Core Nexus Review 7m.
Ok so i was interested to try the latest Wave kites out and so I popped into Action Sports where they stock. Slingshot, Duotone, Ozone and Core Kites. My intention was to demo every wave kite from these brands. Darren suggested I try the Core Nexus as he didn't have the Section as a demo. ( I am thinking like OK I may as well get the the all rounder off the list as normally all rounders don't do anything really well but don't offend either but I am only interested Wave kites and usually all rounders are just that) OK read further I admit when I make wrong assumption.

About me- I have a Dad bod around 95kg and hate long walks on the beach. I ride Perth year round and outa town for last 10 years mostly on surfboards unstrapped. Currently riding Slingshot Waves for last 2 years and Ozones, Airush, Fone before that.
So I get to the beach its about 17 knots with a nice 1-2ft wind wave and we are setting up to go down wind.

The Pump up - You really notice hight tech materials and construction as you set this kite up. One thing that got me bit annoyed straight away is the unique pump system.yes it pumps up super fast but if I forget my pump connection WTF game over. I decided to see if I could by pass this and with a pump up with a standard connection you can actually still get it pumped up.
The Bar The bar is clean and very very light the trim line and everything is uncluttered. The bar is thinner than standard which with a different grip left me with a sore forearm I think due to the reduced leverage on the grip. In the air the bar reacts with no lag and is the most responsive setup I have flown. (Ozone Reo would be next ) . It has bridles I know some people are anti pulleys, but they short and light so not really a worry for me as the best kites I have had all used pulleys. The main thing is reducing risk of bridle wrapping on wing tip which looks hard if not impossible to do on this kite.
The BAR n lines need a mention heres COREs garb - The virtually tangle-free, no stretch, Tectanium center and steering lines are 400% more resistant to elongation and feature an unbelievable 50% greater breaking strength. To cap things off, the lines are 10% thinner and, therefore, more aerodynamic.
Also it has ceramic bearings which spin freely and are oblivious to sand so NO Line twisting at all...thats a first. Centre line is smooth and coated so no stickiness or wearing through the centre lines.

Safety- Relaunch is very responsive and the quick release drops evenly on the 2 front lines so no death looping with that. Everything else looks swish in this department.

Hows She FLY??
F%^^&* WOW. I didn't have any anticipation of liking this kite for waves and was quite ready to issue my opinion and get onto the next brand with their dedicated wave kite. The razor sharp turning with crisp smooth power and flow from multiple attack angles straight away was noticeable. This quick, light versatile kite was letting me squeeze and extra turn or quick re redirect. Still wanting to poo poo this kite I wanted to find its weakness. First port of call to test drift and stability on a wave kite is to ride towards it at speed and pull on the centre lines (because this all rounder would surely fall out of the sky and then I could move. OK so it stays in the sky and I cannot pull it out of the air and even more impressive was it allowed me to steer it out of these deliberate lags.

Dammit I am not supposed to like this kite so much. I kinda learnt to wave kite flying the kite.used love the Bandit dos back in 08 a kite, love to down loop everywhere so it really did this 10/10. Racing towards it and setting the kite to drift it rides away as fast as I can chase it meaning down line like Gnarloo this is going to be next level. I have been focusing on riding my board and drifting the kite last couple of years more and more and I feel this kite does this so well. In looping you can temper the power with large, med or small loops without getting yanked out of your bottom turn. I can't stress how important this is 10/10. Apparently there is drift wave setting I didn't even use this. Upwind the kite is very easy even on my second run in 16knots its getting me upwind. My last concern was wind range but I just flew this 7m in 25knots and its very well behaved. Unhooked its a gem although really only few guys like Ry Cracker really do it well.

Drift 8.5/10
Construction 9/10
Upwind 9/10
Responsiveness 9/10
Turning on Wave 10/10
*these numbers could have gone 10s but need to leave room for next tests

POSITIVES -Could be best kite on ground lets see after a few more tests back to back (Opinions are subjective) I really could fault anything about this kites performance. -truckload of useful tech, cutting edge materials and engineering Z Germans are renowned for this.

