This review is for the 2011 kite, but apparently there will either be no changes for next year, or only very minor tweaks, so this review should still be relevant.

Rider: 67kg, Level (intermediate)
Style: Freeriding (mostly just doing jumps)
Weather: 13-28 knots
Build Quality: 9?/10 (quality seems good, but only time will tell)
Satisfaction: 9.5/10
Disclosure: None

My Comments:
I tested the Edge 11m over three days earlier this week in a variety of conditions. After the third day I took the demo kite back to the shop and bought one for myself. This is the kite to replace my 13m Slingshot Rev2.

What I was looking for was a 13/15-25 knot kite with good jumping and upwind abilities, and light bar pressure. I considered fast turning and unhooked ability as a bonus, but not a requirement.

The first session was at the low end of the windrange, and although not much exciting was going on with only around 15 knots, even small jumps stunned me with the awesome hangtime.

The second session was in slightly in stronger winds, mostly in the low 20s and up to about 25 knots. I started to really dial in the timing of the jumps and the re-direct, and was amazed at the super soft landings achievable. Even when I stuffed up a jump (quite regularly haha) I would still land softly. It would take an absolute muppet to drop like a rock with this kite (or a snapped line ). In the 25 knot gusts I never felt overpowered, instead of the kite trying to pull me off my edge and spiral me out of control downwind it just pulled me forward faster and faster. The power was totally controllable and addictive. Not once did I even consider trimming the kite. No doubt there is more top-end to be enjoyed. In the strongest gusts, my biggest jumps felt totally controllable and the kite was confidence-inspiring with a long glide and slow descent.

I am going to have to reconsider the safety margin I allow between me and other kiters/obstacles after experiencing the incredible hangtime and glide of the Edge. On Saturday the wind suddenly picked up whilst I was already in the air and I reckon I glided about 35m+ downwind. I landed about 5m from the shore and 10m from another kiter. Sorry mate, my fault. Next time I'll leave a 60m safety margin

Given how far forward in the wind window the Edge flies, it is actually quite disconcerting parking the kite at 12o'clock. This is not something i generally do, but i found it quite interesting with the Edge. It is directly above your head and feels as though at any second it's going to suddenly hindenburg…but it doesn't. It is quite a stable kite considering how high-aspect this kite is, and it is very well behaved. No jellyfishing, no jerky surges forward and backwards in the gusts.

Relaunch is a fair bit slower than what I'm used to with my Slingshot Revs, but so far haven't had any issues in relaunching it. Reverse launches work very nicely on the beach in very light winds (haven't tested reverse launching in the water yet)

I know that the new Ozone bar will have a push away safety release (will it ever make it to production?), but I'm surprised that Ozone still have a pull release. I thought this was the year 2011? Sure, it works, but IMO push-away is much better.

Overall, I'm stoked with the kite. I love the light bar pressure, big jumps, huge hangtime, and great upwind ability. It would be nice if future Edges had better relaunch and Ozone dropped the prices. I'm sure there is a reasonable explanation for why this kite retails for $400+ more than a 12m Reo……
It's a shame this kite is so expensive; I'd love to get a 7m Edge!

Pros: awesome hangtime, great upwind ability, light bar pressure, wide 'sweetspot' windrange, no pulleys (personal preference)

Cons: expensive, relatively slow turning, relatively slow relaunch, prehistoric pull safety release

Right on the money with this review DJF. This kite has an amazing wind range .....
But at your weight BEWARE!, this thing get very serious over 30knots. It will kick your arse!(experience talking) At 100kgs I find that around the 20 knot mark my 9 meter is enough.
With time you will find that you will be able to turn this kite really quickly, you need to be quite agressive with the bar. When kite looping I find that I can get a very tight radius turn from all the Edge kites including the 13m. But if you are comparing with a REO it will never be as quick. It took a while to get my technique right but you need to be flying the kite kite fast and be aggressive on the bar to get the speed out of the turns.
Relaunch is the same, I have been flying Edges since they first came out and I have no problems with relaunch. It gets easier with practice. I tend to pull on 1 line and as soon the kite starts to stand up i let go the bar and get a handful of front line as well if need to get the thing in the air quickly. Otherwise just pull on 1 line have a little breather as it comes round and up she goes. If you are going to reverse launch in the water then i either pull the front lines while pulling back evenly on the bar or pull your depower on and then work your backlines.

