Rider: 70kgs, intermediate
Style: Surf
Weather: 20/25 knots
Build Quality: kite 9/10 bar 7/10
Satisfaction: 8/10
My Comments: had my first session today in powered up cross-on conditions and 3 to 4 ft surf. I bought this kite to replace my Core GT 7m. I also ride a 10.5 Naish cult 2010 model.
The Bar: from a quality/bling point of view the core and naish bars are slightly better as they use carbon fibre instead on aluminum. I also prefer the front line safety of those bars as well.
The chicken loop and QR is quite chunky and heavy on the switch but work fine.
I prefer the above the bar sheeting of the switch as opposed to the cult which has below the bar sheeting which was always a two handed operation to make it work properly.
The switch bar also has a simple below the bar swivel which easily unwinds lines after a loop of the kite. The core ESP bar has a fancier method of unwinding the lines but I think I prefer the simplicity of the switch bar.
The grip is good and the bar width can be adjusted from 45 to 55 cms quite easily.
So in summary a very functional bar for those on a budget.
The Kite: the Method is the wave kite of the range and has 3 struts. It only has the 2 pulleys (the core had 6 which I hated) which are located on the leading edge. The inflation valve is great (similar to the cabrinhas) and means no more pinching the valve between your fingers when you remove the pump nozzle as per the cults and GT's.
So hitting the water on my surfboard the first thing I noticed was the moderate bar pressure. Definitely more than my other kites but being a 70 kg weakling not so bad that I found it uncomfortable. Power was very similar to the GT and I was able to point slightly higher upwind than the GT. On the wave with the wind very cross on I would head upwind, fly the kite forward and low and then bottom turn while pivoting the kite. Off the top I probably should have been down looping the kite so I could continue riding down the line but instead I would fly the kite slowing back over the top, head back upwind and start again.
I dropped the kite a few times, once it popped straight back up. The second time I was copping a rinsing and a wave hit the kite so I released it and let it wash into the beach. It copped quite a hammering. I dragged it out of the water re-set the lines and up went the kite again for another 45 minutes. No damage at all.
All up about 2 hours on the water, more than happy with the performance. Slightly better bottom turning than the GT but pretty similar overall.
If you're on a tight budget you could do a lot worse than buying a new switch kite over something second hand that you don't know the history of.
Had the 9m method out in cross/offshore waves today,about 20knots.
Fun kite to fly, drifts well down the line, and what suprised me is that it boosts quiet well for a 3 strut wave kite.
Thinking of getting a 7m now, for the stronger wind days.
Cant fault the build quality.
Happy camper.
