Anyone flown both these 2015 kites extensively?.I have a 1 kite quiver now in a 10m Reo 2013 . I'm considering a Neo because then I can drop to an 8 or 9 m kite.Ive demoed the 2015 Neo twice and I quite like its extra power to size ratio. I have not tried the 2015 Reo yet .Quick turning of the kite is an absolute premium for me now and I can handle over powered kites quite well in the waves .I do downwinders a lot and just need 1 kite that will get me by on a 14 knot day on a nugget or have a boost wave sesh when it's 30 knots on shorter lines and a wave mutant board.

There both great kites.I can't decide.Can anyone help?

My 2 c Have tried both i went with Reo but the Neo is great too I found the Reo could handle better when over powered, Reo whent up wind and Neo loft . Neo seemed better low end . Turning ?? Think may be Reo But you should demo the 2015 Reo as well . For me the 2015 shi'' over 2013 with great low end But which ever You will have a great kite

I demo'd back to back 9m for about half and hour each in good conditions. (previously had Dice)

I went with the Reo's:

Found the Reo had smoother power and Neo had too much at times especially when down looping. I got pulled off my board a few times.

Found the bar pressure on the Neo was too heavy. Reo was nice and light.

Reo turned faster with less effort which I especially liked. this was probably the deciding factor for me.

Neo seemed to have more power than the reo

It's a shame your in WA, if you were over east you'd probably buy a 12m REO.
The one time I prefer living in a less windy place!
Ahhhhhhh, the.best.kite.ever....

Have you ridden the Neo surfingboy?

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eppo said..
Have you ridden the Neo surfingboy?

Are you a North team rider now Eppo? Seem to be mega frothing lately

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eppo said..
Have you ridden the Neo surfingboy?

It's a valid question I thought Drury, but I'd also like to know if Eppo has ridden the Reo. Not having a dig, I am genuinely interested in hearing from people regarding these two kites.

And yes yes I know, Demo Demo Demo. But what good is the equipment forum if we can't ask questions regarding performance.

Haven't tried the North Neo, but the 15 Reo is a beauty! Very quick, sharp handling, good power delivery and huge depower range when needed. I'm 75kgs and bought the 10 and it is great for me. Bit of a change from my Switchblades, but really enjoying it.

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DJMWA said..

eppo said..
Have you ridden the Neo surfingboy?

It's a valid question I thought Drury, but I'd also like to know if Eppo has ridden the Reo. Not having a dig, I am genuinely interested in hearing from people regarding these two kites.

And yes yes I know, Demo Demo Demo. But what good is the equipment forum if we can't ask questions regarding performance.

My question to Eppo wasn't a dig, I am on the LF team and support their products openly and have for the other brands I've ridden for as well. I just wonder because Eppo has been pushing North really hard in a lot of threads on a lot of forums. If he isn't getting compensated for his efforts I think he needs to rethink how much time he's spending promoting!

I think they're both great kites. North makes a very tight product. I found it to be great on the low end but that may not be to your liking in WA (depending on where you are of course). You don't want a wave kite to get overpowered quickly as it tends to make riding the wave quite difficult. I have clocked more time flying the Reo than Neo but I have found that the Reo has exceptional range. As stated, the 12m has awesome low end and many of our customers and team riders have this as their go to size with the lighter NSW conditions. The whole range is great though and I think Ozone has produced a really top level wave kite.

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Drury said..

eppo said..
Have you ridden the Neo surfingboy?

Are you a North team rider now Eppo? Seem to be mega frothing lately

"I just wonder because Eppo has been pushing North really hard in a lot of threads on a lot of forums".

That's rich coming from the king of pimp..

That second quote demonstrates just how much manipulation of the various forums you KP guys are doing in order to 'tweak' your own sales.. As a KP shop manager, I'd have hoped you'd be too busy selling [all your great products] to be monitoring various forums in order to track what one guy was doing with brands you cannot sell..

All's fair in business hey

Actually was a legit question For surfingboy as he seems to be principally a dedicated surfboard rider and I was hoping he'd ridden both for a comparison as I think his input would be really useful for the actual question of the post.

For the record I've tried the last generation (before this one) of both the Neo and reo and none of them agreed with me!

