16M 08 Thruster Review
Posted: Sat May 02, 2009 12:27 am
I just bought a 2008 16M Eclipse Thruster for light wind days on Lake Tahoe and our local riding spots. I'm an intermediate rider and normally on my 12 or 8M OR Rise Kites. I went with an Eclipse Thruster based on reviews of the turning speed and jumping ability of the kites. I tested the kite at Pismo Beach and recently at Lake Tahoe on some marginal light wind days (8-15mph) at 6000 ft....definitely less power than sea level. I'm 175lbs and riding a Mako Wide. I don't post much or give reviews of kites but I'm so stoked with the kites turning speed, low end grunt, and amazing lift. Instead of a progressive edge and sending the kite for jumping like the Rise, the Thruster is more of a send and yank off the water for an elevator ride (I only jumped when the wind gusted or was in the upper range). I opted for the new Morph bar and had plenty of depower when some stronger short gust's came in. The other nice option with the Morph is changing the bar length with the lines already out. Where I ride the wind can go from a light 10-15 up to 25-30 quickly. Being able to pump up a smaller kite and already have the lines ready to go is a huge bonus. It was great being able to talk with Dimitri and the service that I got from Eclipse. I would definitely recommend trying out the thruster if you get a chance.