Thanks for the tips rusty7.

I was riding in winds around 15 knots when it suddenly picked up to around 28 knots. I rode for about 10 minutes but quickly gave up. Fun?...Yes and no. Controllable?...Yes, to a certain degree. Dangerous?...Definitely. Would i do it again?...Not by choice. It is nice to know though that if the wind does suddenly pick up i can at least get back to the beach relatively safely. I'd say 15-25 knots is enjoyable, 13-14 knots do-able, and 25-28 knots survivable.

I do find that i turn the bar a bit more on this kite, and i have quickly adapted to the turning speed. When i switched back to my 9m it felt so twitchy and lively and i took a few minutes to readjust to the same kite i've flown for over 1.5 years. I still prefer fast turning kites though...

I'll try your relaunch techniques next time.

Cheers

you should have demo'd the c4 as well. It rips you off the water like no other kite when boosting! You may not boost as high but it is far more of a rush!

^^^ He did, and back-to-back. I had been riding the SHQ demo 11m Edge for a week before handing it to Daniel. I also gave him a spin on my 12m C4 so his choice was well informed.

As for me, after a week on the Edge I was stoked to be back on my C4s. The Edge is an amazingly refined kite for sure, but to me it's like a symphony orchestra while my C4s are like AC/DC at the height of their powers in about 1977. Both are superb at what they do, but the C4 is my kind of rock n roll.

I only tried the C4 for about 15 minutes (thanks Brendan), and from what i experienced, i like the kite. But for the main characteristics i was looking for in a kite (upwind, light bar pressure, hangtime), the Edge was better. The C4 seems to be more of an all-rounder, freestyle kite. I also tried the Rebel 11m, and enjoyed it, but once again it was more of an all-rounder, whereas the Edge was just a little bit better for what i was after.

There are no bad kites, only bad choices. Edge was a good choice for me.

Rusty, Very interested to hear where you max out on the 9m edge at your weight.

Select to expand quote

rusty7 said...

Right on the money with this review DJF. This kite has an amazing wind range .....
But at your weight BEWARE!, this thing get very serious over 30knots. It will kick your arse!(experience talking) At 100kgs I find that around the 20 knot mark my 9 meter is enough.
With time you will find that you will be able to turn this kite really quickly, you need to be quite agressive with the bar. When kite looping I find that I can get a very tight radius turn from all the Edge kites including the 13m. But if you are comparing with a REO it will never be as quick. It took a while to get my technique right but you need to be flying the kite kite fast and be aggressive on the bar to get the speed out of the turns.
Relaunch is the same, I have been flying Edges since they first came out and I have no problems with relaunch. It gets easier with practice. I tend to pull on 1 line and as soon the kite starts to stand up i let go the bar and get a handful of front line as well if need to get the thing in the air quickly. Otherwise just pull on 1 line have a little breather as it comes round and up she goes. If you are going to reverse launch in the water then i either pull the front lines while pulling back evenly on the bar or pull your depower on and then work your backlines.

Pedro ...when I find out I will message you.... You can rest assured i will find out though.

Cheers Rusty

I don't currently ride ozone (and am more than happy with the kites i have of another brand) but the more I hear about this kite the more i think this is the kite for me especially in the small sizes for high winds. Say a 7m (for ballistic winds) or 9m (for strong winds). I am near on 100 not quite but getting there. I am not going to be really trying any freestyle in high winds (just going massive) as basically I am not that good.

Positives: Massive Scary Air (hell yeah), great low end (this is a must given weight and rules out a lot of good kites for me), great high end, loops well (is this right?), requires aggressive turning / is not as quick as some (i actually like this)

Negatives: Price (but i guess you get what you pay for), Relaunch (but not an issue for me as i will work it out)

Am i missing something? Any weaknesses or should i say is there anything this is not good at i.e. Waves?

Cheers

Pedro - pretty much on the money with your assessment of size verse condition.
They are not a surf kite but in saying that provided you keep it moving quickly and keep some tension on the lines they work OK. For us heavier guys they actually go quite well on a wave. But if you want to go out in high winds and go big, hang long loop etc. they are really good. They are very powerful but still controlable. With the 2011 models the hang time on the small kites for my weight is amazing They have always gone big but I used to drop like a stone on the older models. The way they behave and the ability to recover them from nearly anywhere when boosting means safe landings are almost garanteed. This makes you confident enough to go looking for the bigest kicker possible and going hard on the boost.... you know that no matter how high you go you are going to be able to bring the kite back around when required. As already stated make sure you give yourself plenty of room though, they fly a long way. You want to see what is possible check out this link.

