Looking to buy either a new 12m and I am hesitating between the RRD Obsession 2012 or a North Rebel 2012. Looking for a good, durable all round kite that has medium/low bar pressure and that does well on the waves. I have questions on a few issues:

- Durability: I have heard mixed reviews about the durability of RRDs. I understand North Rebels are as durable as they get. Any views?

- Bar pressure: I had a Cabrinha Switchblade and found the bar pressure too much after long sessions. I understand the RRD Obsession has lower bar pressure. How about the North Rebel? How do the two compare in bar pressure?

- Fast: I believe both are pretty fast. How do they compare?

- Waves: I guess the North Rebel is better in waves. Any views?

Thanks for your tips in advance.
Rafael

I've owned both RRD Obsessions and North Rebels.


My RRD Obsessions didn't last nearly as long as I would have liked (with stitching and canopy material starting to deteriorate after about 14 months of hard use in tropical sun), but maybe I just had bad luck. Perhaps they simply had a bad day at the factory when they put together my kites.

North Rebels are among the more durable kites, yes. They should last several seasons even if you abuse them and expose them to a lot of UV light (and longer if you take care of them and shield them from prolonged and heavy UV exposure).


The RRD Obsessions have significantly less bar pressure than North Rebels, even in the most recent models. I can comfortably ride and steer them with one hand all day.


The RRD Obsessions are among the fastest kites on the market, for any given kite size. The North Rebel I would classify as a medium to medium-slow kite, by comparison to the RRD Obsession - by which I mean that the North Rebel is not necessarily "slow" in the true sense of the word (the way that you would classify a large Flysurfer as being slow), just that the North Rebel is not nearly as fast and reactive as the RRD Obsession. Which brings us to a related point - the steering on the RRD Obsessions tend to be very "direct" and reactive whereas my personal opinion is that the steering of the North Rebel is a bit more dampened or "mushy". Think of the various cars that you have driven - on some, the steering feels more dampened and indirect than on others. That being said, depending on your experience with different kites, you might not notice the difference. Most people seem happy with North Rebels.


I'm not sure. To be honest, neither of them would be my preferred wave kite, but that's just me. I think that while riding down the line in good clean wind conditions, both kites are OK. The speed and responsiveness of the RRD Obsession might be a slight advantage in some circumstances, and it is easier to deliberately get the Obsession to stall if that is something that you want to be able to do. The Rebel is however a good stable kite that many people like in the waves.

If / when the kites end up in the water getting slammed by a breaking wave, then the build quality of the North Rebel would be an advantage. On the other hand the North Rebel has a 5th line, which is something that many people don't like in waves.

One thing you didn't ask about is jumping. The RRD Obsession is OK in that regard if you know what you are doing, but the Rebels are almost ridiculously easy to jump even for beginners, and the Rebels - particularly the 2012 version of the Rebel 12m - have an amazing hangtime.

I don't think you would be disappointed in either kite. They are slightly different and have their good and bad points, but overall they are both nice kites.

When a 5th line kite gets rolled in the wave, the 5th line is wrapped around the leading edge.
Throw the bar so you don't cut it in half. Now its time to swim in.

When a 4 line kite gets rolled in the waves, you can still relaunch and ride to the beach to straighten out the inverted lines.

The Rebel is one of the best flying kites I have ridden, just not my choice for real waves.

Thanks a lot Saami and windway.

I do not mind the fifth line, but what concerns me is what Saami is saying about the bar pressure on the Rebel. I have just sold my 12m 2011 Cabrinha Switchblade because I got fed up of the bar pressure. I have issues with my forearms and I just wanna make sure that whatever kite I buy is not gonna give me the same issues.

At the same time, the RRD's durability seems to be an issue. So perhaps I should also forget about since I want a kite that lasts for two or three seasons.

What about other kites? I have read good things about the North Fuse. How about the Blade Trigger? The other one that resonates in my mind is the RPM.

How do these three kites compare to the RRD Obsession or the Rebel?

I have not tried the North Fuse or Blade Trigger, and I've had only about 30 minutes on a SS RPM, so I don't feel qualified to comment on any of those.

But since you are looking for a durable kite with low bar pressure that is good for waves... Have you considered a Wainman Rabbit 2 (the new models)? I can vouch for those. Solid build quality, pretty fast and reactive kites (though not quite as fast as RRD Obsessions), moderately low and somewhat adjustable bar pressure (not as low as RRD Obsessions but lower than North Rebels), and nice in waves. Four lines. Jumps well though not with the great hangtime of the 2012 North Rebels.

Another possibility might be an Ocean Rodeo Rise. Good solid construction quality and pretty low bar pressure. I've never tried one in waves though. The OR Razor is supposed to be more tuned towards waveriding, but it supposedly also has a bit more bar pressure - though that is a kite that I've never actually flown so you should take that with a grain of salt.

The Blade Trigger is a nice choice. Owned 2010's and now have 2012's.
A four line freeride kite that will do in waves, it has a wave specific setting on the bridle this year.
No fifth line nonsense when you dump it in a wave.
Fast turning kites, very stable and eat gusts very well, no stalling at all, and they jump well and easily. Bar pressure is light.
Another great choice that I recently fell in love with, is the Epic Renegade 11M.
Powerful, really fast, really stable, made specifically for wave riding but they happen to be great freeride all around kites. The bar pressure is slightly more than Trigger, so light but not really light. They have a nicer, more powered turn than the more pivotal Trigger, so Trigger loses a bit of power in the turn where the Renegade turns more from the tip and does not lose power so provides better feel through the turn. The Renegade 11M turns like a 9M and pulls like a 12M. You can shut the power off pretty well within your arms length, so very good in gusty wind. You can also ride right towards the kite and it just drifts back beautifully. Renegades jump very well and easily. If I'm spending money on a wave kite this year, the Renegade is the one!

I would go for RRD Obsession, I have an Obsession 7 and 10,5 both 2010. They look so good everytime I get them out of the bag that I am amazed, I would candidly say they are very durable and much lighter then North (Rihno). They are the clear color version and I have the perception they will last longer than the black ones 2011 of my good friend Alex.
It maybe sound silly but my advise is to choose a light color and go for RRD.