2011 Ozone Reo Wave Kite

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Created by

AKSonline > 9 months ago, 21 Apr 2011

TurtleHunter

1675 posts

11 Nov 2011 12:06pm

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benchy said...

I am looking to get an 8m reo or cab drifter for a surf kite.
This kite has to also double as a flat water and surf kite for my missus because the 10m C4 she is riding is a bit big.
Has anyone spent some time on both these kites that can give us all a comparison (wave kite vs wave kite)?

Still havn't tried mine on a twin tip but they feel like they will be fine when flown more towards the top end of their windrange. Funny enough all the reos I have sold this year have been to blokes buying their partners new kites although as yet I have only seen the blokes out on them. The nose diving only happens at the bottom of their windrange when the bar is let out but when properly powered you can let the bar go and put your leggy on and the kite just sits in the sky perfectly.
I have only ever seen one of the drifters but never got to try it although the certain tall seabreeze mod I saw on it just about took me out trying to take off on a strapless board.

It seemed to have very on off power compared to the reo from what I saw.

Hunter S

516 posts

12 Nov 2011 12:04am

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pearl said...

Had a week of solid wind to really give the 8m reo a workout. Kite reviews are so subjective depending on what you have been riding and what you expect the kite to do.. I replaced a 2011 9m switchblade with a new one and thought the 2012 had a damp, heavy feel.... where as another friend replaced his and thought it turned quicker.... A week later and I couldn't feel the damp feeling. A couple of weeks later again thanks to flying the reo it feels like a slug. Anyway REO.. when I first got it, I wasn't as impressed as a lot of other reviewers. I put it down to light variable winds and as I was hanging back for the new ozone bar; I was flying it on a bar that the centre lines split further towards the kite. It didn't work well. The kite has the ability to fly a long way forward in the window (great for getting upwind); so without decent wind or back line pressure there, it can fall. What a difference some decent wind and the latest ozone bar made. It really is a great kite for wave riding. I initially preferred my 7m cabrinha drifter which has more static pull per square metre and can boost; but would now reach for the reo over it every time I can. It's simply fun to ride. To sum it up the kite can be put quickly where you want it, then stopped and drifted or turned to allow for some decent surfing. It doesn't have any crazy yank when the wind is up which allows you to surf in bumpy conditions down the line. The trade off is you could feel underpowered unless there is decent rideable wind. I'm still undecided whether this would be the right kite to have in bigger sizes in light winds. At 74kg unstrapped surf board 18kn up is good for 8m. It must have to be super windy to use a 6m as I can hold the 8m down when it's strong. I have the same 'have to get used to' as others.... Hard bar ends, pull towards safety, leaking plug, canopy flutter when steered hard, difficult to select a 2 kite quiver with current sizing and $$$$; but the good points far out way these things and have found my go to kite for 2012
As neil young said about hank williams old guitar; "it can't be blamed for my mistakes... it only does what it's told.

Some good comments Pearl. I've ridden the 6 and 8 Reo's and they're great kites but not perfect - none are. Totally agree "without decent wind or back line pressure there, it can fall", "difficult to select a 2 kite quiver" - you need three, and those big arse valves suck if you pump and deflate on a sandy beach. But got to admit - the turning response is awesome.

Plummet

4862 posts

12 Nov 2011 8:51am

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surfingboye said...

My session on the 6m was cut short the other day thanks to the leaky pump screw top. Did you have this problem?

ps no leaks for me yet. though i made damn sure there was no sand in the valve.

benchy

QLD

60 posts

12 Nov 2011 11:10am

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Thanks for the prompt review pearl. Crazy running into you on the beach strait after you wrote it though.

Cheers Turtlehunter, its a good excuse to buy a new kite (need it for girlfriend, wife etc)

bene313

1347 posts

12 Nov 2011 11:58am

I don't have Reos but my 6m and 10m 2011 Ozones have the oversized valve. I haven't had any problems with leakage.

surfingboye

NSW

2707 posts

12 Nov 2011 3:10pm

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bene313 said...

I don't have Reos but my 6m and 10m 2011 Ozones have the oversized valve. I haven't had any problems with leakage.

Lucky perhaps, my 10m was fine but the 6m leaks like a sieve. Plenty of plumbing tape will hopefully do the trick.

blueprint

321 posts

12 Nov 2011 1:22pm

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surfingboye said...

bene313 said...

I don't have Reos but my 6m and 10m 2011 Ozones have the oversized valve. I haven't had any problems with leakage.

