Tkb Review: SLINGSHOT Phantasm PTM 684

Sizes Available: PTM 684 / 710 Lower
Sizes Tested: PTM 684 / 710 Lower

Slingshot Says:

The Phantasm Technical Mastery (PTM) 684/710 Lower Package was developed by our design team using the feedback from Phantasm riders worldwide. Riders who are looking for speed and agility, but still want great confidence-inspiring stability should look no further than the PTM 684 Lower combination. This package of PTM 684 Front Wing, PS 400 Rear Stabilizer and 710 Fuse is by far our most all-around performance foil set-up we make.

Visit for more info: www.slingshotsports.com/products/ptm-684-710-lower-package-v1

TKB Says:

There’s nothing like the beautiful, technical checkerboard pattern of perfectly laid 12k pre-preg carbon, but once you dig deeper on the Phantasm PTM 684/710 you will find the perfect blend of high performance and user-friendly handling. With just enough stability mixed with a fist-full of jazz, the PTM 684 will put a smile on the face of carve-oriented kiters and those who want to access higher speeds without losing its accessible all-arounder performance.

Design and Features
The PTM 684 front wing features a slick carbon layup in a moderate aspect shape that mates to the aluminum 710 fuselage with Slingshot’s bigfoot connection system that ensures that all the parts are integrated with a perfectly rigid and solid connection. We tested the Phantasm with the 92cm 12K super-high-modulus pre-preg carbon mast that features a bomber slotted interface with the fuselage while everything is pinned together with T-30 Torx hardware. The edges of the PTM have some roundness to them, so you don’t have to worry so much about getting really cut up by your foil when things go awry. The PTM lower package (Slinshot uses ”˜lower’ to refer to the front wing, fuselage and rear stabilizer wing) includes the PS400 rear stabilizer that features a fairly thin but high aspect outline with subtle downward winglets at the wingtips. True to Slingshot’s commitment to high-quality, every facet of the Phantasm line is machined for durability and performance. As Slingshot lays it out, their beginner kite foil program starts with the PF633 (1250cm2) and then the next logical stop in the Phantasm is the PTM 684 (1000cm2) for a bit more agility and fast performance while still remaining user-friendly to the progression-minded foiler.

Impressions
Our first moments on foil seemed intuitive and easy with a nice medium takeoff speed that was quite approachable with easy to access lift without too much power in the kite or uncomfortable speed on the board. The turning on the PTM684 is fairly active with both the roll and yaw axis feeling snappy but balanced while the pitch axis felt a bit more stable for easy board height management.

The carbon mast and keyed fuselage does a great job of transferring your inputs directly into the foil with a really crisp reaction to big aggressive carves. One of the elements that stuck out was the difference between foil-down speed and top-end speed. The foil-down speed was just slow enough that we could stall, fade and really square up with waves for super fun carving, yet, at the same time, the PTM loved to accelerate, showing off its acceleration and willingness to hit some exciting high speeds that really demonstrated the PTM’s versatility. The extra active roll axis was really fun for rail to rail carves, yet never crossed the line into twitchy or uncomfortable territory. In that regard, the PTM does a great job of picking up where beginner foil equipment leaves off and embarking on an approachable but performance-oriented ride that will let you have your carving cake and eat your high-end speed fix too.

Built with luscious carbon layups and designed to offer crisp handling, the PTM 684 is a confidence building intermediate step that lets you explore every dimension of the kite foiling universe. Better yet, the PTM 684 can cross-train you through foilsurfing and wingsurfing, and because it is part of a modular family of products, there’s more wings to experiment with when the time comes. Recommended for aggressive beginners and intermediate and above kiters who want to mix carving with higher speeds, the tagline goes, “Fast, agile and dynamic” and we certainly experienced all of those qualities while testing the PTM 684.