It’s not until you’re able to match a kite and board up to a shoulder high wave that you can really start to think about the true surf performance characteristics of each piece of equipment. That’s why we spent the better half of June testing at Waddell Creek in Santa Cruz, California where we could really put the surf-specific gear through its paces.
Reviewing equipment in the proper context is really important for gaining insight for how it affects the end-user and that’s why we spend an entire month riding gear back to back in an organized testing regime. From knee-high slop to head high peelers, we put 11 of the industry’s top surf-specific kites along with 15 directional boards through their paces in 15-25 knot winds to see how they performed in real wave conditions.
*Stay tuned to this page over the next two weeks as we roll out reviews for each product.
Liquid Force Messenger
Naish Slash
The Official Pump of Tkb’s Surf Test
During our Surf Test there’s tons of heavy hauling and plenty of pumping. When we’re testing kites from a variety of brands, it’s important to have the correct nozzles on hand. Nothing’s worse than getting to the beach and realizing you don’t have the correct valve attachment to pump your kite. That is why we ordered four of WMFG’s high volume pumps, because these machines not only make pumping large quantities of kites easier and much faster, but all of WMFG’s pumps come with a grab bag nozzle kit that features every conceivable valve adapter for every brand of kite on the market. Want be popular the most popular guy at your local beach? Just be the one with the answer to every inflation problem!
Read our review on the 3.0T here.
