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RRD Kites, reviews and comments

Posted: Wed May 22, 2013 8:29 am
by Ozzie
I am looking for freeride kite and considering RRD models of Vision or Passion. There are not many out here. People mostly have Cabrinha, Airush and SS.

I am at beginner level and do appreciate for any helpful info in terms of quality, durability, beginner friendly, relaunch and any other comments.

This guy, who has RRD, told me that is a different kite than others and little hard to operate. I couldnt have long chat with him cuz I was rushing for the class and couldnt see him again.
Thanks in advance

Re: RRD Kites, reviews and comments

Posted: Wed May 22, 2013 2:58 pm
by gvironda
RRD kites are no different than any other
Actually the bar is one of the best and easiest to operate on the market, in my opinion. I don't get what your friend mean
They are also very very well built
Vision is more "friendly"
Passion has more grunt and power
Vision, as far as I know, is much more popular, therefore easier to resell
I fly North but have flown different RRD. My favourite is the religion, amazing low bar pressure and high reactivity, but poor on low end and hag time (at least till 2012)
Cheers

Re: RRD Kites, reviews and comments

Posted: Thu May 23, 2013 1:46 am
by Ozzie
I read a post on this forum. This guy was talking about the durability vs North and actually complaining that his RRD didnt last long enough.

How about Obsession MKV? Can it be compared to Switchblade?

Re: RRD Kites, reviews and comments

Posted: Thu May 23, 2013 11:50 am
by spacemonkey
I've been on Norths years and years. This year i went to RRD religion, and it's really good. I've flown 5,7,8,9 they are fast but not nervous, very nice feedback on the bar, drift is second to none, hangtime is quite good for this type of kite (can do boardoff's easy on it). Hard to find anything wrong with this kite.
It maybe doesn(t have the bombproof quality as North but i'm wondering if you really need this?

Re: RRD Kites, reviews and comments

Posted: Thu May 23, 2013 12:08 pm
by wrogu
The best RRD kite is obsession. It's a nice freeride-allrounder. I used the mk1.

Re: RRD Kites, reviews and comments

Posted: Fri May 24, 2013 10:30 pm
by PVITfrumBYRAM
gvironda wrote:RRD kites are no different than any other
Actually the bar is one of the best and easiest to operate on the market, in my opinion. I don't get what your friend mean
They are also very very well built
Vision is more "friendly"
Passion has more grunt and power
Vision, as far as I know, is much more popular, therefore easier to resell
I couldn't agree more especially about the bar. It might not be a release to a single front line but it is clean and simple. They are well built and can take a beating. I like the 2012 bar particularly because the 2013 they got rid of the OH SHIT handles and I have utilized that feature. I fly the Obsession MKIV. I opted for RRD over Cabrinha after teaching on Switchblades for a few years. I think the only thing the Switchblade does much better is handle gusts but that's my opinion and I tend to be on my 10.5 RRD when I should be on the 9.

The main thing I also like is the inflation valve. I see lost O-rings from cabrinhas all the time, or sometimes the kite hits the water so hard that the spare pump valve attachment on the kite smacks the cap and busts the valve open. Also have had several mishaps with high wind when the valve purges out. I'm meticulous when rigging and setting up and not confident with the valves on Cabrinhas. I trust RRD's to hold 110%

The Religion is their wave kite which I'd like to get on, so far though the Obsession handles the surf alright when I'm on it.

Re: RRD Kites, reviews and comments

Posted: Sun May 26, 2013 6:26 pm
by Rincon
I am 195 lbs and own last years 2012 10.5M & 7M RRD Visions. Great all around kites that are stable, but turn quickly with input. They are faster than most kites. They have more lift and a touch more bar pressure than the 2012 Religions. Better than average upwind performance, and really rigid leading edge. They only negative is the Vision can flutter in turns if you have the kite depowered a lot in turns. Most the times when you are riding with 6-9 inches of depower you should have switched to a smaller kite. The 10.5 has really good low end in my opinion and can be worked to almost the power of a 12M. The Visions are not advertised as Surf kites, but they have great drift and excel in the surf. I ended up buying a 2012 7M Religion, and this is my favorite kite. I really like the light bar pressure, and speed of the kite. Typically I like the graphics on RRD kites, but this years RRD 2013 graphics are a bit much for me. If I am going to pay for my kites...which I do...then I prefer a kite that looks good. If the folks @ RRD are reading this...get back to your groovy clean style. I will buy more Religions!

Re: RRD Kites, reviews and comments

Posted: Tue May 28, 2013 5:10 am
by Ozzie
According to the comments and reviews, in terms of quality RRD kites are good, bar length can be adjustable so this is advantage on saving cost and carrying another bar. I also like the graphics and design of RRD kites. As usual Italian is famous with design.

Thanks for your kind sharing..
Cheers, Ozzie

Re: RRD Kites, reviews and comments

Posted: Tue May 28, 2013 11:43 am
by gvironda
Btw, I think they are the only kites on the markets where the graphics are made by different sewings and not just printed, which is really outstanding

Re: RRD Kites, reviews and comments

Posted: Fri Jul 11, 2014 5:56 pm
by infinitysa
I know this thread is old, but I just picked up some obsessions and the build quality is a big step down from north. The last poster mentioned the logo sewn into the kite, not painted. This is definitely inferior and will alter the stretch characteristics of the kites as they age. Painted graphics are actually more expensive, but lighter and don't alter the stretch. They do fade more,though.

The trailing edge is nice Dacron material, but it isn't scalloped like on the north kites. This will also mess with the stretch characteristics in a bad way.

Finally, the stitching on the leading edge tube is not nearly as nice as the north kites.

All in all, they are inferior in build to north. They fly great, however, and are cheaper to buy. I don't like the 5th line kites and I don't like the dice kites, so this is why I bought these. Hopefully they will last well enough. Time will tell.