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omg said.. Hi,
I alreaady posted my question to Kiteforum.com but as you guys are really testing out different kites = therefore able to compare kite vrs. kite I thought to put it here, so please, I greatly appreciate your input here.
Due to bad lead shoulder i was wondering what wave kite 2014 or newer has the lightest bar pressure and force needed to turn the kite?
I am mainly riding in onshore winds/setup so I need to move the kite a lot and therefore the smoothness of the kite power, little power when looping, and direct steering with as little force needed to steer the kite are key parameters - at least for me now due to my lead hand shoulder problem
Currently riding with bandit 7 generation but I feel that with one hand steering together with the power they develop when looping (especially for strapless jumps) is not the easiest setup for me now. That's why I need to find some other set of kites to work with, sigh.
The new set should be from 5-6 to 10m and yes, 2014/2015 kites.
Thanks, good wind and waves!
Try the 2015 Reo if thats in your budget, if not look around for some 2014's now that the 2015's are on the shelves. The Reo is in its 4th generation now and even when it was first released it set a new standard in wave kites, with low bar pressure, excellent bar feel/feedback, short depower stroke - meaning powerful turns, or low power just a short push out on the bar. Quick pivotal turning in all sizes, excellent drift for onshore conditions like you have, and quick easy relaunch with single front line flagout.
The 2015's look very solid in flight, have Teijin D2 cloth and Teijin dacron, 9M tested back to back at Flat Rock yesterday with a 9M Pivot (not by me), but the verdict was Reo. Testers comments to me were Reo better bar feel by a lot, better upwind and drift. Pivot slightly better bottom end, but bar throw long and much of the long throw did not do anything with too much power in the loops downwind. Construction, Reo by a lot too, the pivot is all single ripstop and china made dacron, which is ok, other brands use this stuff too, but its not as tough as the Japan made Teijin stuff. Also why has Naish put yellow on the right on all of this years bars??
Just wanted to add though that both kites worked as wave kites, I did not hear any strong negatives about either. My observations are that the build quality and materials used in the reo are much better. I was sceptical at first about all the claims made about the Teijin D2 cloth, but after seeing many north kites in for repairs over the last 2 years, I'd have to say that the cloth stands up to the harsh conditions of wind, salt and sun better than anything. The Cab and Best (and any other brand using this cloth) double ripstop cloth would be second.