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RRD HT2 observations.

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Dr_Rosen
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RRD HT2 observations.

Postby Dr_Rosen » Fri Feb 15, 2008 5:53 pm

Actually already posted this in another thread, but then thought that maybe I should post it for itself with a more descriptive subject heading. So I apoligize if you've already read it in the picture thread :bye:
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Tried the HT2 15m today!! I would like to give a full review, but honestly the conditions weren't suitable for that. But I can give the observations I have from the day:

The weather was cold and super gusty.
Cold as in: When I packed my kite afterwards, there was ice on the struts, as it was wet from have been in the water.

Super gusty as in:
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[

I was there from 13 o'clock (1 pm) and as you can see the wind was avering 6 m/sec (12 knots), but gusting all the way up to 11-12 m/sec (20-22 knots).... so super gusty conditions! Kind of sucked but I had to try the kite!!

So my observations are limited:
- Looks damn nice in the air !
- Very fast turning speed. Impressively fast actually for a 15 m
- No tendency at all to fall out of the sky despite the gusty conditions. From what I've heard that was a problem with HT1? Well in any case, the HT2 does not have any issue here.
- Bar: Very nice - simple and clean. Nice narrow grip.

As it was such impossible conditions, I had problems judging the trim. I moved the rear lines from the middle to the inner knot to see if it gave more power - but difficult for me to judge. One of the other guys on the beach today is a pretty advanced rider. I asked him to put it in the air and judge the trim. He said he would leave it on the middle knots though.
Anyway, I offered him to ride it to test it, which he did. He has himself just bought Slingshot Rev, so that's hs comparison.
He also found it surprisingly fast for a 15m kite, so fast that he almost flew it down in the water a couple of times when working it in the window. His comment when he came back was "That's a very nice kite you got there - that's a good buy!". Standing on the beach he actually looped it stating "you will do nice kiteloops with this 15 m". It did loop pretty fast....

So, so far I am very content! I look forward to trying the 10.5 on Sunday if the weather forecast stay the same......

see ya

Dr_Rosen
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Re: RRD HT2 observations.

Postby Dr_Rosen » Sun Feb 17, 2008 8:00 pm

So tried the HT2 10.5 m2 today. However only for about 20 minutes as it was so windy that I changed to my (also new) Type 9 - 9 m2.

The weather:
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I was on the water from 09.30 to 12.30. Wind was averagng 13-15 m/sek (27-28 knots) and gusting up to 18 m/sec (35 knots). Other riders were out on 7m and 9m kites.

Anyway I started out with the HT2 10.5 m, but only rode it about 20 minutes as I felt I was a bit too overpowered (my weight 95 kg/+200 lbs). I had the kite fully depowered, but on standard setting on the knots. If I hadn't had a smaller kite, I could have riden it, but no reason to do so.
I feel I rode it enough to come up with some initial findings:
1) Obviously I cannot comment on its lowend :lol:
2) The high end is very good. Gusting 35 knots on a 10.5 m kite is very good I think. I didn't feel out of control at all, but was too powered to do anything than riding and jumping high
3) And it jumped very...very high!! Don't think I ever jumped higher, but I was of course also pretty well powered 8) Hangtime was excellent :thumb:
4) What I really liked to observe was that - even though I had pulled the depower strap all in - the kites turning speed was really quick and controlled. The kite flew really well on full depower. I will conclude that it has a very useable high end :thumb:
5) There's a lot of power/depower on the bar.
6) I went upwind easily, but I guess that should be the case wen so lit?

Anyway, I changed to the Type 9 in 9 m2 which I rode for a couple of hours or so.
I was actually pretty excited to try the T9 9m just after the HT2 in 10.5. The reason being that I decided to buy the 9m as my smallest kite as it should have better high end than the HT2. I found the HT2 in 7m to small for my weight and Evan from Live2kite.com recommended me to go for the T9 in 9 m instead even though it is only 1.5 m smaller than the HT2. Thanks for that Evan - it worked perfectly.

