RS Surf Co.’s “Low Love” is a Samurai Blade for Performance Surfing
- 4 years ago
Welcome back to The People’s Board Review, a board test series in which we enlist working-stiff, relatable rippers to give us feedback on the latest surfboard models in dims you can find right there in the rack at your local surf shop. For this review, we put four RS Surf Co. models in the hands of four surfers of varying sizes and board preferences and took them down to fairly average California beach break on a peaky, head-high day. The boards included the “El Bandido”, a performance blade with training wheels; the “Musubi”, a squished-down shortboard with a curvy outline; the “Love Capsule”, a fat and flat small-wave ripper; and the “Low Love”, a high-performance blade meant for juicy surf.
Here’s what you need to know about the “Low Love”, the board that all the testers agreed was the best of the four when the surf is pumping.
The Gist:
There’s no shortage of responsiveness and control in this low-volume, high-performance thruster -- our testers agreed that the board can more or less do whatever you want -- but putting it to good use requires good surf, being in good surf shape, or both. Tester #2 (5’8”, 175 lbs.) isn’t accustomed to riding anything this blade-y, so he took a 5’11” x 18.5” x 2.38” 27.4 L “Low Love” for a spin first thing in the morning while his coffee buzz was still good and strong. “This board was obviously designed for Lowers,” said Tester #3, who ripped on the board, but said low-volume shred sticks like that are more effort than he usually wants to give. If you don't mind putting in the work to surf at peak performance, however, the "Low Love" is a magic carpet. All four testers rode this craft with traditional polyurethane foam construction, although RS also offers this board in epoxy.
Speed: 7.7/10
The “Low Love” isn’t built for generating its own speed, but rather harnessing and controlling the speed that a quality wave provides. “It felt like it had good drive on steep waves, but on more slope-y waves I struggled to get it going,” said Tester #1 (5’9”, 150 lbs.) of the 5’10” x 18.38” x 2.25” 25.5 L "Low Love” that he put through the paces. Luckily, most of waves on offer had plenty of curve in the face and therefore the testers found plenty of speed to tap into.
Frontside Maneuverability: 7.2/10
All the testers agreed that this model was by far the most shreddable of the four. With tons of entry rocker and a hard edge throughout, this board was perfect for the steepest peaks on hand for test day. “It was really responsive, but also it was so easy to follow through on,” said Tester #3 (5’6”, 125 lbs.) of her 5’7” x 18.33" x 2.22" 24.41 L “Low Love”. “I’d come out of a turn and I didn’t even have to try, I was just already going back into another one. There was a lot of control, where I’d push as hard as I wanted and it didn’t slide out.” As the lightest tester, Tester #3 felt that the board matched her size and her approach perfectly. “I honestly thought it was amazing, and I didn’t want to stop riding it.”
Backside Maneuverability: 6.8/10
It should come as little surprise that across all four models, the testers consistently scored backside maneuverability lower than frontside. After all, you’d have to be some kind of psychopath to feel like you’re more in control with your back to the wave. Still, it’s a performance board, and it didn’t have any bad surprises going backhand. “It surfed the way it looked – responsive, fast-twitch, quick transitioning from rail to rail,” says Tester #3 (5’8”, 175 lbs.) who rode the “Low Love” in 5’11” x 18.5” x 2.38” 27.4 L. “It is very maneuverable.”
Paddling: 7/10
When it comes to surfboards, high-performance ripping and easy paddling are inherently at odds. The “Low Love” is a stellar board for pumping surf, but it isn’t easy on the arms. Unless you’re a rubber-limbed grom, a pro surfer or someone who really keeps up with their fitness, expect to wear yourself out while surfing the “Low Love” for hours at a time. “It’s not the kind of board I normally ride,” said Tester #3. “But at my advanced age of 46, anything under 19 inches wide is a red flag.”
Here’s what you need to know about the “Low Love”, the board that all the testers agreed was the best of the four when the surf is pumping.
The Gist:
There’s no shortage of responsiveness and control in this low-volume, high-performance thruster -- our testers agreed that the board can more or less do whatever you want -- but putting it to good use requires good surf, being in good surf shape, or both. Tester #2 (5’8”, 175 lbs.) isn’t accustomed to riding anything this blade-y, so he took a 5’11” x 18.5” x 2.38” 27.4 L “Low Love” for a spin first thing in the morning while his coffee buzz was still good and strong. “This board was obviously designed for Lowers,” said Tester #3, who ripped on the board, but said low-volume shred sticks like that are more effort than he usually wants to give. If you don't mind putting in the work to surf at peak performance, however, the "Low Love" is a magic carpet. All four testers rode this craft with traditional polyurethane foam construction, although RS also offers this board in epoxy.
Speed: 7.7/10
The “Low Love” isn’t built for generating its own speed, but rather harnessing and controlling the speed that a quality wave provides. “It felt like it had good drive on steep waves, but on more slope-y waves I struggled to get it going,” said Tester #1 (5’9”, 150 lbs.) of the 5’10” x 18.38” x 2.25” 25.5 L "Low Love” that he put through the paces. Luckily, most of waves on offer had plenty of curve in the face and therefore the testers found plenty of speed to tap into.
Frontside Maneuverability: 7.2/10
All the testers agreed that this model was by far the most shreddable of the four. With tons of entry rocker and a hard edge throughout, this board was perfect for the steepest peaks on hand for test day. “It was really responsive, but also it was so easy to follow through on,” said Tester #3 (5’6”, 125 lbs.) of her 5’7” x 18.33" x 2.22" 24.41 L “Low Love”. “I’d come out of a turn and I didn’t even have to try, I was just already going back into another one. There was a lot of control, where I’d push as hard as I wanted and it didn’t slide out.” As the lightest tester, Tester #3 felt that the board matched her size and her approach perfectly. “I honestly thought it was amazing, and I didn’t want to stop riding it.”
Backside Maneuverability: 6.8/10
It should come as little surprise that across all four models, the testers consistently scored backside maneuverability lower than frontside. After all, you’d have to be some kind of psychopath to feel like you’re more in control with your back to the wave. Still, it’s a performance board, and it didn’t have any bad surprises going backhand. “It surfed the way it looked – responsive, fast-twitch, quick transitioning from rail to rail,” says Tester #3 (5’8”, 175 lbs.) who rode the “Low Love” in 5’11” x 18.5” x 2.38” 27.4 L. “It is very maneuverable.”
Paddling: 7/10
When it comes to surfboards, high-performance ripping and easy paddling are inherently at odds. The “Low Love” is a stellar board for pumping surf, but it isn’t easy on the arms. Unless you’re a rubber-limbed grom, a pro surfer or someone who really keeps up with their fitness, expect to wear yourself out while surfing the “Low Love” for hours at a time. “It’s not the kind of board I normally ride,” said Tester #3. “But at my advanced age of 46, anything under 19 inches wide is a red flag.”