So here we go, after riding for about a month on 14m SwitchBlade 14m (2010) i grab a 16m X-Bow.

And after a few rides i can point those main difference between SB and XBOW.


1)14m SB is slower (in turns) than 16 XBOW.
My xbow turns almost as rapid & fast as my 10m BanditSix! (Sick!)

(NOTE: The XBOW have a "lines" settings which alow you to make is "less steering\more depower mode". I didnt test it yet. )

Well, i find that "fast steering thing not a bad one, but not a good one. Its just there.
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2)Water re-lauch. WHHAAA! That point was my main surprise. In a short term: i never saw a kite which re-launch so freaking fast. This is a pure magic.

Common situation: Kite fall on the water directly on "12 oclock". You just pull one line and in a matter of 2 seconds kite is already in the edge of the wind window. And the next second its up in the air. This is crazy.

I crash badly few times, but i re-launch was such a piece of cake. I was relaunching my kite with one hand whle was looking for a board. Thats a good thing.
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3) But here comes the bad news. I guess its some kind of pay-back because of the SHAPE of the kite which allow it to turn fast & relaunch easily..... hang time.

Fuck.

On SwitchBlade: You ride, you enge on the water, u send the kite in the up-air, you pull the bar and you r flying. Then you land - and you emmidiately feel the "power" on lines.. and so you basically continue to ride in on of the direction. Good.


On a X-Bow: U ride. U edge. U send the kite to the air. U fly. U land...

and on the next second the kite falls on water right in front of you.
The only question here: Will the kite fall in a "good" position, or will it twist the lines arount other lines or even around the kite.


Basically what happen: When you pull the bar & jump, for some seconds you "loosen" all 4 lines because you fly "under" the kite.

So, as soon as all 4 lines "dont feel your weight" pull them - on that same moment kite immediately start to fall down on the water. There is no way to stop this unless a wind will occasionaly blow directly on the falling kite (happened with me once.


So, my point:

On a SwitchBlade i only have that "falling kite" problem once or twice during 15+ sessions.

On a X-Bow i have that issue almost on 2\5 of the jumps.


And im not sure if there is some ways to play about that issue.
Change the lines settings? I dont think something will change.
Change the jump technic? Well..... im not sure about that as well.


So far my resume: XBOW have its "cool" features. But so far, i dont get how to use it for AirStyle because of that "no-hang-time" issue. Okay, will test it more - and let u guys know.

1. I find that very hard to believe, sorry.
2. Uh? Relaunch is good, but not as fast as the SB's I've flown.
3. You're doing something wrong

I don't know what you consider fast turning, but the SB14 I flew, would rotate and be flying in the new direction much faster than the XB16. The XB looks like it's turning fast, but that's due to the AR

Same goes for relaunch - the XB gets up on a tip and floats out to the edge of the window easy, but the SB, when downwind, would rotate in place then jump into the air...

If the kite is falling out of the sky, there's something wrong with your technique... well I assume so cos it used to happen to me but doesn't now unless I balls something up

Re: airstyle and hang-time... comparing just the XB16 and my OR Flite 17 - the Flite has better hang-time... reminds me of a Flysurfer, they way you just hover at the peak of the jump

This is one of the first reviews I've ready where I have flown both kites and had the total opposite opinion.

SB 14m is faster than the 16m crossbow. I think everyone I know would agree to that as pretty much a fact. Relaunch... If the wind is good them relaunch on both are good, but in light wind the Xbow will give you fits. The SB is the better relaunching kite.

As for jumps, your not holding your edge and swinging under the kite, or because the kite is slower you have to get heavy on the front hand much sooner to get her back so you can ride off. I've recently went out on the 11m velocity (wow the height and hang time rocks) and did some straight up and down jumps, and never had the kite fall out the sky, and that flys further at the edge of the window than the crossbow.

Because the SB is a faster kite, I think I can jump better on a SB than the Xbow in light wind, but has the wind gets better, the smaller Xbows will give you more hang time.

I have flown the sb 14 for a while, i have a quiver of b6 plus my friend has a xbow 16m which he lent me a couple of times.

I hated the kite for mostly 2 things, never saw a kite so slow and the bar pressure i awfully high.

On the other hand it jumped really well and the hangtime was great. Are you sure you are riding a 16m xbow 2012.

The b6 are amongst the fastest kite out there and the xbow amongst the slowest. Sorry but that doesn't add up.