I have been offered a deal on a quiver of either of the above kites. I am planning on using them mainly for wakestyle (handlepasses). So my questions is which would you recommend for handle passing. I have heard that the fuel has plenty of slack but others say it is very grunty for unhooking. suggestions?
thanks.

Both kites are going to get the job done but one will work better then the other depending on what level you ride at, what you expect, and local wind conditions..

For me the wind conditions is the main factor in deciding whether to rig my Fuel or RPM.

In solid constant conditions the Fuel is the ticket! Bar none the Fuel is the best when wind ranges are leveled out.. The kite has depower but not similar to SLE, Delta's nor Open-C's.. However when conditions are prime the the Fuel is the best for load/pop and line slack performance. Plus, the Fuel, is one of the last remaining kites you can drive with your board edge... Stomp it and not have to sheet out! Most older gen riders are very aware of this trait since most kites were judge on this performance characteristic.

In gusty to wide wind ranges the RPM is the ticket to allow you to fully enjoy your session without getting you ass kicked. Flying a RPM for 2 to 3 hours feels like 1 hour on a Fuel. Much more energy is spent flying Fuel in gusty conditions.. Not that its a bad thing.. The RPM is the versatile Fuel! When tuned to the "Wakestyle" and increase the "Bar Pressure" the RPM is about as close to the Fuel of any kite on the Market. You can do anything with a RPM and the load/pop, slack line performance is still perfect! When tuned properly..

You can't go wrong with either kite, but determining your local conditions will greatly effect your buying decision.

i recently got rpm 2012 9m.
i could compare it with my friends fuel 2011 9m which i guess its very similar to 2012.
after flying on the sand my rpm on the first day i found my preferences were slow setting on rear lines and wake on front lines, which is what should feel more similar to the fuel.

And after flying my friends fuel i can tell you that both kites are different but really you feel at home with the other. They are two brother kites, feeling on bar is almost the same, rpm is not fast but its a little faster than fuel, fuel turns a little more open, but you can ride both blind and maybe cant tell which is which in these settings for the rpm. I think fuel has a bit more pop, a bit more slack, but rpm is good with that almost same performance, and excells a bit more in other areas like wind range, gusts, and hangtime, more forgiving also.

My friend who rides fuel since not too long ago but enough found the rpm very similar to his fuel too and inmediately felt confortable telling me that both kites feeling were almost same

I think the decision comes to what shymac said (wind quality) and also to what type of riding you prefer, if you are more all around id go with rpm, if you strictly into mobes, freak kiteloops and all that then go to fuel

thanks for the quick replys! I have decided to go with the rpm's ( 8m and 12m) as my conditions aren't very consistent.

Perfect! Hit us up anytime if you have any further questions? www.slingshotsports.com