Tkb Review: 2021 ELEVEIGHT RS V5

Sizes Available: 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14, 17m
Sizes Tested: 9m

Eleveight Says:

The RS is an all-round powerhouse, designed to tame any storm, boost massive airs, and master any spot. High-performance versatility made it our best-selling kite, getting freeriders instantly psyched, even when chasing waves or popping freestyle tricks.

The aerodynamic delta-hybrid design delivers exceptional efficiency meaning most RS riders will be content with a quiver of just two kites to cover the entire wind range. The construction features a medium to high aspect ratio with a huge angle-of-attack, giving the RS extra grunt making it particularly powerful. Combined with its dynamic speed, it truly stands out when going for massive airs, generating bags of hangtime and thrilling forward momentum when kitelooping.

Visit for more info: www.eleveightkites.com/kites/rs

TKB Says:

The RS is now in its fifth version which has trimmed some weight off the airframe and delivers tuned up steering and acceleration. Known for its high octane-styled general freeride attributes which give you big power jumps and noteworthy hangtimes, the RS also offers ease of use and maneuverability that gives it great crossover potential for dabbling in waves or foil kiting.

Inflation Valve: Bayonet valve / no attachment required
Flying Line Attachments: Center bridle: Larks head / Wingtip bridle: Knots
Centerline Split: Low-V
Front Bridle Options: Three settings / single slider

Design and Features
The Eleveight RS sports a medium aspect 3-strut airframe with a sweptback leading edge that has a bit of a delta shape when you look up at the kite. There have been some significant changes with the addition of more front bridle settings, a reduction in the amount of Dacron used in the struts and wingtips, as well as a much simpler trailing edge design. The RS inflates with the standard large diameter bayonet-style inflation valve that requires no nozzle on the end of your standard pump hose for a quick and easy pump up. The front bridle offers three settings to toggle the tightness of the turning diameter””just swap the center cascade connection point along three labeled knots to get the desired turn. For freestyle you can swap it to ‘tip,’ where the kite rotates on the tip, making a larger diameter turn. Swap it to the ‘Pivot’ knot for surfing of foil kiting and you get a much tighter turn, or just leave it in the factory position in the middle. The front bridle is fairly short in length, uses a single slider and ends in a larks head for attachment. The wingtip bridle ends in two knots for power tuning and you get two attachment points to adjust turning speed/bar pressure, the stock position being closer to the end of the wingtip. The leading edge features four short battens (same as previous versions) but now has some foam battens and a much simpler double ripstop trailing edge for controlling the leach stability. The air distribution hoses between the struts and leading edge feature a nice large diameter for easy pumping up with all the parts indicating excellent attention to every small detail.

Impressions
One of the RS’s standout qualities is its super-comfortable cockpit with light to medium bar pressure that is easy on the arms and feels super progressive and in tune with the kite’s super wide powerband. We’ve probably said this before, but the RS feels like it flies off its front lines giving you a softer feel to the bar while still giving you enough tactile response from the kite. The power delivery across the bar feels really intuitive with a good amount of depower at the end of the stroke that feels forgiving, yet on the flip side when the bar is sheeted you get enough lifty grunt that can be quite the kick in the pants for big airs. The steering response feels good, perhaps a little faster than previous versions with a little less windup in turning speed as the kite accelerates into its turns, which makes for predictable kite placement on big jumps.

With regard to the tuning you have in the front bridle for choosing the style of your turn, we felt like the stock middle setting delivered a fairly tight turn, but when you go to the pivot setting you get a tighter delta turn that is great for kite foiling and surfing down the line. The tip/wider setting gives the RS a little more stroke to its turning path and makes loops and jumping deliver more acceleration and kick. If you’re in the jumping mindset, we’d choose the ‘tip’ setting as it created really fast and boosty send-ups that surprised us for an all-around freeride kite. The hangtime was generous and encourages extra rotations and the landings seemed easy to time with power through the touchdown. The RS likes to fly a little farther forward in the window and this makes it super comfortable for getting upwind. Overall, the RS with its steering tuning options occupies a unique position in the cross-over freeride category. The RS balances super comfortable bar handling and user-friendly power delivery with enough boosting punch that makes airs and transitions exceptionally fun. Tune the steering for jumping or swap it for foiling or wave riding and you have a very capable crossover kite that loves boosting, but will comfortably do just about everything.

Featured Control Bar
This year the CS Vary bar got two very significant upgrades to its performance: durability and safety. The most prominent change is Eleveight’s new ‘click-in’ style quick release that makes reassembling the quick release on the water incredibly easy, and the second is changing the center throw line from spectra to a plastic-coated center throw line that will give you extra longevity and durability.

The CS is an adjustable length bar (42/50cm or 47/55cm) that features a single centerline safety depower system with a low V and the new plastic-coated throw line with the safety line running externally. The durability of the plastic means you lose the adjustable throw length option, but a lot of the brands seem to be moving in this direction. The power tuning is via a Clam cleat that features a lightweight toggle that uses a bungee integrated into the tuning line to keep the toggle from getting tangled. The bar’s center lines end in knots (color-coded gray) while the outside lines end in loops (color-coded red and blue pigtails) and there are no line extensions. The new safety system features a push-away quick release with a built-in hand swivel that also acts as a QR travel shield. The new quick-release handle has a good lip on it that gives your hand a solid point to grasp in an emergency and the clicking mechanism is super crisp””reinserting the chicken loop is quite easy. It takes very little pressure to insert the broken end of the loop back into place. The outside lines are tunable by pressing on two little triangle tabs on the side of the bar end. This releases a clear plastic insert out of the bottom of the bar end which allows you to both change its effective bar length and adjust between three knots to change the length of the outside lines (stock set to shortest line length). The bar ends feature retractable line bungees with padded bar ends that feature integrated floats. The color-coding on this bar is obvious with a clear red grip on the left. The center insert is plastic and looks to be easily replaced after wear with the removal of two small Philipps head screws. The bar is narrow at the ends and grows a little bit wider right at the center, which we found really comfortable to hold it in either place. The little dimpled EVA grip is comfortable and you get variable diameters because the width is on the narrow to medium size out on the sides and a little bit thicker as you get closer in, so your hands will find a sweet spot somewhere on that spectrum. The bar ends are padded and have a nice ergonomic feel if you’re the kiter with the super-wide grip. Overall, the changes made this year to the CS Vary make what was already a top-of-the-line bar even better with tons of features at a very reasonable weight with great ergonomics and soft comfortable surfaces.

Visit for more info on the bar: https://www.eleveightkites.com/bars/cs-vary-bar-quickmatic-v2