sure some kites relaunch faster some drift downwind faster some turn quicker some pivot turn
some are better in gusty wind some are gruntier some have 5 lines some even have only 3 lines
some have 3 struts some have 7 some are low ar or delta,sle,bow,modern c or even ram air
bridled or not.
But don't stress they all work
Just get out there and use what you got and maybe one day a kite that you least expect will surprise you and you will have to have it.
Keep an open mind and don't be afraid to try something new
my first wave kite when I had any semblance of skill was an Airush Vapor I and up until my latest kite was my favourite all time kite. I had a lot of fun on a 10m Flysurfer Pulse 2, Airush Flow, Airush Vapor II and a couple of other kites. As stamp said though conditions and styles account for the kite wether its a park and surf day or use the kite to move around the wave.
Right now I am really liking my Wainman Smoke - amazing bottom end for a 9m kite.
Try lots and you will soon find what suits you!
Amazing bottom end....this usually means overpowered, wobbly, unstable or collapsing in the top end.
Unreasonable top end performance or unusable top end sucks when fully powered driving a rail in, dropping down a pitching 8 foot face.
Yes.
Extremes circumstances, but this is when the boys are sorted from the men.
Confused now ??
you asked for the best 12 in the waves, however for the best perfomance your going to need a quiver end of story !
Def try rpms they go sick in the waves,you cannot beat being on the right size kite for the conditions period.Try b4 u buy !!
Thanks guys, it looks like back to try and buy
I just want to crank big turns in the pocket, come hard of the bottom and just do big carves. I'm prodomantly kiting reef waves from 1 - 6ft and just want to kite the wave like I surf it. I've been surfing these waves all my life and now I want to kite them like I surf them.
I have no problem with cross-off or off-shore winds, but the kite just wants to drop out of the sky in cross-on or on-shore when I catch a wave, so I have to really work it to ride the wave. So I suppose I wanted a wave kite that has grunt and holds itself up in the window when riding towards it so when you crank a turn back into the face you power-up again. maybe I need to work on my kite skills, keeping the kite powered-up?
Hi Howea
I’m 92kg and would use a 7 on 15-20+knots (you use a 12), and a 9, from about 12-16+ knots. Are you riding a surfboard or a twinnie?
I'm using a surfboard, channel Islands 6'1 Tuflite. I was out on my 9m Blade Trigger yesterday, 17-21 knts, 4ft cross-on, and I was working the kite at the bottom end of the gusts and when I'd get onto a wave the kite would stall and I'd have to keep working the kite hard so I could surf the wave, most of the time I'd have to turn down the wave and power it back up and tack back the other way in front of the white-wash?
I've been kiting every time the winds up for the past 5 years, I'm no expert, but I can kite and I've been surfing for as long as I can remember (30+ years). I don't seem to have any trouble cross-off as the kite's out in front of you behind the wave and when you carve off the top your powering back-up again.
Thats why I'm thinking it might be the kites?
cross on is a really hard direction to ride, especially in anything over 2-3ft. i doubt you will find a kite that drifts down the line in those conditions, you will have to constantly work it, keep tension on the lines, and always have lots of speed.
if its cross on i move to another break where its cross shore or have a session on the twintip/skate
Everyone else finds cross off way better for surfing too in case you didn't know. Sounds like you probably want a 'floats back in the window' kite rather than a super fast turning one. even then its always tougher than it is with good cross off wind direction.
Edit: Opps scotty beat me too it. PS his advice is better than mine.
Well I think you guys have this topic covered very well, But what I did want to add was that we have a kite review in our up and coming mag that should hit the stores very soon!! It will cover all the 2011 models and some boards. So grab yourself a copy and see what’s coming out for the New Year. You crew can than tech out all you want about the kites till your blue in the face but for us, we will be on the water……..See ya out there.
P.S Rowdy the pre 2000 kites you forgot to add the C Quad what a top little relaunch kite that was…..hahahaha
i'm sure it will be the usual balanced and non-biased reviews we have come to expect from kite mags
Steve Byers won the 2010 Kitestock Wave Masters at Dongara point WA on a 9m OS.
I believe a black and yellow one.
The 9m OS is reasonably priced (send me an email) and they are about to be superseded by 9.5 ALIBI.