Lucky perhaps, my 10m was fine but the 6m leaks like a sieve. Plenty of plumbing tape will hopefully do the trick.

With the smaller leading edge tubes the thing I've noticed is that if pumped too hard without the valve very well screwed in they can distort the valve seat stopping them from sealing. Thinnk it's been said before if you have a second seal in your spares kite try adding it to the current one and doing it up pretty tight.

Plummet

4862 posts

12 Nov 2011 4:23pm

there is also a product recall on some of 2011 valves. check ozones web sight put in your number and you might get a new bladder.

Andrash

637 posts

12 Nov 2011 5:38pm

Anyone flew the 12m Reo?
I wonder if it would be suitable as a general light wind kite for a 70kg rider.
I tried the 8 and 10, they were sweet, but I had been burnt by (miss)judging a big kite by looking at her smaller sister. I had two in the past few years, and both needed considerable wind to fly to the edge, so they had plenty of power, but no upwind.
More specifically, I am looking at a 8-12 quiver for Perth mush, with a 12 for lighter days, not only for waves.

Kitepower Australia

NSW

4382 posts

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13 Nov 2011 9:50am

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Andrash said...

Anyone flew the 12m Reo?
I wonder if it would be suitable as a general light wind kite for a 70kg rider.
I tried the 8 and 10, they were sweet, but I had been burnt by (miss)judging a big kite by looking at her smaller sister. I had two in the past few years, and both needed considerable wind to fly to the edge, so they had plenty of power, but no upwind.
More specifically, I am looking at a 8-12 quiver for Perth mush, with a 12 for lighter days, not only for waves.

I've had 2 people tell me recently its the best 12M wave kite they have ever used, it does not feel or handle like any other 12M kite, feels small, turns and handles like most 10's.
The Reo has an extremely lifty profile, goes upwind extremely well and does jump well in the hands of an experienced rider (its not just a pull bar in booster, needs early direct and redirect, and even a swing back and forth on bigger jumps).

@ Plummet

Yep there was an issue with some early production kites, the machine making the bladders had some random fault, not all kites listed will leak or have valve bases that crack, but Ozone will give you a new bladder anyway.

There is a secondary issue with the male part of the valve - the screw in bit, for now plumbers tape will fix any minor leaking, until a new valve mould is made by Ozone and new valves issued to every Ozone kite owner. The current valves are made by the same company in China that makes the Cab ones, they are used in kites and all sorts of inflatable products. The problem is a techy one, but the thread used is not a proper engineered thread, its some sort of cloned/adapted, chineesesy thread, and it it has a large tolerance compared to a properly matched engineering thread. This means that there can be issues with leaking and thread stripping if they are overtightened.
Sand is not the problem, unless it gets under the rubber washer. This type of valve has been in use for a couple of decades on inflatable products, but kites need something with much closer tolerances. Ozone are making their own valve mould to rectify the issues. This valve allows the kite to be pumped much easier and deflate much faster.
If anyone has any problem with a valve or bladder on an Ozone kite, contact your nearest Ozone sales outlet, or Ozone direct.

It must be stressed that the bladder issue is only affecting a small number of kites and is not affecting kites produced by Ozone now.

Hunter S

516 posts

13 Nov 2011 11:44am

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I haven't flown the 12, but after flying the 6 and 8 I think the 4m gap between the 8 and 12 is too big and would be really frustrating (i'm 68 kg & on a surfboard). If I had to buy 2 kites for WA I'd get the 8 & 10 (and spend a few sessions wishing I'd bought the 6 as well).

I think the reason they made them in 2 m steps is that that's what Ozone reckoned would work.

Andrash

637 posts

13 Nov 2011 6:17pm

thanks for the feedback...
time only and variable winds tell the real wind range of a kite, but it has been said countless times how much more wind range modern kites have... so having to have a 10 and an 8 is just a bit too much overlap after years of flying 8-12 and 9-13 quivers with still some overlap.... of course if $ is not an issue 6-8-10-12 would be the best quiver for me in Perth... and it may happen..
Demo flying the 8 and the 10 showed me that there was much more juice left in the kites if I had shortened the back lines, so I am still wondering about the wind range..... kites behave differently when flown on the front or on the back lines (meaning high or low end of their range), for example my 6m RPM loves to be fully powered, while my old Cult just froze on the back lines....
...as for the nose diving, I flew the 10 in less then marginal conditions when I had to walk 100m upwind after every ride, yet I have not experienced the nosediving.. I just wonder if it is about the difference in the style we fly the kites....

