I'm considering an Enduro v2 but have heard that Ozone kites in general, while high performance and excellent craftsmanship, are perhaps built on the light side and therefore not as robust. I'm not the most experienced kiter and will probably punish my kite a bit more than average, so is the Enduro solid enough to handle this kind of treatment?
Thanks

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gorgemay said..
I'm considering an Enduro v2 but have heard that Ozone kites in general, while high performance and excellent craftsmanship, are perhaps built on the light side and therefore not as robust. I'm not the most experienced kiter and will probably punish my kite a bit more than average, so is the Enduro solid enough to handle this kind of treatment?
Thanks

Full disclosure, I ride enduros but yes they are. I wouldnt stake my businesses name on promoting a brand I dont believe in. The materials are second to none. I even saw a reo go through the dunes and bush the other day unscathed. Get on it mate! see ya out there

I think that rumour is non sense. My kites get used a lot and show no sings of wear. I see older Cats and Reos around and they still fly great. Bars and lines have held up to the task as well

Good to hear. I think it's great that Ozone designs in house and builds their kites in own factory. Total quality control. Any word on 14m Enduro, still fun at that size?

My most used kite is a 2012 8m catalyst damn thing keeps going and going and going. I have ridden that kite HARD for 6 years. It's had multiple 30+ knot sessions each year and many more 15-30 knot sessions. Ive stuck it through the washing machine in big surf at least 2-3 times a year and thumped into the sand dunes kite buggying many times also. I'm constantly surprised at how long it has lasted....

The Enduro has more reinforcement and I understand the 2d fabric is better.

God knows how long that would last.

14 mtr fun, possibly but for me I'd skip and go the zephyr, better low end by a fair wack ,and just as good or if not a better top end,
The v2 enduro is the nicest kite for me I've had a run on, the 3 bridal settings for wave freeride n freestyle make the kite react as reqd, the quality of build is top notch, inc bar n lines, an 8 and 10 mtr for me

I'm happy with my 14m enduro v1. Really nice kite.
Still plenty fun. A little slow for waves , so I usually only use it on flat water.
But in saying that, I most commonly fly my reos, so that makes my enduros feel a little slow

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gorgemay said..
Good to hear. I think it's great that Ozone designs in house and builds their kites in own factory. Total quality control. Any word on 14m Enduro, still fun at that size?

I've had an Ozone Zephyr V2 for at least 4 years, used as main kite. Still going strong, excellent build quality. Handles really well. Has needed a new bladder and a couple of minor repairs - excellent considering the usage.

...I have a certain degree of suspicion of the true intent of the OP... what kind of responses were expected???
Nevertheless, there is an issue here: what makes a kite really durable?
During the years, before I bought my first Ozone, I owned and saw kites coming out from various brands with enormous reinforcements on what claimed to be "key" areas. They made the kites heavier and less responsive, but noone could say whether they made the kite more durable.
As I recall, when Ozone came to prominence, their philosophy was a minimalist simplicity without sacrificing quality... so all those heavy reinforcements were gone, and the whole setup looked "clean". As others commented, I have never had a durability / quality issue with Ozone, although I kite a lot (not enough, I say ;-). On the other hand, I can't comment on durability on mistreatment, as I rarely crash my kites, and never on sand... this is an area where instructors may have a say.

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Andrash said..
I can't comment on durability on mistreatment, as I rarely crash my kites, and never on sand... this is an area where instructors may have a say.

I've been using Ozone kites for six years or so. Talking to a retailer who dropped Ozone, they cited durability issues.

I kite in the surf. Trying new things and in particular, unhooking in waves frequently leads to dropped kite in the surf. Durability has been fine for me.

My old 2010 C4 lasted just over 5 years of pretty regular use before it gave up the ghost.

I was happy with the build quality and longevity. The lines especially were awesome quality

I've got 2013 catalysts and 2014 reos, with similar moderate usage, the catalyst has held up very well while the reos have a few pinholes and had repair, still good quality but reo are a lighter build. Can't comment on durability of the Enduro, I'm yet to inspect or test one. If I had the funds I'd buy one, I'm happy with the ozone kites, bars & lines I have. Cheers j

The ozone kites are nice with excellent craftmanship. I do think however they have a lighter feel to them compared to say a cabrinha. Lighter as in weight and the tactility of the material when handling. Unsure if this translates to increased durability.

