Gazuki said..
Straight up I'm calling BS on this review!
I just recently changed quivers from sections to nexus's and I am disappointed, to say the least. I am predominantly a wave rider but I am starting to do a few more airs. I was looking at changing kites to something with more grunt for this reason. I know I would lose the on/off power and drift but for where I was at it felt right. Therefore I was looking at Neos etc. But when I read the OP review all of my prays were answered. Same brand, slightly more power but still drifts awesome.....wrong!!!!
So first up Ill confess I've only had a few sessions and conditions were not ideal but here are my first impressions. Was out at boat ramps which is a place I've never kited before for full disclosure. First up the kite is heavy, very solid but heavy. Very similar to my old GTS's, big leading edge etc.
Launch, nice, the first thing you notice is it has a lot more feel through the bar, nicer smoother power. This is one aspect I really like, gives you a good feeling with each in and out. Don't know about OP sore arm comments I did not feel this but the section did use to flog my forearms after a good session. The Nexus actually feels better in this department.
Power. The power is nice and I sure 90% of people would prefer it over the section, not so on/off, a lot smoother but here's the kicker, it didn't feel that much more than the section, very minimal, which compared to the drift you lose doesn't balance. I watched every review prior to purchase and there was to guys doing a comparison and they said the section felt more powerful through the turns, especially when looping. They also said it sat deeper in the window and this is maybe why?? I definitely second this, power similar, loops had nothing, my wife could loop this kite. Which when you need to get through a section is so important as I found out.
Which leads me into the drift. Soooo poor@!@!!! This isn't a wave kite, that comment is a joke. For clarity for those who are unsure this isn't a mix of GTS and Section like some people are sprooking, its a mixture of GTS/ XR. Very big difference.
So in three years I never had my sections back stall on a wave and fall from the sky. The nexus back stalled multiple times, always just saving it but only just. One time didn't. I can count on one hand how many times my section hit the water and in two sessions on the Nexus would be more. The nexus sits really far forward in the window, almost 70 degrees to the wave face, making wave riding really hard. My mate was on the new Reo and his kite sat perfectly 10 degrees of the wave face.
The comment about down the line Gnarloo, hahahah!!! hilarious! I could run down the line at boat ramps cuz I kept overtaking my kite, nevermind Gnarloo. I constantly had to keep cutting against the kite resulting in me on the reef or in the whitewater, not cool. To the point, I was only picking off the little ones as I knew I couldn't hit top speed as it would end very badly.
With credit to the OP post, the test was at Perth beaches which are a lot more forgiving but still. I was dubious when he said he was flying the 7 in 15knots, just saying
All in all the nexus is a great kite, it is just not a wave kite, please make this clear. It doesn't come close to the section in this department. People made the comment that an all-rounder can't do it all and it cant. Its a good at 90% of riding, just not waves.
Everyone feels things differently, I just thought I would share my feeling to balance the view for people.
Interesting read.
I too read AndreC's original review and was pretty much sold on the Nexus and hastily ordered a 7m and 9m. Try and ride an equal mix of twin tip trying to boost as high as possible, surfboard and foil. I came from riding a 9m FX and a 7m dice and weight about 75kg.
Over the last month I have had the 9m out on the surfboard 3 times and foil about 3 times. On the surfboard I love the kite and prefer the all round setting over the wave setting because I get more power and the kite loops just as well and drift feels similar. Haven't tested on a tt yet in the freestyle mode so cant comment here. I only switch the wave mode if I am foiling, and for a foiling kite it works pretty well too.
I disagree saying that the kite is heavy. Definitely heavier than a no/mono-strut and probably heavier than a section or reo, but its on par with the FX and dice, and appears to be made from better materials, meaning although heavier it's a more robust kite. To add to this, I have foiled with the 9m down to about 10 knots with no problems, unless you drop the kite at which point you may not be able to relaunch it.
The kite probably doesn't drift as well as the section, but a huge improvement on the FX or dice. It doesnt stall when changing tack and seems to fly across the window on command generating nice power. Because I have come from riding these non-wave specific kites my technique is geared towards flying the kite across the window to make it drift, however sometimes i do go down the line straight towards the kite and as long as it is between 11 and 1 have had no issues, and no issues foiling going downwind toward the kite.
I would say that one area I am disappointed is the grunt of the kite. I upgraded thinking the nexus would have more grunt than the FX (which was my main kite), but to my dismay is about the same (maybe slightly more). I struggle to believe that AndreC who is 15KG heavier than me is able to stay upwind in 13 knots or whatever he said on a 7m. I think I could do downwinders on the 7m in 13 knots but probably not stay upwind at an ocean spot on an average surfboard.
Overall very happy with the kites as they seem to work across the 3 styles I am interested in (yet to test TT but feels good, and cant wait go blasting on it in high winds on a TT). I think if you don't mind a bit of active input to get the kite to drift and want to ride tt occasionally the nexus may be for you but if you just want the kite to drift without input then the wave specific model would be more suitable.