Tony Armstrong

NSW

341 posts

17 Nov 2011 1:39pm

I have a 12/8 Reo combo. Seems to work quite well on the east coast, south of Sydney for most conditions. The 12 is fun, quick to turn, apparent airflow and ok for drifting in waves. I feel it does not drift as good like the 10 or 8 but the 12 is flying in lighter winds, so I sure that is the reason why.

Kitepower Australia

NSW

4382 posts

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17 Nov 2011 4:26pm

That massive flaming fireball falling out of the sky looks a bit hectic!!!!! Why wasn't that on the news??

Tony Armstrong

NSW

341 posts

17 Nov 2011 5:17pm

Hey Steve, most probably just a hunk of snot falling out....

bene313

1347 posts

21 Nov 2011 9:35am

I demo'd the 6 and 8 on the weekend. Didn't get to try the 10 as it was too windy.

Rider: 70kg intermediate kook, currently owns 6/10 catalyst and 8 xc light.
Style: SB strapless
Weather: 20-25 and then 25-30 later. Quite gusty and onshore, few hours north of Perth.

Wind range: In 20-25 knots the 6 was going ok but as we were surfing an onshore beachie it was difficult to get enough power to get upwind against the surf. Sining the kite doesn't generate a whole heap of power but does help a bit in under-powered conditions. Pumped up the 8 and there was no problem. Had a great session on the 8 and it is a vast improvement from my 2009 8m.

Wind picked up 25-30. I was holding the 8 down but well powered up. Got the 6 out again and it's in it's sweet spot. Being a 6 it is fast, but still predictable. I was often flying both kites blind to pull me out of situations eg white wash.

Canopy size: Laid the 8m over my 2009 8m xc light and the size is the same. Kite shape varies a little and shorter bridles. A mate down at the local beach yesterday told me he laid the 8 reo over his 6 rpm and the 8 was only slightly bigger, more like a 7 he thought.

Quiver options: Selecting a quiver is difficult - 6/8/10 is the obvious choice but I would like to go down to a 2 kite quiver. Was actually thinking 8/10 with the 8 on shorter lines when the wind picks up. Anyone have any thoughts on this?? I would also like to try the 8 in 15-20 to see how it fairs.

GaryB

13 posts

25 Nov 2011 5:43am

My current quiver is 5, 7 & 9m 2010 Ozone C4's and a tired old 2008 12m Ozone Light II. I weigh about 75kg, ride surfboards between 5'6' and 6'
I only do waves these days, and after trying Catalysts, found I preferred the C4's. Before getting the 9m C4, I briefly owned a 10m 2010 C4. Maybe it was a bad one, but I couldn't get on with it, so swapped it for the 9m which I love on 20m lines. Totally different kite from the 10m.
I would like a new light wind wave kite, and was wondering if the 10m Reo would be significantly better than my 9m C4 in light winds? As long as the wind isn't too onshore, I can be out in 11 -12 knts on the 9m, but it's a struggle.
I am not too keen on getting a 12m. Also I like the light bar pressure of the C4. Would I find a significant difference in bar pressure with the Reo? I read the Reo is heavier on the bar.
Thanks

Gary

Andrash

637 posts

25 Nov 2011 2:56pm

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bene313 said...

Quiver options: Selecting a quiver is difficult - 6/8/10 is the obvious choice but I would like to go down to a 2 kite quiver. Was actually thinking 8/10 with the 8 on shorter lines when the wind picks up. Anyone have any thoughts on this?? I would also like to try the 8 in 15-20 to see how it fairs.

Hi Bene313, I might have been the guy with the 6m RPM the other day. I demo'd the 8m in very gusty NW day (20-28kn) on bigish swells. It behaved surprisingly well, very smooth and stable, fast yet not nervously quick for the conditions, and way less power then I would have expected from an 8m. I layd my 6m RPM over it, and found it was not significantly bigger (certainly not 2m), so it explained. Although it was a very sweet kite, I did not buy it, because the overlap with my RPM would have been way too much (I use the 6m RPM from around 22kn). The kite was already quite quick, so I would be hesitant to put it on a shorter line, especially in gusty conditions, but it is certainly worth a try.

bene313

1347 posts

25 Nov 2011 3:45pm

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Andrash said...
The kite was already quite quick, so I would be hesitant to put it on a shorter line, especially in gusty conditions, but it is certainly worth a try.