Had various Reos (2013 until 2017), Zephyr, and Enduros V1. Owned a lot of other brands over the years and can only say that while I had issues with other kites and bars falling apart, the Ozone gear holds up very well. Lived in Perth for 5 years and winds are stronger and more frequent, so I guess this was a good test environment.

With regards to the light feel, that is exactly what I was looking for in a 3 strut kite especially. Falls out of the sky later than other kites. Doubt it has a negative impact on durability.

Perhaps those rare cases of some folks having had issues with older versions of Edges created some rumours that Ozone kites are less strong, but I have seen some Ozone kites over in Perth being used and abused heavily and just took it with ease.

Simplicity does not have to translate into fragility.

No hidden agenda here. I appreciate the focus Ozone has on simplicity and weight saving. I agree that it doesn't necessarily mean less durability. One could argue that if a kite flies better because it's lighter you'll be less likely to crash it in the first place.
I guess maybe I was trying to ask was "in the name of performance have they perhaps sacrificed durability, especially when in the hands of those with less experience and still crash their kites"?
One last item, when I see the Enduro it reminds me of the RPM.
How similar or not are they?

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gorgemay said..
No hidden agenda here. I appreciate the focus Ozone has on simplicity and weight saving. I agree that it doesn't necessarily mean less durability. One could argue that if a kite flies better because it's lighter you'll be less likely to crash it in the first place.
I guess maybe I was trying to ask was "in the name of performance have they perhaps sacrificed durability, especially when in the hands of those with less experience and still crash their kites"?
One last item, when I see the Enduro it reminds me of the RPM.
How similar or not are they?

I think you will find that most all round kites are a similar shape. Iv definetly read a review on here about the enduro being better then the rpm. I personally like the rpm but not the slingy bar. I have not used an rpm in the waves though. The adjustability of the enduro is such a sell point for me.

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raggedflyer said..
I've got 2013 catalysts and 2014 reos, with similar moderate usage, the catalyst has held up very well while the reos have a few pinholes and had repair, still good quality but reo are a lighter build. Can't comment on durability of the Enduro, I'm yet to inspect or test one. If I had the funds I'd buy one, I'm happy with the ozone kites, bars & lines I have. Cheers j

Enduro has more reinforcement that 2013/2014 cat/reo. It flys well but isn't amaizingly better than the older cats/reo's in my opinion.
My gut says they have made more robust and slighty heavier which makes it loose a touch of drifting performance due to the weight increase. Its definitely got more boost performance than old cat. But it aint as good on the hydrofoil it light winds as it falls out of the sky sooner than its lighter older brother.

Interesting how experiences differ.
For me my two Enduro 1's are not better or worse than my older Cats, they are entirely different kites with different purpose and design behind them. I did not at all find them heavier, but they are certainly (as expected) gruntier in the mid setting (haven't tried the freestyle setting), and I can say with absolute certainty that they drift better than my old Cats. I can't comment on the Reo, as I never liked them... not because they are not good, but because their design narrows their use, i.e. surf style wave riding and nothing else...

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Andrash said..
Interesting how experiences differ.
For me my two Enduro 1's are not better or worse than my older Cats, they are entirely different kites with different purpose and design behind them. I did not at all find them heavier, but they are certainly (as expected) gruntier in the mid setting (haven't tried the freestyle setting), and I can say with absolute certainty that they drift better than my old Cats. I can't comment on the Reo, as I never liked them... not because they are not good, but because their design narrows their use, i.e. surf style wave riding and nothing else...

Yep. Different riding styles and experiences. I'm boost, wave ride and hydrofoil. If I was boost/wave ride only id be waxing how much better the enduro is. Its definitely better as a do it all kite for surface boards. At those power levels its the shiz. On the foil in less wind, not so much. The lighter build of my old cat and reo is better.

Agree with Plummet regarding the suitability of Enduros for foiling. It works ok, in smaller sizes, but Reos beat them 10 times. Agree with Andrash, would not have taken a Reo out on a tt but V4 works ok if you are just an average freerider. Jumps pretty solid.

Answering the question with regards to the difference between RPMs and Enduros. I had RPMs before Enduro, 2015 so the year they eliminated the pulleys and introduced that weird spongy bridle line. Found them ok, not bad for some unhooking, but I found them a bit spongy (as in no real G spot) and definitely not jumping as well as Enduros. Worked fine on a sb too though.

