Excuse my ignorance, but I don't seem to see them around anymore. I like them cause you could get some leverage with the uphaul rope, but keep your grip low at the mast.
Still love it. I've gotten so used to them over the years that when I go back to a normal boom I never know which way to put my front hand, up or down.
One thing about the Hydrodynamix booms is they are beautifully stiff, even the original old powerheads (think thats what they were called) used to be really stiff compared to what else was on the market.
I got my first Z boom in 1987 and only managed to wean myself off them a couple of years ago. It took me half a season to really feel comfortable on a straight boom again. I still think the Z boom was more comfortable, especially when not hooked into the harness and for boom to boom gybes.
However I gave up on them because the bend creates a lever arm that makes them less stiff and more prone to breakage (althought if you are used to an 80's boom the current Z boom version will seem quite stiff to you). I also kept on breaking the locking pins on the back end and it made sharing rigs with my girlie difficult as she hated Z booms.
Sometimes though at the end of a day when front hand gets sore I still whish that I had a Z boom.
There is a tool that uses one near my way...my impression of a Z boom user is a ****ER who only does speed runs but claims to ride what he calls 20 foot waves...they look so gay!!
