After anyone that has experience with either or both of these kites in the surf. My fat lady has had enough of me riding her so am on the lookout for a light wind replacement. These two kites are in my price range (secondhand) and the type of kite I want but am concerned about how well they will fare with the inevitable dunking the will get in super light winds.

Will they take being washed up on shore and barrelled by waves as well as other kites in their range? My Rebel has been taking that type of abuse for years and I prefer their bars to the Ozone bars so the Dyno is pretty attractive. Not after a comparison of their flying characteristics, I know the Edge is fairly well captured everyones attention in that regard.

The beach is my closest spot, so not wave surfing as such just for using my monster door and having some boosting sessions in light wind with.

A new zephyr would be my personal choice or a large fuse which the dyno has replaced

... yes agree with rattlehead,,, mostly,,, disagree on the bar but like a lot of things,,,, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I much prefer the North bar but the Ozone is fine too. Interestingly, you can use either bar on the Dyno but you can not use the North bar on the Ozone kite and not because you can't but the Ozone Edge doesn't like the Y point high where as the Dyno is good with a high Y but fine (and some would argue finer points on this) with a low Y point.

The constrution build of both kites is as expected from well respected companies, good with just the right amount of re-enforcements where necessary without making it too flimsy and yet light.

A copule of examples of how strong they can be for even a light-ish construcion, I've watched my mate with his 19m and 13m Edge abuse the begeezus out of it and it still comes back for more, from not so eligent selflaunching on rough-ish beach, to kite loops and massively overpowered, all good, no damage or excessive wear or tear to show for it, so to me, they are fine.

Then, on the other side of the coin, another mate smashed his 2013 Dyno into not only the beach a few times but into the water, even getting rolled in the surf with kite going inside out as it relaunched. From being massively over powered too and mistakes in self launches or landings,,,,, luckily no damage, no fuss, all good also.

Sure they may have been lucky too but for so called lightly built kites, much tougher than you'd think. Secretly I was happy to see my mate dump his Dyno in the surf as I saw for my own eyes how much abuse it took and yet it was still fine so hopefully if I end up doing the same with my Dyno I will be fine too.

Both kites are very similar in lightness in the air, relatively light bar feel, quick turning speed and healthy power delivery when you have good apparent wind when speeding along but where the differences become a bit more obvious to me is the Dyno has a bit more bar feedback and instant drive when bar is pulled in than then the Edge. I found the Dyno suited lightwind surfboard riding better but once you have speed then they become similar again.

When I've riden the kites in surf, when you loose power in board on a little wave, maybe trying to catch one, single swoop and pull the bar in and the Dyno gets you going but I found the Edge needed a second dive or rise in the kite. The problem with that is you've lost the little wave your trying to catch or stay on. I think that with more time on the big edge I could dial it in better though. I actually had a ball on the 19m in Bali on waves and sure, it 'aint no Dice/Reo but with a bit of flying, it can do much more than you'd expect from and all being a "race" kite.

If direct bar feel is important to you then this is where the Dyno is better in my opinion, again not direct like say a C kite or Rebel, but as direct as you can get in a large bridled kite as you can get. Edge felt quite soft to me but it is also something you can get used to quickly too.

Either way, both kites are good kites and despite the so called light constution, stronger than you think, and the one area they really shine brilliantly is they are great light wind kites.

cheers,

Robbie

I should have been more spacific on the bars , I have a couple of north 2012 standard bars , a 5 line and a 4 line as run fuses and rebels , the standard north lines of that era are crap ( iv'e had multiple line breakages ) everything else on the bar , chicken loop ect I do like . I found I was running a 2008 north bar( as the grip did not fall off that one like the 2012) , flysurfer chicken loop and q power line pros for lines on a custom raceboard set up. This worked fine for 3 years and I still have it as a back up . Then I got a 19 edge with a race bar , the ozone bar is simple clean and everything works perfect on it as designed , it has the single front line flag out which suits me cos I hate 5 lines on a race set up. Also the 4line north bar won't work on the dyno as the safety does not flag to 1 front line.Dyno and the edge booth happily work on the ozone bar.

I like simple clean bars and would never go for all the adjustable bs and fancy plastic crap the new north bars have , the only improvement I can see and I think this year they have done it is the swivel on the chicken loop on the new ozone bar.
Just look at a new cab bar ....what a pile of crap.

Dl33ta said..
Excellent info Robbie, I actually read you're other review of the Dyno while I was trying to make up my mind, really helpful stuff thanks. After subjecting my day to day kite to a good flogging in the surf today it's good to know the Dyno has a fighting chance of surviving it's relationship with me. No one tries to put their kite in the drink but if you're trying out new things its bound to happen.

... no worries Dl33ta, hopefully some of my experiences can help!

The Dyno's definetely got a fighting chance and I've seen for my own eyes how bent out of shape you can get them and come back for more. Seeing my mate drop his kite in dumpy waves, eventually get dragged up the beach like wet rag, he re-rigs and he's off again,,, amazes me every time he's done it. He even forgot to attach one of his steering lines once by accident and as he was selflaunching, realised too late so the kite looped and banged into the ground very hard indeed,,,again, no problems,,,yet.

I'm not saying they are bullet proof, not at all, but not as weak as the "race kite" tag would suggest.

