I've been flying my 12m Soul since February 2019, getting lots of sessions on it and I have to say, I love the Soul, so much so that I sold my Naish Pivot. This kite has literally changed my life. I enjoy kiting more because of it, have so much more fun.
I don't get home from work till the sun is low, so the very quick set up is great for when I have maybe a half hour, 45 minutes to have a sessions on the water and often at that time of the day the wind can die down to the point that a LEI wouldn't cut it, but on the Soul I usually have a great sessions, popping big jumps and back rolls.? I reckon I get 70% more sessions since switching from LEI's to my Soul. I'm often the only one on the water at my local beach, or I'll see the other kites go up for a while then give up because there's not enough wind and I'm still out there having a blast.
Another great reason I bought the Soul was because I wanted a one kite quiver, the wind range on this kite is insane. The low end is like using a 17m LEI and I've been out in 25 knots and just starting to feel over powered. ??
Complaints about the Souls slower turning speeds- effectively your flying a kite with the power of a 17m LEI .The play off between fun, quick set up time, great up wind ability, light wind use, massive wind range, huge hang time with soft landings, great bar pressure, against a quicker turning kite to me is a no brainer.
Also the previous couple of years I spent a load of money on bladder, canopy and valve repairs coasting hundreds of dollars.
The Soul is a superior kite to anything I've every owned before.
Over New Year, I had a couple of days at Elliot Heads and one day at Woodgate. The wind was crap for two of the three days, maybe 10-12 knots, but the Soul did itself proud and I was still able to practice on the foil board. Not enough wind for a twin tip or for any other LEI kiters to bother trying. The Soul saved my trip, otherwise it would have been a long way to travel from Kingscliff and only get one decent session in.
I put a lengthy review, aimed more for those considering using a foil kite for the first time, pros and cons etc, for anyone interested, on my FaceBook page.
www.facebook.com/air8kitesurfing/posts/2729144263785745?__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARA8XmxH7aAMSKlu0914_wwSCyiPy3BANf36KDjaTzVLccaXOQyBgrxBx_57BmQOrHCMDkjk3eEJXyt_UU4tZPsMJAWlnsZyqYBWX_7k879oppUhQYCjPPeZTvLRreBVqR8zf6U43B9zhY9Wgj6NQ8d6ocIUHJ02TzkTC_x0k4vvHQ714F8-2NlRImxhXcdwmv-1z4ESwvVEgrYaGX26lGCGQqwQxmm1mazFcNGMBusIcWRpXB98cOT1vEz-vRPYFvS2gqgHnhYF559hrfoaSzKsmmlByjILscmakyFg2JA5gNEJyabCfiJMWp8uOMGlGTuZPe2ZZgxVdg9Noj-ts7f_QQ&__tn__=-R