Thanks Dan.

Please, can anyone non affiliated to a brand share his/her opinions of these boards? Interested in particular about the Select. Haven't met anyone that has ridden this board.

Thanks everyone

I have tried the Trax and the Wainman.... I think that the Trax eats chop a little better and also lands a bit softer and is more stable on the landings.

If i were you i would also consider the Xenon Rayo.

+1 for the Trax. Very smooth landings, nice soft pads. Works well in chop. Not that great at low iwnds though.

+1 for the Trax...and I also think you should give the Xenon Rayo or even the Laluz a shot.
Xenons are really soft and chop eating while keeping the high performance pop and general feeling.

Rule of thumb if you want a board that give softer landings look for something with double concave and continuous rocker. Can't speak about other boards but F-One Trax 6 is a really smooth ride. Upwinds like a machine and is butter smooth on landings which helps if your 100kg Hands down best board I have ridden when it comes to chop.

As always try before you buy

As everybody I like the board that I finally chose

My riding is a mixture of some unhooked stuff, sent jumps and freeride.

I was amazed how good the North Select was in very wide range of condition from flat to chop to decent waves.

I bought it to be my smaller board and I took the smallest Select but now I ride it about always. It gets into speed so easily that the difference to my wider and stiffer board with more straight rocker is marginal.
It tracks nicely to upwind as any and no speed feels uncomfortable with it. Even it tracks well and jibes nicely it still does not stick to water at all and is lively when you want it to be.
I am light rider so softer feel the Select offers is perfect for me.Landings are very nice and soft.

One important thing to me was how balanced the board is to ride and land jumps. With Select I can ride with close to even pressure on both feet which keeps me riding longer as neither foot gets tired to push pressure to back of the board to try to keep the nose up. With very balanced ride it is also forgiving as e.g. in small hops from the chop it does not dip its nose even the balance may be more on the nose but still you make it out without crashing.

And I cannot highlight enough how light the board feels on your feet on the water. I have not yet found anything similar even I have tried a lot of boards.

I think there are no more bad boards but some board just suits to your own style the best.

Thanks WndRdr.

Anyone else has been on the Select? This is narrowing down to Select and Trax.

Is the Select much better than the Jaime an Team?

Tnks!

The Select is an overpriced and overhyped piece of junk! The Trax is a nice board...but again WAY overpriced with poor construction, crappy ABS rails and prone to delamination issues. F-One are also renowned for their poor customer care regarding warranty claims!

The Shinn monk is quite simply the best twin tip ever made for chop and soft landings! Seriously dude it feels like it hovers over the chop and it frikin flies upwind!

Trust me when I say...THE MONK LAUGHS IN THE FACE OF ALL 3 OF THOSE BOARDS YOU'RE CONSIDERING!!!!

Check it http://s2as.blogspot.com/2011/09/new-shinn-monk-2012-review.html

I've been kiting for 5 years, I have no affiliation. Weight 175, riding style freestyle / freeride / wave.

F-One Trax is a very good board. I have an old Trax, I've been trying many boards in order to change but I can't find a better board.

Also consider the F-One TX5, which is almost the same board as the Trax 2011 but cheaper. 2012 Trax is slightly stiffer than 2011 (so not as smooth) that's why now I prefer the TX5. If you are an heavier rider, you might perfer the 2012 Trax. Another point I don't like with the TRAX 2012 : rocker is not as flat as the 2011, you loose low end.

Pros:
- heat chop for breakfast
- incredible carving in flat water and waves
- pads are very soft : good for the knees, boad stick under your feet
- profile is smooth : no splash, forgiving on bad landings
- easy to load and pop
- construction is robust (woodcore)

Cons:
- fins are long, you have to get use to it when you do a switch (rise your knees!)
- in 2012, fins looks cheaper
- ... can't find anything else

I agree, the Shinn boards are pretty special.
I think the OP was really looking for someone to tell him what he wanted to hear, so he finally got that with the Select devotee and now he's happy, which is nice.
I've done that several times with gear.
I am not Shinn affiliated, I was giving an opinion based on buying a used Luigi and loving it.
I thought the Blunt was nice until Shinn blew it away.
And it is not just the Monk, the Shinn boards are all pretty special, I've asked a bunch of people who own various models and nobody has been anything other than very pleased with what they got. People that own Monks are fanatical about their boards, they must be the goods!!