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Sizes Available: 12, 13.5m
Sizes Tested: 13.5m

Core Says:

Sometimes you need a little extra power and agility to ride those glassy, waist-high rollers. Not the kind of stump-pulling power that yanks you off your board. But rather, a more subtle power with a finesse that effortlessly pulls you when needed and shuts off so you can ride the nose if you want. This wave warrior may even have you wishing for the occasional light wind day. Because light wind days are the perfect days to practice all the stuff you want to do on the bigger days. And if the wind picks up, stay out there. The LW’s incredible range lets you have fun when others are downsizing.

Visit for more info: https://corekites.com/us/kites/section-3-lw

TKB Says:

The Section 3 line of kites offers its two largest sizes, a 12 and 13.5m, in a dedicated light wind construction in order to maximize surf performance in lower wind lineups. In order to shave weight and increase performance, the LW designated Sections use a lighter canopy material called CoreTex Light combined with re-designed struts and a modified leading edge for an overall reduction of dacron. The Section LW keeps inflation and deflation times down to a minimum with Core’s proprietary inflation valve that requires a normal size pump hose without an attachment on the end; just insert your hose into the valve and rotate to lock. The valve stays closed until you put a plastic finger (hidden in a pocket of the center strut and attached by a small tether) into the valve to allow the air to deflate. The front bridle utilizes two pulleys and a slider to adjust the kite’s angle of attack and allows the user to choose between three settings: ‘Offshore, All Around, and Onshore.’ Offshore is the attachment farthest forward for more depower, and Onshore is farthest back, with All Around being the factory setting. The wingtips offer three adjustment settings to select between ‘Medium, Easy and Super Easy,’ with the factory set to Easy in the center. The front bridle pigtails end in larks head loops and the wingtip pigtails end in three knots.

Conventional wisdom from the purists used to say that any session on a kite bigger than a 9m wasn’t kitesurfing, but that narrow-minded elitism has long been canceled by the emergence of 3-strut wave specialists like the Section 3 that push both steering response and drift to new low-wind heights. The first thing we noticed about the Section 3 LW is its noticeably lighter bar pressure and good steering response which feels really direct for a canopy in the 13.5m size. Compared to the XR6 LW and Nexus LW, the Section has the lightest bar pressure of Core’s big light wind kites that feels very comfortable even when you’re trying to get the most pull out of the kite. The bar feel and power delivery doesn’t seem quite as progressive as the feel on the XR6 or the Nexus. Instead, the Section’s power delivery feels a little bit on/off and occurs over a shorter length of throw. In terms of power, the Section doesn’t have that mac truck type endless pulling power you find with the XR6. Rather,  its got middle of the road pulling power with a ton of depower, that allows you to quickly dump the pull when it isn’t needed. The turning speed of this 3-strut airframe feels fairly fast with a pivot style turn, both of which makes it much easier to place the kite, with super easy steering in the middle of the window. Compared to the Nexus LW and XR6 LW, you can feel the Section sits a bit farther back in the window and as result has better drift off the wind, which is impressive when you factor in the size. When it comes to boosting jumps, the Section LW’s deeper flying doesn’t come close to the aggressive vertical lift you get from the XR6 LW or even the Nexus LW, but it does give you enough pop and solid hangtime to make it over waves on your way back to the top of the lineup. Side-on wave riding always has its limits, but the Section LW does an excellent job of delivering enough pulling power for you to get upwind in lighter sessions while also offering the maneuverability and drift that will give you an entirely new perspective on semi-glassy low wind sessions.

The Core line of bars is incredibly diverse, starting with the Sensor 2, Sensor 2S and Sensor 2S Pro. We tested the Sensor 2S and Sensor 2S Pro; the main difference between the two is the Pro takes the standard titanium chassis and wraps it with carbon for lower weight and uses Tectanium flying lines for lower drag/windage (see the Xlite review for our thoughts on the new foil bar).

Both the Sensor 2S and 2S Pro are dual adjustable length bars (46/52 cm) designed to control all size kites with the center lines ending in knots and the outside lines in loops. Both versions of this bar come with four line-length extension options for those that want to vary their line lengths (choose between 18/20/22/24m by removing extensions). The throw/power line utilizes two PU-coated Tectanium lines (one of them is the safety depower), a replaceable plastic insert, no sliding stopper and a non-removable donkey dick. The double throw/power lines offer incredible durability and also auto-untwists the center lines when you sheet in the bar. The single centerline safety depower system utilizes a high V, and routes through the power lines for a very clean design. These bars also offer above the bar depower and a custom clam cleat with a Velcro tuning handle to keep the depower control toggle from tangling.

Core bars have long been known for their twisting quick release with auto swivel ”˜S-System’ that doubles as a quick-release guard and integrates ceramic bearings for longevity. As we have said before, it’s an effective system if you practice with it and is less prone to accidental releases. Yet, it is immensely important that riders new to the system should dial in some muscle memory so they’re ready to address any problems in a pinch. The length of sheeting/throw can be adjusted for varying arm lengths of kiters or the type of riding. The non-molded foam floats are connected to the bar ends with the tips of the bar being hard. While the outside leader lines allow riders to adjust the length of the outside lines for stretch or tuning (by choosing between two knots), the bar ends are easily swapped between 46/52cm by changing to a separate knot on the bar end. The bar’s center insert has a Core logo on one side and a stop logo on the other to prevent you from grabbing the bar backward, which is a nice safety feature. One of the most noticeable aspects of this control bar is that it weighs virtually nothing yet you get all these features. The grip is a medium plush stamped grip with a fairly narrow diameter and the bar has small but sufficient bar end winders with non-retractable bungees. The purists on our testing team gave top marks for the Sensor’s streamlined lightweight feel and overall simplicity while incorporating the major features.

Visit for more info on the bar: www.corekites.com/us/bars/range


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