Looking for a new kite, i am aiming at either the Kahoona, or the Reo. I am currently riding a 9M Waroo. What would you recommend.

not comparable kites at all. Are you into serious wave riding. Kahoona more all round kite, the reo is the one of the best wave kites on the market, and built a such. Best is not in ozones league, but they build a good kite, they aren't crap either.

Darkside, just go try them mate. Try the TS from Best also. I haven't been on the Reo, but it sounds solid from readings on here. But really, know one can decide better then yourself.

Joe

What Rellie said. Personal choice would be Kahoona, its excellent. And I'm basing this on my V2. The new version, V4 raises the bar by several notches.

I ride a 7.5m kahoona v2 and love it, have had a few best kites and cant fault them.

Ill be upgrading to new one once the v2 flogs out, its had a flogging the last 2 years and its still perfect!

eppo said...
Best is not in ozones league, but they build a good kite, they aren't crap either.

Thats a mighty big call eppo
I may be a Best retailer but for my money I would put Best up to test with Ozone and all the other leading brands anyday.
I was never impressed with Best in the early days either but the latest models fly like dreams & the build quality is the equal of anything out there.

One thing I have learnt very quickly as a retailer is that a kiters perception of kites is as variable as kites themselves. What one customer comes in frothing over will be the biggest heap of dung ever tried by the next one through the door. Who's right ? As far as each of them are concerned they both are.

Take the demo advice and make up ur own mind. Even that is something of a problem cos it takes time for most to really get to know a kite. Try ur hardest & hope u get it right.

Just try a Rebel, you'll never look back.

I demo'd a kahoon a found it really difficult to dump the power when needed on a wave, its a very grunty kite when the winds up and needs a bit of attitude to ride.

Never had a go on the reo but owned a pair of catylasts, great kite for the surf and quite simalar to the reo from what i hear. Pitty about the low end power of the cats. Good for down the line riding, but if you want a kite thats gonna do almost everything really well then try a rebel.

darkside test the best then test the ozone,pick the one you feel is for you , it doesnt matter what we think,its your hard earned thatll be paying for it ,i ride ozone edges ,ive tried all brands before deciding rebels, core, bandits,etc etc etc but nothing gets me lit like my edges ,its what suits you that matters , good luck with your choice cauncy

Hey Darkside,
Had the opportunity to test the Reo, Drifter and Rally the other day, all 9's, Reo was a 10. I normally ride Best, have done for years, I own a 5.5 V2 Kahoona and various other Best models, Waroo, Yarga and HP.

It will probably come down what your used to riding, Best has always made a fairly direct fealing kite where Ozone and Cabrinha have tended to be more indirect, the Drifter being more so than the Reo. I found I had to look at the kite more with these kites to see where they were while on the wave. Not that this in anyway puts these kites down, it is just what we get used to riding and really after a few sessions you will have any kite dialed.

You will feel very comfortable on the Kahoona straight away, just feels like a Best, what your used. But don't discount the Reo by the first go, the reviews are great and I would like to spend more time on it to get it dialed. On the downside of the Reo, I'm told it doesn't jump, I didn't use it on a twin tip so can't comment, maybe others can.

As for the Rally, just brilliant, loved this kite but once again it was nice and direct what I'm used to. Build quality on all the kites was excellent, but all kites are pretty good these days.
goodwinds

woodys said...

eppo said...
Best is not in ozones league, but they build a good kite, they aren't crap either.

Thats a mighty big call eppo
I may be a Best retailer but for my money I would put Best up to test with Ozone and all the other leading brands anyday.
I was never impressed with Best in the early days either but the latest models fly like dreams & the build quality is the equal of anything out there.

One thing I have learnt very quickly as a retailer is that a kiters perception of kites is as variable as kites themselves. What one customer comes in frothing over will be the biggest heap of dung ever tried by the next one through the door. Who's right ? As far as each of them are concerned they both are.

Take the demo advice and make up ur own mind. Even that is something of a problem cos it takes time for most to really get to know a kite. Try ur hardest & hope u get it right.

Yeh good points and my opinion are only based on the v2 and v3, haven't tried the v4

surfingboye said...

Well, at least Best made the Waroo which was bearable in 2006 + 2007, apart from the jellyfishing issues. Also I think they went wrong with trying to polish a turd; it doesn't matter how good the graphics look, if it flies like **** people won't buy it!!!

Reminded me of this video I made when I was incredibly bored...