NEGATIVES -You need the Core Pump Connection so forget using your mates unless that have it
-Price its up there with the other premium brands however there is a truckload of useful tech, cutting edge materials and engineering to justify this
-While the bar is the lightest and most responsive I have flown my forearm is a bit sore which I think is the grip adjustment and not
- No soft ends on the bar BUt the bar is light and so impact would be reduced.

Looks- I like the clean cut Black and white...bit over the Euro nasty colour brigade some kites I have seen over last couple of years look like they are an old Jimmi Hendrix Sarong

In summary if you want a kite that can do the Matrix while to line you up perfect sections and turns. OR set and drift while you throw buckets out the back this will outperform all your expectations.
(Side Note) I messaged the team rider for CORE Rob Kidnie and he said allot of the guys are choosing the Nexus this year as their go to Wave Kite.
Also thanks to Darren at Action Sports for lending me his kite for so long and not calling the police yet. Legend!!!

Disclaimer- Before any of the Peanuts on here start on about sales and bla bla bla. I choose to support local businesses that have been positive advocates for the kite community. AND YOU SHOULD TOO these guys have been doing it tough in the retail space so I won't apologise for giving our retailer props.













Couldnt be assed taking my own photos

Awesome review,.. been riding sections for a few years now and was looking at upgrading,.. will definitely have a look. Core do make great kites, can't wait!

good review mate

Think you found ur calling andre

How do you find the bar with the twist release? Different to get used to?

Did I read that correctly - its a dual front line release and not single front line?

The other amazing thing about this kite, considering how well it performs in the waves, is its performance jumping.

Although 90% of my riding is on a surfboard, when I do get on the flat water or those really average day, the Nexus jumps way higher than my Neo (and also comes down with much softer landings). Its also much more lively, and I feel much more confident with it to do freestyle tricks.

Love the build of Core kites and their bar/lines. Haven't seen any better.

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weebitbreezy said..
How do you find the bar with the twist release? Different to get used to?

Did I read that correctly - its a dual front line release and not single front line?

Yes its quite easy just maybe got to practice it couple of times so the brain remembers. Yes it goes evenly to dual line on quick release...I didnt test it but it sounds ok.

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Cygnify said..
The other amazing thing about this kite, considering how well it performs in the waves, is its performance jumping.

Although 90% of my riding is on a surfboard, when I do get on the flat water or those really average day, the Nexus jumps way higher than my Neo (and also comes down with much softer landings). Its also much more lively, and I feel much more confident with it to do freestyle tricks.

Love the build of Core kites and their bar/lines. Haven't seen any better.

Yeh thats cool...it seems to do allot well which is quite rare in a kite...They all promise that though dont they. What sizes do you have I am interested to try a bigger size like a 9m

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Gazuki said..
Awesome review,.. been riding sections for a few years now and was looking at upgrading,.. will definitely have a look. Core do make great kites, can't wait!

Yeh cool I am looking foward to trying the Section also. I have always liked the look of the way Cores flew just hadnt jumped on one in recent years. I did try one of the original Bannanas tho

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AndreC said..
Yes it goes evenly to dual line on quick release...I didnt test it but it sounds ok.

That's not quite true. It flags one front line more than the other. Here is how Core describe it:

SUPPORTED SINGLE FRONTLINE SAFETY (SSF)Exclusive to CORE. When the Rotor quick release is activated, the kite will fully depower and come to rest in a 'drift launch-ready' position (nose to wind) until you are ready. The benefits here are twofold. The kite stays put and does not want to relaunch into the sky. And there is no pull on the lines while the kite is in 'drift launch-ready' position simplifying the process of re-engaging the Rotor quick release. So how does SSF work and why does the kite not 'turtle' and stay in the air? The answer is that the kite does not flag out on one front line or equally on 2 front lines. SSF releases 100% of the back lines and flags the kite mainly on one front line. But sufficient tension remains on the other front line to steer the kite down. So in effect, it is the slight (unequal) tension on the other front line that prevents the kite from turtling and remaining sky bound.

