Slingshot REV 11M review

[Ozone Kites AUS]

Wanted to and tried to do this via Kitecommunity.com, but the website was down or inaccessible (Bush is here and soaking bandwidth up or scanning all internet activity)

Wind - 12/13 knots - 20/21 knots, gusty Easterly
Location - Dolls Point at high tide
Date 5/9/07
Board used - 1.52x44 Underground FLX
Rider weight - 75kgs
Experience - experienced
Duration of test - 90 mins approx

When I launched the kite a rain squall had just come through soaking the kite and my poor launch assistant, plus the wind then dropped to well below 10 knots.
I crashed the kite when I ended up downwind and unable to keep the kite in the air and was forced up against rocks and the seawall.
Relaunched with help, still in approx 5 knots of wind, and was able to keep the kite flying by keeping it moving at the top of the window.
Decided to wait for a while to see if the wind got stronger (it did) and walked to a wider section of beach where I tested the safety system.

Its works flawlessly and is very well thought out and neat. The kite will drop out of the sky if the stopper is up against the stopper ball (drop the bar depower) and relaunch was then easy from the side of the window where the kite had landed. This means an experienced rider should be able to ride by having a leash fitted around the centre lines or to the end of the trim rope where it exits the cleat on the side of the chicken loop enabling a fully spinning high depower primary safety system.
Begginers and the more safety concious rider (that can loop both ways) can ride with the leash attached to the front line leash system that extends below the bar.
I activated this system 3 times and was easily able to put the chicken loop back together and then feed the front line back out and self launch by pulling one rear leader, in approx 5-10 knots on the beach. This is an easy relaunching kite, and will relaunch as easily as a Cab CB3/Contra, which I rate as the best in light winds and the easiest in any winds.

Saw a wind line coming in so ran back up the beach to where I left my board and in the 12/14 knots was easily riding upwind with a lot of speed. The kite turns fast around the tip, not quite as tight as a CB3 or SB3, but just as fast, with only a slightly wider arc to the turn. Turning speed is excellent, the kite feels small and nimble. The kite is super stable, despite me dropping it earlier ( I think any of the latest kites I have tested would have stalled out of the sky in that lull).

Within a short time the wind picked up some more to be around 17/18 knots with gusts coming through to the low 20's. I was getting overpowered because of my huge board, but I trimmed the kite and was able to keep riding in comfort, despite the board being too big for the chop that was now coming through mixed with small waves.
Was able to find plenty of dark bits (gusts) on the water to jump into, wow! This kite is super lofty and the jumps are big and very, very floaty, the floatiest Slingshot kite I have flown, not as floaty as the Ozone Edge and with a different feel and decent (rider feels the gusts more, not as direct feeling as the Edge), but still really good.

Upwind was amazing, another well powered rider on the same board weighing 100kg who was on a Flexi Ion2 12.5, which is a super upwind kite was out with me. I was able to always track above him by at least 15-20 degrees! I could have easily kited over to Towra in winds that were directly onshore at Dolls.

Build quality is typical Slingshot, and I think I know where this kite is being made and that factory in Asia produces some of the best quality kites on the market. Attention to detail and the designer intention in keeping the entire kite light are obvious. The bridle is extremely compact and I could not get it to tangle or catch on any other part of the kite and I really tried. The only test I did not try was to crash on the water and ride straight at it, but I am sure this would not faze this kite.

Bar pressure is light to medium, heavier than Helix, similar to SB3, maybe a bit heavier. The front and rear lines are connected via a pulley at the kite end, so some front line load is distributed to the rears, but rider still gets an excellent feel and feedback through the rear lines, it is easy to "get used" to the kite and fly it without looking at it, as you have to do with some kites that have too little feedback.

The colour we had is awesome, typical Slingshot pattern with alternate green and orange with black LE and struts.

Slingshot patented One Pump system as usual with all the features we are used and like ( as a full service shop, we prefer externally plumbed single point inflation systems - so easy to work on if there is ever that rare problem). Main valve moulded lock, this cannot come loose in hard crashes.

Kite unhooks and behaves fine with only a small amount of trimming.

This kite is nothing like any previous high depower kites from Slingshot, it is a completely new design. It has medium swept back tips, slightly concave curved trailing edge with 5 struts and a high projected area, it was noticeably flatter than the Ion2.

Bag is a side zippered version of the same style Slingshot have had for a few years now, the kite only needs to rolled up and folded in half to go in the bag, pockets on the exterior for the bar and pump, as well as straps for a board, with a comfy mountain back pack double shoulder strap design, ours is white and blue, which will get dirty quick.

Slingshot really need to address the colour coding of their bars, its about the only negative I can think of from my test, but in my opinion a really important one, regardless of colour coded leaders. I also don't like the square centre section, but thats a personal thing I guess? Overall I really enjoyed this kite and only came off the water because I was cold and needed to get to a club meeting as well as eat! (did not have lunch)

Cya and

Goodwinds

Steve

[gravey]

Great review, thanks. Do you have any pics of the kite in action or closeups of some of its features. I am interested in how well the depower works and how easy this is to adjust on the fly for example. Cant wait to demo one. I cant help bit thisnking that some of the colour combos look kinda gross - pink\black and green\yellow, but hey.

[Northern Monkey]

Steve

Great review, do you think the kite is being produced in Siagon, Vietnam.
I know they make some foil kites for SS there!!