Going from an overpowered 10.5 to my 9m seem the pefect overlap. I rode the 9m on half pulled depower strap and was powered perfect. I tried to sail it with no depower = overpowered. I tried to ride it with full depower - which almost killed the power for me even in these winds.

So my opinion on the T9:
Coming from Switchblades and Royal Era it is kind of a new type of kite for me, thus I was unsure how it would be, e.g. would there be sufficient depower in the bar, how would the lowend be etc.
a) High end is nothing less than impressive
b) I thought (feared) it would be very C-like in terms of lack of depower. Well - wrong. There was plenty of depower on the bar.
c) Dropped it in the water several times when trying some tricks. Re-launch is just as easy as the other kites I've had. Just pull a backline and up she goes.
d) Turning speed: Well as stated in previous threads on the T9: It is FAST! Took me a little to get dialed in, but then it rocked :thumb: Pulls really well all the way in the turns/jibes!
e) It seemed to have a little more bar pressure than the HT2 but nothing critical
f) Jumping: Well that kite also jumps damn high! It was more lively above me, as it is a more aggressive kite.

I think the T9 is a more aggressive kite than the HT2 - probably not a beginners kite. But for people with freestyle and/or wave ambitions it must be a killer choice with its fast turning speed and depower range! It's not a park and ride kite, but it is also designed to be a high level freestyle/wave kite I think? For freeriding and excellent lowend, I think the HT2 is probably a better choice. But as my high wind kite to complement to 10.5 HT2, the T9 in 9m is just perfect I think.

I guess that's it. Just ask if questions........ :bye: :bye:

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Re: RRD HT2 observations.

Postby Bowman » Sun Feb 17, 2008 9:49 pm

Nice review DrR ! (just realize now it's the opposite of Rrd :lol: ).

Good to see that you like your new kites ! :thumb:

On which knots did you trim the bar using the T9 (front and back lines) ?

:bye:

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Re: RRD HT2 observations.

Postby Dr_Rosen » Mon Feb 18, 2008 7:07 am

I use the same bar for my HT2 10.5. I therefore kept the rear lines in the factory setting = middle knot.
On the front lines I moved it down 2 knots. Factory setting is on 1st knot, so I moved it to the third knot. That worked very well for me. But as I do not ride UH, that might make a difference, as I know that others have had same front line setting as me, but still moved rear lines to the outer position.......

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Re: RRD HT2 observations.

Postby Dr_Rosen » Thu Feb 21, 2008 10:10 pm

Today (February 21st) I finally got to try my HT2 10.5 in the right conditions.
Wind was averaging about 10 m/sec (18-20 knots), gusting up about 12 m/sec. Later it dropped to maybe 8 m/sec.
My weight is 95 kg (210 lbs) and I rode a Skywalker Pro Rider 131x40 cm.

It was a really awesome couple of hours I got today. The kite is pretty fast yet stable with very good grunt. I cant really say anything negative, so I excuse if I sound like a pimp :lol: .

Not much bar pressure but enough to know exactly where the kite is. And it jumps hiiigh :thumb: I come from Royal Era which is also a good jumper, but the hangtime really seem better here in my opinion. The turning speed is kind of the same as the Era, maybe a little faster, but the range of the kite is better/wider for sure as there is more depower on the bar. for my level I really like the way it loops (I am hooked in).

When the wind dropped I was underpowered on the 10.5. But so was everyone else, and I was probably the heaviest guy there. I stayed upwind as long as everybody else. I think that with a little bigger board I could have kept riding. I thus judge the lowend to be pretty convincing - but didn't do no back2back comparison. ...... In a week I will go to Egypt, where I can hopefully test it back2back with my Royal Era 10m- which has pretty good lowend.

If you ask me, the HT2 10.5 is a killer kite!!! :bye:

BTW: Still used standard middle knot on backlines and first knot (outer) on front lines.


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