But im not a surfboard rider only, hence by definition a hack on a SB, so hence why I asked surfingboy who I find a great contributor here.

..and to be completely honest and transparent I personally do ride north Race Kites and rate them above any others I've tried for what I do. But that's just an honest opinion and only an opinion at that.

....rode the Torch the other day though...damn that's a mighty fine C kite!!

To conclude, I suspect the author of the post is chasing information on two fantastic wave kites by all accounts.

I would suggest comparing different sizes if you demo. The Reo is somewhat lacking in the bottom end where the Neo is quite powerful. This switches in the top end.

So I would suggest trying the Neo 1-2m2 smaller than the Reo you try.

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eppo said..
Actually was a legit question For surfingboy as he seems to be principally a dedicated surfboard rider and I was hoping he'd ridden both for a comparison as I think his input would be really useful for the actual question of the post.

For the record I've tried the last generation (before this one) of both the Neo and reo and none of them agreed with me!

But im not a surfboard rider only, hence by definition a hack on a SB, so hence why I asked surfingboy who I find a great contributor here.

..and to be completely honest and transparent I personally do ride north Race Kites and rate them above any others I've tried for what I do. But that's just an honest opinion and only an opinion at that.

....rode the Torch the other day though...damn that's a mighty fine C kite!!

To conclude, I suspect the author of the post is chasing information on two fantastic wave kites by all accounts.

Awesome, I wasn't probing just honestly wondering! Yes the Torch is awesome completely agree though I do think it could benefit from a low Y. Naish uses a very high one and I like the feel of it being a bit lower personally. Yes surfingboy is an awesome contributor. Sorry if my comment sounded negative- wasn't meant to be at all. You provide a lot of useful info on here.

Definitely rate both kites but DEMO. Forum threads only go so far you need to feel the kites for sure. Most companies these days are making top notch products so it's all down to feel.

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BrisKites said..
The Reo is somewhat lacking in the bottom end

So I would suggest trying the Neo 1-2m2 smaller than the Reo you try.

FYI This was true for 2012/13 but they addressed it in 2014 and again in 2015, Neo may still have a tad more low end but I recommend testing the same sizes in 2015 models if you can.

i am in WA, weigh 83-85 depending on how many beers for the week and ride with a 5"10 surfboard.
This season i have run a one kite quiver that being a 2015 8m reo. love it and have not had a day yet where i have missed. sure have had a couple of down winders where it was pretty light but eithyer unhook or loop baby loop and still had fun. Have had one day where it was too windy, that insane friday before xmas, but even guys on 6's were saying it was hectic and not too fun. if its light, there are plenty of other things to do in perth.

recon the 8m is the beauty size for Perth, not sure but have prob done those light DW in 14 knots, if you have a fat board like you said you would go a bti easier, or a skim. i run a std surfboard.
Ive been out in gero in up late 20's, still fun, bit hectic but yeh really love the reo especially in around 20 odd knots, just a sweet kite. turns quick, feels like the good parts of my old c kite yet drifts good, is stable and feels more like flying a 6/7ish, dont recon it feels like an 8 but defo has a decent bottom end.

Ill prob end up getting a 10 or a 12 but more for trips away where you want to get out if you drive 2 days to get to the spot, not sit on the beach and drink tins (not that its a bad option).

This being said the neo's seem to go well, look a bit crap in my opinion, 2 panels look a bit cheap but most people flying them rave on them.
try n demo.
maybe talk to Ryland, im sure he would give you a quick go on his 8 so you could see.

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eppo said..
Have you ridden the Neo surfingboy?

Nah man. I am a bit isolated down here.
I think the only 2015 kites I've ridden this year has been my Reo's.
Bit of a shame to lose that wider perspective, but really stoked on what my current quiver offers.
Did I mention I froth the 12?

My 2 ctv.

I ride a Slingshot Dialer 5.10 surfboard 2012.

I am 80 Kilos and my surf skills are advance and my kite skills are average.

Yesterday I demo the NEO 2015 9 meter kite on 15 to 20 knots on 3 foot swell at 13th beach
.
Fast turning, doesn't back stall, drifts very well , good low end and not much bar pressure
.
I switched the bar to a 4 lines Air rush smart bar and the kite had a lot of bar pressure and was turning slow. I switched back to the original 4 North 4 line bar and the kite is amazing.