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holgs said..

AndreC said..
Yes it goes evenly to dual line on quick release...I didnt test it but it sounds ok.

That's not quite true. It flags one front line more than the other. Here is how Core describe it:

SUPPORTED SINGLE FRONTLINE SAFETY (SSF)Exclusive to CORE. When the Rotor quick release is activated, the kite will fully depower and come to rest in a 'drift launch-ready' position (nose to wind) until you are ready. The benefits here are twofold. The kite stays put and does not want to relaunch into the sky. And there is no pull on the lines while the kite is in 'drift launch-ready' position simplifying the process of re-engaging the Rotor quick release. So how does SSF work and why does the kite not 'turtle' and stay in the air? The answer is that the kite does not flag out on one front line or equally on 2 front lines. SSF releases 100% of the back lines and flags the kite mainly on one front line. But sufficient tension remains on the other front line to steer the kite down. So in effect, it is the slight (unequal) tension on the other front line that prevents the kite from turtling and remaining sky bound.

Oh fairy muff well defined.

So I tried the standard lines and also the tectate no stretch lines once on 22m and once on 24m. The verdict was on short lines you want a little bit of elastic sag in the lines as it helps the kite breathe. Just the little twitches in kite movement or slack allows the air to flow through the canopy. When its to rigid it can get a bit stuck where the airflow slows down...when you have tension on and off it seems to get the kite airflow moving and more responsiveness and power ensue. Bit like when you fly over sheeted it chokes the kite...SO i would recommend keeping the Nexus on the longer lines it has a better throw angle and drifts better this way.

All this said I still dont look like Fabio in the picture

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vespa said..
good review mate

Shanx!! Vespa

Good review mate. Just picked up a cheap slingshot sst in the sales (not arrived yet) and wondering why you are moving on from them after 2 years andre?

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Bara said..
Good review mate. Just picked up a cheap slingshot sst in the sales (not arrived yet) and wondering why you are moving on from them after 2 years andre?

Going to do an SST review I really love those kites. Selling my gear atm going to demo Reo, Neo, Drifter then make my mind up. ??????

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AndreC said..

Bara said..
Good review mate. Just picked up a cheap slingshot sst in the sales (not arrived yet) and wondering why you are moving on from them after 2 years andre?

Going to do an SST review I really love those kites. Selling my gear atm going to demo Reo, Neo, Drifter then make my mind up. ??????

Sweet, plz keep us all posted. I'll be looking at possibly moving away from the neo's next season to try something different.

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AndreC said..

Bara said..
Good review mate. Just picked up a cheap slingshot sst in the sales (not arrived yet) and wondering why you are moving on from them after 2 years andre?

Going to do an SST review I really love those kites. Selling my gear atm going to demo Reo, Neo, Drifter then make my mind up. ??????

Look forward to them. Real world reviews much more useful than the paid advertising from the pros for those of us too far from demo options.

Took a punt on the sst as like you mention I want to focus less on the active kite more on the board. Coming from TS all rounders.

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Bara said..

AndreC said..

Bara said..
Good review mate. Just picked up a cheap slingshot sst in the sales (not arrived yet) and wondering why you are moving on from them after 2 years andre?

Going to do an SST review I really love those kites. Selling my gear atm going to demo Reo, Neo, Drifter then make my mind up. ??????

Look forward to them. Real world reviews much more useful than the paid advertising from the pros for those of us too far from demo options.

Took a punt on the sst as like you mention I want to focus less on the active kite more on the board. Coming from TS all rounders.

Yup the SST lets you drive off the kite and keeps providing smooth torque as you drive towards it. Best Gnarloo Kite I have tried in all conditions. Last time we were there I was able to tack back up in the lineup at around 13kn on a 9m with only 2 other guys one on a 12m and the other about 60kg on a 10m.