Gday Andrash, perhaps it was you down at trigg?

Anyway try I will - bit the bullet on an 8/10 combo and got a 20m line set with 5m extensions. Will use 25's as standard and try 20's in 25-30kn.

Cheers
Benny

Andrash

637 posts

25 Nov 2011 4:21pm

Hi Benny, yes it was Trigg. Opinions and experiences do differ greatly, so take mine like that, but after flying both kites (8, and 10), (for riding waves) I would use extension only on the 10, and only to extend its wind range. Longer lines mean slower turning kites, and bit less upwind in return for the increased bottom end, so in conditions when you need more lower end from the 8, you rather put on the 10... and when the wind drops further, extend the line of the 10, but expect a less responsive more powerful kite. Some guys I know simply put on a bigger more floaty board to extend the range of a kite. I don't ride big boards so I can't comment to this.
See you on the waves

andy59

QLD

1156 posts

29 Nov 2011 3:40pm

Here's my 10 cents worth. I have 8m; 10m; and 12m Reos and a 17m zephyr.
I am a lazy fat bastard and i like my kites to do most of the work for me.
I ride a 6'2" surfboard
The 8 and the 10 are in my opinion the best wave kites I have ever ridden and I am finding the 17m Zephyr heaps of fun when it's lighter.
I can comfortably transition from the 17 to the 10 without really needing to pump up the 12.
If you weigh more than 85kg and are looking for a light wind kite that will drift down the line check the zephyr out. just saying.

kyteryder

NSW

692 posts

30 Nov 2011 8:19pm

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andy59 said...

Here's my 10 cents worth. I have 8m; 10m; and 12m Reos and a 17m zephyr.
I am a lazy fat bastard and i like my kites to do most of the work for me.
I ride a 6'2" surfboard
The 8 and the 10 are in my opinion the best wave kites I have ever ridden and I am finding the 17m Zephyr heaps of fun when it's lighter.
I can comfortably transition from the 17 to the 10 without really needing to pump up the 12.
If you weigh more than 85kg and are looking for a light wind kite that will drift down the line check the zephyr out. just saying.

Andy,

Im 70 kg, ride a surfboard. My largest kite is a 10 switchblade, im tossing up between the 10 &12 reo. What does the 12 ride compared to your 10. Do u reckon the 10 will get me going in 15 knots, comfortably, i know that the bottom end isnt as great as the switchblade, but will it be enough to get me going.

KR

andy59

QLD

1156 posts

30 Nov 2011 8:43pm

KR
The 10 is fast and direct enough to generate as much power as the 10m switchy, you might just have to work it a bit more.
I would definitely recommend the 10 over the 12. The 12 is still a 12m kite and, as good as it is, it still feels soggy and slow compared to the 10.
happy riding

bene313

1347 posts

30 Nov 2011 10:16pm

kyteryder I'm 70kg and have been using the 10 around 15kn. Was going upwind the other day in 12-18 holey wind. Start to feel overpowered unstrapped at 18-20.

kyteryder

NSW

692 posts

2 Dec 2011 12:51am

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bene313 said...

kyteryder I'm 70kg and have been using the 10 around 15kn. Was going upwind the other day in 12-18 holey wind. Start to feel overpowered unstrapped at 18-20.

Thanks for that. It looks like 10 it is. Giddy up.

surfingboye

NSW

2707 posts

3 Dec 2011 10:31pm

Took a twin tip out today, for the first time in a couple of years and did some boosts. It certainly doesn't give floaty jumps, it just drops you down so quick. Point the board down wind and ride it out.

pearl

NSW

984 posts

21 Dec 2011 1:59pm

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pearl said...

Blah blah blah....I'm still undecided whether this would be the right kite to have in bigger sizes in light winds....more blah..

I am decided now after using my 10m. It's a great light wind kite wave kite thats FUN to fly. I don't need anything bigger at my weight (72kg pre xmas).

Although the waves are small in this vid, it's filmed to show the kite. There's another 9 minute one by the same guy where he rides the 6, 8, and 10m

surfingboye

NSW

2707 posts

22 Dec 2011 11:15pm

8m looks very quick in that wind. Actually looked a bit like the session I had today, 10m in max 1ft waves!

surfingboye

NSW

2707 posts

23 Dec 2011 6:37pm

Anyone want to swap a two time used 6m for an 8m, kite only?
Or anyone got an 8m for sale?

Plummet

4862 posts

24 Dec 2011 3:14am

nice video. the small reos a certainly loop machines.

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