The Kiteboarder Magazine

The 2012 Ocean Rodeo Prodigy is a 3-strut low-aspect kite that Ocean Rodeo markets as an all-around freeride kite.

The North Rebel has been an extremely popular kite and for 2013 it remains a 5-line 5-strut mid/high-aspect kite.

The 2013 North Evo is a 5-strut mid-aspect delta-hybrid kite and is targeted as the all-around kite in North's line.

The 2013 Liquid Force NRG is a very flat 4-strut high-aspect kite. The most obvious change compared to the previous NRG is that the rear lines now connect directly to the kite.

The Envy has been a popular kite for the past few years and it remains a relatively low aspect 3-strut all-around kite for 2013.

For 2013 the F-One Bandit 6 remains a 3-strut Delta kite targeted for all riders and all styles of riding.

The Vector is a fairly low aspect 3-strut kite marketed as a simple all-around minimalist kite. This is the price point kite in the Cabrinha line.

The Switchblade is a medium aspect 5-strut kite marketed as an all-around performance kite. New for 2013 Cabrinha has introduced a new large-diameter inflation valve that is easier to use than the previous Cabrinha valve.

The 2013 Best TS is a medium aspect kite 5-strut kite. The TS V2 features the Best-exclusive Double Core RS canopy fabric.

The 2013 Best Kahoona V5 is a 4-strut medium aspect kite. Our test Kahoona was the standard version meaning that it lacked a single-point inflation system.

The Varial X is a medium-high aspect five-strut kite marketed as high-performance bridled-C design (Airush calls it a SL-C).

The Lithium has been a popular kite for the past few years and remains a fairly low-aspect 3-strut kite targeted as an all-around performer for 2013. Overall the kite is very similar to the 2012 model with some small refinements including flexible trailing edge battens to address trailing edge flutter and bridle adjustments to change the kite's turning speed and bar pressure.

The 2013 RPM Crossover kite is a powerful combination of aggressive freestyle characteristics and progressive crossover performance.

For its Spring 2013 product release, Slingshot has updated the RPM, Z, and Turbine kites. Also being released are the Glide, Crisis, and Darko boards.

Wainman Hawaii strives to provide the highest quality gear so riders can maximize their fun and stoke in each session. They do not feel the need to release new gear every year for the sake of saying they have something new and shiny to check out but instead release products when they are 100% confident that they are ready for market.