Helldog - why you bought a speed as a beginner kite - I don't know....you should have got an XTC at the time - or now a pulse. Try learning on a lift pro , X10, X4 etc and you'd have had problems.
At the time the depower claims were correct - but it was not a push bar out etc depower of bows etc - but usable range of kite with use of the trim strap.
I'm glad you're happy with what you ride now, but as someone who learnt on Flysurfers a long tim eago I have a completly different experience to you in that I found th eease of use enabled me to progress a lot faster than most of my mates who were on Tubes - horses for courses