We were sent a 12m Cult and rode it in 20+ mph winds. Inflating the Cult is simple and fast with the Octopus single point inflation system. The overall quality of the Cult is one of a kind with solid construction throughout the kite.
First off, the Wainman Hawaii Blunts ship with a board bag and everything you need to set it up without going to your tool box. The 130 Blunt has attention getting graphics, a nice thin profile with soft rails all around the board and some mad concave.
Upon inflating the MX, we found it to be a stylish kite complete with Caution’s trademark flame graphics across the top of the canopy. The Mayhem X is very stable, rock solid in the gusts, and delivers a strong consistent power stroke.
There is no doubt people will see you coming with this kite – we couldn’t help but be attracted to the colorful graphics of the kite and bag. Upon setting up the Obsession, one of the most noticeable things we found was its long bridle, however, it seems to work perfectly with this kite design.
Anyone planning to buy this kite should spend at least a month playing around with the tuning and different settings. Yes, it does work out of the bag just fine, but the NXG is the dream kite for those who like to tinker.
We were surprised and intrigued at how fun new school C-kites have become. The one common myth that was dispelled during out test was that the Torch doesn’t have mass appeal: It’s not just a high end performance kite that can only be enjoyed by experts.
We read the hype about the Octane on many of the forums before we tested, so our staff was excited when a 13m arrived in the mail. After spending hours riding this kite, we have to admit it lived up to its reputation and more.
The Envy is a very easy and fast kite to inflate due to the Union single point inflation system and the fact that the Envy is only designed with 3-struts. By taking away the 5th and 4th struts, Liquid Force was able to make a lighter kite.
The stability of the kite is consistent and predictable with its lower aspect ratio. We didn’t notice if the lack of a center strut helping the stability of the kite but that feature did stand out on the Kahoona.
Caution sent us an 11m Mayhem X to test for this issue. Right out of the bag we could see the R&D team spent a considerable amount of time evolving this kite.
We tested the 9m Smoke in somewhat windy 15-20 mph conditions. Weighing in between 165-180 pounds, we trimmed the Smoke in a bit and it instantly flew with more power.
Quads have made a comeback in the surf world for good reason. They’re fun and provide a skatier feel than a normal thruster set up.
At first glance, you see all those fins and wonder how it’s going to ride, but don’t be fooled.
We were very curious about this board due to its unique shape and got a chance to test it strapless in 12 to 16 knot winds with a 14m kite in small, sloppy surf.
