14m Royal Era Review

[Skyway Scott]

I am an intermediate/advanced rider. I weigh 160. My riding style is mainly old school (like to throw large jumps with style) with some entry to mid level unhooked stuff thrown in. I have been riding seven years and love to demo anything I can. I do occasionally get a “bro dealâ€Â

[nyckiteboarder]

****I've already put this review up under Dr's review and on the the EK forum but just in case anyone missed it. ****

Hey All,

so far i've now flown the 10M Era for about 5hrs total and the 14M for about 1hr. A group of five of us did a 6 mile down-winder yesterday in about 20mph wind. Everyone was totally stoked on the kites.

I’ve flown and owned a lot of different kites over the years and I have never been brand biased. If you have any doubt about the bias of my reviews just do a history search of my reviews on kiteforum and you’ll see reviews for many different brands with no bias but you can decide for yourself. I just ride what I think is the best kite out there for me. So far the Era is my favorite kite I’ve ever flown for my riding style. I think it’s a kite that anyone from beginner to pro would probably like a lot.

I realize this review is going to sound to some like a lot of hype. All I can say is read on, keep skeptical and then try for yourself. I’ll think you’ll get on the water with a smile on your face too!


For some relativity here's the riders profiles:
- Me: advanced rider. Kiting since 99' i was on the Royal board 135cm and a 10M Era. I weigh 190lbs. Last kites owned; RRD Hyper Types, Best 07' 9M Yarga , Eclipse Thruster.
- Geordie :Kiting since 2000 was on a 10M 07' North Vegas then we switched. He was on a 5'9" surf tech strapless surf board. He is was a pro-am surfer growing up in Australia. he weighs about 180lbs
- Krae: advanced rider. currently has Waroo's & Ozones. weighs 150lbs. was on a Jimmy Lewis 136cm twin tip.
- Scott: grew up surfing on Kaui but onlu just got into kiting. is a solid intermediate rider. weighs 175. was on a Jimmy Lewis twin tip 136cm. Last quiver was Slingshot Turbo 2's.
- John: Intermediate. Has Best Waroo’s. Weighs 190lbs. Was on a 142cm Underground. Average rider. Not doing any tricks yet.

I’m not exaggerating when I say that everyone came in with HUGE smiles on their faces and that no one was disappointed with the kites. The overall consensus was that the Era is an amazing kite. It just has the perfect feel to it.

Here’s a bit of a point form break down:

- Bar Presure: very light (like the Hyper Typer) but not so light that you can’t feel where the kite is.
- Depower: we all thought it was perfect. None of us were over powered but we didn’t really get to test the high end. Krae commented about how he loves the range of the Ozones and that he doubted the Era’s had that much range. Taking an educated guess I’d guess it has less range than the Ozones but still has a ton of depower
- Stability: the main thing that I didn’t like about my Hyper Types was that they would, on occaision, Hindenburg. The Era is ROCK steady. No chance of hindenburging on this kite.
- Jumping: HUGE and lofty. Biggest and longest jumps I’ve ever done on any kite. No exaggeration. You just float and float and it’s super easy to land the jumps. Much better jumping than the Hyper Types and much easier landing.
- Looping: Kinda scary really. This kite really holds it’s power through the kiteloop unlike the Hyper Types, Ozones, Waroo’s. I actually got my ass handed to me a couple of times as I used to my ‘pussy’ kiteloops on my Hyper Types and Yarga. More powered loops will take me some getting used to but the good news is that if you’re looping through a turn you won’t stall out. You’ll really keep your speed and power/
- Wave Riding: Much, Much better than the Hyper Type probably because the kite is more stable. You also have more immediate access to power than on the Hype Type.
- Power: These are the most powerful kites per square meter I’ve every ridden. Geordie commented that the 10M Era had about the same power as his 14M 07’ North Vegas.
- Speed: very fast turning! About the same as the HT. Much faster than the Waroo or Ozones. May take a bit of getting used to for some.
-Relaunch: very easy. Much easier than the HT which was pretty easy anyway.
- Bar: I was planning on just using my Best bar but broke a line on it so I used the Era bar and I ending up loving it. Fortunately it didn’t pop off like it did with Pat but I’m guessing it was Pat’s enormous penis that got in the way and released the safety. It did pop off with Krae but he was attached safely and found it easy to re-attach the chicken loop. Ideally I’d like to see this same style bar but with a stopper ball on it like the Best bar and no micro loop. None of us used the micro loop. The lines are really sweet and I’m glad they’ve done the 20M plus 5M
- Aesthetically Speaking: We all thought they’re the coolest looking kites out there. Serious. Even the bar and bag look really cool. My wife and I will be using the bag as a weekend travel bag. The bag is a good size. You can fit a kite, pump, bar, helmet, towel, and wet suit all in the bag. Only complaint from one guy is that there’s no way to put the kite in the bag with the struts inflated.
- Build: The quality is good but not as good as OZOne or Flexifoil which imo are the kites with the best quality out there.
- Room for improvement: Not many really.
- I think they could be slightly better made. There was a little bit of sloppy stitching on my 14M but not on my 10M (weird). I’m going to stab a guess that they were rushing to get these kites out there and I’ll guess that the next generation will have added attention to detail. I’m just being picky anyway.
- Add a stopper ball to the bar and get rid of the micro loop.
- The vales to the one pump need to be larger to help inflate and de-flate the kite better. Not a huge issue but it would help. The one pump clips are really sweet though. Much better than no clips like on the Hyper typer.

