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Liquid Force NRG Light Breeze 14?

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dyyylan
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Re: Liquid Force NRG Light Breeze 14?

Postby dyyylan » Thu May 31, 2012 12:27 am

davesails7 wrote:
nickkites wrote:Hi bro we deal Liquid Force and the NRG isn't that great of a kite the Reps will even tell you this. I would either go with a Envy 15m or Slingshot Turbine for my Lightwind Kite. Either one will get you out on days when most are still sitting on shore. Rode the Turbine and Envy 15m in 8mph winds with a Spleene Door or "The Battle Cruiser".
Friend of mine traded his Envy 15m from 2011 for a NRG 16m 2012. He likes the NRG much better. I guess personal preference though.
just depends on what characteristics you want, upwind and boosting or wave drift and better unhooking

celly
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Re: Liquid Force NRG Light Breeze 14?

Postby celly » Thu May 31, 2012 2:14 am

Im just in the stages of starting to go upwind.... I think im going to pull the trigger tomorrow. Anyone deal with kiteboarding.com before?

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Re: Liquid Force NRG Light Breeze 14?

Postby celly » Sun Jun 03, 2012 1:52 pm

Shoe, have you gotten out yet? Mine comes in on Wednesday and I'm stoked.

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Re: Liquid Force NRG Light Breeze 14?

Postby BigIan » Sun Jun 10, 2012 2:12 am

I am beyond thrilled with the 16 nrg and here is my honest review as a wakestyle rider.

Turning/feel/Power:
The thing sits and is really stable. I have noticed it is a bit slow turning when i was riding a surfboard in the waves which I didn't like trying to make sections etc. But for normal riding and throwing tricks it is very powerful and insanely stable. I have been able to also fly this kite in insanely light wind it is very efficient and light. When the wind dropped low I kept the kite in the air to get it back dry when some of the other kites were falling out of the sky. I have had no problems with back-stall or over-sheeting for tricks. It is also very very good at boosting and offers a tremendous amount of glide.

Lightwind capability/power.
I am 234 lbs and only ride a 142 dlx in boots or a strapless surfboard. I can now throw tricks in wind I never could before on the older havoc 16 and other kites. I am staying upwind with lighter people riding special lightwind boards and 16s from other brands. With a stroke or two the kite generates an amazing amount of power and has heaps of depower on command for when the wind picks up. Once you move the thing is off and riding. The NRG is by far the best lightwind kite I have every used. Additionally, it actually gets slack when throwing tricks (probably because it is so high aspect). I haven't even used the line extensions on the 16 nrg yet but I think it will save my summer for those 10-15 knot days. I am still shocked how I can throw tricks at my size in such light wind on this kite.

Compared to the envy:
The envy has heaps of power in the 9, and 12 but have not ridden the 15. However, I can not imagine it would be better then the nrg. I love my 9 and 12 envy and would much prefer them for higher wind wakestyle but the nrg just feels far more powerful for these light wind days.

Relaunch:
Relaunch is not as easy as the envy as it takes a bit of technique you still can pull one line and the kite comes up but the less direct steering means the envy pops up faster.

What I would change:
The bridal system does feel far less direct almost sluggish at times compared the the envy. However, I almost wish my envy turned liked the nrg. It makes wide sweeping turns and his very hard to overfly (again it is a 16). This is great to pass and throw tricks but it does hinder the ability to make solid turns on a surfboard etc when you want. It takes a bit of anticipation and time to set up for a tack or turn in the waves. So do not expect a direct c kite feel on this kite.
The relaunch could be better, but if it is at the price of the power this kite generates and a sheer ability to go in light air Ill take it.


Final thoughts:
I am very happyh with the nrg as a lightwind weapon to allow me to throw wakestyle tricks. It will certainly save my summer. The thing is a beast feels like a cable park because it is so stable. This kite in my opinion is the way to go if you want to be able to have fun and throw tricks in the lightest air possible. Although the turning is not as direct as other kites it is still very floaty at jumping and is easy to do jump transitions with.

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Re: Liquid Force NRG Light Breeze 14?

Postby Shoe » Sun Jun 24, 2012 1:03 am

FINALLY made it out today on the 14 NRG. Day started light, 10-12 mph. I am a new kiter(staying upwind, but it's not always pretty) and weigh 175lbs. I set my bridle to "light wind" settings for obvious reasons. Even at the very bottom end of the wind range, it is super stable. I had to move the steering lines to the farthest knot(shorten) to be able to ride.

The wind picked up to 15 and I was in business. The bar pressure is very light and the kite moves fast for a 14! It truly feels much smaller than a 14. It also does have a different feel when turning. It's not a slow turning kite, but with the flat profile, it just has a different feel that I can't explain. It is very predictable and does exactly what it's advertised to do. I am very happy with my investment!

Their was a few of us at the beach today, and everyone tried it, and really liked it! I hope they make time to post their opinions because many of them have much more experience than me.

If you are on the fence about a light wind 14, this is one that should be on your radar!

Cheers!

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Re: Liquid Force NRG Light Breeze 14?

