Rider: 94kgs ,Level intermediate
Style: Freeriding, Surf,
Weather: 10-15 knots
Build Quality: 8-9/10
Satisfaction: Too early in the piece

Got to ride a FS Pulse 2 10m last night (thanks Ian Young) and I have to say it was pretty impressive. I have been kiting for over 2 years now and mostly in waves with Airush gear but have ridden many various kites.

Went to the local oval which backs onto the beach - wind was averaging 12kts - so I just went to setup and see what the kite was like etc. Got it in the air and it had a lot more power than I was expecting which then led me to the water. I wouldnt have been able to get up and going on my TT (138cm) with my 12m Vapor 2 but sure enough I was actually holding/making ground on the P2.

The kite: its a nightmare for first time users to be honest - especially if you have come from inflatables - things are so different and the sheer amount of lines make you go OMG!!! Get past that and setup is about as simple as it gets, roll out lines - they are always connected - preinflate if required - no more pumping - launch and go. The physical size and weight of these kites is far less when compared to the equivalent size in an inflatable which for travelling is a bonus!

Launching - as it was light I hot launched - and with the kite half inflated it worked a treat - couple of pumps of the bar and it inflated nicely once in the air. I landed the kite by reversing it down, fixed the bar to a post then set up for a typical edge of window launch... just as easy as an inflatable.

Riding in light wind - doesnt get any easier - I wasnt sining the kite as much as an inflatable - I was actually depowering - about 50% - and moving the bar a lot more up and down the centre lines - this just kept the kite pulling forward and once you were used to this it became almost automatic. On the side of the kite it says 10m - but a graphic next to it indicates that its equivalent to a 12-14 inflatable - which I have to say is pretty accurate - my only query now is - is a 6m Pulse 2 small enough for those big wind days?

A point of note - a couple of times the tips of the kite hit the water - unlike an inflatable where the tip hits and usually sinks, slows and holds some water, the Pulse sat on top of the water - the tips folded a little and there was little to no drag, which if hit by a wave side on or back on I can see it floating over the wave rather than digging in - time will tell there too!

So initial impressions were pretty positive, well constructed although somewhat daunting at first, easy to fly - if you didnt look at the kite it would be hard to tell by feel if it was a foil or not, quick through the sky and for people travelling or living in remote areas a great option considering there is far less that can go wrong with it.

Will update when the wind blows harder.

Cheers
Lance

can I have your pump?

Hi Lancekenny,

Keep us posted on your progress with this kite. Whats the bar pressure like and feedback from the bar?

Cheers.

John

Owen I was just looking at my battery powered pump - something that I wont need anymore... everything in life is negotiable for the right dollars!!

John I sure will - bar pressure is fairly light although I have just moved it to the lightest setting - hope to ride it this afternoon - feedback was good - didnt have too many issues with where the kite was but watched it a lot when just moving the bar up and down the line when 50% depowered in the really light wind - the is a good learning curve but what I can see it would be relatively quick!

Ridden the kite more in pretty average conditions... its a difficult kite to fly - or I should say you have to adjust the kite to your style and weight and loose some of your previously formed habits.

Its super hard to beat the setup and pack up of these kites - and the more you get used to it the easier it gets - throwing the kite on the water and letting it inflate and drift downwind as you unwind the lines is really very very easy - making boat launch and land a relatively simple task.

Riding the kite is where things get trickier - and with experience I am sure this is going to improve!

When there is heaps of wind all is fine but once you start riding at the upper or lower limits you really need to have the kite dialed in to the way you ride. These things are infinitely adjustable and Im only just now starting to understand its complexities - although daunting, with some time upfront - gives the kite even more range potential.

I have made some adjustments to my mixer setting - very easy to do and similar to using the knots on rear line pig tails for some inflatable kites. I have also shortened the front lines to reduce the amount of backstall. Making these changes on the fly in the park is the best way to fine tune the kite I find - then test on water when the wind is up.

Being used to near 100% depower and long throw on the bar - I am having to edge harder and ride more like a c style kite as opposed to the bow - once I make this transition Im sure the kite will impress even further.

They arent kites where you can just pick up and go like some of the newer inflatables - my experience anyway - but once you come to terms with the system - it should be as good as any inflatable kite for the average rider.

Hi Lance,

Sounds like you’re making great progress; do you have the fifth FDS line attached to the Pulse 2 kite? I'm currently riding friends inflatable to get me back into the sport. Having to have someone launch you totally sucks to say the least not to mention the landing dramas. When your packing up does the Pulse 2 have the big zipper like the Psycho4 to deflate the kite when you done? Did you try the Psycho4 at all?

Keep the info coming.

Thanks

John

Hi John - yep I tried the P4 and it is a great kite - I thought it was a lot like my vapors in feel - looked totally different - but when riding waves you couldnt tell the difference.

That said with waves I wanted more of a park and ride kite that I could switch off and focus on the surf. I think I have made the right choice - I was flying it unhooked the other day on the beach and was suitably impressed.

As far as launching - landing - its just as quick as my Vapors as I used to do this on my own - the setup and packup is much quicker though!! No FDS on the 10 and the 6 but I would use it for sure on bigger kites, although Im no expert!

The P2 has the zipper and I always seem to pack teh kite up with the zip on the bottom half which is frustrating when on the beach.

Just need to sort this dialling in process and Im sure all will be sweet!

Cheers
Lance

Hey Lance,

Thanks for that additional info, I'm around 76kgs so I'm thinking the 8m will do me just fine, I also think I'll fit the FDS to the P2 if I get one. You gotta love the setup and packup of the FS gear and the self launch simplicity. I'm getting lazy these days so your comment of "park and ride"' appeals to me as I just want to roll out the kite lauch, crack along with my Nobile T5 and have a good time just blasting around. When I'm finished drop it, pack it and head home no fus.

Can you keep me posted on your "dial in" process as I'm interested to learn from your experiences.

Thanks

John

Finally I think I have the 10 sorted and I am very happy now. I do love the Airush Vapor kites - all of mine were out of the bag perfect - never had to do much if anything to them ever - the FS is a little different.

Turned out the centre lines on mine were about 6-8cm too long so once I addressed that - flying in 16-22kts turned out to be a very pleasing session indeed. I was out on my 135TT and jumping, front and back rolls etc were all a walk in the park. I think the kite for me and my weight will be perfect around 24-26kts.

Bar pressure is really non existent and riding/controlling one handed is a breeze. The thing with FS kites and Im not sure if its all foil kites is that you have to ride it in a more controlled - less aggressive fashion that a LEI. If you are running out of puff you need to push the bar away from you and let the twin skin efficiency work as opposed to sining the kite throughout the length of the depower line.

Once you learn this lesson - and it does take some learning your jumps etc all go up another notch, I found myself over jumping a few front rolls in this case.

A good kite for many reasons and look forward to some better winds and hopefully some waves.