Kiteforum.com

I fund it on
http://www.kiteboarding.be/frameset2.htm

They say it was taken from the German magazine KITE. But text is with no signification and I don't trust anonymous rumors. But somehow it can be interested and a good point for starting a discussion - witch kite is the best.
In my opinion, after all this posts that I read everyday on the forum, this is like searching for a Grall.
Everyone have its own impressions and sometimes illusions, so you need to try what suit YOU better to have the best gear.
It's that right fellas?

following you will find the tested kites and the main statements about it:

Cabrinha Black Tip 9.4 and 12.2 (25m lines)

- great hangtime
- almost same high steering forces like last year
- 12.2 doesn't really turn faster than the 2001 model
- the 9.4 turns faster than 2001
- very good relaunch

F-One Mach1 18.1 and 15.1 (27m lines)

- very low steering forces for both sizes
- very good depower
- easy relaunch when enough wind, with light winds couldn't be tested
- the kite has to be depowered a little, if not the backlines will be pulled too much and than it tends to stall (backstall)

RRD Supertype 16.0 (28m lines)

- very low steering forces and turns fast
- the kite has to be depowered a little, if not the backlines will be pulled too much and than it tends to stall (backstall)
- good relaunch
- good lift for jumps
- long batten at the tips

Gaastra GXS 14.0! and 12.0 (28m lines)

- despite the stick in the middle of the kite at higher winds it will still get the typical U shape like other kites
- the kite has to be depowered a little, if not the backlines will be pulled too much and than it tends to stall (backstall)
- steering forces similar to the North Rhino (intermediate)
- good relaunch
- same lift and power as the Gaastra G-Spot

Wipika Airblast 8.4 and 11.8 (25m lines)

- with bridles very fast and almost no steering forces (but this way you can't feel the kite)
- disadvantage: small impulses on the bar are enough to turn the kite, you need very good control of the kite
- wide depower range
- the 11.8 doesn't create much poer at the low end compared to other kites of the same size
- easy relaunch due to bridle

Takoon Skoop 8.5 (28m lines)

- as fast as the Airblast and same easy steering
- wide depower range
- can be too fast when not experienced !
- great lift for very high jumps
- difference to the Airblast: the Skoop has the last battens all the way at the end of the tips and no special valve to keep the pressure in the tube

Cabrinha CO2 9.0 (25m lines)

- good allround kite
- as 2-liner easy to handle, as 4-liner fast
- good jumping power but less hangtime than highperformer
- very good relaunch
- large wind range (also depending on the boards) from higher 3 to higher 6 Beaufort

Gaastra G-Spot 12.5 (28m lines)

- comparable to the CO2 from Cabrinha
- fast and easy handling
- same wind range as CO2
- alomost longer hangtime than the Gaastra GXS
- the riding speed is less than the GXS
- very good relaunch, considerable better than the GXS
- can't be used as 2-liner

Flysurfer Warrior 9.3 and 7.0 (20m lines)

- perfect relaunch, also good for snowkiting
- lift for jumps not comparable to tubes, but still ok
- good depower - very low steering forces
- 9.3 can be compared to 10 sqm surface area tube kite

Naish Aero 10.0 (28m lines)

- very good relaunch
- steering forces a little bit more than the C02
- good lift, but hangtime less than highperformer
- turns slower than CO2

RRD Type 4.1 12.0 (28m lines)

- good relaunch
- steering forces like Slingshot 10.0 Fuel
- turns intermediate
- similar to Wipika Hydro

Slingshot Fuel 14.0 and 10.0 (28m lines)

- good relaunch
- 14.0 turns slow and has high steering forces, not good for jumping
- 10.0 turns fast, still higher steering forces, great lift for jumps (better than Aero)

Strongkite 8.6 (line lenght n.a.)

- turns fast and direct
- the testers only had this size which was too small to test in comparison to the others.
- relaunch couldn't be tested, which should be very interesting

Takoon Akooba 12.2 (line lenght n.a.)

- comes with a 2-! line bar
- not good to fly with 2 lines
- good relaunch
- good intermediate kite with average performance

Wipika Hydro 11.0 (28m lines)

- needs longer depower than Airblast
- very good-natured, not agressive
- doesn't turn as fast as compareable kites
- good for easy riding

Wipika Inferno 9.0 (30m lines)

- very stable and constant pull for wakeboarder style
- not too fast, good-natured
- good relaunch

Naish Virus ? (20m lines)

- same as Wipika Inferno

interesting, this is what I wrote some weeks ago for this forum!

You are absolutely right. The tests can be true, might not be. Some testers are sponsored riders which makes things not really fair for other brands.
The kite-boarding.de has no team riders in their test team, therefore theyx are maybe not as good as the team riders but therefore indipendent. As I said before we should collect all tests worldwide to see on which kites they agree and on which not.

But the best thing to do is: test it yourself!
Not everyone can do it, therefore we need indipendent testers and opinion.
This should work with this forum.
So guys, let us know about your opinions on tested kites by you.

Toby

I'll repeat myself a little alzo. I watched this testing for one week and we should consider ourselves lucky that anybody would be willing to upset a prospective advertiser by not giving a glowing review to any product.

This at least gives us a baseline from which to develop our own opinions aside from A/R, size and pretty colors.

When was the last time anybody got to take two weeks off and ride a complete range of boards and kites?

Read their results - insert your personal bias - pays your money and takes your chances.

.....and here's my review:

Best looking: SLINGSHOT Asymmetrical silver logo on solid color backround was stunning in the air.

Worst looking: AERO Large 1950's Ford V-8 logo in split coloring....only thing that could be worse was if the kite was pink and yellow.