Update- Been riding the other sizes in the Nexus 6,7,8,9. My conclusion is the 7m is the sweet spot in this range it kinda of covers 16-24 knots to well. You would sometimes be wanting a 5-6m for 25kn plus or maybe a 9m for 13-16kn triangles but largely they would go un used. I think its the power and speed in the arc and then the ability to get rid of power like a tap. You can jab at it for quick turns or redirects or go a larger arc or wider down loop and it will feed crisp power for 2-4 seconds letting you setup your bottom turn without pulling you off your edge or losing power. This extra time holding a bottom turn gives extended time to hit lip when its standing up and because 90% of kite waves are messy and unpredictable this gives you a great control on the conditions. Cant beat that feeling like a click when you hit the lip at the right time.
Some other comments are
-I have set up the kite a couple of times and the V bridle wasnt quite in place or something and launched with lines un even. Put it back down and corrected it easily. Only minorly annoying.
-The safety release is different and is a pain to re engage if you are swimming around in the waves as one of my ewok mates found out
- In have got a w^&&kers elbow but my mates reckon its not from kiting ?? It could be the thinner bar on the Cores...but I havnt heard anyone else with this comment.

I am really interested in trying the Core Section now ...I am told its less grunty and likes to be flown for power. (RRD Religion, 2018REO, Airush Wave...comes to mind) What i notice is quite often... lighter riders take preference on less grunty kites and bigger guys like a gruntier kite which makes sense. Any hoo I clearly have verbal diarrhoea and should actually focus going to work...FK

Hi mate, my poor english, can u explain better this

- In have got a w^&&kers elbow but my mates reckon its not from kiting ?? It could be the thinner bar on the Cores...but I havnt heard anyone else with this comment.


I dont agree with pain to re engace the release. I have it and to me is pretty much the same effort of every system. Just different

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AndreC said..
Core Nexus Review 7m.
Ok so i was interested to try the latest Wave kites out and so I popped into Action Sports where they stock. Slingshot, Duotone, Ozone and Core Kites. My intention was to demo every wave kite from these brands. Darren suggested I try the Core Nexus as he didn't have the Section as a demo. ( I am thinking like OK I may as well get the the all rounder off the list as normally all rounders don't do anything really well but don't offend either but I am only interested Wave kites and usually all rounders are just that) OK read further I admit when I make wrong assumption.

About me- I have a Dad bod around 95kg and hate long walks on the beach. I ride Perth year round and outa town for last 10 years mostly on surfboards unstrapped. Currently riding Slingshot Waves for last 2 years and Ozones, Airush, Fone before that.
So I get to the beach its about 17 knots with a nice 1-2ft wind wave and we are setting up to go down wind.

The Pump up - You really notice hight tech materials and construction as you set this kite up. One thing that got me bit annoyed straight away is the unique pump system.yes it pumps up super fast but if I forget my pump connection WTF game over. I decided to see if I could by pass this and with a pump up with a standard connection you can actually still get it pumped up.
The Bar The bar is clean and very very light the trim line and everything is uncluttered. The bar is thinner than standard which with a different grip left me with a sore forearm I think due to the reduced leverage on the grip. In the air the bar reacts with no lag and is the most responsive setup I have flown. (Ozone Reo would be next ) . It has bridles I know some people are anti pulleys, but they short and light so not really a worry for me as the best kites I have had all used pulleys. The main thing is reducing risk of bridle wrapping on wing tip which looks hard if not impossible to do on this kite.
The BAR n lines need a mention heres COREs garb - The virtually tangle-free, no stretch, Tectanium center and steering lines are 400% more resistant to elongation and feature an unbelievable 50% greater breaking strength. To cap things off, the lines are 10% thinner and, therefore, more aerodynamic.
Also it has ceramic bearings which spin freely and are oblivious to sand so NO Line twisting at all...thats a first. Centre line is smooth and coated so no stickiness or wearing through the centre lines.

