Rider: 75kg
Style: wake, rails, kickers
Weather: 15-30+ knots
Build Quality: 9/10
Satisfaction: 9/10
Disclosure: best team rider
Although I'm a team rider, I'm going to be truthful on everything I like and don't like.
Iv been out on this kite all week, in every condition you can think of. From a soft seabreeze to a nuking storm front. And honestly it's been so fun!
I'm come off the best GP last season to go down a different parth. After beating my body Iv decided to take a step back from the freestyle and focus more on rails, kickers and strapless.
Build:
after last years dramas, best had a lot to make up for, From snapping bars to leaking valves.
This years kite Feels like a much better build, the canopy material for starters feels a little more crispy. The new bladders have been improved over last year, so there won't be any leaks, (I still don't trust leaving them in my car or out in the sun). Other then those two, thats all I can tell that's different.
Freestyle/ unhooked:
It took me a little wile to figure out how to use this kite to all its potential.
Iv been spending a lot of time out in the surf throwing passes of the kickers. These has been super fun and less strenuous on my shoulders. This kite sits nice and stable. It's been quite easy and have already learnt new tricks.
On the flats is where I really wanted to try out it's unhooked abilities. I'll start off first with the pop. I was very surprised at how easy it was to get good hight, it definitely doesn't have the explosive pop of a C kite but it's no slouch. I found that it did travel downwind with me a lot more and pull a little harder then I was use to when unhooking and sinking the heal edge. I just had to go downwind a little further the compensate this.
Slack, the kite dose pull a lot harder then I'm use to. The slack is still there, enough to pass and hold those grabs, just not as much as a hard core freestyle kite. You just have to keep the kite a little lower to get the slack your use to from a c kite.
this kite is very fast turning it dose tent to drift up or down a little bit when passing or reaching for that grab. Definitely need to split the bar.
Boost and loops:
The second time I used this kite, I had a big storm front come through, winds gusting to 35 knots. I must say the wind rang on this kite is huge. Out in 35k with a 10m shouldn't feel good but I was manageable. But boosts is where this kite really thrives. My record with my woo is 12m on the GP. And the TS boost feels like I smashed my record, it's a sham I didn't have my woo to actually see how big the boosts were.
It has a nice pull with the perfect amount of loft. I personally like the "pop n drop" feel of a c kite, but this kite is a much more user friendly boost. You don't need to downloop after the boost to catch you. Your can easily just redirect the kite and you will wand softly.
Loops are nice and semi tight with not a huge amount of pull. They are a little soft for my liking, they would suit someone learning to throw there first big kite loops. But all loops are fun and I enjoyed them. They probably caught me about 50% of the time
Best Red Bar.
This had has had a big over hawl from last year (thank god). There wasnt much I liked about last years bar.
The QR on this bar is awsome, it releases with no effort and you can put it back together in seconds.
It has a mini 5th line that it flags out on, I'm not sure what benefit this is. It's actually a pain. The 5th and centre line it feeds off twist around each other and I can't figure out how to untwist it without having to work the twist down and out the end of the line.
The grip is still way to hard. Super gripping, but way to hard.
All and all, I'm very happy with this kite. I think if you are the guy looking at learning your first wakestyle tricks but still want the versatility of a bridal kite, this is worth a look. the only thing I didn't like about the kite was this stupid blue and red stripes they have on all there new kites, it looks like PJ's.
I do really like this bar. I'm so glad they made improvement over last year.
If anyone is in central qld, your welcome to have a go any time, just inbox me!
Cheers!
Good review mate, I have tried the 10 and 12 TS so far and will most likely get a 9/12 quiver to replace my 9/11 GPs . Took me a bit of getting used to the different pop too but the kite is so much fun and so versatile compared to the GP.
How do you find the new chicken loop? Always found the North loop way to small when hooking back in. I feel you on the stripes hahaha, said the exact same thing about the PJs the first time I saw it.
I order a extra big loop with my order and changed it straight away. But I have the small loop on last years Rp bar, way to small for my liking.
I forgot to mention, the best thing about the new bar is how easy it is to change the chicken loop. All you have to do is unscrew 1 grub screw and then you just pull the loop out. To put the new loop in. You puts the end back inside the QR then screw the grub back in. Super super easy!
I think the 10m would almost be the one kite quiver for me. still super stoked with it
Select to expand quotekemp90 said..
The new bladders have been improved over last year, so there won't be any leaks, (I still don't trust leaving them in my car or out in the sun)
how have the new bladders been improved?
Select to expand quoteKozzie said...kemp90 said..
The new bladders have been improved over last year, so there won't be any leaks, (I still don't trust leaving them in my car or out in the sun)
how have the new bladders been improved?
It's a little heavier. Last years was like Teflon, nothing would stick probably.
Finally got my woo out and measured my boosts. This was in 16-19 knots yesterday with a solid runout tide.
Is that saying that in 20m kiting you had 2m airtime? That's insane!! How many coffees do you drink before a session?
Haha when you put it like that, I guess that sounds pretty good.
But to be honest, that was at the end of my sesh. And where I was boosting had a huge current so when you landed after a boost, all you had to do was tack back 30m and you were upwind in the exact same spot. So more time boosting, less time tacking 
This creek mouth is about 30m wide, we had a 4.6m tide, and the day befor we had 100mm of rain. So the flow was outrageous.
You actually didn't even need to tack, you could just sit in the water and the current will take you back up wind in a flash.
I had the same at a river mouth at Box Head. It was a mission to get out the back until I realised all I had to do was put my kite above my head and wait to get suck out through the rip. No need to battle the on shore struggle.
