I got to spend an hour on the new Airush Vapour 12m today …this is truly a great kite…it is one of those kites that you feel comfortable on straight away….from the moment you launch it…..you feel as though you are in total control….no nasty surprises…
Quality wise… this kite is excellent, the canopy feels nearly twice as thick as other kites…I don’t know if it is, but it has a quality feel… The bar is nice along with the safety and Ronstan carbon/plastic composite trim cleat. Everything is neat and tidy ….and quality.
Setting up is a breeze with the one pump and the five lines present no problems at all, quick and easy…It says that you should inflate to 7 psi….it was not my kite, so we only inflated it to 4 psi…according to the gauge and that felt hard enough…
In the air the kite is very stable and does not do anything unexpected…..it’s hard to put into words, but it does exactly what you want it to do….and it tempts you to go harder and makes you feel like you are better than you are…well for me anyway.
On the water with this kite, you feel as though you have been riding it all your life…it just feels rite….low bar pressure with the capability to be able to feel what the kite is doing…just awesome….it makes you feel like you have been gifted with ESP.
The conditions I was riding in was marginal and lighter blokes than me were walking back up wind…I was initially ridding a 147 stonker, then Peter from Caloundra Wind and Surf gave me a NXS board that he had made and I was able to stay up wind a lot easier with that….and it was 138…nice ridding board…quick planing and smooth…..
It hard to explain how this kite feels…it feels rite. It turns quick and smooth with what feels like plenty of depower. Did I mention how smooth it was….It jumps well without even having to think about it…but due to the lack of wind I had to use the wave faces as ramps….but it still ripped me off the water….however the decent was quite quick with 94kg hanging off it….but the board made the landings nice and smooth…
This kite likes speed to produce power and because you can just throw it around like a toy you can place it back in the rite spot with ease….but be careful how far you throw it back in the power zone because it will catch you unaware with a first-rate power spike…did I mention how smooth it was?
If you’re after a five line kite….have a go on this puppy….it has something for everyone…quality, power and performance….can’t ask for more than that…
Thanks to Peter Nitschke at www.caloundrawindandsurf.com.au . Peter is the local Airush dealer for the Sunshine Coast, so you can contact him on M.0419670913 if you want one…at the moment he has a 12 for demos….very nice kite….did I mention how smooth it was…?
Cheers,
Barrie
totally agree Barrie, I have been riding my ten for a couple of weeks now and cant wait for this weekend with good winds forecast! I am 95kg depending on what I ate for dinner and anything over 14kts and this has me going just right and it feels like you could easily take it out in some really strong winds!!!
I often found myself riding on my weak side (goofy foot) thinking how nice this kite is to fly and I am doing new moves that I just couldnt on my old kites, not that they were bad kites - this one is just so much better.
Airush doesnt seem to be up there with the hype and "street cred" of some of the other kites - but I concur - give this kite a go and you wont be disapointed - its an absolute joy to ride!
I also notice that the new airush site is in the process of being uploaded... being involved in the internet business I am not sure why it is being done piecemeal but its on its way... I see there is a new board listed also!!!
Lancekenny,
I was pleasently supprised on how nice this kite is to fly...I haven't ridden a five line kite for a while...and really wasn't excited about riding it until I got on it....then I did not want to give it back....it feels like you could ride it all day.
Cheers,
Barrie.
Hey Crakas I rode the 10 on Saturday and a few mates were pushing each other harder and harder... my kite went down very hard... and then she started to deflate 
I stood there and watched it as the crabs started attacking my feet... I got it to the beach and realised that I had blown one of the cable ties off the single inflation system - ended up with some water in the kite - but all good now that I have blown it up and dried it out... was so relieved though that it wasnt going to end in an expensive repair job!
The kite still rocks... now I just need to increase the dare devil levels to keep up with the other guys 
Better to blow a a cable tie than a bladder....
I am still seriously impressed with the kite...I would be interested to know the wind range of these kites....
Also Lancekenny...what pressure are you pumping it up to....?
I was so relieved to see it didnt need a repair...
I pump the kite to 7PSI which is recommended and its really stiff at this pressure - including the struts.
As for wind range I ride my 10m, I am 100kgs, riding a 138 switch in anywhere between 15 - 22 kts on Saturday. I feel I can comfortably ride this kite from 15 to just over 30 kts easily, I have riden it in lighter winds but had to work it like there was no tomorrow and really not worth the effort.
I think I will keep my 7m Flow and trade the 12m flow in on a 14m Vapor - that should cover me for anything just about...
Hey Barrie just to follow up on my last post this is a pic of me this arvo by Rick Harding - it was all of 10-12 kts - check out how calm the water is... I am 100kgs and this is my 10m kite - true I couldnt jump more than a couple of feet but once the wind picked up a few more knots the kite was in fine form...
I think pairing this with the 14 this summer is going to be the ticket!
Thats pretty impresive..What size board?
I still want to have another ride on the vapour....I liked it that much...I quickly adapted to the kite, which made it hard going back to my kite...There is so many good kites out there at the moment...I would like to have one of each...alas...I only have limited fun vouchers...
Cheers,
Barrie
its a 138 switch and the best bit was I was able to hold the kite in that position - not having to do the million mile an hour egg beater to keep the power on.
Likewise everything this year looks so good... need to diversify more between mates and get a bit of everything to try...
