Rider: Weight, 86kg
Style: Freeriding, Surf, Freestyle
Weather: 11-14knots. 12-14knots. 12-15knots later gusting to 18knots
Build Quality: 9/10
Satisfaction: 9/10
Disclosure: I pay for my kites but get a slightly reduced rate from Core so I guess I'm biased ! ! !
My Comments: I've had 3 sessions on my new core section 14m and I'm finding it to be a really fun kite with quite a good wind range. To me it feels smaller than a 14m with relatively fast turning but the main thing I like is that it doesn't have that static drag on your harness that all big kites seem to have, where they feel like they're dragging you down wind all the time. I was kiting yesterday with a mate and the start of the session was 11-15knots, it was quite light in the lulls, he was on a 17m and was losing ground at times but when he rode my 14m he held ground, we both felt the section flew more forward in the window and that lack of static drag helped this. There was a couple of knots sweep in different parts of the surf so maybe this was a factor too.
With a surfboard it behaves like a good wave kite should depower well from the bar turns quick for its size, drifts very well, relauches with ease and all in all is a really manageable fun kite.
Of course in light conditions its hard to wave ride down the line properly as you generally go faster than the kite, the big core slack line drifts easily and will loop at will so it can be done. And it beats grovelling on a smaller kite or worse still sitting on the beach wishing for more wind.
The wind came up at the end of the session yesterday to 14-18 knots by the local readings, I stayed on the 14m and grabbed my twin tip and continued to have a super fun session in the surf throwing all the hooking in freestyle tricks I could and some big lofty jumps, and it still looped with ease when well powered. I know I could have down rigged to a smaller kite but the big section lw was just so manageable with all that depower throw on the bar and to me I felt powered like being on a 10m in 25knots and not like I was flying a big mule.
Build: Typical Core, all quality.
Bar: I was using a core sensor pro bar with standard 24m lines I havnt yet bothered to connect the 3m extensions that come standard with the kite. Probably my only issue here is I think the bar should have moulded bar ended like everyone else and not the outdated floaty things but other than that it's a really nice bar with really precise clam cleat depower.
I also had a session at my local point on a surfboard with about 11-14knot wind by the local readings and 3ft right hand waves which is my preferred being natural stance.
I had a blast, I was able to tack up wind and chase waves down the line, with a few of the suckier faster waves I did have some crazy slack line moments that were a bit heart in the throat as I was paying no attention to the kite at all and came off the wave with a closeout section behind me to see my kite just floating along almost like a kids ballon I had to wait to get some line tension and off I went again like it was no issue, just me near ****ting myself about getting a rinsing with my new big kite.
Its hard to write a review like this as we all know when you get a new kite you generally love it to pieces,
lve had 3 sessions in pretty average wind that have turned out to be really really fun sessions and the last session got strong and it was still super fun. So all in all I'm really happy and the big section lw does what I hoped it to do and maybe a bit more,
I hope this this has been some useful imformation
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