How's the juice?

Come and grab our demo 18m and do a review for the good folk of seabreeze

Drew

I might just have to take you up on that offer when I get a bit of a break in my work. I'm not the most experienced miter but I reckon I could give a pretty good write up

Hi Peeps,

We will have the Core Riot XR17m, Best TS 17m LW and North Juice 18m on the beach at our Mullaloo Demo tomorrow 26/10. Will also have the North Spike Textreme LW board and Best Breeze LW board.

Back to back demoing! Yewwww!

DM

Hi Peeps,

Thought I might be able to give some feedback and experience after having flown the three light wind kites which were at yesterdays demo. We had light winds and moderate winds to test all the kites as well as being able to hook them up with light wind twin tips and surfboards. Any feedback from the demoer's would be appreciated too.

2015 North Juice 18m The Juice, as well as being the biggest kite in the trio we had at the beach, is also the most powerful. The power is disproportionate to the sizing indicated. It pulls like a tractor! and is the most nimble. The large canopy and minimal use of Dacron means it is the lightest kite in the trio and also the fastest turning. You might say, jees, with the most power, the most nimble and fastest turning, what else would you need? You'd be right to ask, but there is more.... It is also the kite that is the most difficult to hang on to in it's upper part of it's wind range. The wind range is relatively small. When you get over powered, it is big and a handful and a half. Jumps are easy and floaty as expected. The beauty of the Juice is it is the simplest kite of the three to fly. It's so user friendly and so plug and play it's a wonder it hasn't been banned! Upwind is OK, windrange is OK. You could have a full frontal lobe lobotomy and still get the best out of this kite! Would suit heavier beginners to LW and wave riders looking for max bottom end.

2014 Core Riot XR3 17m LW The Core LW 17 is a machine of a LW kite. The use of Core's Coretex triple rip stop fabric in the canopy and legendary build quality makes this 5 strut kite a LW performance kite. Upwind ability is good and wind range is quite big. Turn speed is pretty quick but not as quick as the Juice. The wind range is what sets it apart from the Juice. The 5-Strut design holds a taut canopy which is very solid and well mannered in conditions where the Juice will be a bit heavy on the bar and hard to hold back. The Riot XR LW will reward a fast rider as it will build much greater apparent wind and can be handled better when powered up. Jumps are good and lofty but require a bit better technique and perhaps a bit more experience. I'd say the Core suits a slightly more experienced rider than the Juice. Being heavier in mass and more solid, it suits heavier riders looking for a lightish wind kite more so that say a 70 kilo rider looking for extreme bottom end. Suitable for most riders looking for LW freeride. Not as good for surf.

2015 Best TS 17m LW The Best 17LW reminds me a lot of older style LW kites. It is a bit more "C" in shape and is higher aspect than the other two. The kite is 5 strut and has a good solid feel to it. The slowest of the three kites in terms of turning, but also builds quite a lot of apparent wind power reminiscent of the Riot XR3. To get the most from the Best, I think you need to understand LW kiting pretty well, if not, the learning curve will be a bit steep. It isn't the kite for absolute bottom end power unless you have great technique and couple it with a LW board. I feel it would work best with a race type board, something quick and low in drag. Great kite and turns pretty well, but it does feel like a 17m. Would suit someone who understands technical LW flying or a lightweight rider.

It's funny that all three kites are LW, but couldn't be more different from one another. Having said that, it doesn't mean there is a stand out kite that will suit everyone. Each has strengths and weaknesses that will appeal to different riders. All three kites come from the same factory in Sri Lanka and all three kites are extremely high quality. The Core and Best have line extensions to increase the size of the wind window whilst the Juice requires you to buy a bar with longer lines if you want the added line length.

These are just my thoughts and I recommend to use them as a "guide" rather than rely on it for an absolute recommendation. I do however recommend demoing to see which one flicks your switch.

DM

Hi ste,

To be honest, I haven't been under a Zephyr for a year or two. I can certainly give you an idea from the last one I flew. The Zephyr is a great light wind kite but like most Ozone kites, they work best with lighter riders (<80kg). The Zephyr turns similar to the Riot XR3 17 LW, but not as fast as the Juice 18. It is light weight and does go upwind reasonably well, best on a race board with low drag.

Zephyrs build apparent wind power really well similar to the Core LW and better than the Best LW. It's very user friendly but again, works best with lighter riders or low drag boards. Can be most rewarding with a LW experienced rider but easy enough for beginners although having said that, the Riot XR3 and Juice will give more sheet and go type power by simply pulling in the bar.

Some of this may have changed a little but I wouldn't expect radical change. The Zephyr will likely benefit from the D2 fabric North has been using since 2011, so I'm interested to see how Ozone make use of the properties of the D2 fabric.

I like all four of these kites and all of them will be the perfect kite for the buyer, so long as the characteristics or strengths of the kite are matched with the expectations or needs of the rider.

DM

Try this:

Heavy Rider - North Juice or Core XR3 LW

Surf and freeride - North Juice

Light weight rider - Ozone Zephyr, North Juice

Freerider/casual racer - Ozone Zephyr, Best TS 17 LW

Racer - North Dyno, Ozone Edge or Chrono

Average weight freerider - All of the above.

PS. We will also have the Core GTS3 17m LW kite in store in about a week. This 3 strut kite should be fast and furious. If it is anything like the other GTS3's it should be a real winner.

Until you compare all of the above light wind kites with the Epic kites, you're not comparing apples with apples.

The first day with a proper summer feel has brought light winds... 18m juice time!
wind - 10 to 14knots
board - 134 NAISH Monarch + 27m lines.

No need to mention build quality as in true NKB fashion its only the best... that super big valve is a nice treat on such a big kite though!!!

Launching the kite for the first time I already knew the light wind ability of this kite could be ticked off...it pulls like a train! I am 70kgs so even in 14knots I was getting pulled down wind .. sheet the bar out and dig your heels in and I am sure heavier guys would hold it easily.
The kite turns super quick for an 18m meaning you can still send it for some hangtime and because its so big and stable it gives you the confidence to try some new stuff, exactly what you want in light winds.
It doesn't do anything silly it sits there and lets you get on with cruising up and down, popping off the water and doing some carves.

Come and demo it...see for yourself.

Tom
WA Surf.