Rider: Padi, 82kg
Style: Freeriding
Weather: 12-18 knots
Build Quality: 9/10
Satisfaction: 9/10
Disclosure: Instructor and distributor
My Comments:
Was totally excited and overwhelmed on receipt of delivery. First one in Australia!
BAG: Opened box immediately and 'WOW' the bag is once again, fresh, attractive, and good graphical design. Extra straps on the outside. Very strong bag.
KITE: New colors this year (C4, C5 & C6). Opened C5 - color Army Green, wow, nice firm color, pulled kite out more, color pattern yellow, pink strut bumpers. Hmm, have to say, it did not impress me with the color combo at first. Nevertheless, LF has only got better and better each year so not writing it off yet.
Pumped kite up, 3 struts design again. First one I pumped was a 9m. New sizes in the 2011 range - 7m & 9m, then 12m+. IMO 9m & 12m is a much better range unless you are like me who has every single size 
. Wow, the middle strut seems much longer than last year's, i.e. aspect ratio must have been lowered? Last year's Envy was a pretty fast kite, so perhaps they have made it a tad slower this year? Flip the kite on the grass, and the color is filtering through the sun a lot better. Cool graphics once again, with a strong material pattern. Not as BRIGHT & LOUD as last year's lol. Still not totally impressed with the colors yet.
Bumper protection all along the LE, very similar to last year's. Very good enforcement all round, again, cant notice much difference to last year's. Bridle system very similar to last year too. Same one pump system with one way valve. No wind, so packed kite up. Hope wind tomorrow!
Tomorrow came (today), and there was wind! Opened up the 12m, AR not as much difference as the 9m. The Island electric pumps are the best!
Self-launch, as easy as. Wow, as soon as the kite is in the air, the pattern and logo of the kite came through as a very definite and confident shadow. I am impressed :) Not everything is looks but looks do play an important factor in many products today. Just today a customer came in the shop and decided to pay an extra $450 to buy a board that he reckons look better lol. Who am I to argue! Anyway, I am beginning to like the look of the kite ļ
Let¡¦s tune the kite. Hmm, tuning? The kite did not need any tuning. It sat at zenith stable as, with bar all the way out, with it all the way in, did not stall at all. It was blowing about 15kts then, full power settings. Unhook - woohoo, it did not even wobble. Let's go for a run.....
First sign of kite immediately noticed it is a bit slower than 2010 Envy, slightly more bar pressure but it was marginal 12-15kts. Few more signing, the kite started to excel and popped me right on the plane. Wow, is it a Havoc I am flying? It certainly feels a little like it, but turns faster. Nice, let's do a turn. Hard pull, and the kite literally turns on the axle - woohoo! Feels like turning a trainer kite lol! More wind coming back leg, edge hard, release a bit, the kite starts to work on its own and takes me upwind. Nice work Envy!
Downwind kiteloop transition - woot! Kite deifnitely pivots well. Let's see how well it pops! Up up I go, pull bar in, and higher I went as I pull bar in half way through. It definitely lifts like a Havoc! Definitely more lower end power than last year's Envy. Very easy transition, very responsive turning, just like last year's. Kite at 11, back roll, kite just sat there all the way.
Rest of session was just sheer fun and joy.
Bar: Have not opened up the new bar yet so no reviews on that yet.
Pump: Hehe, guess what, it's a small one this year! New color too, metal shaft [}:)]
Conclusion
Top marks LF team! You have done it again! A lot of criticisms last year were that the kite was too bright & too fast (I loved it though)! But I think they have listened to people and came out with a even more ideal ALL TERRAIN KITE. I cannot fault it at all. My top marks given. Now what am I going to brain storm with the LF team next week in Egypt?!?
tell them to get rid of the air cell on the CT bindings!!! and offer one stiff pair and one normal synergy pair this time around 
and slim line the release a bit as it nailed my hands unhooking all the time.
part from that the gear is spot on last season. cant wait to check out new hifis
I will pass on your suggestions mate. PM me your supporting arguments so I'll table them at the meet. Anything else anyone has on this year's LF gear on how to improve even better, please PM or email me padi@surfconnect.com.
Cant wait to test the HiFi and the new DLX & Kaos boards today.
whats changed on the DLX's? i remember being told by the dude working on them that its getting a tad more rocker and more pronounced channels? correct?
Yes, exactly that Charl. Didnt get to use it today as wind was cranking (only had a 138 DLX) so took my Influence 134 out instead. The 9m Envy pivots even more on the spot than thr 12m! Marshall took the HiFi Comp out and he wouldnt come back till dark lol. His review will be posted shortly.
yeah buddy gona have to snake that off u when i come over ;)
when are they on sale
you should also try Travis kite its an envy an its horrible and dangerous you might want to fly it your self..some one will get hurt with it.
Jacob as you know it's not horrible and dangerous on the standard knots, it just needs an adjustment on the heavy wind knots which are used about once in a blue moon. I will be adjusting the knot and then we will see how it goes. Other than that it is a great kite to fly and i can't wait to try the new envy's.
