What wavekite has lightest bar pressure/steering?

Hi,

I alreaady posted my question to Kiteforum.com but as you guys are really testing out different kites = therefore able to compare kite vrs. kite I thought to put it here, so please, I greatly appreciate your input here.

Due to bad lead shoulder i was wondering what wave kite 2014 or newer has the lightest bar pressure and force needed to turn the kite?

I am mainly riding in onshore winds/setup so I need to move the kite a lot and therefore the smoothness of the kite power, little power when looping, and direct steering with as little force needed to steer the kite are key parameters - at least for me now due to my lead hand shoulder problem

Currently riding with bandit 7 generation but I feel that with one hand steering together with the power they develop when looping (especially for strapless jumps) is not the easiest setup for me now. That's why I need to find some other set of kites to work with, sigh.

The new set should be from 5-6 to 10m and yes, 2014/2015 kites.

Thanks, good wind and waves!

I Highly recommend the 2015 Naish Pivot! The bar pressure is quite light but yet the amount of feeling in the bar is excellent! The Pivot is a very fast and responsive kite requiring very little bar input. It is very smooth and pulls minimally in the turns, I ride a strapless too and it has never pulled me off my board, even when looping. Best wind range of any kite I have ever ridden too! I am about 80 kilos and I can get down to about 13-14 knots and up to about 25 knots on a 10m with 24m lines and a 5'9x19 SB. Don't take my word for it though, go down to your local store and see if you can give one a go!

Select to expand quote

high as a kite said..

mbuckley said..
Haven't tried the 2015s, but I have a 2014 7m and a 2013 9m Airush Wave and they are really exceptional. Easy one handed stearing and very smooth. The depower allows you to control the power through turns/loops. You can whip the kite all over the window with as much/little power as you want.

+1

2014 airush wave are very light , worth consideration

+2

Also lovin my 2013 Airush Wave 9 m in and out of the waves. It's elevated my riding potential on the surfboard.

Must agree, the Airush Waves are the fastest turning & lightest on the bar surf kites I've had so far.

Try the 2015 Reo if thats in your budget, if not look around for some 2014's now that the 2015's are on the shelves. The Reo is in its 4th generation now and even when it was first released it set a new standard in wave kites, with low bar pressure, excellent bar feel/feedback, short depower stroke - meaning powerful turns, or low power just a short push out on the bar. Quick pivotal turning in all sizes, excellent drift for onshore conditions like you have, and quick easy relaunch with single front line flagout.
The 2015's look very solid in flight, have Teijin D2 cloth and Teijin dacron, 9M tested back to back at Flat Rock yesterday with a 9M Pivot (not by me), but the verdict was Reo. Testers comments to me were Reo better bar feel by a lot, better upwind and drift. Pivot slightly better bottom end, but bar throw long and much of the long throw did not do anything with too much power in the loops downwind. Construction, Reo by a lot too, the pivot is all single ripstop and china made dacron, which is ok, other brands use this stuff too, but its not as tough as the Japan made Teijin stuff. Also why has Naish put yellow on the right on all of this years bars??

Just wanted to add though that both kites worked as wave kites, I did not hear any strong negatives about either. My observations are that the build quality and materials used in the reo are much better. I was sceptical at first about all the claims made about the Teijin D2 cloth, but after seeing many north kites in for repairs over the last 2 years, I'd have to say that the cloth stands up to the harsh conditions of wind, salt and sun better than anything. The Cab and Best (and any other brand using this cloth) double ripstop cloth would be second.

Naish pivot is wicked. Try it....

yeh, I have a north neo, and it is a gr8 kite for downwinders. it drift's gr8, but into the wind is pretty average and it's bar press is defo anything but light. reo's are very similar, the bar pressure is stupid plus upwind they are average at best. this kite is for onshore wave surfing. Not downwinders. different beast required.
reo defo wrong kite for this job here.
dice are a light pressure yet responsive kite but they don't ride into the wind on waves as good as OR prod's
Drifter's are awesome but suffer in the same way and at their low end get very doughy and sludgy. as do the dice.
the prod will still loop and turn fast when out under it's wind range. prodigy or wave by the sounds so far r most suited.
Rally's have good upwind and don't drag you off the wave, but not sure on the bar pressure.

Select to expand quote

CodeRed said..
OR Prodigy

OR Prodigy has heavy bar pressure. Isn't this thread about wave kites with light bar pressure?,...

Select to expand quote

CodeRed said..

BigZ said..

CodeRed said..
OR Prodigy

OR Prodigy has heavy bar pressure. Isn't this thread about wave kites with light bar pressure?,...

^^^^^^^^^^
just got in from flying a neo\switchie\prodigy back to back. Finished with a downwinder on the 12m prod.
killed it. like flying a lollie in the sky. only kite to stay upwind.
other kite's out - envy\drifter\nomad.
it's a 2014. Haven't flown earlier stuff.
what year prodigy's are you talking about?
what kites u prefer bigZ?

I tested OR 2014. Used to fly Drifters. These days I fly BWS. Prodigy had a similar bar pressure to 2012 Drifter which I consider to be on a higher side. Both Noise Pro and newer Drifters (2014) I tried, have lighter bar pressure and are way easier to fly with one hand.

I'd recommend the new Blade Skinny Boy. Super responsive low bar pressure with enough to feel where the kite is. The double pulley system helps with killing the power super efficiently giving the rider the ability to loop the kite into position without being ripped off the wave or board. I've also found them to be well priced next to the over priced brands.

Select to expand quote

CodeRed said..

BigZ said..

CodeRed said..

BigZ said..

CodeRed said..
OR Prodigy

OR Prodigy has heavy bar pressure. Isn't this thread about wave kites with light bar pressure?,...

^^^^^^^^^^
just got in from flying a neo\switchie\prodigy back to back. Finished with a downwinder on the 12m prod.
killed it. like flying a lollie in the sky. only kite to stay upwind.
other kite's out - envy\drifter\nomad.
it's a 2014. Haven't flown earlier stuff.
what year prodigy's are you talking about?
what kites u prefer bigZ?

I tested OR 2014. Used to fly Drifters. These days I fly BWS. Prodigy had a similar bar pressure to 2012 Drifter which I consider to be on a higher side. Both Noise Pro and newer Drifters (2014) I tried, have lighter bar pressure and are way easier to fly with one hand.

I totally disagree with you bigZ. The Prodigy pivot's when it turns rather than "hook's". This is a characteristic of lite pressure kites.
What size did you fly?
All my m8's have flown this kite and all are stoked on how easy it fly's, in one or two hands. It is the first kite I have flown on waves where you hardly know it is there.
It surprises me anyone would get what you're saying you got from this kite.
It is simply brilliant. It's the lightest pressure of any kite ever I have ever flown.
Both the Pro and the Drifter "hook" their turns and create lot's of pressure.
I have looped the drifter and it really loads up. I haven't looped the pro.
Prodigy loops better than anything I have flown. I can't rate this kite highly enough.
It's a way better kite than the 2 you have mentioned in every dept.

... One man's junk is another man's gold...