Hi

I'm a big guy @ 110 kg and currently riding 2009 jekylls in 14 and 10m. Riding for the 3rd year this year I want to upgrade my kites to something more grunty and more quick and agile. Looking for a free ride kite which could work well in the waves as I might get into that.

From many hours of research this is my short list

All 2011 kites as I can't afford new kites

Ss rally, from what I red great low end and very fast turning kite with medium bar pressure. 3 strut delta, new model having some teething problems it seems

Rrd obsession, great reviews, very stable and plenty grunt, clean looking bar design. 5 strut sle. Not that popular here in Holland so harder to find/resell

Bandit 4, great all round kite should have enough low end, 3 strut delta with more years rrd then the rally. Pretty popular here so easier to find and sell on.

If you have experience on the big sizes of these kites, 14m, or even the 2009 jeckylls too, please let me know how the newer kites compare to my old jeckylls and to each other.

Please only post if you've flown at least two of the mentioned kites.

Cheers for any views on this!

Just

Rally is a really nice kite, very light in the air and responsive since it has no pulleys. You can practically ride straight at it and it just drifts with you. Can't really comment on low end since I was powered but it's a delta shape so I'd imagine it's good.

I've personally only seen two RRD kites around here and one went into submarine mode when trying to relaunch it, and the other was only a year old and was leaking all the time. I dont know anything about the kites or how they were taken care of but I have a bad vibe about them.

110 kg is 242lbs?

I weigh 195lbs.

I fly the Rally 14M 2011. Its been solid for me, really stable and easy to relaunch. Have had it tangle a couple of times on me where it was un relaunchable. This has happened to me when I dropped it in the water and could stop in time because of momentum and ended up riding up to it when riding waves.

But i really like my Rally.

I have flown the Bandit 4 15m. Really nice kite. Felt automatic. Didn't drop it in the water, but have heard that this kite requires skills to relaunch in light winds. Better low end for sure.

Can't go wrong with either, but recommend try them both. Its a good idea to buy a kite that is common at your spot.

thanks for the comments Guys

Don't sound to good about them rrd's

Jrfoil,

You think the bandit has better low end than the rally? I assume you've tried a 14?
Any problems with the tips folding under pressure?

I have used the Bandit 13 and 15.

The Bandit 13 has better low end than the Rally 14. The Rally 14 wing tips do buckle, so I pump it up rock solid. If they still buckle, I use my RPM 10M.

I think the bandit 4 comes in 12 or 14. The bandit 3 had a 13,5 as far as I know.

From what I've dug up so far most say the rally has better low end than the bandit4.
Good to hear you think different, means the B4 ain't that bad for low end, depending on what size you were riding off course.

So how would you describe the differences between the two?
As far as turning speed goes, stability and bar pressure and such

Cheers

Hello,

Must have been bandit 3 13. Pretty sure the other was a 15, so... bandit 3s? Apologize for confusion.

My Rally 14 2011 is super fun. Today is kinda light, and will only be taking the 14 out with an old 6'6 surfboard. My opinion is that the Rally has a faster response and smaller loop. I am pretty sure that the bandit had more low end and was more stable in the air. It felt automatic in the air.

The costruction on the bandit appears rugged and solid. More so than the Rally. But, I put my Rally through hell, and it has only required minor patching.

I always use my Rally on the "outside line, outside knot, center line center knot" rigging. So its super responsive. When you change the rigging, by moving the outside lines to the iner pigtail on the wingtip, it becomes another kite, barely responsive to the bar.

Jumping, My rally is really great for jumping, and I kiteloop the hell out of the kite in light winds. To say the truth, I prefer my Rally because of how fast it is. Its very stable in the air, you know, how you can stall a kite? it can stall, but itll find itself and no big jerking.

I can unhook and pop some rallys with it too. I don't know how to compare this to the Fone. But if you compare to the RPM10, its not as easy to keep the kite powered during the railly. But it works.

For surfing, the Rally is great, just park and ride. I oftn downloop it to get speed (i ride backside). It really allows for a straight down the line attack. I have surfed with the Fone, same. I did not fell like downlooping it to get into waves, but I assume its fine.

Try them, you tell me how they feel. But there is no question in my mind, the Bandit has more low end.