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Hi guys
I am sooooo excited.
Got to try my 10m Bandit Dos today in about 12 knots E in Brighton QLD.
Craig, my husband, flew last year's 9m Bandit as the only kite throughout the whole season. He weighs 68-70kg. No other kite comes close to HIS 9m Bandit. He was adiment that he would not swap is 9m to this years Bandit but after he had ridden it today ..... 
That's what he said:
"Well, how much do you reckon will I get for my 9m?.... The kite is very stable. It didn't back stall even in light winds. It turns quick and is very powerful. It will have (not quite enough wind to get decent jumps) good boost and hangtime and is a great kite to unhook even in light winds as it doesn't back stall.
There is one little negative thing about it, the two front pullies which are stainless steel might wear through the rope fairly quick as the rope is not protected with eg. a plastic tube."
I, myself, loved to see that the throw of the depower suits someone with a shorter reach a lot better than last years bar model. The pressure on the bar is also lighter eventough last year one's was not bad either.
I am looking forward to end up with only this one kite to fly between 12 and 30 knots.
Alexandra
Great to hear all the excellent comments about the Bandit Dos. I am waiting for mine to arrive - which I hope will be this week - so I can get out for the first time this season.
I will give my humble comments about the kite once I have ridden it, hopefully later this week.
Lemm
I've managed 1 play on our demo 10m.
these kites are going to put a lot of smiles on a lot of faces.
Look for a Blue/white bandit around Port Phillip bay this sunday.
where? depends on wind.
ask for a go, you'll be glad you did.
Have had the 10 12 &14 out now in different conditions overall really impressed. Ill have them all on the beach at the Coolum kite festival, so come have a look.
Have fun George
KSA as well as others who have tested the kites;
give some feedback on them other than just it's brilliant...
There are lots of ppl not able to demo them and it would be awesome to hear the feedback from the ppl who have tested Dos!
Is there a difference in low end for 10 and 12? Is the 12 as slow as last year's 13m2?
thanks!
Right here goes my feedback, my background, old school c kite fan, been on vegas for the last few years,
I have been using these kites to teach with last year as I found there safety system and relaunch capabilities the best i could find, (still rode my vegas when i went kiting). I found last years model very fun but susceptible to back stalling and a peculiar thing of the kite feeling like it wants to nose dive all the time. Never felt that comfy unhooking and even though id fly it here and there i kept going back to my vegas for that direct feel and smoothness when unhooking and through turns.
The Dos quite simply has cured what very little i didnt like about them. On my first session I could feel less bar pressure but still sufficient to feel the kite during tricks. The nose diving thing is no longer an issue and straight away i was unhooking.
Beware these kites are extremely powerful I was riding a 10 in about 15kn outgoing tide and was fully powered with about 3 inch of depower(i weigh 80kg and ride a 131). Despite this I was able to hold the kite unhooked but it kept catching me by surprise with lift during tricks and jumps.
The auto relaunch does not appear to be as good as last year when the wind is light due to the new bridle system, Saying this Fone have already replaced my bridles without any stopper balls and this has improved it dramatically, (still not as good as last year but just as good as all the others), At this stage thats my only negative comment. bar is clean simple and lines are now only 22m. They are super fast turning. construction is superb and for simplicity i cant find a better kite.
Hope this helps
Surfer62, now I have a face to the name.
those last few minutes you milked on it, were about 18kts.
and OMG, sorry but you may have to wait for other comments other than Brilliant.
One of the main comments I got were 'Forgiving' especially in jumps, so it inspires you to boost harder as you spend more time on it.
I'm 95kg and after yesterday the 10m for me has not got outside it's range in 18-30kts.
when tuned so full power is max(or max you can hold) last 80mm of bar travel out kills power into drop down mode. Some may like to add a stopper.
relaunch is a no brainer take hands off bar, it does it itself.
If kite is in water the swivel sinks and catches weed which can slow the process by a few seconds. and the depower cleat chews into the rope so carry a spare bit of rope.
LE wants a stated 10psi, struts 12psi.
the frame structure is so stiff it's hard to get sand on canopy to hold kite down.
There was one loose bit of thread, where the machinist didn't cut the thread short enough at finish.
Sorry that's all the non Brilliant comments I can come up with.
Ral, that's me in my avatar, note my first attempt to kitesurf 
If that 10m was colored black it would have been perfect and yes it is very forgiving to jump, airs a bit thin way up there & I should have been slammed a couple of times but it seemed to find it's own place and planted me safely back on the water.
Will you take $500 for it
G'Day All,
I'm 85Kg and have a 10m on order. Was good to here it pulled 95 without trouble.
Does anyone have any new pics they can post? I havbt given a colour preference yet and the guide can only give a basic idea. Plus I'm sure there are a few others keen for good look.
Cheers
I picked up my Bandit Dos 10m today, but didnt have chance to get out on the water. I will try and take some photos of it and upload them.
I too am 85kg so I will let you know how i go in varying winds. According to the manual the 10m has a wind range of 12 to 30 knts for a 75kg rider. I am hoping that I will be good from 15ish knts upward to 30ish knts.