Safety- Relaunch is very responsive and the quick release drops evenly on the 2 front lines so no death looping with that. Everything else looks swish in this department.

Hows She FLY??
F%^^&* WOW. I didn't have any anticipation of liking this kite for waves and was quite ready to issue my opinion and get onto the next brand with their dedicated wave kite. The razor sharp turning with crisp smooth power and flow from multiple attack angles straight away was noticeable. This quick, light versatile kite was letting me squeeze and extra turn or quick re redirect. Still wanting to poo poo this kite I wanted to find its weakness. First port of call to test drift and stability on a wave kite is to ride towards it at speed and pull on the centre lines (because this all rounder would surely fall out of the sky and then I could move. OK so it stays in the sky and I cannot pull it out of the air and even more impressive was it allowed me to steer it out of these deliberate lags.

Dammit I am not supposed to like this kite so much. I kinda learnt to wave kite flying the kite.used love the Bandit dos back in 08 a kite, love to down loop everywhere so it really did this 10/10. Racing towards it and setting the kite to drift it rides away as fast as I can chase it meaning down line like Gnarloo this is going to be next level. I have been focusing on riding my board and drifting the kite last couple of years more and more and I feel this kite does this so well. In looping you can temper the power with large, med or small loops without getting yanked out of your bottom turn. I can't stress how important this is 10/10. Apparently there is drift wave setting I didn't even use this. Upwind the kite is very easy even on my second run in 16knots its getting me upwind. My last concern was wind range but I just flew this 7m in 25knots and its very well behaved. Unhooked its a gem although really only few guys like Ry Cracker really do it well.

Drift 8.5/10
Construction 9/10
Upwind 9/10
Responsiveness 9/10
Turning on Wave 10/10
*these numbers could have gone 10s but need to leave room for next tests

POSITIVES -Could be best kite on ground lets see after a few more tests back to back (Opinions are subjective) I really could fault anything about this kites performance. -truckload of useful tech, cutting edge materials and engineering Z Germans are renowned for this.

NEGATIVES -You need the Core Pump Connection so forget using your mates unless that have it
-Price its up there with the other premium brands however there is a truckload of useful tech, cutting edge materials and engineering to justify this
-While the bar is the lightest and most responsive I have flown my forearm is a bit sore which I think is the grip adjustment and not
- No soft ends on the bar BUt the bar is light and so impact would be reduced.

Looks- I like the clean cut Black and white...bit over the Euro nasty colour brigade some kites I have seen over last couple of years look like they are an old Jimmi Hendrix Sarong

In summary if you want a kite that can do the Matrix while to line you up perfect sections and turns. OR set and drift while you throw buckets out the back this will outperform all your expectations.
(Side Note) I messaged the team rider for CORE Rob Kidnie and he said allot of the guys are choosing the Nexus this year as their go to Wave Kite.
Also thanks to Darren at Action Sports for lending me his kite for so long and not calling the police yet. Legend!!!

Disclaimer- Before any of the Peanuts on here start on about sales and bla bla bla. I choose to support local businesses that have been positive advocates for the kite community. AND YOU SHOULD TOO these guys have been doing it tough in the retail space so I won't apologise for giving our retailer props.













Couldnt be assed taking my own photos

Just a follow up as its been several weeks since this review and I have had some amazing kites in the southwest. Flown 6m,7m,8m now and I have to say the 7m is the sweet biscuit between 16kn-24kn. Its a bit of a Quiver Killer because it goes up and down wind range so well. If you had 3 kites 2 would rarely get used.
The 6m is an agressive fast little beast and as most 6m do it flies where ever you want. The 8m is more a 4 door sedan compared to the 7m which isnt really a negative comment. BUt I think the 7m supercedes the 8m with speed and grunt.

East Coast 10m & 7m Quiver would be bomber strapless.....West Coast maybe 8m and 6m but FK you miss the 7m.

