Rider: Strapless wave, experienced/competent rider, 82KG
Kite: 2023 Eleveight WS V6
Size: 8m
Conditions: 21-24kts, onshore, 3-4ft open beach waves
Note: NOT affiliated or paid rider with Eleveight and purchased with my own funds. Experienced with the more common brands here in Australia, Naish, Cabrinha, Duotone, Slingshot all round and wave kites.
The brand formally was called "Best", regrouped to Eleveight. In Europe this brand holds a very strong following which interested me coming back here to Australia.
Build Quality:
- The bag, very generous sizing inside without the need to origami fold the kite to fit, very good quality bag
- Overall, the kite is exceptionally well built and appears to be equal to other brands in the industry. Dacron/extra protection in the right areas however seems to blend protection vs lightness well
- The kite itself is a 3 strut open C mid aspect with boxy wingtips which had a tweak in design for the 2023 season. To me visually/ compared to my 2022 Cabrinha Drifter, the Eleveight WS is slightly more lower aspect and boxier wingtips
- The pullyless bridals have three settings, pivotal/ all round / offshore. The rear lines have two settings / light wind - high wind
On the water:
Power: Light/mid bar pressure with slightly less bottom end to the drifter and alot less bottom end compared to the Neo. I couldnt pull myself from the board changing from heal side to toe side which I found exceptional when wanting to dump power to round out bottom turns.
Turning: By far the standout feature of this kite. Very fast tight turning "pivotal" turns. Something I've personally wanted in a surf wave kite was very fast turning but gentle lower bottom end pull. It delivers the fastest loops of any kite I have tested and is very active in the air which again for me works brilliantly. This feature allows me to focus more on the wave rather than if I'm going to miss that critical top turn target area on the wave due to an untoward bottom turn pull of the kite. The kite has similar mannerisms to the drifter in this regard however a more gentle lower end.
Drift: As good as the drifter which I still believe was the benchmark of down the line drift. It does require some very minimal flick of the wrist to wake it and you up to remind you of course that your still attached to a kite!
I have not tested the surf/freestyle capabilities thus cannot comment on the air specific qualities of the kite.
Overall, incredibly happy with this kite and am now replacing my quiver to this brand. The stockists are not as easily accessible in comparison to other brands and yes it did take some contacting to obtain stock (well for me in the Mid North Coast, NSW). The customer service and friendliness of the people behind this brand when I did make contact was exceptional and it is clear the passion they have for quality.
If your nearby in the Mid North Coast area feel free to contact me to have a try of this kite.
Regards, Youri 
