The Envy is a three-strut one-pump kite with a bridle that features one pulley per side. The rear section of the bridle can be adjusted to change the turning speed of the kite. ... Read More...
The Gambler features a very wide outline, double to single concave bottom with molded channels, and a single bump swallow tail. For a wide 5’10”, it’s a lightweight board.... Read More...
Overall, the Fuse looks very similar to the North Rebel with the addition of a bridle. This is a five-strut one-pump kite with a unique floating center strut. ... Read More...
Epic has not disclosed the actual size of the Infinity, so we were curious to see just how large it is. When compared to other large kites, our best guess puts the size at around 15m.... Read More...
The Nemesis HP is back in Best’s kite line after a year-long hiatus and it shares the same unique Best-exclusive Cuben Fiber leading edge with the previous Nemesis. About half of the leading edge is made of the strong material and the leading edge of the Nemesis is very skinny compared to other kites.... Read More...
The Turbine is Slingshot’s new light wind specific kite and it looks very similar to Slingshot’s popular Rally. The Turbine features Splitstrut, which means that the ribs are built into the canopy as opposed to being attached to the underside of it.... Read More...
The first thing we noticed about the 2011 Ion is its heavy duty construction. Every possible area of the kite seems to be beefed up to take abuse and even the fabric that makes up the kite feels more sturdy than normal.... Read More...
The Vision is a brand new kite from RRD and we were able to get our hands on the first Visions to land in North America at the 2011 La Ventana Classic. According to RRD, the Vision is supposed to fill the gap between the RRD Obsession (freestyle) and the Religion (waves). ... Read More...
Our first impression when unrolling the Spitfire is that this kite is built to take a beating. It’s a five-strut one pump kite with a compact bridle. Both the front and rear bridles use one pulley per side, but Caution uses a unique molded block with no moving parts.... Read More...
The F-One Bandit, the original Delta kite, is now in its fourth generation and it has undergone a major redesign for 2011. It is now a three-strut one pump kite with square wingtips. ... Read More...
The Evo is a five-strut one pump kite that shows North’s usual attention to details. This is a bridled four-line kite (it can also be flown as a five-line) with a very compact and simple bridle.... Read More...
Once up and riding, the F-One Trax is a fast board that feels light and responsive underfoot. As you edge harder, the Trax feels like it locks in and never gave us any signs that the edge was about to slip or chatter. ... Read More...
We tested the big boy of the 2011 Litewave Wings, the 161. This is a light wind specific board and it stands out when compared to other twin tips. The board features wide tips, a reverse sidecut outline, and a very deep tip to tip single concave. There are two fins on the heel edge and two near the tips of the board close to the centerline. This board has more rocker than last year’s model and is fairly flexible.... Read More...
The 2011 RRD Obsession looks similar to last year’s model, but there are a few obvious differences. The trailing edge is now all Dacron and the graphics are actually made of fabric sewn onto the kite as opposed to being screened on, a feature that RRD claims adds more rigidity to the canopy. ... Read More...
The first thing our testers noticed was how easily driven the NHP is. It takes little power to get going and shoots upwind almost effortlessly.... Read More...
When we first started flying the Charger, we were surprised by how well it flew in light wind. It never hinted towards stalling, and even in light wind it turned with ease.... Read More...
Unhooked, the Trix performs very well and it never has the tendency to back-stall. In the waves, the Trix feels nimble and responsive, and has great downwind drift.... Read More...
Once inflated the most obvious feature of the Nemesis NXG is the use of Cuben Fiber in the leading edge, which allows this kite to have a much smaller LE than other kites. ... Read More...
The LF Kite Fish is very easily driven and takes hardly any power to get up and going. Once on a plane, it became immediately clear that this board is very loose.... Read More...
The Bandit 3 got a few upgrades this year that greatly improve the usability of the kite. New for 2010 is a one-pump system and a shorter bridle.... Read More...
The Momentum gets up on a plane quickly and seems to hold its speed really well through gusts and lulls. The good amount of flex through the board really smooths out the chop.... Read More...