Airush Union III: Throw Loops, Throw Spray, & Throw It Down

[SonnyRider]

Agree with Mikes comments. The 2014 was a good kite for people with the skills to get the best from it. And some , actually, a lot of people struggled with it. Some days I did, if I couldn't get enough space to get some board speed up, I would struggle getting out over the waves. But when it was in it's element, for me, it was sublime, IMHO. The GF loved them. We sold the 10m, wished we hadn't. Still have the 14m, because it's so nice.

The 2017 12m Union I have does generate a fair pull, some days I have to put it on the lower knots on the back lines, enabling me to get upwind easier. Otherwise I rely on pulling in some depower. Not all the time, just on those windy days. Bear in mind I am 96kgs, so not a lightweight.
Funny thing about how we all use kites differently. I was on my 12 a couple weeks back, and felt pretty powered, the back lines were on the further knot. I let another guy have a go as it was, because he thinking of changing brand. He rides RRD 13m obsession at the mo. He came back saying, it's def not a lazy mans kite is it? & I felt a little under-powered. He weighs 20kg less than me. So clearly a pull & go type of rider.

The 2018 9m we have is fast and generates power, very, very easily. If you like the 2014, you will like the 2018. The kite is my GF's and she's getting to like it more and more, she has only had three sessions on it, but the last one she was landing with less G's on the woo meter.

[Toby]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUC7R9zWWPs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUC7R9zWWPs

[calmlaunch]

See if you can get a demo.
2018 is for sure a very different and in my opinion a better year for the more elite rider.
Time will see how popular it is with the masses - and this will have a bearing on what the next generation will be like, but for now, I'd say, make hay

So I was just wondering what 'the more elite rider' means.

I've been kiting 9 years with some gaps.

I love big air jumps, I can kite loop (but not with huge air), back roll, front roll, back roll kite loop transition, different grabs with that stuff. I'm learning dark slides, pretty fun, I get them more wrong than right at the moment.

I don't unhook anymore as I have a bad lower back and things like raileys hyperextend the back, but I believe I could still do them.

So does that put me in the category of the 'more elite rider' where I would benefit from the Union III or am I still better off sticking with the lithium that I currently own.

[SonnyRider]

^^
Short quick answer...

Do you want a kite that is pull & go? Then stick with your Lithium.
Do you want a kite that requires some work to get the best from it? eg. you have to work the kite, not just pull the bar in.

Sounds like you would like the Union, but you would need to change your technique to get the best from a Union. The lithium makes stuff easier to pull off, and the Union requires you to take it by the scruff of it's neck and treat it 'rough' and it'll love you for it <long time>

[alexeyga]

I had a session recently which - since it was kinda light - I started on a Lithium's equivalent from another French company, and I was really enjoying how easy and effortless it was to fly this kite. Basically it was a kite that we've got second hand for a friend who just started kiting and I wanted to make sure it's all square. Then as wind picked up a little more - I switched over onto my 12m Union... Here's the thing - yes sometimes Union requires a bit more input and awareness, but the way it turns and flies - overall - is so much more alive, precise and fun.

You don't have to be an 'elite" rider to know what you like and what you don't.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUC7R9zWWPs


Airush, what was exactly the point of this video? Some dude crossfitting, some surfing, some waking... Where's mega-looping? Where's better boosting? Whom exactly are you trying to sell this kite to?

[calmlaunch]

^^
Short quick answer...

Do you want a kite that is pull & go? Then stick with your Lithium.
Do you want a kite that requires some work to get the best from it? eg. you have to work the kite, not just pull the bar in.

Here's the thing - yes sometimes Union requires a bit more input and awareness, but the way it turns and flies - overall - is so much more alive, precise and fun.

Thanks - It sounds like it would be worth demoing the union III. I've also got my wife to consider , she has just found the deep joy of kitesurfing and is currently asking me when we can go next, which is a first and amazing. I think the lithiums have helped with that...and also me spending some one on one time with her in the water.

[calmlaunch]

Airush, what was exactly the point of this video? Some dude crossfitting, some surfing, some waking... Where's mega-looping? Where's better boosting? Whom exactly are you trying to sell this kite to?

Totally agree with this, their marketing message seems to be all over the place right now. With a lot of new gear being released over lots of brands, I want to be more excited by the airush brand and the lack of volume and clarity what they have put out is a bit disappointing....

Not only have I started looking at North Kites, I'm also wondering if Airush have financial issues and can't afford a full marketing campaign.

[alexeyga]

Not only have I started looking at North Kites, I'm also wondering if Airush have financial issues and can't afford a full marketing campaign.

I wouldn't go as afar as speculating about financial issues, but I would definitely question some of their decisions and what their development and marketing people are smoking.

What's the deal with the new "Modus" bar ends?

Since when adjusting something with an external tool became simpler and more reliable than a totally tool-less adjustment?

seriously-400x266.jpg (22.39 KiB) Viewed 1823 times

[MikeBirt]

Couple of words that may help

The bar is neater - yup - you need a tool now, but you know, I didn't adjust the bar at all last year - best to disassemble and clean to stop it clogging every few months - but most people don't touch the bar length. 14m+ may need the bigger bar, but it flies fine without the extenders and now a lot of us are foiling 12 is as far as we go...

Elite riders - it's hard to know who will get the most out of the Lithium / Union - flying the kite fast and loose is a knack - and some people just aren't interested in it, some more early riders are - like you say a demo is the best way. Also an interesting point - the windier it is the more able you have to be to get the most from the Union. When it's light and your putting the kite deep in the window with low board speed, that's when it pays to have a lighter touch to get the most from it. With the Lithium you can do what you want with it and it will just pull, pull, pull...

As to the releases - agreed - the market place is so full of noise that you'll find a lot of the companies are releasing product in a steady stream all year. The reason being is that it focuses attention more as opposed to one launch window and then silence for 11 months - it's got nothing to do with financial constraints, in fact most of the photoshoots are done at the same time, so the media etc is all there, just released in a constant stream. In the old days there was a ton of stuff released at one point every year and it was good to compare, but was a killer on cashflow inside the industry, and everything was watered down in a single massive press release.. I can assure you it's got less than nothing to do with the financial situation of the company... Airush are one of the oldest kitebrands and they know how to behave

[alexeyga]

Couple of words that may help

The bar is neater - yup - you need a tool now, but you know, I didn't adjust the bar at all last year - best to disassemble and clean to stop it clogging every few months - but most people don't touch the bar length. 14m+ may need the bigger bar, but it flies fine without the extenders and now a lot of us are foiling 12 is as far as we go...

I wouldn't try to pull these arguments when even F-One has came with with an adjustable (tool less) bar and none other bar on the market (North, Core, LF, Naish, Cabrinha) requires anything more complex than some good-old hands dexterity to change where lines are attached.

I used to adjust my bar a lot, but since some of my kites also require switching the pigtail, I ended up picking up another bar which lives mostly set on to the narrow setting except when I'm surfing and want to have a little more reactivity from these kites.

And honestly - I'd hate to haut all the gear to a spot, get pumping and then realize that I have to go back to my car (wherever it may be on this particular spot), because I need a stupid tool to set my bar where I want it to be.

Most things in this life don't have to be more complicated than they need to be. I'd love to have a chat with the 2018 Airush bar designer about what he/she was thinking, or better yet - with the man above who gave a go to this brilliant idea.