Hey all
My big moment.. my very first post
Just like to comment on the wind range of the 10m bandit
Ive got a 10m rhino (delta shape) which is very close in shape to the new bandit with just a minor difference in the way the bridle is set up
And on the north website they state it as a 11 - 29knt range which ive found to be pretty much spot on
So id say f-one has it right with their estimate
Also ill look at a 7m bandit for those not to be missed stormy cyclone days
As for a 10m Bandit dos at 30kts, I'd moved the centre line knot to the next shorter position to add more depower. then was suprised it still had anough power for the 18kts.
So consider the wind ranges stated may include changing line settings as well as just the depower rope position.
My 95kg was coping very comfortably on the shorter front line position and half depower, in the 30kt sections.
85kg and 30kts on the 10m??? take oxygen.
I am so sore, just took the 12 and 8 dos to the beach wind was 15 to 20kts and late in the session got to 25. Started on the 12m with a lunacy 129 bar presure was just right not as heavy as last years and not as light as my revs. kite was super grunty as i had to depower half( im 90kg +) and very stable. The dos still has the awsome lift that last years had but turns faster when you want it to. The kite sits any where in the window that you want it whether you want it to pull like a tractor or go supper fast or head up wind higher than you should this kite does it all. I took the 8 m out in the same conditions with a 137 555 board. i went up wind even faster than on the 12 the kite behaved very well fully powered up and didnt stall when unhooked the speed it turns is a lot faster than the 7.5( my fav kite from last year) but when unhooked kite remains just where you left it. I couldnt keep off these kites had 2 sessions on each and left the beach exhausted battered and bruised looks like it will be a great season.
Still not had a chance to take the kite out yet however I have pumped it up to have a good look at it. As mentioned before I have taken a couple of photos of the kite. The tag attached to the kite says it is Black and Khaki, but as you can see it is actually Khaki and Brown.
Having not owned 2008 bandit I am unsure as to whether the bar has changed (or if I haven't been sent the new one - some people have mentioned that they have had the old bar). That said I have used 2008 Bandits and I thought that the bar was black and white whereas the bar which came with this kite is black & cream/brown, so it is possible that this is the new bar.
The long reach for the de-power rope has gone and the reach now seems much more like the Tribal II I was riding last year, which was my main dislike of the 2008 Bandit.
One thing noticeable which I have read from someone else also is that the kite maintains its shape in a big way - I can see a lot of sand being needed to hold this down on the beach. There was virtual no wind when i took these photos and where my old Tribal II would have lay a lot flatter,this stood up right up.
I hope to get out tomorrow wind allowing, I will post a few more comments on the kite once I have ridden it.
Lemm
Looks like the struts are sewn into the canopy at 2 points. Is this new for '09? Slingy did the splitstrut on '04 - '08 Fuels and have stopped for '09.
If it is new have the struts become thinner, and what is the rationale? --> thinner struts = less weight, more canopy support/stiffness.
Nice looking kite.
Yes Axis, it is a type of split strut set up.
a bit simpler than the SS, there is basically a Dacron frame around each canopy panel.
so assuming you only tear the ripstop in an accident, repair should be very easy.
If wind forecast holds then pt danger on Sunday maybe our 10m demos next outing, come and see for yourself.
Can anyone comment on differences between the DOS2 and the Rev2 (with wave riding in mind) 
Thanks,
Hemi
Tony,
Will you have the Bandit around Torqauy / Pt Henry area over the weekend?
Use to enjoy the old tribal, would like to have ago to see what Surfer 62 is creaming his jeans over.
62, I'll be there on Thursday arvo, Come for a SUP / beer if there's not wind.
I've been searching for pictures of the bar set up for ever and a day thanks for posting that Lemm.
I will say 2 things that I don't like about this kite (which is a shame cause it looks awsome and I'm looking to up grade at the middle - end of the season).
1. the uni color bar - I know where all smart enough to figure it our but come. pretty much every company does the left side in red or yellow, and the right side in a dark opposing color. I realize it has the red and green balls on the ends of the handle but nothing beats good color coding.
2. the pull tab safety - I love the push away chicken loop safeties. Any one know if you can /tried to retro fit a North (or similar) chicken loop on it? Looks do able in the picture but hard to tell. I just have a hard time beliving that when the sh1t hits the fan you can find this little tab and pull it where the north (cab, naish ....) you just reach down and push the thing away from you.
Just my two cents (which is worth about $5 Aussy in the current market) can't wait to try one.
G'Day HAAK
Are we sniffing the same breeze again?
Let me know if you get to try the DOS2. I suspect you could give a comparision between that and the Rev2.
Cheers, Mate.
Graham
.
I said I would report back on the Dos after my first session.
Well my first session was today and whilst the seabreeze charts said 20 gusting 22, I think for the majority of the time is was closer to 14 or 15. As I had taken my smaller board, the session was not particularly great. It was not possible to stay upwind (even on a bigger board which I borrowed) and therefore it was impossible on this session to get an accurate picture of the Dos.
I shall be trying again tomorrow winds permitting.
On the positive side it was great to be down the beach getting back into kiting again as this was my first session since March last year.
.