[}:)]

Dude you are a tripper. You have to make some more of them. Yeh the jellyfishing on the warroos annoyed me and the high end twitch on the kahoonas, the jerky feel at the bar end, gave me the ****s as well. Still reasonable kites. Now I fly the rebels and their is no comparison, but I'm sure I will get bagged again for saying it. Wouldn't mind trying the TS though.

seems a common theme. Go ozone!!,,,

i use a little 6m reo as my stom kite. its a cracker. love it.

i run the 10m c4 as my every day kite. more dynamic than the reo. better for general TT fanging. good but not as good in the waves,

djdojo said...

If you're looking at Ozones then put the Catalyst on your list too. Better all-rounder than the REO if you want to do some twin-tipping too.

Incidentally, the REO boosts just fine when at the top of its range on a twintip.

Now that would be a better comparison, cat or a kahoona. Both all rounders. Reo wouldn't boost as good as the kahoona surely.

There is a reason why Best sells more kites worldwide than any other brand. Sure, if you ask an Australian, they will tell you to go with a Slingshot or Ozone kite because that's what the stores push (I'm guessing they pull in a bit more margin).

I'm not saying Best is far better than an Ozone or Slingshot, but it's rather a personal preferrence. I've been flying Best kites for 7 years now. Their customer support is second to none, and if you ever have a problem, you can be assured you'll be looked after.

I had 2 of their original Waroo kites for over a year and I hated the way they flew because I was used to the "C" shape. After a couple of emails, they replaced two kites which were over a year old with brand new Nemesis HP kites free of charge!

I've since moved on to the Kahoona design as I'm a surf/surfboard rider, rather than a twintip/freestyle rider. I could not be happier. The kite sits perfectly in the window as you head down the line of any wave. The relaunch is super fast/easy, and you can be assured that even after dumping your kite in the surf, chances are it'll come up on the other side perfectly in-tact.

After 7 years, I have never had a Best kite fault me. Not once have I ever had a strut blow out, stitching come undone, or valve need replacing. The build quality is AWESOME.

I would suggest taking both brand kites out for a test. Whatever you feel more comfortable with, go with it! They are all built just as well as the other.

Good luck...

Jeremy

Some good advice mentioned above. It depends on your style. I used my 8m TS yesterday for the first time, on a surfboard. It is a pure wave riding kite the way it drifts. I then went out on a 2HD nobile twinnie. The TS loops as well as an RPM 8m is more stable and has a better wind range, an is a superior wave kite. The RPM was my favourite kite until now. The TS and Ozone REO are closer to each other in that both are bridled C kites, the Kahoona is a 4 strut delta shape with no centre strut. If you are a beginner-intermediate the kahoona has better relaunch than the others and will progress your riding faster as they are very forgiving, right up to when you start unhooking. The other 2 are more for dedicated users, intermediate-advanced.

The 8M TS is not really suited for dedicated Wakestyle riding as it turns too fast, better kites in many brands for that, I think it will be the same for the reo.

Disclaimer: Team rider for Kite Surf and SUP Woodies and Scarbrough. By the way you can demo a TS anytime if they are not available, just PM me.

JezzaFromCal said...

There is a reason why Best sells more kites worldwide than any other brand. Sure, if you ask an Australian, they will tell you to go with a Slingshot or Ozone kite because that's what the stores push (I'm guessing they pull in a bit more margin).

I'm not saying Best is far better than an Ozone or Slingshot, but it's rather a personal preferrence. I've been flying Best kites for 7 years now. Their customer support is second to none, and if you ever have a problem, you can be assured you'll be looked after.

I had 2 of their original Waroo kites for over a year and I hated the way they flew because I was used to the "C" shape. After a couple of emails, they replaced two kites which were over a year old with brand new Nemesis HP kites free of charge!

I've since moved on to the Kahoona design as I'm a surf/surfboard rider, rather than a twintip/freestyle rider. I could not be happier. The kite sits perfectly in the window as you head down the line of any wave. The relaunch is super fast/easy, and you can be assured that even after dumping your kite in the surf, chances are it'll come up on the other side perfectly in-tact.

After 7 years, I have never had a Best kite fault me. Not once have I ever had a strut blow out, stitching come undone, or valve need replacing. The build quality is AWESOME.

I would suggest taking both brand kites out for a test. Whatever you feel more comfortable with, go with it! They are all built just as well as the other.

Good luck...

Jeremy

Good to see that the Best build quality is finally being acknowledged by general public kiters out there. Anyone discounting Best these days because of outdated reputation are really doing themselves a dis-service. The 2012 Best kites can match it with ANY brand on build quality. The flying characteristics are there for you to try for yourself. Like any kite they will be perfect for some - not so for others but should definitely be on the list of possibilities for everyone.
For my 2c worth Im just really pleased I have them in our range.
Love the Kahoona but then I tried the new TS for the first time today . For some this is going to be a ground breaker. For me the Kahoona is still the do-it-all for me.