Rider: 70kg intermediate
Style: Freeriding, Surf, Freestyle
Weather: 14-20ish
Build Quality: ?/10
Satisfaction: ?/10
Disclosure: self sponsered

just after a push in the right direction i ride a 2013 10 vegas either strapless surf or 134 x39 nobile 50/50 love the kite when its windy but underpowered on the flats say under 17knts
ive tried a bandit 6 but didnt fit with me maybe park vs rpm? not sure so any advice welcome

Hey azza what's the deal with the bandit 6...for all accounts it matches what ya looking for?

Evo I suppose also matches the above if ya wanna stay in the north line.

bandits are great kites no issue there i just wasnt as compfortable on it
obviously the vegas 12 would be the recomended kite but am unsure, vegas works well when its windy

Yeh true Vegas would work. There is a new north kite coming, just wait a bit. Sounds interesting.

Iam in the same boat ..I love flying the vegas even in the surf ..its only down fall is its crappy relaunch....a vegas with a good relaunch..is there such a kite.I felt the rpm had similarities ,but I love the vegas as it reins supreme for kite loops and quick turning.So much fun to fly !
Under 17 knots try doing downwinders on your 10m looping heaven!!!

Well I have heard that the new north kite is based on the Neo platform but has been moved closer to the vegas for more C grunt action. Sounds exactly what you guys are looking for. No battens, one pulley. Ridden 4 or 5 lines. Sounds the go...wait...

Demo a Park and a TRX both are great all rounders,the Vegas does lack low end punch 2012 park was a punchy kite and the 2013 TRX also has a great low end and range as well as it drifts and loops great,can't comment on the latest RPM as haven't ridden one for a while.

New kite from North will be a winner for you. Feels and looks very similar to the Vegas, just with more grunt, 4 lines, better drift in the surf and it's quicker than the 2013 Vegas.

Sounds good mixing wave riding with freestyle, wake style....Iam just imagining surfing a wave on a mutant then smashing the lip for a massive arial and front rolling and the landing on the same wave and continue surfing.doing things like this on a down winder with a kite that drifts well too would make for one massive kitegasm!!!
Iam going to try the Bandit and the Wainmain Punch as they do have excellent bottom end .I guess everything is a compromise and they wont be as quick as the vegas,but will give me the grunt on light wind days.I heard the they both drift reasonably well ,boost well and the loop is more violent..so to speak!.

Cant wait to see the new north kite...where is the info on it .Ive done 5 google searchs and found nothing?

wainmens super quick man.

Details on the new North gear will be online around the start of August... or we have a 9m you can come and demo if you're in Perth! Give us a call on 0427 927 873.

I have been using Evo 2013 12m lately
85 kg , intermediate / advanced , 15-20kt tropical ., flat to waves , mostly surfboards

Was after an all round kite ( not dedicated wave ) which sat back in the window for sb riding and which did not have the lag in turning which the rebel has when right up in the window .
Comment compared to rebels . I have only had a few sessions on it and still dialling in .

The 12m evo is quite different to the rebel . Sits back in window and is very fast and responsive compared to rebel . Really enjoyed my self the other day . Has a very solid feel when loaded .

Light bar pressure , less depower which may be an issue in real waves regarding drift , it always carries some pressure in the kite where the rebel doesn't. When it is fully powered it pulls like a train . Haven't yet tried it on the faster setting . Don't think there is too much difference in low end but suspect the rebel is better . Seems to hold it ground up wind against the rebel .

This kite is going to be a lot of fun for my style of riding - is worth throwing in the mix - wonder if it might be out of place in the north line up with the direction they are taking .

I have thought of the evo too.It seem to sit in with the bandit and the wainman with that c delta shape.Just through the grape vine I have heard that C deltas back stall more so than specific freestyle ,wake style kites .I have heard that they tend to drop while doing tricks.But I hear good reports from most people about there wave capabilities!
I would love to demo that new north kite vs the bandit vs the wainman vs the vegas!

All I can offer is when reading about the evo it sounded like some characteristics I felt on the smoke.

The bandit has a more refined feel and will find the edge of the window more than the smoke.

Both okay jumpers and you can go big enough, but nothing like what I ride. But that's the comprimise because they are both decent wave kites, the smoke a real corka, the evo sounding similar.

Can recommend on the Vegas as it changed in 2013 and I rode the 2012. All I can say it is an underrated wave kite, much punchier than the above do to its to its more c profile.

The new North Kite (dice) sounds very interesting if that the kind of kite you are looking at.

Yep , good point about the 2013 Vegas . Its a great kite .
Had a go last weekend on 12m and was surprised at its power , upwind ability and its speed . Would have thought it would be a reasonable wave kite as well although not dedicated to drift.

