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mmmm never had a problem with the bar pressure and the kites perform well in all winds with a good range. Changing the settings does make a huge difference to the overall ride and feel so maybe Kjorn had it on a bad setup....

John-B wrote:I have flown them and they are quite a good all-rounder but knowing how you like your kites you won't enjoy it - nothing wrong with it but you are a 'flyer' and not a 'dragger'

Yeh John just looking into this kite for my brothers. It seems to fit the bill so far. I will be riding a smoke as soon as there is some wind, as I have a mate who rides one. So I will be able to cross this with what the crew have been saying. Very informative so far guys thanks.

average rider wrote:mmmm never had a problem with the bar pressure and the kites perform well in all winds with a good range. Changing the settings does make a huge difference to the overall ride and feel so maybe Kjorn had it on a bad setup....

Changes such as what? Bridles?

seaplus wrote:To each his own when it comes to kites...I for one love Wainman Hawaii.

It puzzles me that there aren't more on the water. I think many riders associate them only with wave riding, but I find it's a total "all-around" kite.

Range is incredible...I have only a 2 kite quiver.
Simple yet complex...some call Wainman Hawaii's the "iPhone of Kites"
I call them " The Led Zeppelin of Kites".

Seaplus

Yeh it puzzles me to, from what I'm reading although it seems people either love or hate them.

What is your weight, board choice/s and what sizes are in your two kite quiver?

Conclusion: I think they are brilliant for gusty overpowered conditions. Really good for intermediate kiters looking to do some nice tricks. No good for busting big air or big tricks.Easy to kiteloop, but because the jumps are low, you need to be quick.

They are low aspect kites with a very flat profile which is unusual. Usually a low aspect kite is grunty, but this isn't, so it takes a while to get dialed in.


Yeh your last last comment is something I noticed to, really low aspect yet flat, that is what perplexed me about them, hence asking about their characteristics.

I have seen one guy going pretty big, but if you are comparing this with an edge (or even my VX), well they are built for that. Also you say they are slow, well can't get much faster than the kites we use, so depends on what you are after. Not really a fair comparison. But try and do a decent loop on an edge (I know some can and do), but for the average dude,good luck not killing yourself.

Westozzy wrote:

average rider wrote:mmmm never had a problem with the bar pressure and the kites perform well in all winds with a good range. Changing the settings does make a huge difference to the overall ride and feel so maybe Kjorn had it on a bad setup....

Changes such as what? Bridles?

The new Airush kite in 9m is pretty special... they just gave it the wrong name as it does more than waves and the feedback here in the UK is pretty amazing. If you want an all-round ripper then try that

The WH kites are good but IMO have become a little outdated. Their versatility, range and ability to adjust was very good when they first came out but now most kites have progressed - just look at the delta shape evolution. However, with evolution there comes diversification and a lot of kite are more specialised now and much better in specific areas (the trade off being though) and the WH can when tuned do a bit of everything good but it is never excellent at one particular thing.

John-B wrote:

Westozzy wrote:

average rider wrote:mmmm never had a problem with the bar pressure and the kites perform well in all winds with a good range. Changing the settings does make a huge difference to the overall ride and feel so maybe Kjorn had it on a bad setup....

Changes such as what? Bridles?

The new Airush kite in 9m is pretty special... they just gave it the wrong name as it does more than waves and the feedback here in the UK is pretty amazing. If you want an all-round ripper then try that

The WH kites are good but IMO have become a little outdated. Their versatility, range and ability to adjust was very good when they first came out but now most kites have progressed - just look at the delta shape evolution. However, with evolution there comes diversification and a lot of kite are more specialised now and much better in specific areas (the trade off being though) and the WH can when tuned do a bit of everything good but it is never excellent at one particular thing.

Yeh all true John. However my bros wouldn't notice the difference if it smacked them in the head. We've been around for loooong time now and understand the fine nuances of the specialised kite. Yeh the name on the new kite sounds limiting to me as we'll the marketing department needs a kick up the backside for that one. Then again John what would you call it? The wave jumper. Lol.

My 2 kite Wainman quiver is a 2011 9m Smoke & a 2011 12m Boss...I have a 2012 L Carrot Bar (which I love too)...it wasn't until 2012 that Wainman Hawaii put the 10.5m Punch in between these two. IMO the 10.5m isn't really needed.

I ride in Texas where gusts are the norm.

Wind Range for me: (I'm 5' 11" & weigh 165lbs.)
14mph - 18mph - 12m Boss w/ 137cm twin-tip
18mph - 24mph - 12m Boss w/ 131cm twin-tip
22mph - 28mph - 9m Smoke w/ 137cm twin-tip
28mph - 33mph - 9m Smoke w/ 131cm twin-tip

When the winds are crankin', I can get plenty of speed, upwind, and air.

I've demo'ed many brands and WH fit me like a glove...
yet to each his own.

seaplus

They're not flat.

Oldnbroken wrote:They're not flat.

haha, no, they're not. some of the previous reviews make me wonder if the reviewers have ever even seen or flown one.