Haven't seen any good review of the Airush smart bar yet so I figured I'd post one. I just recieved one yesterday, but haven't used it on the water yet. I've used the '07, '08, and '09 best bars and the '08 cabrinha bar for the past few years. I really didn't like the '09 best bar because the safety release jammed on me multiple times and some parts have worn out really quickly. I was looking for a bar with above the bar depower and the ability to leash to a single rear line. I fly '08 and '09 waroos 7m, 9m, 11m, 15m. I was leaning towards the '10 best bar, but I couldn't see myself buying two bars after the way my '09 bar has held up. Not trying to bash best here, I love my waroos, but the '09 bar was a real dissapointment for me.
What I like so far:
-Quick release seems really easy to use and easy to reassemble even in the water.
-Plastic buckle on the depower strap will mean less wear than the metal one on the '09 best bar
-Adjustable from 45 cm to 55 cm. Adjustment is really easy. Hopefully this system holds up in salt water. I hope they sell spares of the removable parts because I know I'm going to lose these pieces eventually. The Epic bar looks to have a better way of achieving this because there aren't any pieces to change.
What I don't like:
-Depower strap range is really short. Probably needed to be short because of the leashing to two front lines system.
-The whole bar is white with a small red "a" on one side. If you hold it backwards it says "wrong way" but the print is really small. Will be really tough to figure out in the water.
-Both back lines are the same color. Different color back lines helps with untangling and making sure you hold the bar correctly.
-Will be tough to self land because the Y-split in the front lines is far away. Cant grab just one of the front lines.
-Doesn't seem to be a way to disable the velcro on the OS handles on the back lines.
I'll add to this when I get it on the water a few times.
2010 Airush Smart Bar Review
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davesails7
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davesails7
- Very Frequent Poster
- Posts: 2220
- Joined: Sun Apr 01, 2007 7:36 pm
- Kiting since: 2006
- Weight: 75 kg
- Local Beach: Virginia Beach
- Style: Race
- Gear: ML B3
R1V2 11. VMG 13, 15, 18
OR Mako 130x35 - Brand Affiliation: None
- Has thanked: 10 times
- Been thanked: 22 times
Re: 2010 Airush Smart Bar Review
Tried out the smart bar for the first time yesterday for a short downwinder in <15 knots of wind with a 15m 2008 Waroo.
-Why the hell are the back lines grey and the front lines red? Isn't that opposite of every other bar?
-Quick release is really easy to use and I don't think its possible to jam it up with sand.
-Depower strap is short, but is the easiest one I've used and the long handles make it really easy to reach even though I'm pretty short.
-The leash that comes with the bar has to be permanently attached to your harness. only caribiner clip on one side. I like having two clips.
-Color marking on the bar is even worse than I thought. When you hold the bar the wrong way, there is a red mark only on the right side of the bar???
In general though I like the bar. My only real issue is that I can't reach for a single front line, so won't be able to do my usual self landing technique. Haven't checked how the old waroos behave when leashed to both front lines. If I had one of the newer kites that is meant to self land when leashed to two front lines (kahoona, cabrinha ids...) this wouldn't be an issue.
-Why the hell are the back lines grey and the front lines red? Isn't that opposite of every other bar?
-Quick release is really easy to use and I don't think its possible to jam it up with sand.
-Depower strap is short, but is the easiest one I've used and the long handles make it really easy to reach even though I'm pretty short.
-The leash that comes with the bar has to be permanently attached to your harness. only caribiner clip on one side. I like having two clips.
-Color marking on the bar is even worse than I thought. When you hold the bar the wrong way, there is a red mark only on the right side of the bar???
In general though I like the bar. My only real issue is that I can't reach for a single front line, so won't be able to do my usual self landing technique. Haven't checked how the old waroos behave when leashed to both front lines. If I had one of the newer kites that is meant to self land when leashed to two front lines (kahoona, cabrinha ids...) this wouldn't be an issue.