Eleveight RS: My Review

[ChickenD!ken]

Haha, I had been thinking "what does this guy mean, what is so strange" and indeed I ended up with that lower end of 6m Maybe an 8 year old can fly the kite at that windspeed, but you can argue offcourse the kite would fall from the sky from it's own weight. I don t know. All I know is most companies use these charts and they don't always match my reality when on the water.
I have been using the Eleveight WS 7 and 9 m for a couple of sessions now and I have to say so far the Elev. windchart is quite realistic to me, at least for the sweet spot in the windrange, the darkest points. The rest I usually ignore. I wouldn't take them too seriously.

Ha! What I wouldn’t give to have the lightness and flexibility of an eight year old kid..

Goes without saying, marketing material should always be JUST a first look with the real first impression coming at an eventual demo. But let’s take the W Series you’ve tried out, I’m a big Core user and their 9m wave kite (Section2) flies at 12kts (their claim of course). The Eleveight WS 9m flies at 6kts (according to the pdf dealer booklet), so that gives me reason to question it’s construction. We can talk all day about how lightly shaded the dot in the figure I posted is, but bottom line: if you put a dot in that 6kts column, I will hold you to it, even if my 6’3 82-85kg frame stands zero chance of utilising that low end. I will know what the capabilities are once i’m working the kite (most experienced riders will), also for much lighter riders. 9m anything in 6kts when I’ll be on my 19m light wind kite definitely feels like smoke up my ass, even if it’s indicated for 75kg riders.

Eleveight is a brand I’m really interested in demo’ing asap and I’m not at all turned off by the promotional jargon (it’s always the same from all the manufacturers) so if you’ve got some helpful impressions, please do tell..

Given that you know that "promotional jargon is always the same from all the manufacturers" wouldn't it be sensible to treat it as such rather than interpreting a faint blob on a page literally in order to negatively question the quality and strength of a product from a manufacturer which is a competitor to the manufacturer with which you are affiliated - namely Core Kites?

Wow. You’re like the alpha male of the forum, aren’t you? Always on patrol..

Not that I owe you an explanation, but I happen to be a paying customer with respect to every brand affiliation I’ve added to my profile description. So I’ll say whatever I want, sweetie. But I get that you’re so cool you won’t attach that precious reputation of yours to anything bearing a name. Rest assured, I stand in naked awe of your purity and grace.

By the way, I don’t think I’ve said anything negative about Eleveight. “Excited to try one”, was pretty much the punchline.

But i guess you’re just flying on a 9 in 6kts are you?

[Bartolo]

If you tell me I can buy a 10m that flies at 6 knots, my only (two-fold) question to you is, “so what is it made of and how fragile is the material?”

We always talk about stability vs. agility but equally important is performance vs. durability. But I’m always open to having my mind blown on the water if these FS, RS & PS reviews are as good as they claim to be..

Haha, I had been thinking "what does this guy mean, what is so strange" and indeed I ended up with that lower end of 6m Maybe an 8 year old can fly the kite at that windspeed, but you can argue offcourse the kite would fall from the sky from it's own weight. I don t know. All I know is most companies use these charts and they don't always match my reality when on the water.
I have been using the Eleveight WS 7 and 9 m for a couple of sessions now and I have to say so far the Elev. windchart is quite realistic to me, at least for the sweet spot in the windrange, the darkest points. The rest I usually ignore. I wouldn't take them too seriously.

Ha! What I wouldn’t give to have the lightness and flexibility of an eight year old kid..

Goes without saying, marketing material should always be JUST a first look with the real first impression coming at an eventual demo. But let’s take the W Series you’ve tried out, I’m a big Core user and their 9m wave kite (Section2) flies at 12kts (their claim of course). The Eleveight WS 9m flies at 6kts (according to the pdf dealer booklet), so that gives me reason to question it’s construction. We can talk all day about how lightly shaded the dot in the figure I posted is, but bottom line: if you put a dot in that 6kts column, I will hold you to it, even if my 6’3 82-85kg frame stands zero chance of utilising that low end. I will know what the capabilities are once i’m working the kite (most experienced riders will), also for much lighter riders. 9m anything in 6kts when I’ll be on my 19m light wind kite definitely feels like smoke up my ass, even if it’s indicated for 75kg riders.

Eleveight is a brand I’m really interested in demo’ing asap and I’m not at all turned off by the promotional jargon (it’s always the same from all the manufacturers) so if you’ve got some helpful impressions, please do tell..

Well no need to question their construction I would say, nothing wrong with that ofcourse, better question the use of the chart. I agree that in fact the 6 knots dot (and others) don't make any sense, especially since it says its for a 75 kg person. Unless maybe it's meant for foilboards?

Anyway, you are asking for impressions. I like my WS's . So far I have ridden only the 9m in the waves and had one session with the 7m on a TT jumpsession so most of my opinion is based on the 9m. I come from 5 seasons Cabrinha Drifter (models 2012-2015) and Naish Pivots last year. So far I love the WS! The WS is mùch much better wavekite than the Pivot imo. The WS is fast steering and very smooth and stable as well, never pulls you off the board (strapless). It has good lowend and never ever stalls, unlike the Pivot. It pivots better than the Pivot and it never drops from the sky. It turns very smoothly without the yank that a Pivot might give you when going through the windwindow. I also like it more than the Drifter, especially the 9m is much faster steering than my 9m drifter used to be and it really feels a more funkite in a way. I think the WS is better suited to cross/onshore conditions.
I also was pleasantly surprised by the 9m's jumping ability and hangtime on a TT. The 7m has less hangtime of course and i did not like as much for jumping.
Coming days I will put my 7m to work in the waves if the forecasts come thru.

[ChickenD!ken]

When I said “question construction” I wasn’t suggesting it was by definition a faulty design, just that durability would be a topic for me if some of those low-end numbers in the chart are accurate. I read through the dealer booklet and it mostly looks nice. Double ripstop materials etc. and I’m always drawn to any manufacturer that takes a minimalistic approach while focusing on the rider experience. How do you like the CS bar? Looks nice and clean from what I’ve seen.

Thanks for the info on the WS. I’ve never been on a Drifter but I’ve demo’ed the Pivot and it was not for me. Doesn’t matter the style or conditions, I’m not into battling with my gear so the Pivot was a short tack experience, then handed it back to the kiteshop. A kite with refined characteristics like the WS is something to look forward to though..