OK, Enough! I’ve gone on for way too long. I hope this info is helpful. Please fire off any questions and I’ll do my best to answer as objectively as possible.

Thanks Simone for another great kite!

[DMCD]

hy
I currently own a ozone sport 9m and a light 7m, but i am thinking of change the 9m sport for the royal era 10m.
nyckiteboarder, your friend that owns the ozones, he will change for royal era?
What are the major diferences beteen the sport 9m and the royal era 10m?
I am looking for a kite with more turning speed and more power for jumping.

thanks
regards

[nyckiteboarder]

hy
I currently own a ozone sport 9m and a light 7m, but i am thinking of change the 9m sport for the royal era 10m.
nyckiteboarder, your friend that owns the ozones, he will change for royal era?
What are the major diferences beteen the sport 9m and the royal era 10m?
I am looking for a kite with more turning speed and more power for jumping.

thanks
regards

hey DMCD,

for me there are some pretty significant differences between the Ozones and Era's in general with some similarities. I actually love the Ozones and they would have been the kites i'd have bought had i not liked the Era's so much. The 10M Era has a lot more low end than the 9M Ozone so if you're looking to relace your 9M Ozone i'd consider an 8M Era instead.

As far as turning speed and jumping are concerned the Era seems to turn faster than the Ozones. It also has a much more direct feel on the bar. My only complaints i have about the Ozones is that they have such light bar pressure that it's tough to feel where the kite is in the window when your eyes are off it (like doing a rotation or a back roll kiteloop for example). The Ozones also do not have as much 'pop' when it comes to jumping so the Era seems to be a bit easier to create pop. To be fair though all the guys who ride Ozones around here (and love them) say that you learn how to jump them pretty quickly.

The adantage the Ozones have over the Era is really in depower and possibly in range. I personally think the Ozones have more (safe) depower than any other kite on the market and probably more high end range than any other kite (at least of the many i've tried) out there. We still have not yet tested the high end of the Era's so only time will tell.

To wrap it up, the thing i preferred about the Era's to some of the other kites for jumping is that they hold their loftiness through out the jump even if you sheet out. With my Hyper Types, for example, i would drop quickly if i sheeted out during a jump. Not so with the Era.

In the end i think it just comes down to the individual rider's preference. The Ozones are amazing kites and are probably better suited for riders looking for the most forgiving kite possible. The Era's turn faster and have less access to immediate de-power which some riders might find intimidating. Best bet, as always, is to try and get on the water with one or buy from a shop that will allow you to trade it for something diiferent if you don't like it. If you are an above average solid rider i would be surprised if you didn't love the Era's.

Hope this is helpful info.

[nyckiteboarder]

ps forgot to mention how easy and stable this kite is for unhooking. 100x's better than the Hyper Type was. The Era is rock steady and easy to ride when unhooked.

[DMCD]

thanks nyckiteboarder for the help.
I think i will go for the 10m era for winds from 12 to 25 and the ozone light 7m for 25+ knots winds.
Might be the best quiver, what you think?
regards

[nyckiteboarder]

thanks nyckiteboarder for the help.
I think i will go for the 10m era for winds from 12 to 25 and the ozone light 7m for 25+ knots winds.
Might be the best quiver, what you think?
regards

That sounds about right. Depending on your board size, weight and skill level i think you may be able to ride in even les wind than that. Please let everyone know how they work out for you. I have ordered an 8M Era for down winders in the waves with a surfboard. As soon as i try it i'll post my observations too.

Have Fun!

[DMCD]

My board is a F.One Demon II, 129x39 and i have 75kg aprox.

Whit a SS REV i can go upwind in 12 knots (flat water), so the 10m royal era should be the size i look for

When i get my hands in a ERA i´ll post my review and tell what i decided.
Thanks again for the help.
regards

[nyckiteboarder]

My board is a F.One Demon II, 129x39 and i have 75kg aprox.

Whit a SS REV i can go upwind in 12 knots (flat water), so the 10m royal era should be the size i look for

When i get my hands in a ERA i´ll post my review and tell what i decided.
Thanks again for the help.
regards

At your weight you could probably get away with a two kite quiver, an 8M and a 12M but the 10M will be a really fun kite! Please let us all kno whow it works out for you.

[BJZ]

NYC Kiteboarder I know who you are. Why don't you come out of the closet, you like to sail Best Pros I've seen you, you know I have seen you on Best kites. Here you are talking about flying Royals like you are somebody else. Are you too ashamed to claim who you really are. Trust me it'll feel better when you let it go.