Loving the performance but I am getting one pop eye arm flying one handed. Would like a thicker grip on the bar for me. I put it on full surf settings also and it is a touch less direct and rolls through turns fast, drifts and absorbs gusts a touch more.

Going to road test the REO and NEO over next couple of weeks before season ends before I have to take up a foiling habit or something

Hi AndreC,

Which bar are you using?

Have you had a chance to try it with a twintip for boosting?

I am on the east coast and considering either a 7 and 9m or 7 and 10m to get me out on foil at 10ish knots, strapless surfboard from 15-30 knots and twin tip 20-45 knots. I weight 73kg.

I am looking for a 2 kite quiver, looking to boost high with nice hangtime on twintip and a few loops but also something that drifts well.

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CJ2478 said..
Hi AndreC,

Which bar are you using?

Have you had a chance to try it with a twintip for boosting?

I am on the east coast and considering either a 7 and 9m or 7 and 10m to get me out on foil at 10ish knots, strapless surfboard from 15-30 knots and twin tip 20-45 knots. I weight 73kg.

I am looking for a 2 kite quiver, looking to boost high with nice hangtime on twintip and a few loops but also something that drifts well.

I've never seen Andre on a twintip (probably never will either) so I can answer that one for you.

They do boost well, hangtimes ok but they get decent height. Left me impressed enough with the performance it offers in flatish water. The all round setting on the higher steering line knot has been my go to setting for any twintip session.

In regards to looping the Nexus it offers a softer loop then most freestyle kites. Awesome for learning to loop, learning tricks with loops and looping when wave riding. If you want a harder looping kite look towards the GTS models in cores range. You can put it in its freestyle which does give the loop more kick but I find again all round is fine for me. The trailing edge does flap a little if you really loop it hard in those settings but that's never really bothered me, I'm not hardcore enough to care in all honesty.

Awsome kite to foil with though, I personally use my 8m for foil/waves and a 10 for twintip.

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CJ2478 said..
Hi AndreC,

Which bar are you using?

Have you had a chance to try it with a twintip for boosting?

I am on the east coast and considering either a 7 and 9m or 7 and 10m to get me out on foil at 10ish knots, strapless surfboard from 15-30 knots and twin tip 20-45 knots. I weight 73kg.

I am looking for a 2 kite quiver, looking to boost high with nice hangtime on twintip and a few loops but also something that drifts well.

Flaptop is right I dont twin tip these days. But I used too years ago. I would go 9m GTS or Nexus and 7m Nexus. Then you have a lightwind freestyle weapon + 10KN Foil. From 16-26 Knots the 7m on surfboard OR Foil on 7m in 13-16kn easy. I have the carbon bar but have used both (The tectate lines are sik for durability but costs extra) Good Luck m8

I think you need to get off the Nexus and start reviewing all those other kites you promised

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ReefWalker said..
I think you need to get off the Nexus and start reviewing all those other kites you promised

Hmm ?? yes... NEO time

You've convinced me. I'm going to get a 7 and 9 or 7 and 10. Weigh 73kg and coming off using a 9m cabrinha fx 90% of the time. Can be riding in about 10 knots on a foil and 15 on a surfboard. I like 9m kites better for the fact that they turn faster but not sure what extra bottom end i might gain with the additional 1m2.

Tried 9m for foiling - not the best for low wind (too heavy/soild construction), was falling from the sky at 14-15 kn.

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Swavek said..
Tried 9m for foiling - not the best for low wind (too heavy/soild construction), was falling from the sky at 14-15 kn.

hmm i have a 9m FX that I am currently using for foiling and can keep it flying in 10 knots. Hard to imagine the Nexus being signification heavier. Was it gusty wind conditions?

It would be interesting to know the weight.
A little while ago there was a thread on mono strut kites and someone post a picture of kite weights, I was very surprised to see the core section was one of the lightest and weigh less than the monos etc... 2.14kg?? Maybe.
Either was I didn't think there would be a massive difference between the section and the nexus.