Just picked up 9 and 12 for both myself and my son,had a demo a couple of months ago on both sizes and was so impressed put a order in ,have ridden both now a couple of times and with out doubt the most powerfull 9 i have owned but so smooth and controlled.
I would consider myself a average rider who got into it for the waves and jumping cannot find a better kite than thesetype 9 and i have demo most of the new breed, my son is into a bit more freestyle and he is more than happy with this kites performance, have not heard from any other riders what they think probably to busy on the water to do a review or cant find a fault with it.
Cheers bear

This was one of the many kites i demo'ed this year and the power delivery is smooth, acceleration is instant and turning in the waves is a joy.

I didn't try it on the flat, but would imagine it would be pretty good.

If you like these kites then the very similar Royal Era is also worth a look.

I also have the 9m. I was out last Saturday in 20+ knots and had difficulty self-landing it! The centre line split is out of reach so its really hard to yank on one line to flip the kite over!!! Should come with a big warning. The type 9 could also do with some more/100% de power, other than that is turns very fast and has loads of power – should be a great kite for wave riding