8m Switch Nitro 2 review (waves strapless and flatwater)
Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2012 1:08 am
I've had two sessions on the 8m nitro 2 and thought I would give some impressions.
Bar and set up: The bar is simple and I have had it for a while. The depower cleat works well but if you have a bit of depower pulled it flops around and can get caught on a rear line and cause a little unwanted steering. You can velcro it to the stopper but it doesn't stay put if you crash. The main drawback however is the lack of a flag out system that you can leash to. You have to reach up to the Y and manually grab it. Hopefully they will fix this in the next bar setup. The kite has one of the nicest inflation systems I've tried. It inflates very quickly and deflates quickly as well.
Riding: The low end of this kite is incredible. It pulls like a truck and feels like a 10m. It handles the gusts well however and edges nicely into the wind to depower. It has smooth power delivery and isn't twitchy on the turns. It takes a bit of input to steer but will turn quickly if need be.
Waves: The kite isn't designed for it but it does pretty well in the waves. You have to get used to the fact that the kite pulls really hard at the top of the window (pays off on flat water) and can pull you off the board easily if you aren't prepared to let the bar out. The low end punch really helps get out. On the wave the kite drifts much better than I expected and doesn't give any impression that it might fall out of the sky. On the contrary it still has a little bit of pull. It turns nicely when bottom turning and has plenty of power for off the top snap.
Flat water: This kite is a boost machine. It just sends you to the roof. It has a ton of hang time for an 8m kite and will float you down nicely. It jumps like a C-kite with a wide turn. Just crank the bar and wait for it and you will be rewarded. It's forgiving on the landings as it still has plenty of pull at the top of the window so it's really hard to overrun it.
Summary: This is a great kite with a few quirks but once you get used to it it's a lot of fun and quite versatile. If you get a chance try one out.
Bar and set up: The bar is simple and I have had it for a while. The depower cleat works well but if you have a bit of depower pulled it flops around and can get caught on a rear line and cause a little unwanted steering. You can velcro it to the stopper but it doesn't stay put if you crash. The main drawback however is the lack of a flag out system that you can leash to. You have to reach up to the Y and manually grab it. Hopefully they will fix this in the next bar setup. The kite has one of the nicest inflation systems I've tried. It inflates very quickly and deflates quickly as well.
Riding: The low end of this kite is incredible. It pulls like a truck and feels like a 10m. It handles the gusts well however and edges nicely into the wind to depower. It has smooth power delivery and isn't twitchy on the turns. It takes a bit of input to steer but will turn quickly if need be.
Waves: The kite isn't designed for it but it does pretty well in the waves. You have to get used to the fact that the kite pulls really hard at the top of the window (pays off on flat water) and can pull you off the board easily if you aren't prepared to let the bar out. The low end punch really helps get out. On the wave the kite drifts much better than I expected and doesn't give any impression that it might fall out of the sky. On the contrary it still has a little bit of pull. It turns nicely when bottom turning and has plenty of power for off the top snap.
Flat water: This kite is a boost machine. It just sends you to the roof. It has a ton of hang time for an 8m kite and will float you down nicely. It jumps like a C-kite with a wide turn. Just crank the bar and wait for it and you will be rewarded. It's forgiving on the landings as it still has plenty of pull at the top of the window so it's really hard to overrun it.
Summary: This is a great kite with a few quirks but once you get used to it it's a lot of fun and quite versatile. If you get a chance try one out.