Postby markchatwin » Sun Jun 24, 2012 1:46 pm

Rode this kite yesterday, thanks Shoe! The morning session was 10 - 13mph and the afternoon was 13-17mph. The first thing I noticed about this kite is how simple the bar and bridle set up is. Since I am not familiar with LF (I ride Slingshot and Ozone) I was curious to see their style. The bar is very sleek and has simple below the bar depower. Riding the kite I found I loved it's light to medium bar pressure. The one time I reached for the depower rope (which has a handy plastic knob to grab onto) it was stuck under the high tension on the lines from the wind surge. Then with a strong tug it came loose and depowered the kite appropriately. This same thing happens with my Slingshot Revs and must be common to all below the bar depower systems. My Ozone Zephyr has above the bar depower and the cam cleat system never gets stuck however it comes at the expense of the "throw" or depower of the bar. The NRG has almost infinite throw, so much so I could not even reach the the stopper ball which was set all the way out.

Flying the kite was very different than any of my other kites. I was on my strapless surfboard and the pull of this kite was definitely more than any 14m I have ever flown. I have flown the 2011 Cabrinha SB and though I thought that kite was grunty this one was more powerful. I have flown the 14m LF Havoc and this kite simply (and not surprisingly) has more power. Stroking it down I was pulled up nicely in the light wind. Once riding I sine waved the kite a bit to get upwind into the cleaner wind and then parked it. I felt it rode slightly back in the window compared to my Zephyr but the fins on my surfboard did the work. The REAL difference in this kite comes at the turn. It is not as sleek a turn as more swept back kites. It is akin to turning a long Cadillac. It is not that it is slow to turn but it is more of a "longer" turn less "pivoting" turn. So I simply had to get used to the turn and once I did I was fine. I completely agree with a previous poster who said that it is not the best wave kite because of the turning characteristics. But in light wind I just want to have a session and this kite makes that happen.

When the wind got around the 8mph mark, keep in mind it was unstable wind, I flew the kite over my head and crashed it (sorry Shoe but I really was trying to get the bird shit off your wingtip). I attribute this to the aggressive knot setting Shoe had to have it set at. I felt I could have saved it if I could have reached my arms up more to sheet it out more.

I often think one of the best tests for a kite is how much people want to fly it. Yesterday with these light winds every rider was saying, "Hey Shoe - can I use your kite"? I saw their own kites sitting on the beach. Granted everyone wants to try a new kite but it simply has more pull than all the other 14m kites we had at that beach. The riders were generally bigger (185+) and preferred it to their own. They kept coming back for 2nd and 3rd rides...

The comments about the "reps" of LF not liking it seemed strange to me. If I'm a "pro" rider who rides in the waves or a "trick" rider I am not choosing this kite. This kite does what it is designed to do. It just plain pulls more than most 14m's and gets you up and riding in that 10-13mph range (with a light wind specific board). In the power surges it will not challenge your nerves like the 17m Ozone Zephyr. It is a 14m kite that sacrifices nimbleness in favor of power but flies sleekly and simply.

My friends who were on TT's were jumping just fine so I assume that jumping would be on the "hang time" side of things rather than the "Oh quick send it there's a launch pad, I want to go to the stratosphere" ala the Epic Screamer.

All in all this kite is a winner and fills a particular void in the kite market. Whether riders embrace this niche will be interesting to see...

celly
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Re: Liquid Force NRG Light Breeze 14?

Postby celly » Tue Jul 10, 2012 3:35 pm

Got in about 10hours on this kite this weekend! It should be noted that this is the first kite I have purchased so I have little to compare it to as I am a beginner. That being said, with little kiting experience I was able to relaunch the 14m nrg with ease in 12-14k winds. Another thing I noticed was that the kite seemed to be very predictable and parked itself in the kite quite nicely which is a quality I really enjoyed being new to the sport. Within my first few hours of riding the kite I was able to take it upwind and even send it for some small boosts. I like the clean design of the CPR system but don't really like how the chicken loop can fully detach from your bar. REMEMBER to pass your leash through your chickenloop or else when you activate the release you will loose your chickenloop!
All in all I'm supper happy with my purchase and am amped about kiteboarding now!

celly
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Re: Liquid Force NRG Light Breeze 14?

Postby celly » Mon Jul 30, 2012 1:20 pm

Im starting to play around with the light wind/regular setup settings when connecting my lines. Since I am new to kiting it's hard to know what should classify as a "light wind" setup. I realize that this is all relative to your weight, board size, and technique but what works for you? I have been connecting to the light wing set up when its roughly under 13 knots. I ride a 145 and weigh 160lbs. Also, has anyone tossed on the line extensions for this kite? How low of wind have you been able to get out on with those on?

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Re: Liquid Force NRG Light Breeze 14?

Postby kitesurfrabbi » Mon Jul 30, 2012 2:07 pm

never touch the lightwind knot! it only makes the kite more prone to backstalling.
the lineextensions are great though. you will get more lowendpower for sure.

i (95kg) have successfully used the 14 with a the LF twinskim in sub 10knot conditions on long lines.

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Re: Liquid Force NRG Light Breeze 14?

Postby mattthieu » Fri Mar 29, 2013 12:59 pm

if i might ad something :

i own a nrg8 m and 12m, and love them, as they act weird in the sky but perform well ( and get upwind really good !)

i considered the 16 LIGHT B but, still own a zeeko LW. so relaunch issue here:

the things i heard is that kite ( LW kites ) are hard to inposssible to relaunch in winds where tey can actually still be ridden, right ?

wrong : i own a zeeko 17 LW kite and can ride it and go upwind as low as 7 knots ( 150 x 49 TT and flat water ) and it will still relanch well and instantly. in fact, i tried, it will relanch ( meaning pivoting from LE down to siting on a wing tip ) in less air ( 4 knots maybe ) then it will be able to ride or even stay in the sky !!!!!! so, i feel wery safe with that !!!!

just saying !!

and as for real, great customer service !!!!!!


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