No body mentioned 7m OS.
They're light and digital fast. They're still the current high end wave kite for 2010. A fresh shipment of these just arrived. I recommend getting in fast cause they always sell out early.
My board rocker is fairly flat and has a lot of planing area in the tail – without the kite, I reckon I would be able to surf a 2-3 foot wave. If you need the kite to keep you going on a 4 foot wave, it sounds like your board is either very narrow or has a lot of rocker, or both, which needs a bigger kite.
If you are drifting your kite, I don’t reckon a 12 will drift any faster than a 7.
JohnT, your a legend, I can't believe your riding a 7m in 15-20knts and your around 92Kgs?
I reckon your right about the rocker, mines pretty flat though, the design is a "Flyer" by Al Merrick 6'1 x 19 x 21/2, so pretty wide and thick, does the trick 
I wish I could fly a 7m in 20knts. I think my main problem is, (kite) surfing in winds that are predominantly cross-on (this time of year) and the shape of kite I'm riding.
This forum has sparked a great discussion on all aspects of what makes a good wave kite and has given me insight on how to progress in how I want to kite.
The Best kahoona's looks great as do the OS's, Griffin Agro, 2011 Slingshot Bandit and S/S Rally, RPM, Wainman Smoke , they all seem like great wave kites. Which one though? 'That is the question'.
I'll demo them all if you let me, then I can tell you how they fair.
I'm sure this disscussion can go-on-and on (and so it should), lets all find the best wave kite out there 
I'll post a reply when I find a 'the' one.
Cheers guys, thanks for all your input.
G’day Howea
Add the Ozone Catalyst to your radar. We've recently spent a lot of time searching for the ultimate kites for freestyle and waves. We're lucky to know the crew at a few kite shops who gave us the chance to demo a huge range of kites. Ozone are less known but make amazing kites, they just won Kite Mag’s 'Company of the Year' and are clearly ahead of the pack regarding design with features being adopted by other leading brands in upcoming 2011 gear. The 10m is my favourite kite of all time for strapless surfing in cross onshore conditions and I can appreciate the buzz of getting out on the same faces that you have been surfing. Here’s a shot taken up north WA a couple of weeks ago on a wave we had been surfing all week. You'll see the well known Kitehard in the background, also on a Catalyst.
Hope you score heaps of fun waves!!!
^^^^ surfing the last week you say???
I heard kitehard had been doing it hard there for the last few months.
The light 3 strut kites do seem to drift and turn very well.
If your really serious about testing them all howie fly over for the Exmouth Expo and have a holiday while your here testing all day every day. Oct 2 to 8
Mate that photo's great, makes you want to get out there now and crank round that section in front of you.
Love to be at the Exmouth expo in October, umm very tempting never been to WA.
Whats the go with that? any advise on the Expo?
I'll check out the Catalyst.
Thanks again.
LOL Nath,
That was a sketchy day with gnarly conditions. The wind was E/SE, super gusty with a 2 knot downwind current running through the inside before the reef. Mega low tide and a very wobbly W/SW swell direction running 4-6 feet.
The water on the inside was frightfully shallow and hides a VERY sharp reef (have the scars to prove it from surfing it ) and reef cuts in my harness and boardies from that very session.
We kited it for about 30-40 minutes before downwinding to a slightly less offshore beach downwind engaging most of the mad bombies along the way. We hoped we would make it back to the beach and accepted the possibility of bodydragging/self rescuing in sharky waters after sunset. 
In hindsight it was pretty reckless, strong offshore gusty winds, late afternoon (4pm), low tide, big swell and no support boat or rescue boats around, with the reef 1 km off shore. But it was pretty sweet, and I'd do it again! 
[}:)]
In those conditions, the Ozone Cats were the kites to be on 
KH
I've been using the argo 10 as my main wave kite for the last year and its great,I love the park and ride nature of the kite and how you can run at it and it drifts back without stalling,like the guys say though everyones different so try as much as you can ,have been also testing the new 10.5 Griffin Chimera the past few weeks and its also a great surf kite,no pulleys and direct rear, so you can switch it on and off like a light,i'd definately try and get a ride on one if i was you.
)
I too fly the 9m argo ,and i find it great in the waves, but each to there own /