Cab FX is probably a closer contender to the Enduro imho. Decision between both for me was close.

Just traded my 2011 ozone edge for a new one. Dumped it in the surf countless times and no issues.

Had maybe 7-8 ozone kites. Ripped a few but it was never an issue of build quality and I punish the **** of them. Dumping in the surf, hot launching on the beach, leaving it wet and sandy in the bag for weeks. All the stuff you're not supposed to do. My only complaint is the old bar rubber used to peel back, new bar looks better.

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Wonderfulx said..
Just traded my 2011 ozone edge for a new one. Dumped it in the surf countless times and no issues.

Had maybe 7-8 ozone kites. Ripped a few but it was never an issue of build quality and I punish the **** of them. Dumping in the surf, hot launching on the beach, leaving it wet and sandy in the bag for weeks. All the stuff you're not supposed to do. My only complaint is the old bar rubber used to peel back, new bar looks better.

If you traded, it must of had some life left in it, impressive for 2011.
Great name by the way.

I've been riding ozone kites since 2012 (though owned no other brands).

In that time I've had:
* A steering line snap (no idea why)
* Grip on older bars has started kinda peeling/rubbing off.
* on my 2015 cat a strut tube pop off and the little plastic ring went AWOL (a cable tie fixed that)
* on my 2012 reo a small tear appeared in the canopy (could've been my fault I guess)

New bar bought at the end of last year seems to be much better.

One thing that seems to happen on all of them is sometimes the struts won't deflate until I pull/squeeze the valve in the little neoprene sleeve on the strut tube. It's only slightly annoying when it happens but I do hope that they've fixed this in newer models.

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Phoney said..
I've been riding ozone kites since 2012 (though owned no other brands).

In that time I've had:
* A steering line snap (no idea why)
* Grip on older bars has started kinda peeling/rubbing off.
* on my 2015 cat a strut tube pop off and the little plastic ring went AWOL (a cable tie fixed that)
* on my 2012 reo a small tear appeared in the canopy (could've been my fault I guess)

New bar bought at the end of last year seems to be much better.

One thing that seems to happen on all of them is sometimes the struts won't deflate until I pull/squeeze the valve in the little neoprene sleeve on the strut tube. It's only slightly annoying when it happens but I do hope that they've fixed this in newer models.

...yes, those tubes and valves are a pain sometimes. They were better in my old cats as they were just simple arcs. On my Enduro 1's they kind of curves and block the tubes easily if bent further... more like an inconvenience than a fault, though.

I think the logic behind having longer tubes leading to the struts is that in the past with shorter ones if the kite twisted on an impact sometimes the tubes would pop off or tear. With the longer version they have more flexibility. Yes, you do sometimes have to reach over and straighten them in order to initiate the air flow, but really it takes a few seconds. If it saves a session from a swim in with a deflated kite because you forgot to lock off the strut it can be a good thing.

I have a collection of Reos, Edges, Cats, Enduros and Zephyrs and not had any problems with durability. Build quality is first class as are the materials. They get used a bit (not so much the Edges now) but are looked after. Big Ozone fan!

I ride the precursor to the 14m Enduro (2015 14m Cat). It is still great fun. I also have a 10m V1 Enduro which is my go to kite from 18-30 kts.

I ave had no troubles with my Ozones and have owned Cats, Zephyr and Enduro from 2013 models up to 2017.

Ozone Kites postal address is 3 Quality St, Edinburgh....

Nuff said really

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gorgemay said..
I'm considering an Enduro v2 but have heard that Ozone kites in general, while high performance and excellent craftsmanship, are perhaps built on the light side and therefore not as robust. I'm not the most experienced kiter and will probably punish my kite a bit more than average, so is the Enduro solid enough to handle this kind of treatment?
Thanks

Our local kite school uses Enduro,s for lessons...they had no probs surviving the 30 or so tomahawk,s I witnessed lol.

Edge is Ozone. Edges are fragile kites not designed for slamming into water, etc. The thread and seams on Edges v7 v8 are not that great, they do have issues ( long thread on this forum about it).
The current v9 changed the wing tip finally after we complained about the issues with a strap securing a bladder inside LE. That strap was causing huge wear and tear, resulting in bladder eol.
Hence, was a design issue with durability. All Ozone models affected with closed, rounded tips. So, yes, not that durable, but same with many brands anyway, not made to last forever...

D.

Ozone kites are awesome and don't break.

Yeh!!