If you like to boost and live on Maui depending on your weight I would go for the 8m Nitro V2.
The kite is super powerful and will get you skying to the moon.
When the waves come up you will be able to whip the kite around focusing on your off the tops.

The reason I would direct you towards the nitro is because of it's great hangtime.
If you want to compare a kite on the market to this New Nitro I would have to say the North Rebel has some similarities.
Hope this helps.
Enjoy your self in which ever direction you choose to take
Regards
Felix

Id definitely compare the nitro to the rebel or best nemie. Seems like most companies have a kite in their lineup that pulls aggressively, sends it hard, great hang time, good depower. The nemie and the rebel are just the two that i've flown in addition to the nitro recently that come to mind. The Nitro is every bit as good as its peers.

The element is switch's open c. Its an easy to fly and easy to love whip that does everything pretty good. comparisons would be to other companies open c like the TS, RPM, Park, etc. Id say that the Element is a really fun and really cool kite that takes very little getting used to.

Lookin 4 a high performance kite with out the high price
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pukkdJ_G ... ata_player

Thanks for the responses. I think you're right FelixP that the new Nitro will suite my style the most. But in the mean time I got a good deal on a 9m Element and have taken it out a couple times.

I did move the depower cleat(as many had suggested) all the way up to the swivel on the center lines(I'm 6'2", with long arms)and it made a HUGE difference in the performance of the kite. The kite did great in the gusts and had excellent depower! I'm really looking forward to riding waves with it--having all that center-line throw is so nice when doing off the tops!

The kite was a super fun, quick-turning kite. I had it out in 20-30 plus mph winds today and it did everything very well. I boosted some huge ones-it really yanked me high-up during the gusts, but I do prefer a little more hang-time and the timing on the landings took some getting used to.

Hopefully I'll get a chance to try one of the new Nitros, but in the mean time the Element is a great little kite.

Just had my first session on the Nitro 16 race. I'm pretty stoked!!
I'm 150 lbs, 140/ 41twin tip riding summer weather thermals 27 degrees C. Usually fly rebels ( have 6 of em)

After a bit of time sweating in my suit I decided to try a launch thinking it probably wouldn't stay in the air. On the beach the flags were barely moving but I could see the beginning of caps about 8 knots far out. The kite went up no problem in around 5 knots and stayed at the edge without a problem. I noticed the strong power it had on a water start. Again, wow! no problem.
I was using a very short OR bar a friend lent me so steering was extra slow but still manageable. First backroll turned into a double. And most doubles were trippels with it's impressive hang time. My 14 Rebel has nowhere near the power & hang time of this beauty. I could consistently hit 8-10 foot jumps in 9 knots and about 4 second hang.
The bar pressure is certainly more than my other kites but I didn't find it too much and actually started to enjoy it.
Relaunch was hmmm..... Not that much fun however the kite will move to the edge in even light winds. grab an inside line and opposite steering line to roll the kite over... Well that's the part I didn't like so much since you need to pull a fair bit of power line over top of your harness to get to the inside lines, made me a bit nervous of a rolled bar or tangle. I did about 6 relaunches learning the timing and all went up perfectly in the range of 6-12 knots. V2 nitro may have changed relaunch.
Over all I'm happy and would buy another size nitro to replace a rebel when they wear out. Prices are perfect. Also I like their business model of (manufacturing to direct sales) and their forum on the switch website. I also might add that they appear to have fantastic customer service!
I will certainly be sharing my stoke with lots of others.

I'd just like to add that the build quality, construction, and materials are top notch(9m Element).

Read up on the materials if you have any doubt:

http://switchkites.com/products/why_swi ... tough.html

Also, the company is very receptive to user feedback and input. I think in time these kites are going to be absolutely dialed in. With the big brand kites nearing in on $2,000 each; these ~$600 kites are a relief especially in the current economy.

The days when a Best kite was ~$400 and now some bars are $500!

For those who doubt about the quality and materials of these kites here are some pics of my most used kite after 70-80 sessions http://switchkites.com/headquarters/for ... f=5&t=1769

Regards

I had an epic session on my element 13 the other day. Absolutely looove the kite.