Rider: 65kg, advanced
Style:Surf,Wake and foil
Weather: 12-25 knots
Build Quality: 9/10
Satisfaction: 9/10
Disclosure: (ozone team rider)

sizes tested: 7m, 9m, and 12m


Ozone Enduro V1

The Ozone Enduro is a 3 strut, pulley-less bridled open C kite, designed for the all rounder. There are 3 bridle settings, wave, freestyle, and freeride. These 3 settings can be easily changed by moving the noose up a knot on the bridle. There are also 3 bar pressure settings on the tip of the leading edge where it joins the trailing edge which can be easily changed by moving the pigtail to a new attachment point.

The Enduro is a great do it all kite, I can comfortably do passes on it as well as surf it down the line. The Drift isn't as good as the Reo but that doesn't bother me at all. I was pleasantly surprised on how well it handled foiling, I have only ever landed a few full foiling tacks before but on the Enduro I found it easier and I pulled off 5 in a row.

Turning and predictability
The kites turning is in-between pivotal and arcing, it generates quite a lot of power when you put it into a loop so you can get round large sections while surfing or throw a mean megaloop. The kite is very stable and predictable in the sky. I went over the falls on a decent double over head wave and let go of the bar, I got dragged across quite bit of reef but when I came up the kite was perched perfectly above my head ( I've never had this before). In very gusty conditions the kite can drop out when its above your head but this is to be expected.

Wave riding
The Enduro is marketed as small wave kite but can tell you it handles decent waves too. I found I need to start the wave of with a down loop so the kite is positioned in a good spot and then it will drift comfortably for the rest of the wave. The turning speed is about medium, it is not as quick as a dedicated wave kite but it is not as slow as a freestyle kite. The turning of the kite when depowered is pretty good when going down the line and found that I can still comfortably turn the kite when the lines are going slack.
Freestyle I found the kite didn't have slack lines when landing tricks but it had a light constant pull throughout the whole trick. The smaller sizes are really quite quick for freestyle. I found the Enduro doesn't punish you as bad as a full C kite and it encourages you to go bigger and try new tricks.

Air time and looping
I had a blast looping this kite at the end of a session, it loops quite quick with an even pull. It is not as aggressive as a C kite so it is perfect for the everyday rider. When jumping the Enduro, it shoots you into the sky with plenty of float and hang time and lets you down softly. I have had some of my biggest jumps with this kite.

Relaunch and ease of use
The Enduro relaunches really easily but there is a little tip to bring it up quick. I found you pull in both of the coloured lines (a little bit like a reverse launch) and then pull the line that favours the angle of which the kite is going to relaunch at and it will come up in 5 seconds.

Overall The Enduro V1 is a very user friendly all round kite with a decent low end and top end performance. It is versatile and fun with responsive steering and great control for the rider. I highly recommend trying this kite if you’re into every thing because it is an absolute cracker!


If anyone wants to demo the kites send me a Private message and Ill see what i can do.

solid review, cheers! What size kite and winds when you were foiling?

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dafish said..
solid review, cheers! What size kite and winds when you were foiling?

I was foiling with the 7m in about 16 knots.

Good looking kites!

Very good review .
Did you ride the 12 ? this is the size I'm looking for and this is quite a big size for a three struts. I'm 215

Sounds interesting. Have you ridden the edges Billy? How does the enduro compare to an edge? How much different does it feel to last years catalyst.

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kiter49 said..
Very good review .
Did you ride the 12 ? this is the size I'm looking for and this is quite a big size for a three struts. I'm 215

yes i used the 12. its a bit more powerful then the 12 Reo and has slower turning. the 12m seems like it is more designed for free-ride/freestyle then waves.

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Plummet said..
Sounds interesting. Have you ridden the edges Billy? How does the enduro compare to an edge? How much different does it feel to last years catalyst.

I haven't tried the edge or last years catalyst. I know the Enduro is just a more refined catalyst.

Thanks Billy . I just sold the Reo 12 , I might be better with the Edge in this size.

Can you compare it to 2015 Catalyst? I think this is the beef. Is it just 2015 Catalyst renamed or is there more to it?

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Plummet said...
Sounds interesting. Have you ridden the edges Billy? How does the enduro compare to an edge? How much different does it feel to last years catalyst.

I'd say it'd have no comparison, it's in the reo , cat , c4 platform, I was really hoping for something different in shape and visually,
Not bagging it ,

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RedStar said..
Can you compare it to 2015 Catalyst? I think this is the beef. Is it just 2015 Catalyst renamed or is there more to it?

Does look very similar, though does have 3 settings on the bridle....What do I know, been riding the cats since they came out and can barely tell the difference from 2011 to my 2015

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cauncy said...

Plummet said...
Sounds interesting. Have you ridden the edges Billy? How does the enduro compare to an edge? How much different does it feel to last years catalyst.

I'd say it'd have no comparison, it's in the reo , cat , c4 platform, I was really hoping for something different in shape and visually,
Not bagging it ,

Well ultimately u see me with 2 kites in the 7-8m days. Currently got an 2012 8m cat. That's getting pretty tired. I want to add the 7 edge next. Then when the cat dies maybe one of these enduro will do the big wave days.

I did like the old c4 before it went all wake style. So a cat/c4 meld would be quite a nice wave/freeride kite.

Here is the product video. Filmed in WA!

One kite to rule them all aye?

Cool vid.

+1 great vid
great all round riding too. those flat unhooked reverses at the end at gas were a nice subtle closer, skills.


you must have to be pretty careful of the shallow spots foiling in the river hey Billy?!

Sick riding! Awesome edit +1
Love the enduro dirt bike intro

Epic launch Nice vid mate.

Great rider in the vid, who was that?

