(thats not the same size but the same color I rode)
Ive finally had time to test the psycho3 here in Tarifa. We had the usual gusty as hell levante, around 20-40 knots. I weigh 70kgs, ride a 128rip and the conditions were choppy. I was the only foil rider around and others were on 5m/7m waroos, 8m instincts, 7/8m c-kites. The session was about 2.5 hrs long.
Right from the beginning I rode off to our wavespot which is around 6km out on the open sea. There I had 1.5-2m waves and good conditions to test the ps3 for wave riding. While riding the wave you can just park it and as you ride down, the ps3 just drifts along with you. As soon as you need power you just pull the bar in and off you go. The difference here to the hybrids and bows ive been flying sofar, is that the ps3 is super smooth in the way it develops its power. No on/off feeling - you can really dosage what you need.
The depower truly is a huge leap forward. The range now easily equals any hybrid. However its not a 100% depower kite, ie. it can be ridden on the stopper if you wish. Id guess you have around 20% power left (similar to the gaastra spyder or ozone instinct) if you trimm it right. That also means its not a beginner kite. You can quickrelease and stay on the 5. line, which depowers the kite completely, but then thats not a 1 step safety as on bows.
Id also like to mention that the depower on the ps3 definately is better than on the pulse. Sofar I can tell (ive been only flying the pulse very few days) the ps3 has a better range.
Jumping: Switching from so many different kites it always takes me a bit to get my timing right again. In particular when switching to flysurfers, it takes extra long because they simply respond and turn slower. But its finally here, no exageration, no hype, take my word for it - if you can jump on a waroo or a newer hybrid, you will feel right at home on the ps3. The 6m turns+responds about as fast as the 7m waroo, 8m sonic, 9m spyder. But theres a slight difference: The hangtime of the ps3 is just beyond any hybrid / bow ive been on. The best sofar was the EH ripper (super flat profile) but you have so much more time on the ps3 - simply impressive. Then on the other hand, thats always been one of the strengths the foils have over tube kites. Just check out snowkiters to see the difference.
Kiteloops: Now heres something interesting. As much as I tried (unhooked and hooked in) I didnt manage to make the ps3 turn very tight loops. The inner wingtip does not stay nailed in the sky, it makes its own little circle and therefore youre loops become pretty big and look incredibly hardcore. More than once I was looking down on the kite while looping it through. Now on any tube kite that would have meant hospital time (for me) but although the horizontal pull is strong, the kite generates this pull extremely smoothly and you can actually land them after a while. So no pussyloops with the ps3 and I dont think a double loop is possible (unlike for example on a north rebel). For my personal taste id prefer the kite to turn tighter, it will make kiteloop moves easier. Then again ive only been flying the settings the way they are straight from the bag. Maybe it changes with other settings or a larger bar.
Relaunch: no problem - pull on steering line, the kite flips around and up it goes. As it relaunches in the powerzone you need to push the bar out to kill off the excess power. Like this you dont even get ripped out of the water as youd expect. Again, the depower is truly up to par with hybrids.
Now the negatives: The kite had the 5th line wrapped around the other lines when I unpacked it. Thats not really what I expect from flysurfer even though its easily fixed thanks to the quick connectors on the 5th. Remember that flysurfer foils come ready to fly, lines and bar already attached to the kite.
Another problem was that in some gusts, lets say 35 knots dropping to 20 knots, the kite folded in the middle, then opened up again but one wingtip stayed tangled in the bridles. This made the kite crash onto the water and all I could do was wait. The wind then picked the kite up again and on the relaunch the wingtip managed to pop back into its place. This happened twice but always when the gusts ripped through the kite.
Other than that, the ps3 was super stable and being the only foil riding and on top of that having fun in these crap conditions, made many look curiously. But then i couldnt care less about that - ive been riding everything because I dont see that ill be able to judge whether something is good or not by standing on the beach and badmouthing hybrids/bows/c-kites or foils
