airush 12m zero

[kiwimike]

some of you may be interested to hear about the 12m airush zero strut I got as a test model a couple months ago. I have a kite school in pattaya Thailand. our thermal winds typically range from 5 till 14 knots. when winds have been lighter we have relied heavily on the 18m zero. problem was as soon as the winds picked up we would use up wind time changing kites. we are now using the 12m zero for day one and day 2 lessons in 5 to 12knott winds with great success. the 12m zero is great for basic piloting, body dragging and board start for light students in light wind conditions. the 12m zero flies in lighter wind that even our training foil kites. when picking it up it is amazingly light. it is not such a great kite for riding as it is heavy and slower than comparable kites but does have the benefit of packing down to a tiny size for transporting. we have had to order another 20 of them to get airush to put them into production. anyone can message me if they want to know more about this kite.

[BWD]

When you say "heavy" do you mean heavy bar pressure, heavy/slow steering, or do you mean the kite weighs a lot ?
Interesting to know, usually strut less kites are lightweight, since they have less parts.
But some get heavy on the bar....

[norcom]

kiwimike,
Weren't you the guy who posted about having the Zero 21m prototypes? What ever happened to those?

I'm a bit over my 18m Zero. It can stay up in super light winds, feels lite and fast but I had to upgrade the bar to the Cabrinha race 65cm. When the wind picks up, the standard Airush bar does not have enough depower for this monster. The racebar definitely helps with the huge trim range. Zero's upwind ability is something it lacks very much in. Just sits too deep.

Still, on super light wind days, it's the kite I go for. Wonder if the new Boost 18m would be better or maybe the Helium. Helium's specs do look sort of close to the Boost. Closer than the price range I'm sure.

[kiwimike]

sorry for the late reply. the kite is heavy on steering and powering (pulling the bar in) it is an exceptional kite for teaching in light wind, infact my instructors use it before the foil trainers as it flies in lighter wind. the kite itself is exceptionally light. this would also be a good light wind kite for a lighter rider.
so good for light wind teaching and light weight light wind riding. unfortunately there is not much other application for anything else. wish I could say there was as it was great of airush to make up this prototype for me. for our location I am very happy with them and I have ordered more.

some of you may be interested to hear about the 12m airush zero strut I got as a test model a couple months ago. I have a kite school in pattaya Thailand. our thermal winds typically range from 5 till 14 knots. when winds have been lighter we have relied heavily on the 18m zero. problem was as soon as the winds picked up we would use up wind time changing kites. we are now using the 12m zero for day one and day 2 lessons in 5 to 12knott winds with great success. the 12m zero is great for basic piloting, body dragging and board start for light students in light wind conditions. the 12m zero flies in lighter wind that even our training foil kites. when picking it up it is amazingly light. it is not such a great kite for riding as it is heavy and slower than comparable kites but does have the benefit of packing down to a tiny size for transporting. we have had to order another 20 of them to get airush to put them into production. anyone can message me if they want to know more about this kite.

[kiwimike]

hi,
yes I have a 22m zero and I did not find it to be any better than the 18m zero in pulling power. the zero is still king of my beach for the extreme light wind but most people prefer the contra 17m as it has more wind range. the depower cleat is the answer to being able to depower your airush bar better. it can be retrofitted to the smart bar 5 and smart bar 6. I use them on the school bars and I have to say they are excellent.

kiwimike,
Weren't you the guy who posted about having the Zero 21m prototypes? What ever happened to those?

I'm a bit over my 18m Zero. It can stay up in super light winds, feels lite and fast but I had to upgrade the bar to the Cabrinha race 65cm. When the wind picks up, the standard Airush bar does not have enough depower for this monster. The racebar definitely helps with the huge trim range. Zero's upwind ability is something it lacks very much in. Just sits too deep.

Still, on super light wind days, it's the kite I go for. Wonder if the new Boost 18m would be better or maybe the Helium. Helium's specs do look sort of close to the Boost. Closer than the price range I'm sure.