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Tkb Review: 2022 OZONE Contact Water V4 Bar

The Contact Water V4 control bar has been Ozone’s go-to bar and it’s seat belt ”˜Click-In Loop’ system is one of the slickest quick-release mechanisms on the market. The Contact is a fixed-length bar (available in 38, 45, 50 and 55cm sizes) that can be purchased with a vast array of line lengths options (12, 15, 21, 23, 25, 27m). The center line pigtails end in a lark’s head loop and the wingtip lines end in a knot. The Contact features a single centerline safety system that runs alongside the power/throw line, down through the bar and into the quick release. The power/throw line is PU covered for longevity and features a low V split on the center lines. The center lines end in grey color-coded pigtails with loops for rigging purposes and the outside lines end in knots color-coded with red and blue pigtails. The Contact features above the bar tuning with a cleat and a small toggle that uses a bungee built into the tuning line to keep things clean in depowered situations.

The Contact V4 features Ozone’s ”˜seat belt’ technology which solves many of the challenges of reconnecting your quick release after it has been triggered. There are a number of these systems on the market, but Ozone’s seems to be one of the cleanest mechanisms to reassemble. The Click-In design doesn’t require you to hold the release open to reconnect the loop into its locked position ”” it just slides into the connection point and clicks. The quick release has a standard push away handle, a hand swivel above the release that uses Teflon discs for easy spinning and also doubles as a travel guard and a molded locking finger to prevent accidental unhooking as well as a safety attachment point with the suicide option.

You can choose between three different size connection loops (small, medium and large), depending on your type of riding and frequency of unhooking. The padded bar ends have a nice ergonomic feel when your hands are spread wide, and inside the integrated floats you can access the tunable outside line lengths that have three knots (stock is on the center). The bar ends are soft in the event of accidental face contact and also feature retractable bungees. The color-coding on the bar runs contrary to what we typically see on the market, where the more vibrant color runs on the left side of the bar, so the Contact puts a black float/grip on the left and blue grip/float on the right. Yet if you spend enough time on this bar, the orientation won’t be an issue, as there are a few other sly indicators that indicated bar polarity. The leader lines coming out of the floats are color-coded red and blue and the grip indents have very subtle red highlights for those that are looking closely. The Contact offers a slightly larger diameter grip with a wrapped pattern that keys to your knuckles. The overall feel of the grip is between plush and durable while also providing sufficient texture to give you both a confident and comfortable grip. The Contact scored high points for its seat belt Click-In Loop mechanism and clean design in a nice light to medium weight package.

Visit for more info: www.ozonekites.com/control-systems/kitesurf/contact-water-v4/

 

 

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