Postby Dan-at-Duotone » Thu Feb 16, 2012 12:02 am
First of all, if you're doing strictly sent jumps in which you use the kite, realize that the best way to soften up your landings is to work on your timing/redirection of the kite. On the other hand, If you're doing more powered stuff, it will punish your knees regardless, but you can look to board design to help mitigate that a bit.
I can't speak for any but the North. The Select construction was built to get you the jumping ability and gentle landings/chop absorption of the softer, more forgiving X-Ride, with the pop/freestyle ability of the Jaime. It basically gives you a wider range of performance in a single board (instead of getting a freestyle and a freeride board, it will do both). If this describes the board you are looking for, the Select will not disappoint you. I can't say if the F-One or Wainmann are better or worse, simply that the Select is built for that style of riding. On the other hand, if you don't plan on doing any freestyle, you can save some cash by getting an X-Ride.
As far as the North Jaime or Team, (as you asked) I would recommend you stay away from both... If you're worried about your knees and you're riding in choppy water and not looking to do powered freestyle type moves, I would guess the Select and X-Ride would be more your style.
But as always, and above all, the best thing you can do is try to get yourself a demo of each board and test it out. The Select is not built like any other board out there, and rides like such. Some people will immediately notice the difference and think it worth the extra cash outlay, and some will not. Neither response is wrong, but you should find out which group you are in before you throw down a grand (or even a hundred) on a deck.
Hope this helps.
-Dan