^^^ Paulino Pereira for all the surfboard and twinny stuff. Billy Hampton on the foil.

cheers...he rips.

Had a go on a 9m yesterday in 20-25 knots, later 17-20, flat water, TT, 70kg, average but experienced freerider, doing a bit of everything mainly boosting, front/backroll incl. loops, normal kite and front loops though not mega, raileys, dark slides etc.
I am currently riding Vegas and GTS3, so like a fast moving direct kite which needs to be actively worked and thrown to boost.
So the Enduro ticks the boxes for me very well and it was bless flying it enjoying a very precise and direct and nifty enough ride with very good boost height and the extra hang time my other kites don't offer. I only did raileys so really don't care much about slack vs. massive slack, the kite stayed where I put it, did not collapse or move, gave a decent pop, so for what I am doing is more than enough. I found it fun and reliable, forgiving yet powerful enough. The loops are actually quite powerful and very smooth and consistent at the same time, pretty impressed. The lift for all sort of rotations is as expected pretty good compared to the other kites where lift has to be actively triggered.
Keen in drilling in a bit more and test the other sizes, as well as jump on a surfboard, but a solid thumb up at this stage. A very serious candidate for the do-it-all category some other kites claim but hardly any kite really delivers thoroughly (of course it is a big ask to be top of the class in all segments let's be realistic, but this one may come pretty close).
PS. I have only tried the standard i.e. freeride and mid wingtip position and found it sweet for everything.

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RussKraut said..
Had a go on a 9m yesterday in 20-25 knots, later 17-20, flat water, TT, 70kg, average but experienced freerider, doing a bit of everything mainly boosting, front/backroll incl. loops, normal kite and front loops though not mega, raileys, dark slides etc.
I am currently riding Vegas and GTS3, so like a fast moving direct kite which needs to be actively worked and thrown to boost.
So the Enduro ticks the boxes for me very well and it was bless flying it enjoying a very precise and direct and nifty enough ride with very good boost height and the extra hang time my other kites don't offer. I only did raileys so really don't care much about slack vs. massive slack, the kite stayed where I put it, did not collapse or move, gave a decent pop, so for what I am doing is more than enough. I found it fun and reliable, forgiving yet powerful enough. The loops are actually quite powerful and very smooth and consistent at the same time, pretty impressed. The lift for all sort of rotations is as expected pretty good compared to the other kites where lift has to be actively triggered.
Keen in drilling in a bit more and test the other sizes, as well as jump on a surfboard, but a solid thumb up at this stage. A very serious candidate for the do-it-all category some other kites claim but hardly any kite really delivers thoroughly (of course it is a big ask to be top of the class in all segments let's be realistic, but this one may come pretty close).
PS. I have only tried the standard i.e. freeride and mid wingtip position and found it sweet for everything.

+1, so far I (95 kg) did fly the 9m in 23-30 knots. Battens in trailing edge reduce/kill flutter during loops. So far I only used standard setting.

The 10 and above sizings for me would be interesting to hear about, as this is where most brands really lose that dynamic feel, for me this was highly prevalent with the catalyst of old

How does the Enduro compare to something like a Cabrinha Switchblade?

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Jlip9 said..
How does the Enduro compare to something like a Cabrinha Switchblade?

Totally different kites. Switchblade has more bottom end, longer hangtime, less drifting and slow steering. The Cabrinha FX on the other hand has more or less same performance as Enduro.

What's the thoughts on wind range with the Enduro?

Is it the same as the 2014/2015 Catalyst?

Current have a 12+9 2014 Cats and looking to upgrade to 12+8 Enduros.

Searching for a little greater top end and always felt that i could get away with a 4m gap with the catalysts. (im 78Kgs and ride both a SB and TT)

Copy that. I find the Enduro sits in the same niche and feels similar to the FX indeed. With perhaps slightly more bar pressure (if then just tiny though) and hence imo a slightly more direct feel, and it looks and feels a bit more rock solid without any flutter. Plus the G spot is a bit closer to the rider while I need longer arms (riding further sheeted out) with the FX when powered up. And I prefer the simple Ozone bar. But that is all cosmetic. Both manual swivels are large enough to comfortable twist them and both are pulley-less bridles. And both are open C kites. Which is important to mention if you want to compare like for like (see the other threat about a cross over kite which loops and unhooks well). No point in comparing the Enduro to some Delta/Bow kites really...

Other kites I've flown which are somewhat similar and fit the wider open C / bridled C category would be RPM and GTS3 and Dice perhaps. All have their own pros and cons depending on personal preferences And for me have all a rather different feel. But some of those have pulleys and therefore for me at least this enters a different category yet again.

Been a long time coming but this kite was well worth the wait !!!

Give me a call if you would like to see for yourself.

Jason
West Oz Boardsports
0411 510 514

Edit to my other post (I promise no further input from me as I am not trying to promote any specific brand or kite, just sharing the stoke) but I bought a 9 today and demoed both 7 and 12m. The 12 is nice but it's a 12 hence I can't get too enthusiastic about it. Nice and stable and direct enough, slightly slower than the Reo.

The 7 is absolutely amazeballs. Took it out in 25-30 knots today. It boosts to the moon and loops sweet. Surprisingly, it is super stable, both from a gust eating perspective. But at the same time it is not twitchy, feels similar to the 9 (middle wing tip setting), so a bit slowed down perhaps, while still extremely responsive and fast when flown actively. That balance and the direct feel/connection/bar pressure and hangtime to me is most convincing.

You always know where it is and it won't wander off to any side halfway through the jump or when you let it sit in the zenit, without you wanting it.

I'd think I could comfortably ride it in 35 knots or more (70kg).

So if you are after an allrounder with a turbo, give it a go