Hi all,
I am considering either a bandit or a core GT. Which is the better kite. I am a relative beginner but am looking for a kite with some power.
Any advice will be appreciated
Cheers

Hi CowboyWA,

I suggest you come and see us at Pinnaroo Point and test a Core GT for yourself. They sure have the grunt and turn fast, very direct feel and super easy relaunch.

I reckon they are still my fave kite for a thrilling ride.

Cheers,

KH

Both kites are great. I had the benfit of trying out a Bandit,then the the Bandit Dos when I was just starting to kite. I loved the instant power they offered , no other kite seemed to have that instant grunt. What i didn't like was the bar, safety and depower system.
Mid way through this year the Core GT caught my eye. I think the Core ESP bar setup is a lot better, probably one of the best. Price wise it was pretty good bang for your buck as well. In comparison to the Bandit Dos, it sits a bit more stable in the air. Sometimes I found the Dos wandered a bit in the air, whereas the GT sits in one spot pretty well. This is mainly thanks to the bridle set-up. However, the Dos is still king for that instant power. Mind you the GT is a very very close second, and they are both in a league of their own for this instant power attribute. By the time you have travelled 10m I think both kites feel exactly the same. They jump, loop etc very similar. Turning response would be more instant on the Bandit as it connected direct to the rear. But if you like this feeling you could just do the same to the GT and bypass the rear V bridle. However, the rear V bridle makes the kite float better when unhooked and in the air. Anyway, Both kites are very powerful, both very smooth. The GT and the Bandits both seem to be really good at smoothing out the gusts.

From what I have seen I think the new Bandit 3 would now sit third in the instant down low grunt category behind the GT and the Dos at number 1. New bridle changes must have made the Bandit more stable as they look better in the air and I believe there has been some bar changes, but I think the depower cleat system remains (you either love them or hate them).

At the end of the day the Deltas seem to be the best at providing grunt for size and relaunch well. Both the GT and the Bandit are made really well. Both are well supported for warranty.

Personally I would look at which brand will give you the best support in your given area should something go wrong (warranty or otherwise). Try/ demo both kites if you can to see what you like best. Since both the GT and Bandit 3 now have equal length lines you could use either bar on either kite. Track records for both kites are pretty damn good, so whatever you choose you will be on a winner.

You can't go wrong with either of them.
Simply any delta kite is perfect for beginners.
I'm hardly suggesting that you demo these 5 kites:

1- Core GT
2- Bandit (Dos / 3)
3- Naish Charger
4- North Evo
5- Wainman Hawaii

Things that you need to pay attention to are;

1- Safety release
2- Water relaunch
3- Depower
4- Built quality
5- Local support (Wainman doesn't have any for example)
6- Good reviews

One thing that is really important is that you got to feel comfortable with your kite, if you buy something that you don't really like it you will have a hard year till you change it.

Just purchased 3 core GTs. 5, 7, 10.5
Flown all three now in various conditions..
Ive converted over from 3 years of xbows.

A quick few pro and cons ive found with the GTs so far..

Pros,
Very tough reinforced build in comparison to many other leading brands.
Extra Stitching every where.(very strong leading edge stitching).
Simple effective bar set up, and fool proof safety system.
Simple parts easy to replace through out.

Cons,
Small bag does not fitt strut rolled kite. (Needs folding every time, painfull).
Basic valve system.
Thin pullies bridle lines. Showing wear already. (Perhaps due to poor quality pullies)

Could waffle on all night but iam going to bed... Iam finding them Excellent flying/tough kites and would agree with every thing ''wisha'' has to say about the GTs.

I will mention, that i find the 10.5 alot different to fly to the 5, 7.
I know there is a big diffrence in size between a 10.5 and the 5 & 7.
But i still think theres a distinct heavier feeling diffrence in handling and slower flying speed that i wouldnt have thought so to be present and as noticeable.

The 10.5 has me planing on a 132 flx in 12 to 15 easy 70kgs.

The 5 & 7 are very fast and have similar characteristcs to each other.

Bar presure is perfect, not to light and not to heavy on 5,7,10.5

No more xbow elbow

Happy Customer

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Idiot said...


5- Local support (Wainman doesn't have any for example)

Wrong there!!! West Oz Kiteboarding sell Wainman; buy from them and you get really good support. http://www.westozkiteboarding.com.au/wainman.html

Wainman Hawaii replaced a Smoke I was not happy with. Great kite great support.

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hilly said...
...Wrong there!!! West Oz Kiteboarding sell Wainman...

My apologies.
I didn't know.
It's a good news for me cuz Wainmans are awesome.

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MORUYA HEADS said...

...A quick few pro and cons ive found with the GTs so far...

One thing you will notice about GT is that when you depower your kite more than half way each time you jump your kite will nose dive into water.

It is a great kite and I love my 9m GT but;
1) the length of trim line is short and it doesn't give me enough depower
2) when I'm depowering the kite more than 50% kite will do what ever it wants when I'm jumping (No problem for riding though).

Sorry, can't second that. I'm quite often pulling in a heap or all of the trim strap. Never had any nose dive or otherwise issues. Worse thing I have found out on the GT so far is the rider!

Just remember the more trim you pull on any kite with seperate front/ rear bridles will slow down the apparent turning speed as you are effectively lengthening the rear by shortening the front.

Hi Idiot,

Not sure what you are doing but I have never had any Core kite nosedive into the water after jumps. Unless you are pulling in 100% of trim and are depowering fully to lose steering, I fail to see how this can happen.

If you are depowering 100% on trim, you have too much kite up. I rarely depower more than an inch or two at the most which is sufficient to depower the kite heaps enough. The depower thrrow on the bar is enough to go from fully powered to fluttering depowered in it's short throw of about 16 or so inches, this is what makes the trim strap a little overkill. It's only if you can't keep the bar fully pulled in to the stop that you need to use the trim strap. Otherwise, you are depowering the kite WAY TOO MUCH!

If you are having any issues, come and see me at the beach and I will check, and if necessary, re-tune your kite for you. I haven't heard of this before, so it may be rider error. Either way, I'm keen to get to the bottom of it.

Cheers,

KH

Sure thing, I'll come to Pinnaroo as soon as wind picks up and we go through this issue

Yeah get that sused... Never had any problems like that.. At all.

Cheers for all your feedback,
Think i've settled on the Core GT 10.5

Thanks

go the bandit once you have flown one you will not look back

I went to the 10.5 and 7m Core and never looked back. Awesome kites.