Tkb Review: 2018 AIRUSH Wave

Sizes Available: 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12m
Sizes Tested: 8, 10, 12m

Airush Says:

The 2018 Airush Wave kite delivers further refinement to the dedicated wave purist or surf freestyle rider. One of the key aspects of the Wave kite is the unique ability of the kite to engage smooth power delivery and precise steering.

Whether far back in the window during a powered bottom turn in onshore conditions, flying far forward in the window in offshore conditions, or at a high angle of attack: the Wave delivers.

The redesigned wingtip enhanced these capabilities and avoids the wingtip “flaring”when over sheeted, preventing the kite from dropping back in the window. The all-new Airush Dyneema Load Frame V4 featuring WebTech has enabled us to increase the strength of the Wave further, without adding extra weight.

WebTech expands our exclusive Dyneema Load Frame throughout the high load areas, such as the wingtips, by utilizing the web fibers to absorb high loads, further increasing the durability and response of the kite.

Visit for more info: www.airush.com/kites/wave-7

Our Testers Say:

“Very drifty, stays solid in the window, very quick turns, powers up nicely with really quick kite loops. Tons of stability when pointing my surfboard downwind, and probably my favorite kite both in the 8m and 12m size with excellent relaunch.”// Chris Myles

“My favorite in the Airush lineup, more wave/freeride-oriented than performance, but great range with good low-end grunt. Good in boost, hangtime and decent upwind ability.”// Davey Beard

“Telepathic””Lightning fast turning with terrific drift, and boosts surprisingly high for a wave kite. Hard to find anything not to like in this wave kite, except that the hand swivel could have rotated smoother.”// Tiberiu Anghel

TKB Says:

The Airush Wave is a 3-strut lower aspect kite with sweptback wingtips that is appropriately marketed as a wave kite that offers enough all around user-friendly characteristics to be a good crossover into general freeride. The Wave features a large diameter Boston valve that requires the larger nozzle of the standard pump attachments and features three settings on the wingtip for adjusting bar pressure, as well as a single setting front bridle which utilizes three pulleys to adjust the angle of attack. The front bridle pigtails end in loops and the wingtip pigtails have knots. The Wave canopy features Airush’s premium canopy construction which they call a Dyneema Load Frame V4 along with their new webtech. Across the board, the test team commented on the Wave’s impressive steering response and overall turning speed with fairly tight but not quite pivot-style turning. Overall, testers found the Wave to have medium bar pressure and while some testers commented on medium plus bar pressure in the larger sizes, the mix tends to give the rider solid feedback with kite placement and tuning which balances against the kite’s speed. The Wave likes to fly deeper in the window which translates to excellent drifting and control in slackline situations, yet the team also praised the Wave for its user-friendly boosting, which might have surprised a few with its lift. The Wave has fairly good depower built into the standard throw and we found the kite had excellent depower; routinely launching from the center of the window was perhaps not quite as good as the Lithium, yet still highly reliable. We found the canopy to be fairly stable even in gusty conditions. In conclusion, this kite is a great option for someone looking for a surf weapon with fairly active steering chops that has no problem swinging double duty in the big air freeride arena and all around cruising categories.

The Wave came with two types of bars. First, the Core Bar which comes with the above the bar power straps for adjusting depower (pictured below) and the Core Cleat Bar (pictured above) which features an above the bar cleat for adjusting power. The bars are largely the same except for the power management mechanism for powering and depowering the kite. The center lines end in knots and the outside lines end in loops. The Core Bar features single center-line depower with a low V and a reduced diameter PU-coated depower/throw line for durability and longevity. This bar features a sliding stopper to adjust travel, but there is no adjustment for changing the overall length between the quick release and power control. The depower strap has Velcro to keep it put in place while riding. These bars feature a below the bar hand swivel integrated into a push away quick release with QR travel shield. While the swivel is easy to access and turn, it doesn’t have the same ease of spin you might find in some other models. The bar diameter is thin and with medium density cushiness and got good reviews from testers for comfort. With new molded bar ends, the Core Bar features 10cm of width adjustment that you can access with an allen key and integrated floats but no retractable bar bungees. We like the new bar ends with its new integrated floats; the bar offers something for everyone and for those that are sensitive to bar length they can make the change with the use of a common tool.

Visit for more info on the bar: https://www.airush.com/kites/#kite-bars

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