Thanks for the tip guys, I took my 11m Octane out last weekend for its first run, just to set it up. It was 10-13knots. I tried the factory settings with the pigtails in, kite flew well but didn't have enough power to get me up. I then took the pigtails off and used the least powered knot on the frontlines (Knot closest to he kite) and the fully powered up knot on the rear lines (knot closest to the kite) this was heaps better I was able to do some down winders. I then changed the setting so both front and back lines were fully powered up and felt a lot more power when doing boost on the beach. I then flew it on the water and was able to stay up wind (the tide against the wind helped). Really liked how the kite fells powerless above you and when you dive it hard a few time and keep it moving the kite powers right up.

Rider: 65kgs, level intermeditate
style: freestyle, unstrapped surf
Equiptment: Slingshot lunacy 129/ 2010 7mtr Slingshot octane, Slingshot SRT/
2010 11mtr Slingshot octane
bulid quality: 9/10
overal satisfaction: 9/10
Condtions: 30-37knts, NW at DI, and 10-14knts downwinder from Perigian to Sunshine Beach
Disclosure: Shop rider for adventure sports

i am a fuel rider and ride flatwater and surf pretty evenly, i have just bought a 7mtr octane for taking out the surfboard and for really windy flat water days.

I tried the kite for the first time at DI with a solid 30-37knt onshore wind i was using a twin tip that day, the kite was straight out of the bag with no setting changes apart from depowering the kite. The kite is a fraction slower than the rev but has a smoother power delivery. The kite unhooks nicely and has lots of time to do handle passes, when unhooked the kite dosn't give u a big yank unlike other hybrid kites it has a smoother fuel like feeling.

after and hour or so of flat water i hopped out of the flat water pond and ran across the sandbank into the surf. The octane will definatly appeal to the majority of wave riders, has lots of power to get you out of those tight situations but wont ripp you off your board. When using the kite with a surfboard the kite performs really well, it falls back perfect but still keeps a fair bit of tension on the lines so you dont feel as though the kite will drop out half way through a reo.

The kite has great low end as well as unmatched top end, it is a highly depowerable kite and stays very stable in light and high winds. i took the 11mtr demo octane out on a downwinder in 10-13 knts the downwinder was about 13 kms long. i was very suprised how powered i was in such light winds.

the bar setup is a big plus for the octane, this bar has a very unclutted look about it and has a excelent saftey system which will not activate it self unlike the previous system.

overal i would strongly recomend this kite to all waveriders wherethere they like to ride straped or unstraped, hooked in or unhooked this kite will perform excelent in all conditions. This is a very userfriendly kite so it will greatly apeal to people that are wanting to start unhooking and pushing there freestyle limits this kite will not let you down.

if anyone in the sunshine coast area in queensland would like to demo one be sure to hit up adventure sports kitesurf australia in noosa.

good winds.

i realise now that i posted comments about this kite and actually ment those comments for the slingy rpm. oh well. ended up buying octanes and have had a really good go on the 13 and the 9. even with the pigtail extensions removed, which the 13 doesnt have, the kite sometimes does this wierd fall out of the sky thing. not your average turn on its back fall out of the sky but a straight down stall, like your self landing from straight above your head or something. sometimes when mucking about on the beach or sometimes even when failing to land a jump properly. its hapened to me in well powered wind on the 9 and to a friend that took it for a go as well.pretty ****ty really and a shame because the thing otherwise performs really well, great boost and hangtime and i find the the upper wind range is greater than that of the rev 2 which would back wind itself in the upper limits. and why did they put such a piss weak donkey dick on it????if anyone has suggestions how to tune out these ailments please feel free to share them with me as after buying 3 new kites its a bit of a dissapointment.