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Blade Fat Lady
Sizes Available: 17m
Size Tested: 17m

Blade Says:

While your friends lounge around on the beach soaking up UV rays, you can be busting out all the tricks in your repertoire, carving up the waves, and riding all by yourself. Fast, powerful, responsive, and a thrill to ride, the Fat Lady has been the proven choice for light wind kiteboarding. All of Blade’s products are famed for their rapid turning and ultra responsiveness, and the Fat Lady is by no means an exception. Don’t be fooled by the name – the Fat Lady’s agility and speed will blow you away.

Our Testers Say:

“To me the Fat Lady had the most powerful low end of all the kites tested. It’s slower turning than last year’s kite but is still very fast,” Peter Blawat.

“This is one of the most popular kites in San Diego and I can see why. It turns very fast, has a lot of power, and is fun to jump. It sits a bit further back in the window compared to the other kites, but at the end of the day I had no problem staying upwind,” Marko Bartscherer.

“Great upwind, good turning, massive low end. Does everything well,” Clint Sterba.

TKB Says:

The 2013 17m Blade Fat Lady is a medium aspect 3-strut kite that features a very thin leading edge and extremely thin struts. The compact front bridle features one pulley per side and the rear line attachment points are adjustable to change bar pressure and turning speed.

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Testers reported that the Fat Lady has great low end power, but where this kite shines is in it’s handling. It was the fastest turning kite of all the light wind kites we tested and feels very light, nimble, and direct. In our opinion this kite feels more like a 13 or 14m kite than a 17. Our testers commented on the Fat Lady’s light-medium bar pressure, good upwind and jumping performance, and good stability. It’s also relatively easy to relaunch for a 17m kite.

The Fat Lady uses the new Blade Unibar. It features a push-away quick release, adjustable ends, above-bar swivel, adjustable bar throw, comfortable grip, and an above-bar depower cleat. It also features a unique ergonomic bend that Blade claims makes for more comfortable riding while increasing the rider’s leverage.

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Pros:

  • Extremely fast and direct handling for a 17m kite.
  • Good upwind and jumping performance.
  • Relatively easy to relaunch and very stable.

Cons:

  • A few of our testers often ride the 2012 Fat Lady and commented that the 2013 version is noticeably slower.