I better start saving. Maybe Santa might come to the party.

Select to expand quote

rusty7 said...

...At 100kgs I find that around the 20 knot mark my 9 meter is enough......

I would strongly disagree with this. Im 78kg and reckon 25-30 is the sweetspot for the 9m. Be aware though that in over 30kn you may get killed boosting too close to shore.

Yeh the more I here and see, the more I am considering adding a edge 7m to my 8 and 11m rebels, for the reason that in nukin winds I'm not going to try anything but boost big! Have to demo one first of course, but the idea of a really refined wing kinda turns me on...not in a weird way, or maybe, wait, yes, in a weird way.

Wishy.....just saying that the 9m will get you going nicely at 20 knots. For me the sweet spot would be a lot higher than 20, it would be over 30. I ride my 13m upto about 30 knots usually and then go to the 9m. Some days I will just ride the 9. I did have an 11m but it got ridiculous when we got anything over 35 knots so I switched it for a 9m. This gives me a much better range.

Select to expand quote

wishy said...

rusty7 said...

...At 100kgs I find that around the 20 knot mark my 9 meter is enough......

I would strongly disagree with this. Im 78kg and reckon 25-30 is the sweetspot for the 9m. Be aware though that in over 30kn you may get killed boosting too close to shore.

I think what you are both saying here is that it depends on your experience and ability. I'm maxed out on my 11m Edge at 25 knots it's time to come in.... thats when DM hooks in to it and goes out and sends it into orbit!!!!

Can't wait for my 15m Edge to arrive!!!!

Okay edge dudes I weigh 85 kg ride a 148 cardboard wave what size edge would take me from 25 to 35?

Select to expand quote

eppo said...

Okay edge dudes I weigh 85 kg ride a 148 cardboard wave what size edge would take me from 25 to 35?

An advanced rider would generally prefer a nine and an intermediate rider would prefer a seven.

I suppose youd call me advanced in terms of years but intermediate to look at. Had to get more conservative once kids and age set in. What is the bottom end of a seven and a nine at my weight. Bottom end meaning still staying upwind not having to do a downwinder. Cheers.

My 8m rebel takes me to 28 but after that I can push it to 30 but I get too uncomfortable. For some that when it really sings but me always keep some in reserve. So looking for a cross over kite like the edge. After 35 I dont kite leave that up to the mad ones.

Go the seven.

I just got a 9m and 13m and used the 9m in 18 knots quite comfortably. I'm around 90kg, beginner/intermediate. I am very pleased with the bottom end.

I am very curious what the bottom end for 13m will be. I was bit skeptical when i read it would get me going comfortably in 13 knots but now i am inclined to believe that.

You wanted to know the negatives of the edge.

You can't shut the power off as easily as lower aspect kites by letting out the power. When she's powered up with aparent wind a hard edging technique is required. If you already going super fast and get hit by a gust that translates into super speed or bouncing down wind on your arse or the best option send it for insane jumps.

The edge likes speed and flat water. in chop and waves in marginal conditions it can't go fast and is underwhelming. It likes, craves speed. Also on a wave face in powered conditions the shear act of zooming down the fast can build enough aparent wind to power the kite up heap and it pulls you off the wave face.

Saying all that. flat water super fast send it and glide around the sky for ages. Its certianly the glidiest inflatable i have flown. not the glidiest kite i fly however!... My ozone manta's open cel depower foils glide even more.... but they aren't for water use.

Yeh sounds very 'foily' to me, a extremely efficient air foil likes speed. The 'imperfections' of a LEI is what gives them their controllability, their ability to spill power quickly. However I still would love to try one; i reckon a lot of kites have a size that really suites it's design, what size really suites this one - a 9m maybe?

Cheers Plummet that's the sort of stuff I was after.

Kids these days don't know how to edge.

Select to expand quote

Plummet said...

You wanted to know the negatives of the edge.

