to spend money to get something that is pretty much the same as what I got. Had a couple of fellow pilots fly with me on new rush 6s. Me and my kibo flew a little further than them that day so, luck plays its part.

@@huepix I had a kibo as my 2nd wing and agree with your comments. I wouldn't bother buying a beat if I already had a kibo. I now fly a Chili 5 after stepping down from a C just because I don't fly reguarly enough... might be worth investigating as the demand isn't much higher than the kibo but performance (especially on bar) is quite a bit better. I tried the Rush 6 before I bought the chili but I found it a bit more demanding than the chili. However, I never seem to get on with ozone wings so YMMV.

@@notafanatic cheers. Appreciate that. I'll have a look. 👍🏻

Pointless to have 4 classes, A-D but then sun divide them into a douzen different low, mid , high, low mid, mid-high, etc.

In brief, having tested both (Rush 6 review to follow if time allows), the Rush 6 has a bit more performance (mainly speed, then glide, but not sink or climb rate - the Rush 6 is not floaty, the Beat and Beat Light float and climb better) for significantly less comfort and higher pilot demands (especially in launch - particularly nil and light winds - and SIV). If a pilot is looking for a high B with excellent speed and very good glide, but isn't so bothered about the best sink/climb rate and is happy with pilot demands at the higher end of the high B class, the Rush 6 is a very good option to consider. As I hope this review makes clear, if a pilot is looking for a highly versatile, very sorted all-round mid B wing with performance that's very close to current high B wings (mainly lacking a bit of top speed and glide compared to the best high B wings), pilots demands that are low-mid B, then in our opinion the Beat and Beat Light are the best mid B wings we've flown or seen so far. Their closest competitors are the Skywalk Arak and Arak Air - see our written and video reviews of these to get an idea of these for comparison. Hmm... not so brief after all! 😉

@@flybubblecarlo Thanks for your answer.

@@flybubblecarlo Hey Carlo, is the Beat a wing to jump from a first (A class) wing? Or would there the Tenor be the better choice? Other than that, great review as always 👍👍👍

@@manuelfischer9603 For most pilots yes the BEAT would be a suitable upgrade from a first (A class) wing but not everyone - this depends on various factors. As we said in the review the BEAT is so well behaved - on the ground and in the air - that it could even be suitable as first time wing for gifted pilots who have exceptionally good abilities and wing control skills. There's no one simple answer for everyone to that kind of question but for most pilot upgrading from an A wing the BEAT could be an excellent upgrade. They will be very happy indeed (as we've found pilots to be). The pilot demands of the TENOR are a little lower than the BEAT however actually there's not a big difference in this regard. The TENOR is still a great wing, and is also significantly cheaper than the BEAT. However the BEAT has a better performance, especially sink/climb rate. Hope this helps! If you want even more specific expert advice than this then we offer our Flybubble MATCH service - see our website for more info.

@@flybubblecarlo Thank you so much for this detailled answer!! That helps a lot🙂👍

Firebird Z1 yellow with black stripe on tip :D , my first wings

I've flown both, and the answer is "sort of". Both gliders are easy to launch and the Symphonia does thermal and climb quite well. But the Beat does have more performance. It is more agile, seems to bite into thermals a bit better, and its glide and sink rate are better than the Symphonia. The Symphonia is an extraordinary A wing. The Beat is an easy progression from the Symphonia with more performance and thermals even better. It is an exceptional "mid-B" wing that can match many of the "high" B wings in some conditions.

@@susankent1030 Thank you for the answer. But, Susan, if Symphonia is an A wing, what is Phi Sonata?

@@SerbanOprescu The Sonata is Phi's mid-high A wing - their 'classic A' wing, competing with similar wings like the Advance Alpha 7, BGD Magic , Gin Bolero 7, Niviuk Koyot 4, Nova Prion 5, Ozone Mojo 6, Skywalk Mescal 6, Supair Eona 3, Triple Seven Pawn Evo etc. See our written and video reviews of the Sonata. Phi have recently released the new Sonata 2, of which we've received some of the first ones recently. The original Symphonia was Phi's first wing, released in 2017 as the first-ever "super-high A" wing - a term and class of wing Phi coined and invented, as far as I know. For why the Symphonia is a "super-high A" wing, see the various reviews of it, including ours, and pilot feedback. Some other manufacturers have since launched their own super-high A wings, most notably the Nova Aonic and Supair Birdy. Phi also released the Symphonia 2 not that long ago, which we've been testing (we are mighty impressed - new video review to follow soon).

@@flybubblecarlo Thank you, Carlo. I've translated the Phi Sonata video, so I know the review. Still, where are the Symphonia and the Beat, compared to each other, in the range?

​@@SerbanOprescu Phi have all of their wings listed in order on their website - phi-air dot com

It's been a thing for centuries, ask any sailor. Only recently have snowflakes started to feel offended by this, though.

@@styx85 do I look like I am interested in what some 18-Hundret imbecile named his BOAT? This was the first time in 4 Years (4 years i watch Wing reviews) that someone gendered his Wing - any other review uses IT because its a THING it does not have a Gender and I am pretty sure she just uses it cause she is one of those snowflake Women that do "Woman only flying"-Events because we men are so misogynistic and keep them from proper flying.... don't know how but I bet you it is that.

My wing, she loves to fly me to cloud base, i named her the Green Goddess.

Go away snowflake