Good luck and have fun!

cheers,

Robbie

Dl33ta said...
Thought I might as well report back on my experiences with this kite as I've been using it for a while now in a variety of conditions, from gusty SE'ers to steady afternoon breezes.

Firstly as far as my original question is concerned it appears to be holding up pretty well to the odd dunking and wave munching. Really can't tell the difference between the Rebel and the Dyno build materials say for a little less reinforcement here and there and the obvious lack of a one pump system. I invariably self launch and land as there is never anyone kiting at these wind speeds and it is holding up well to the small shelly torture.

This kite won my heart pretty quickly, a quantum difference in performance to the the Fat Lady, so much so that I won't even bother drawing comparisons. Here is what I've found using it so far, taking into account its in the surf not flat water:

6-8 kts tricky to launch but once you have the kite in the air it's pretty stable, slow drift down wind, easy to do small ramp jumps and have plenty of fun.
8-10 kts quick launch, very stable in the air, easy to mow the lawn, ramp jumps start to get pretty exciting
10-12 kts ooo yiiis!! quick launch, like a rock in the air, tear upwind like its downwind, jumps higher than I can handle.. Funnest **** to be had eva!
12kts - hope you've got someone on the beach to land you!

The thing that really grabbed me about this kite is its the first time I've felt like I was sailing. The Dyno responds so well to small adjustments in trim when you're trying to go upwind it's just like sheeting in on a hard tack.

The other great aspect of the kite is it's ability to handle gusts, flying this kite in punchy SE winter winds is an absolute pleasure. I would even say it handles gusts better than the Rebel does which does pretty well in that department.

The lack of one pump is obviously a downer but meh you get over it.

The thing I wouldn't want to do with this kite, and this is just a hunch based on it's launch behaviour, is drop it in the drink any distance off shore. The LE is a bit sloppy and I don't reckon it would relaunch very easily at all. Having said that not many kites do in very light winds, I only ever drop mine when I'm in the break so not a massive deal.

Overall nothing but major stoke with this kite, never thought I'd get excited to see 8 knots on the obs

Having that 5th line is key to the light wind relaunch in my opinion. i mean in super light wind when your 17 falls out of the sky in lulls if i didnt ride 5 lines on my dyno i would of had some big swims.

Widely regarded huh? Sounds like retailer speak for "it's a quality product mate, must be user error. Warranty claim denied"...

May be a great material but that doesn't jean it can't have issues in production... And aren't both brands using her same stuff? What's going in at ozone then?

TerryMcTool said...

Ercorn said...

Here is my 2 cents worth.

I purchased a new Edge 3 months ago and expected the same durability from previous Ozones I had owned.

It now looks like a 5 Year old kite, not because I have a abused it, but because the canopy material is such low quality. Does not matter that Ozone promote it as a racing kite. That is just an excuse to provide inferior quality to achieve a lighter kite that not many people will utilise anyway.

Oh and with a higher profit for the Ozone boys who have all these theories how to sell more kites.

No brainer, quality sells and when you start imagining ways to sell an inferior product the market will show you that you can't palm off a doona to serious kiters

Rant over.

This is your advert for your 17M Edge, your comments don't make sense compared to your advert?

Hi, I have an Ozone Edge 17m for sale, green colour ways. I purchased it in October 2013 and have used it for about 15 sessions. It has been washed after each session and is crispy and new. Actually, before placing this add I had another look over it and found 4 pinholes in the canopy, which I had never noticed before. These have all been repaired and do not damage the integrity of the kite. Other than that the kite is in emaculate condition. Comes with bar, bag,pump and repair kite,stickers etc that came with the kite when I purchased it. Kite can be viewed in Mackay or I can email pictures. I am quite happy to post if need be. I am sure this kite won't disappoint. The reason I am selling is that I want to purchase the 19 Edge.

The other fact, you may not be aware of is that the cloth in the canopy and the the leading edge of the Edge 2013, is identical to the cloth used in all other Ozone kites, for the last several years. Its Teijin Tehnoforce ripstop in the canopy and Dimension Polyant brand fuse bonded dacron for the leading edge and struts and is also identical to many other top brands, this material is widely regarded as the best money can buy.

No need to criticise my marketing technique. It has nothing to do with the quality of the kite only me trying to sell it.

If my comments help someone to think twice about buying an Edge I have accomplished what I set out to accomplish.

Comparison of the Edge canopy material is in direct relation to another brand of kite I purchased at the same time.

BrisKites said...
I personally wouldn't be using either as a surf kite but each to their own.

I do and love it! Not for high wind dedicated DTL stuff. But for light wind, upwind wave riding and boosting and wave riding edge puts a big grin on my face.

Its a glorious thing on a 20 knots head high day to boost to the moon on the way out on the 13m edge. Glide/float/glide some more. Then (if the conditions are right and I magically time it right) down loop,land toeside on the next wave face. You then can continue to loop down the line or cut back and rip back upwind to do it all over again.

Hmmm.....

Mine you, I do cry a little bit if you drop in front of a big set. My advice punch to safety if the kite is going to get worked.

I wonder how these kites perform for the average twintip rider on a 136x40 board? I weigh under 80kg.

just wondering whats up with the fat lady not suitable or did not like it etc I heard they were pretty good