Cheers

[larssa]

God review!
I have also tried a REW 11 kvm and i think mostley the same as you exept, that the kite turns not quite as tight as a CB3. I tried a CB3 9kvm another day and that kite was slower stering than the REW. A really nice kite for waves

[Ozone Kites AUS]

Steve

Great review, do you think the kite is being produced in Siagon, Vietnam.
I know they make some foil kites for SS there!!

Cheers

[Ozone Kites AUS]

God review!
I have also tried a REW 11 kvm and i think mostley the same as you exept, that the kite turns not quite as tight as a CB3. I tried a CB3 9kvm another day and that kite was slower stering than the REW. A really nice kite for waves

Thanks but GOD had nothing to do with my review!
I am reading this book at the moment, and highly recommend it to all intelligent people!
http://richarddawkins.net/godDelusion
Warning - beleiving you are a non believer still makes you a beleiver!
Dawkins is probably something else, not sure for sure, yet!

Really want to test the SB3 12M now in good winds and review it in comparison. Not sure I understand what you are saying about the CB3 and the Rev, compared to each other?

Cya and

Goodwinds

Steve

[mig27]

I rode the 9m2 for a few minutes this week in waves, riding my TT. Although the kite is good I found the bar bad in two ways:

- depower on the chickenloop does not work well. It is if you pull of your loop when sheeting in
- when you steer the kite and it generates power (most kites do generate power when turing) the bar gets jammed so you cannot power or depower as long as you steer the kite. It has to do with the size of the whole in the bar.

I did like the feedback from the bar, the stability in the air standing still on the beach and on the water. Jumping is easy and nice hangtime.

[Ozone Kites AUS]

I rode the 9m2 for a few minutes this week in waves, riding my TT. Although the kite is good I found the bar bad in two ways:.

Worst feature is the all black colouring IMO. I can't believe that in 2007 any company would still release a kite with an all black bar?

- depower on the chickenloop does not work well. It is if you pull of your loop when sheeting in..

I am sure we are having a language issue here, no insult intended ok?
I would like to know what you mean by your comment above, can you try to explain again?

- when you steer the kite and it generates power (most kites do generate power when turing) the bar gets jammed so you cannot power or depower as long as you steer the kite. It has to do with the size of the whole in the bar..

I never found this to be true, the centre hole is large and I could sheet in, or out when steering the kite??

I did like the feedback from the bar, the stability in the air standing still on the beach and on the water. Jumping is easy and nice hangtime.

Yeah the feedback is excellent, and you can feel the kite self adjusting AOA but it still feels stable and you know where the kite is without looking at it.

Cya and

Goodwinds

Steve

PS - and here are a few more pics.

[Oooops]

The REV looks great! Nice colors.... which is more than I can say for the UGG boots and boardies. Well... that's just wrong

[mig27]

I rode the 9m2 for a few minutes this week in waves, riding my TT. Although the kite is good I found the bar bad in two ways:.

Worst feature is the all black colouring IMO. I can't believe that in 2007 any company would still release a kite with an all black bar?

Agree, although the left "o-shit" handle is red. That was my reference. But a red colour on the bar should be mandatory on ANY kitebar!

- depower on the chickenloop does not work well. It is if you pull off your loop when sheeting in..

I am sure we are having a language issue here, no insult intended ok?
I would like to know what you mean by your comment above, can you try to explain again?[/quote]

No offence! It is just a small problem of an international community wen talking about technical issues.

What I mean is that you can adjust the maximum power of the kite by an adjuster. On a Naish bar for example you have a depowerstrap you can use to trim the amount of power in the kite.

SS did not use a depowerstrap or clamcleat like North for example, but they chose like Liquid Force to have a 1:2 reduction with a clamcleat mounted on the chickenloop. When the wind picks up, or you come from the water (or walk to it) you can sheet in this line. But when try to do that it cost a lot of force and effort. And when there is not much power in the kite you almost pull the chickenloop off your spreaderbar instead sheeting any line in. Same of the LF 2007 bar on the Havoc for example.

- when you steer the kite and it generates power (most kites do generate power when turing) the bar gets jammed so you cannot power or depower as long as you steer the kite. It has to do with the size of the whole in the bar..

I never found this to be true, the centre hole is large and I could sheet in, or out when steering the kite??[/quote]

The local distributor of SS took the kite to our beach to give us a go. Everybody noticed this problem. When we took a close look at the bar we noticed the centerhole is on the top of the bar (facing the kite) very small. You feel a lot of resistence when sheeting the bar even when the kite is not in the air (when someone is holding the depowerline for you to check this problem). Also after a months use the depowerline reminded me of my old North bar: pretty worn already due to the small centerhole.

I did like the feedback from the bar, the stability in the air standing still on the beach and on the water. Jumping is easy and nice hangtime.

Yeah the feedback is excellent, and you can feel the kite self adjusting AOA but it still feels stable and you know where the kite is without looking at it. [/quote]

yes, I fully agree!

Also another thing, which maybe only applies to the 9m2: I was testing the kite in very gusty, unstable wind. The difference in windspeed between average and gust was pretty big. With the other kites I used that day (North R7, Rebel7) I could dump a lot of power just by sheeting the bar out.

The Rev has a long depowerline (which you can shorten on the fly with the excellent sliding stopper, equal to LF 2007 bar). But it feels if sheeting out does not depower so much. It could be the circumstances, but my other kites have a bigger reduction of power when sheeting in the same distance.

This is a great feature when doing freestyle and tricks, but for waves it is not that good, although the kite turned fast enough for it.