Today i was riding another 9m proto waroo. This one, i was told by alex, is pretty much the final version.
The new waroo has two attachment points at the back and the backlines are now attached to a knotted line - not as before directly to the wingtips. Now you have a similar triangle bridle at the back and it makes a BIG difference.

In short, right now i am very tempted to sell my sonic and get me a 9m waroo instead - its that much of a difference.

If you read my review on the other 9m proto you will remember that the waroo felt a little more responsive and direct than the sonic. Now with the new attachment points it is alot more responsive and direct. In fact so much, that I like it a lot more than the sonics feel. The bar pressure is again higher than the sonic but still a lot less than regular C kites. However the responiveness and direct feel is just like my C kites.

The really big thing though is that the waroo now doesnt really slide through the turns anymore and therefore doesnt create that bow-typical loss in power on the turnpoint. There were 3 knots to adjust on that backline connection point and using the extreme point you can make the waroo respond and feel just like a C kite. The bar pressure is pretty much like a C kite and the turns are cutting - no sliding at all. However, I prefered the center knot which gives a good mix of both worlds. And watching clinton bolton rip kiteloop handlepasses in some crazy heights, id say he likes that setting too.

The kite overall now seems more stable and unlike the sonic, you wont see any cloth flapping (the sonics wingtips have this flapping problem). Again, this could be the bridle system or simply the shape of the kite - but hey, im just a rider, what do i know.

What i dont like so much is that the depower is limited. Unlike the sonic where the depowerlimit is set by you, the waroo can only be depowered so much by pulling the depower. After that, you can extend the leaderlines on the bar to achieve even more depower but thats not as comfortable as on the sonic. I would prefer the sonic bar on the waroo. However, for a regular rider its not a bad idea to limit the max depower so he doesnt get tempted to ride in extreme conditions with a kite too big.

The stopper was not mounted so i cant comment on that.

Tomorrow i will try the 12m which now is in the same final stage as the 9m i tried today, if the wind isnt too strong - as i said, the depower has its limits.

hi Mark!
thanks for such solid reviews! it's really nice to have chance to read some not too hyped one

as I'm very interested in bow concept I follow the info about all new models.
till now the sonic was the one that took my attention as the one compilated assets of all bows. after your reviews it's looks like waroo can take the pole position.
what is a little bizzare for me is that thanks to 3 knots on the back pig tails you can change so much characteristic of the kite... or maybe I didn't understand it correctly?
if it's all about this knots why not try to add same setup on the sonic and try what happens?

Mark, excellent report once again, thank you very much!

Keep the 12meter review coming when ready =)

And what if Mother Nature suddenly decides to send a gust too big ? That's where the max depower becomes useful.
Obviously extending the depower length would affect the design choices as the rider wouldn't be able to reach the trimming strap.

If the waroo is meant to be sold in the same category as the other bow kites already on the market, it should be depowerable as much, otherwise some people may be confuzed and expect something from this kite which is not completely right.

I have yet to see a production bar (and a production kite), before talking any further though.

Strange, when you were testing the sonic I think you never mentionned this problem. Does the beautiful marketing work of Best already affect your mind ????

I bet Mark is spending his time on Gumballs hotel and drinking margaritas with the Best girls......

If I would be Mark I would also be pimping Best ........

Everybody that bought a Sonic and is using it now is very satisfied from
what I hear,they can use it in their christmas holydays and be happy,the
flapping of the bowtype kites is due to their enormous sheeting range
It doesn't seem to affect your riding much.

Next years sonic is better than waroo ,next years waroo is again gonna be better than next years sonic,kite evolution.

P.S. Thanks for the review Mark

Maximum safety, amazing lift, low bar pressure, unreal hang time......don't tell me this girls have all of it ! I want definitly one as well ! But not only to drink margaritas ......

Joke apart. What do you think of completing a set of sonic 11 and 14, with a waroo 7 ?

Mark, keep on testing, great job, but you have to know that if I bought my sonics it was a lot after your test. So don't tell me now that you will meet Vari and Lenten and test the Turbo Diesel

bragnouf, just drop the bar as per normal,as mark says he hasn't ridden the finished bar.

i think a lot of people are waiting to see the final bar design on the waroo.it could be the make or brake for the kite.