Hi folks , I am writing all together here so it´s easy for you to read
CV
43 old , 75 kg kiter since late 2004 or better said , around 350 or so sessions , old school , love to jump ( the higher the better ) my boards are ( both Shinn 08 ) 134 x 42 & Wave .
My last quiver was a full set ( 7 till 13 ) of 07 modified Ozone Edges and I am planning to replace them with a 5 / 9 combo .
Bits & Peaces
Bag : ok , simple , does the job , I use kite bags mainly to keep the kite in the garage and in the trunk so Imo is fine.
Bar : after using for 3 years Ozones without a decent swivel , I must say this one works , about quality ( first time ever riding an EH ) ask me in 30 sessions.
Pump: no like ... to small for my taste but do the job .
Quality of the kite : ask me in 30 sessions but after crashing it half a dozen times this afternoon , it looks ok.
Graphics : care less
Light wind : 18 / 23 knots
23 meters + extensions
Hard to believe but the kite really works fine around 20 knots ( as long as they are average )
fun to use with my Mutant and have fun . if the wind drops more than a few knots is all over ... the turning speed is excellent , it moves thru the window like no other kite I´ve tested before .... very nice .
Relaunch can be a bit tricky specially if you try it sheeting all the way in , reverse launch works like a charm is such winds , other than that ... keep the bar a few inches away from the CL ....
Med winds : 25 knots
23 meters lines
Must say that I will probably only use the extensions if I forgot my bigger kite at home cause this kite is much more fun with 23 meters , it´s faster , more reactive , I´m very well powered up ( park & ride ) , jumping is fine ( 10 ft ? ) hang time is like my 7m Edge ..
Relaunch was no problem , again do not sheet all the way in ....
High winds : 30 knots ( 23m Lines )
Love this kite , jumps very well , hang time is excellent be prepared for some wild rides , this kite generates lots of power for its size , relaunch no problem at all , trim strap pulled around 1/3 so I would say that 30 ish and a few more knows is fine with this kite but .......
Is this kite perfect ?
NO ...
Was kiting today in extreme gusty conditions in Tarifa with winds around 20 ish up to 40 knots gusts and in these conditions the kite reacts much to sensitive to strong gusts and is hard to fly , a few times the pull of the kite was so hard ( like a old C 4 liner ) that I had to litteraly put my entire body into the water to hold down the power , it was fun to test how far I was able to bring this kite but thats it .
This little kite is really fun to use around the 20 knots mark and if the wind in your area is half way " normal " you could easily use this kite above the 30 knots mark with no problems , but if you kite in high winds with extreme gusts like we use to get here in Tarifa once in a while , you better go with a Ripper or something else , also as EH has been always insisting that the Ovandos were created to be great light wind kites and are not supposed to be high wind kites by any mean . EH´s wind chart says clearly that the top end for a rider on my weight should be around 30 knots , you can easily add a few more knots but I also do not recommend to even think off going out on winds over the 30 knots mark .
I guess , the excellent low end performance of this size is a trade off against what we normally would " think " about the high end of a 5 meter kite but still , been able to get going with just under 20 knots with a 5 meter is amazing and really , really fun .
Next week I will be testing the Ovando 9m .... stay tuned
Saludos
Franz