Hello Foxi, back from Brasil already?Foxi wrote:I had the opportunity to ride a 9m North Evo in Brasil´s waves and did some brief relaunch testing.
Thanks for the very clear comparison including some picturesFoxi wrote:I like my Rebels a lot, but this Evo in 4-line mode made me change my mind when it comes to rough conditions where you seek for confidence in your equipment and relaunch in an eye blink.
Great comparison. Also, liked migs comments on Bandit. Did the North Evo bar have different front and back line lengths like the Bandit bar or did the North Evo have a long rear pigtail or neither ? Does the North Evo bar have a stopper system of any kind. Did you feel as safe with the safety on North Evo as with a 5th line (how does Eco safety compare with Bandit )? Also, please confirm which kite has more bar pressure.Foxi wrote:I could compare a Bandit 9m and Evo 9m side by side.
As you can see, the outline is quite similar:
the main difference in flying character is born by the different profiles used:
the Bandit has a very deep entry whilest the Evo uses a similar profile as the Rebel does, with it´s greatest depth more allocated to the middle.
see the pic below with the pink Bandit middle strut and the yellow Evo one.
the result is a very early planing Bandit with a quite challenging character in waves, as the power development turning the kite in front of the wave is quite demanding. I was prefering the Evo in this respect, as it turns smoother, especially for a rider coming from Rebels. The Bandit´s lift is a bit more aggressive whilest the Evo has the edge in a bit floatier hang.
Bottom line is that they are significantly different in character, so that I only can recommend anyone to try before buy.
the safety works completely different on both kites.
as you can see below, North uses a very simple and small bridle
once the safety is released, the kite stays at the wind window with the profile completely braking in like a sheeted out windsurf sail. No pull left.
If this position gets disturbed as you can see in my clip, the kite falls into a face to face position which is totally stable unless you roll the kite up by pulling in one leader line. The benefit of this type of safety, which I was sceptical about till I could play around with it a couple of days, is, that you never get this rolling-on-its-back-and-flying-up issue. And this is worth gold !
as there is so much space between the left and right bridle attachments, as you can see below, the kite can also easily roll through if lines go slack after a failed trick.
I like my Rebels a lot, but this Evo in 4-line mode made me change my mind when it comes to rough conditions where you seek for confidence in your equipment and relaunch in an eye blink.
a Delta kite will never outperform a more supported profile when it comes to upwind abilities and hangtime. It´s a compromise limited by it´s safety and relaunch concept. It will also never be THE tool for dedicated wakestylers. In my case I´d judge it THE tool for rough conditions and anyone annoyed by low relaunch success rates. I have to see how the bigger sizes compare to more sophisticated higher AR´s. North has marketed the Evo as an entry and intermediate level kite and for sure any schools will highly praise them for it. We have to see if the Evo has the right genes to become a public darling like the first Vegas did. Also more unintended initially. The character of the Evo plus the brilliant bar system are preconditions not found in every season !
Fascinating rumor that North planetary team riders have supposedly traded their Rebol 08s for the Evo for riding waves. I do like the Bandit in waves (at present, I have a Bandit 7.5 and 9m)mig27 wrote:....Did you know both Jamie Herraiz and Sky Solbach (North int. team riders) are using the new Evo prototypes only in waves? Nobody sees them around with the Rebel08 anymore. Not that that means the new rebel is shit (I hear good stories about that too), but the Evo is a new concept which seems to work well......[/i] )[/size]
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