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Eclipse Kima review

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leepasty
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Eclipse Kima review

Postby leepasty » Sat May 23, 2009 12:16 pm

Resin8 & Eclipse Kima, The perfect Wave combo!

I have been testing out the new Eclipse Kima’s these past 5 days and have had 3 sessions on the 6, one on 24m lines, 18-20knts cross on 3-4ft and 2 on 20m lines, cross off 25-35knts 6-8ft & cross 20-25knts 3ft. I have also had 2 sessions on the Kima 9 with 20m lines, cross with little bit off sometimes 12-16knts 3-4ft.
All on the new Morph bar riding a Resin8 Tokoro 6’0 strapless.
The first thing you notice is nice bag, with loads of room and a flap inside the zip so it won’t get caught in the kite if you are not carefull. A good feature is a mesh bottom which lets sand fall out of the bag.
As you unwrap the kite, it is very well built, nice valve covers and Velcro with a bungee to go over the inflate so it won’t come out in the hardest crash. One pump is covered and double zip tied with the option of taking it off altogether and going the standard route as the stoppers are already there, you will just have to snip the zip ties and take the tubes off. Only 3 struts and a stopper ball in the inflate means its super easy and quick to pump up real hard and the struts become solid too so no real need in my mind to lose the one pump although I may do on the 4? Construction is real good with good stitching and reinforcements in all the right places with heavier material in all the necessary areas. Colours are also amazing.
Unwinding the lines, the bar is super clean and tidy with a nice big hole for the depower rope so no chaffing and the rope is fixed to the CL by a not and stopper ball so could easily be changed. The cleat is made of metal and looks very hard wearing, while the safety system has a pull toggle or you can push away to release the CL which the goes onto the kill switch, depowering the kite 90% and very clean and simple. Oh shit handle on both back lines make for an alternative leash point if you launch/land in dodgy areas and want to have a flag out option. All in all, I think the neatest and best bar on the market to date.
In the air the canopy is super stable and with it pumped up as hard as you can, you get no twisting as you crank it through a turn, even the 9 stays exactly the same shape with no distortion and no flutter. Turns are fast and direct with power staying on through the turn as long as you keep the bar in the same place as, as soon as you sheet out the kite depowers allowing you to get super vertical and in the exact place you want to be.
Unhooking you need to make sure you have it trimmed correctly, to avoid back stall and i found it best to have it set on the second knot on the front lines connected to the kite. A couple of inches of depower pulled on will make both the 6 & 9 fly perfectly unhooked, so well that you can even relaunch without hooking back in if you drop it and the relaunch is super quick and easy if you are hooked in just by sheeting out and pulling a steering line although you really have to make a big mistake to crash either kite as they just seem to stay in the air whatever you do.
All in all, real impressed with the cross shore performance and with the speed of turns and across the window along with how stable they are, I think onshore riding will be equally impressive with the depower enabling you to vertically ride back upwind to smack the lip.
If your into waves you have to try the Kimas and i think the 6 could possibly be the best travel kite out there and along with Resin8 boards will expect every travelling surfer to soon have a Kima 6 in their bag to maximise fun and wave count while on holiday!

Video and pics to come on www.leepasty.co.uk

If you want to try and you’re in the UK contact me on lee@leepasty.co.uk to arrange a demo

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Re: Eclipse Kima review

Postby Numb » Sat May 23, 2009 7:18 pm

Good review.

I've had my new Kima's out a couple times as well and love them. Turn the kite and sheet in and it's like hitting the accelerator on your car. Very smooth power through the window. Plus I can ride my 9m when everyone else is on 12's and 14's.

Best kite I've tried in a while, and probably the best kite for waves I've ever tried. It's nice to have a kite designed to do one thing and do it extremely well, instead of being average at everything.

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kitegrommet
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Re: Eclipse Kima review

Postby kitegrommet » Sat May 23, 2009 7:22 pm

I'm glad to read these reviews of the Kima....

I'm wondering, and hoping Felix, Chris or D will respond, but what will be the difference in the 2010 Kima and the new Felix wave kite???

eastcoastkite
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Re: Eclipse Kima review

Postby eastcoastkite » Thu May 28, 2009 4:50 am

Thanks for the great KIMA review- we try hard to make kites that will advance our customers riding style. That is our philosophy at eclipse- we always try to make specialty kites for certain styles of ridding, it makes the buying decision easier and kitting allot more fun.

For the question concerning the new C kite (felix kite)

The KIMA is a wave kite nothing more nothing less- its more for your intermediate to advanced rider that is looking to get more involved with wave ridding. Of cource the kima works good in flat water and is not bad for load and pop stuff but the kites main focus is getting your average rider better at ridding surf. So its sits back a bit, loops great and feels very natural when your on a wave there is nothing to get used to the kite just feels like its in its proper place and that helps you advance quickly. Also fast relaunch and stability while maintaining super fast turning are also key features.

Now the new C kite is a totally different animal, it does takes C kites to a new level of performance and technology that will make the kite accessible to a broader range of riders while retaining the true C kite performance and feel that we all love. This is a kite that works for advanced riders that know what they like, unhooked wave ridding, mega loops, freestyle are just some of the features this kite is designed for, guys that are into more advanced ridding or just want to try and take it to that level will appreciate the C kite.

I would think that 80% of the worlds ridders will have a better time ridding waves on the KIMA in the waves.

You just have to try them both side by side an see what works for you.

leepasty
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Posts: 382
Joined: Fri Jan 23, 2009 4:27 pm
Local Beach: porthleven, west cornwall, uk
Favorite Beaches: gnaraloo,curral jouel, One Eye, Haakgat,
porthleven, Gwithian
Style: Waves
Gear: Duotone Pro Wam, Pro Session and Neos
Brand Affiliation: sponsored by Duotone & Ion
Location: West Cornwall, UK
Has thanked: 16 times
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Re: Eclipse Kima review

Postby leepasty » Sun Jun 14, 2009 12:19 pm

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlwTsbzGCso[/youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlwTsbzGCso
a small vid of a session in pretty mediocre conditions but shows how well this kit works!
more vids to come on my website www.leepasty.co.uk
enjoy
:allbegood:


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