you haven't said what style of riding you want to do. It makes a big difference in what type of kite you should get. Having said that the delta shapes seem to be the best for light wind fun

bennie said...

you haven't said what style of riding you want to do. It makes a big difference in what type of kite you should get. Having said that the delta shapes seem to be the best for light wind fun

bennie's right. The Edge will boost bigger than most and scream upwind but the C4 will be more suited to freestyle moves. Then are are a host of surf specific kites as well to choose from.

I have the 13m Edge and an 11mC4,I weigh 95 kg dry. Ride an underground 142 styx.
I have riden the SB.
The 13m edge has huge grunt way more than any other 13m I have riden. It boosts very well with long hang time. It is slow to turn but with practice you can get used to this. It will loop but it is more of a sweep turn. I enjoy doing kiteloop transitions on this kite but you have to have plenty of hieght at the start in order to get the kite around. I can get going on this in about 12 knots. I have flown this kite in over 30 knots and had a blast. The C4 turns quick and also boosts extremely well although it behaves quite differently. It loops really nice. i don't get the C4 out of the bag unless it is over 25 knots. I have stuck with this combo for this season as it works really well for me. Agree with Jankie this years C4 has better bottom end

You mentioned that the Edge was slow, how does it compare to the SB for slowness?

You have to ask yourself - what are the advantages of a fast kite for your style of riding. Many freestylers slow their kites down so that they are more stable during manouvers. If you are looping a kite while you are in the air, you may want one that will pull smoothly through the manouver and give you a soft landing. If you want to accurately place your kite or milk every once of power then a fast kite is good.

You really have to look at the total package. Price, build quality, pulleys on the kite (I hate pulleys), trim operation, bar features, safety aspects, relaunch ability
then performance - up wind capability, boosting, hang time, speed through the air, wind range, low end - high end.

If you're not very experienced you may not appreciate many of these things. The Edge are pricy but worth the money if you can appreciate their features. If you're new to kiting and are going to crash your kite a lot then go for something cheaper with easy relaunch. Trade up in 12 months time.