Select to expand quote[b]noisecontrol said...
wasent to impressed with the envy myself the 2010 was quite awkward, the school kie the launch had more preformance but you just need to look at what the top riders on the pkra are on.
try b4 you buy you will find what works for ya
Noise the launch is a learners kite hence the stability. Is that why it suited you. Maybe the envy was to much for you. What did you think of the 2009 envy and it's preformance
Select to expand quoteneilw said...[b]noisecontrol said...
wasent to impressed with the envy myself the 2010 was quite awkward, the school kie the launch had more preformance but you just need to look at what the top riders on the pkra are on.
try b4 you buy you will find what works for ya
Noise the launch is a learners kite hence the stability. Is that why it suited you. Maybe the envy was to much for you. What did you think of the 2009 envy and it's preformance
sorry mate ive still got my 2001 kites every year to 2010 learners no i taught people on it!! julian fillion has been kiting less than you! by the sounds of it give him a buzz and have a coffee you can talk over the 2011 **** ups
Not permitted to post any images yet but should just be a few weeks
The Liquid Force International Kite dealer meeting is currently underway
2011 kites - Havoc, Envy and Hi Fi will be in the country and for sale in 3 weeks,'
they have already shipped and on their way
Full range of board samples currently sitting in my office also
They built lots of ****ing big pyramids and buried people in them. Need to know more
Egypt is a holy country. First lets talk about wind -
The wind God was very kind to us. From the day we arrived, wind has not stopped - day or night, 24 hours a day. 4/5am I got up a few times and there was enough wind to kite. The windmills just doesnt stop turning! The locals said we were lucky, but I am not sure that it was all luck. Judging by the number of windmills in the area, there is a reason for so many to be there.
Next the location & hotel -
The place we went to is called Zaafarana, located on the Red Sea about 200km south of Cairo. You can also fly to Hurghada but the drive is much less interesting. Ibi & friends runs a watersports centre right on the beach, attached to Zaafarana Motel. Note I dont call it a hotel as it does not qualify to be called one. It is more like a 2-3 stars motel. LF arranged for us to stay at a nearby 5 star resort called Centara - http://www.centarahotelsresorts.com/cgse/cgse_default.asp. Great choice as it is a true 5 star standard. Saying that, drinks are quite expensive there: A$6 for a cappacino, A$12 for a small can of Red Bull. It is about half hour van ride to Zaafarana but we had two 15 seater vans at our disposal so any time we can run to and from. Although it would have been ideal to stay at the Zaafarana Motel but seriously, you do not want to stay there. Egypt is like 95% run down. Most buildings other than that of central Cairo and hotels are like half abandoned, many have no roofs, no windows, half the buildings torn down, but still have people living in them. The whole city is like so polluted, dusty and dirty. Other than going on specific sight seeing tours, you do not even want to step outside your hotel. Tip: nearly, and I mean nearly every Egyptian will try and make money on you big time to put it gently.
Food & drinks -
Hygiene is a major problem. You only want to drink bottled water and watch very carefully what you eat. Bottle water ranges from 12LE (A$3) for a 1.5l bottle, but if you head to a supermarket, the same only costs 1.75LE (A$0.43). So you can see how much they will rip tourists off. Many of us bought an Egyptian head band, haggled the guy from 50LE to 35LE so we thought we got a bargain. Then later on in the market, we found the same for 10LE lol. Hotel food was ok, but local food a no no. The day we returned to Cairo we went straight to Maccas, so happy! However 2 things I would recommend you MUST try - fresh sugar cane and mango juice. They are absolutely so fresh and delicious. But make sure you look for a clean fruit stall for them. Quote from Kevin Klein from LF - 'Do you know when you get ripped off by an Egyptian? ..... When you speak to one'. So true lol. But then, we are tourists after all, so we just laugh it off. It's only money :)
Transportation -
Driving in Egypt is totally unimaginable. If you think Turkey is bad, or France, or Thailand, even China, I got news for you. The drivers here are totally out of their mind. A 3 lane roads you can expect 5 rolls of cars swerving in and out at all times. Horns never stop sounding. Everyone beeps everyone. Traffic jams 24/7. People dont seem to go home. We witnessed quite a number of accidents, the car our rep from LF factory in China hit a motorbike and the poor driver's leg bone was like piking out. I myself saw like a 6 car pile up on the way down, and a car flipped totally upside down on the way back. The roads are bad, bumpy, uneven, lots of debris everywhere. Make sure you take taxis which has a meter, or negotiate an agreed price before you step in.
To sum up for Zaafaran: Pros: no shortage of wind at this time of the year, the water is reasonably clean (but very salty), sandy beach with no rocks, kite caddies who packs and wash our gear, launch n land, boot service, compressor, free wifi, safety boats. Cons: water was choppy, wind was gusty (cross shore) though by the evening like 5-6pm when it turns a bit cross offshore the water flattens a bit. You can kite till like 7.30pm if you want but most people gets worn by like 5-6pm, plus it's beero'clock
To sum up for Cairo: We arrived back to Cairo a bit earlier and were taking local taxis to go places. The drivers would always try to tell you something else, and we all fall for them into commissioned shopping trips and we get charged 10 times as much. My advice is book your tours and transportation back home, make sure you book good reputation operators. I booked all the normal tours before I left Oz, and every tour I have taken is top professional services. Do not stay at anything less than 5 star hotels. Some guys stayed at a local 3 star motel in Cairo and when I went to visit, I did not want to go past the reception.
Must do in Cairo:
Pyramids, Sound and light show at the Pyramids, Museum, Markets and River Cruise (Nile Crystal).