You can't shut the power off as easily as lower aspect kites by letting out the power. When she's powered up with aparent wind a hard edging technique is required. If you already going super fast and get hit by a gust that translates into super speed or bouncing down wind on your arse or the best option send it for insane jumps.

The edge likes speed and flat water. in chop and waves in marginal conditions it can't go fast and is underwhelming. It likes, craves speed. Also on a wave face in powered conditions the shear act of zooming down the fast can build enough aparent wind to power the kite up heap and it pulls you off the wave face.

Saying all that. flat water super fast send it and glide around the sky for ages. Its certianly the glidiest inflatable i have flown. not the glidiest kite i fly however!... My ozone manta's open cel depower foils glide even more.... but they aren't for water use.

True dat! Hence why I love the rebels, consistent power delivery where you need to use your edge, more connected feel. Hate kites that shoot forward in the name of 100% depower near their top end, twitchy pieces of crap in gusty conditions.

Yeh gotta try one of these edges, it's all about airtime, what got me into the sport in the first place. Appreciate the technical tricks, can't wait until they are done 20 foot in the air. Come on Ewan!!

Select to expand quote

eppo said...

Yeh sounds very 'foily' to me, a extremely efficient air foil likes speed. The 'imperfections' of a LEI is what gives them their controllability, their ability to spill power quickly. However I still would love to try one; i reckon a lot of kites have a size that really suites it's design, what size really suites this one - a 9m maybe?

your right it is my most foily feeling lei. the 10 manta and teh 11 edge are very similar in in performance. completly different if how you fly them but the end result is similar. the edge more lifty, the manta more glidy.

Anyway. I like the edge for low to medium winds. over 20 knots the waves are usually cranking and i find myself reaching for the c4. much more fun in the waves.
over 28 i'm reaching for a reo.

Oh thanks for that I was going to go the other way, get a 7m for 28 plus, but these kites turn slowish right - wouldn't the bigger sizes turn real slow - but I suppose if it is apparent wind you use, you don't want to turn the kite often.

What size do you use for what winds...interesting, wouldn't the turnign speed though effect the ability to vertically boost? I suppose over 28 the water is generally choppy in most places (not all), hence more difficult to edge, make sense with your premise.

I haven't tried the smaller sizes i must admit. but i have no flat water. only waves and bigger waves. if i had flatwater i'd be looking at small edge to boost to the moon. But 28+ round here also = 4m + swell and well over head height waves. in those conditions you want lower aspect wave kites not high aspect boost machines... well thats what i want.

Select to expand quote

eppo said...

Oh thanks for that I was going to go the other way, get a 7m for 28 plus, but these kites turn slowish right - wouldn't the bigger sizes turn real slow - but I suppose if it is apparent wind you use, you don't want to turn the kite often.

What size do you use for what winds...interesting, wouldn't the turnign speed though effect the ability to vertically boost? I suppose over 28 the water is generally choppy in most places (not all), hence more difficult to edge, make sense with your premise.

I've flown the 9M Edge in 28-32 knots, and the 7M in 30-35+ knots, no they do not turn slow!
They turn fast, but the are sweep turners, not spinny pivotal turning kites. You can still get them to turn on a wingtip and carve nice fast frontside turns. They are not twitchy running to the edge of the window type kites, they are super stable with a good top end that will boost you to adrenalin pumping heights but they inspire confidence, are easy to redirect, or loop to land swish. You do need to allow a lot of downwind room when its windy and you start to dial in the big boosting potential of these babies!
Go so Darren, I'm sure he has a 9 or 7 he keeps for demo and personal use when its windy!

How much you weigh man and what board you use. Yeh seen dazza on his 7m, will have to try it this summer. Do you find they are hard to handle in the onshore chop??

Select to expand quote

eppo said...

How much you weigh man and what board you use. Yeh seen dazza on his 7m, will have to try it this summer. Do you find they are hard to handle in the onshore chop like plummet said - the need to edge- pardon the pun??

Select to expand quote

eppo said...

How much you weigh man and what board you use. Yeh seen dazza on his 7m, will have to try it this summer. Do you find they are hard to handle in the onshore chop??

I weigh around 77kg after I've dropped the kids at the pool haha! They handle chop no worries, I ride them in Botany Bay which is a choppy place but also had one in Spain and FNQ this year, also in choppy conditions. Many different people rode them and all rated the kite very highly.