Have not ridden c'ish kite before and expected something different in the power and upwind area - certainly didn't disappoint in those .

BTW when I mentioned speed of the Evo - I meant its turning ability against rebel - it is slower in a straight line against the rebel and vegas .

It depends on how you like to have your power delivered. If you like your power delivered in a more direct punchier fashion then move yourself along the spectrum from a full C to something with aspect and a flatter profile, where delivery will be smoother and require apparent wind and speed to deliver power.

Somewhere in there is the right arc and aspect for you given your riding style of choice, given water conditions and preferred bridal composition.

I always wonder when crew say the evo for instance turns faster than the rebel. Of course it does! Understand your wing designs people!

But try and outjump the rebel on an evo...good luck. 'The evo goes upwind as well as the rebel'?...it can't. Given the same rider in the same conditions on the same board with the same water conditions. That's the design profiles of the differing kites and anything else is just someones opinion based on empirical biased experience. All things equal, (which is near nigh impossible) you cannot go past the physics of the wing design.

It's all about compromise. At the moment....

It would be interesting to see which kite would be better in lighter wind in terms of actully just getting a decent ride.The 10.5 meter wainman punch or the 12m vegas.The wainman boss looks like it would be too unco on a wave.

Any 12m isn't to crack hot in the surf, kid of gets to that size where it all doesn't quite work. Well it does but you have to adjust. The boss isn't as bad as you think. I've had a few good tries in waves and it does okay. Don't know if the 12m Vegas would be any better.

Today reluctantly I dragged out my 2013 Griffin 12m TRX for a on/off flat water session. (95% of my time is on 8,9 and 10m TRX in waves but due to no waves on offer in wind for a while I did it.

Was I surprised I made the modifications to the short bridle with a further adjustment to make another 20% improvement in kite response as recommended by Griffin and it made the kite feel my 10.5M TRX which is already an excellent kite.

I would think similar adjustments may work on other kites so give it a go.

As far as an all round kite goes I am not sure there is such a kite the TRX is close but more towards an excellent wave kite and very user friendly on flat water.

I think I should make this a new post as well to see if others make modifications to improve performance between kite year versions.

Light wind .Im going to demo the reo and the neo in 12m sizes this week for sub 15 knot down winders. With there lightness drifting capabilitys. Iam thinking that hey could be the go for lighter winds. Going down wind and no having stay up wind will take out the need up wind ability which these kites don't have. Usually sub 15 knots I go for a 17 meter edge which is not the greatiest for wave riding, but Iam fully light on an airush sector 52..boosting massive with long floaty hang time.
If I can get my hand on a the new north dice and it drifts closely to the neo or reo....mmm could be interesting.
The RPM vs the the dice could be an interesting shoot out! lined up with a good free ride light wind board .Either the the new sector 54 with surf fins or a shinn wave mutant.

Fact:
Wave kites are all rounders.


Get a pure wave kite, They also perform extremely well unhooked.

Look up North neo for example , rates high on wave and on Unhooked pop. I Unhook in flat on it and do rotations.

If you go Slingshot, get the Rally, Get something awesome in the waves, of course it can everything else you need. It is after all, a big ass flying kite machine.

how many lighter guys ride a 12 vs just using a 10 with different boards
also any one been on the dice willing to coment yet been trying to demo but its been out

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Seabreezeb said..

Fact:
Wave kites are all rounders.


Get a pure wave kite, They also perform extremely well unhooked.







Not sure anything is a fact but I will support the notion that a wave kite is a good all rounder in the wake style unhooked category. The envy is a good example.

For pure boosting freeride in the waves wave kites can be beaten in terms of boosting potential by a non wave kite. The best boosting wave kite I have used so far is the NRG.

I think it depends on what type of all round riding you want.

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azza86 said..

how many lighter guys ride a 12 vs just using a 10 with different boards
also any one been on the dice willing to coment yet been trying to demo but its been out

blatent pimp here, but...

If anyone in Perth wants to demo the dice, give us a shout on 0427 927 873. We've got a 9m ready to go, and plenty of wind over the next few days. Also have a 10m 2014 Vegas for demo ;)

Drew

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Drewm said...

azza86 said..

how many lighter guys ride a 12 vs just using a 10 with different boards
also any one been on the dice willing to coment yet been trying to demo but its been out

blatent pimp here, but...

If anyone in Perth wants to demo the dice, give us a shout on 0427 927 873. We've got a 9m ready to go, and plenty of wind over the next few days. Also have a 10m 2014 Vegas for demo ;)

Drew

cheers drew
my local shop has a 10m demo im next in line

Azza. Feeling more confident to say give the Evo a go too. Had a few sessions on my 12 and it is a sweet kite. I would say allrounder. Would cover waves and tricks without being specific to either.