I have put my two Naish Ride kites for sale to pay off the Neo.

Have you ridden the Reo castill0jf?

Yes. I have a 12 meter REO 2012 and love it but I got a good deal on the NEO. I haven't demo the 2013 or 2014 yet. The REO 2013 and 2014 kites are on my demo bucket list.

Also the Pivot Naish Kite is on my list and I am waiting for a good deal.

cheers

Thanks folk for all the information.I think that I will demo the 8 m Neo vs the 10 Reo in 2015 models .

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Kitepower Australia said..

BrisKites said..
The Reo is somewhat lacking in the bottom end

So I would suggest trying the Neo 1-2m2 smaller than the Reo you try.

FYI This was true for 2012/13 but they addressed it in 2014 and again in 2015, Neo may still have a tad more low end but I recommend testing the same sizes in 2015 models if you can.

No, the Neo will still have at least 1m on the Reo.

Ok.. Still recommend demoing the same sizes though so they can see for themselves.

edit - at least 1m difference? cmon that's pure exaggeration for the 2015 Reo which is what the OP is asking about.

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Kitepower Australia said..
Ok.. Still recommend demoing the same sizes though so they can see for themselves.

edit - at least 1m difference? cmon that's pure exaggeration for the 2015 Reo which is what the OP is asking about.

KP have you flown a 2015 North Neo?

No, don't sell North unfortunately.

2015 Reo flies true to the size written on it, all our riders can attest to this. That is all

One's called a Reo and the other is a Neo?

I didn't find the Neo that much of a grunty kite next to likes of a core xr or a switchblade. In terms of power I think the neo is a medium powered kite where the Reo is an under powered kite if compared to even other wave kites such as the drifter.I could fly a 7 m ozone edge and go up wind better than an ozone Reo.Reo's I love for downwinder because you don't need power.

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diamond2001 said..
I didn't find the Neo that much of a grunty kite next to likes of a core xr or a switchblade. In terms of power I think the neo is a medium powered kite where the Reo is an under powered kite if compared to even other wave kites such as the drifter.I could fly a 7 m ozone edge and go up wind better than an ozone Reo.Reo's I love for downwinder because you don't need power.

As stated the old ones (2012, 13) were certainly undersized. The new ones have heaps of grunt.

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Kitepower Australia said..
No, don't sell North unfortunately.

2015 Reo flies true to the size written on it, all our riders can attest to this. That is all

Fair enough your unable to fly one because you don't sell North.

And I agree the 9M 2015 reo I flew for a short period felt like a bloody nice 9M

But maybe don't comment on comparisons in wind range between 2 kites when you haven't flown both of them. It's a little misleading. That is all

Low ends???

One afternoon at mambo only airton and i where out both on 12m kites, me on reo, he on neo

He was running on the beach up wind and i was sailing up wind

after it got to light for me i surfed, he did that thing where he ejected his kite then surfed the wave… freak

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Spark said..

Kitepower Australia said..
No, don't sell North unfortunately.

2015 Reo flies true to the size written on it, all our riders can attest to this. That is all

But maybe don't comment on comparisons in wind range between 2 kites when you haven't flown both of them. It's a little misleading. That is all

Exactly which is why I felt the need to respond to Briskites (who don't sell ozone and may not have flown a 2015 Reo) that while they used to be a smaller and less powerful kite (2012/13), this is no longer true for the 2015 model.

Plus we always recommend people demo the same size kites back to back or at least in the same conditions, regardless of whether they are a "grunty" kite or not. Otherwise all other characteristics will be out of whack and somewhat confusing.

When I tried the two kites: the 10 m 2015 Reo, and the 9m Neo 2015, The Reo was over powered in strong winds but it just flew forward into the wind and I still was in control. In strong wind the Neo was over powered as well but would lift upwards and was uncomfortable Even though the Neo is 1m less it did not turn faster than the Reo, which is larger in size. But... this is not an issue, you just need, with time, to kite with the right size. As said before they are both great kites, and for me, with the conditions I kite in the Reo was better for me