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F One / North / Cabrinha

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William Munney
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Re: F One / North / Cabrinha

Postby William Munney » Fri Sep 28, 2012 5:41 pm

Dan-at-North wrote:All three are solid brands, and I don't think you'd go wrong with any of them, but they are fairly different from each other in their offerings, so I'd recommend you try them all if possible. I believe F-One has only one kite in its lineup, the delta shaped Bandit. Cabrinha does not make a delta kite like F-One, nor do they make a direct-connection (non-bridled) kite like North. They are focused on bow-shape (or similarly flat) type bridled designs. They also have a 3-strut hybrid kite akin to North's Neo. North has a delta shaped kite called the Evo (similar to the Bandit). We also have a bridled flat kite (which would be our most similar to most of Cabrinha's designs) called the Fuse. We also offer a direct-connection 5-line freeride kite called the Rebel, which is our best seller. Finally, North is the only one of those three brands with a direct connection "C" kite, the Vegas, but that is more for freestyle than freeride.

Quick answer for what you should try from North for all-around freeride: Rebel. It does everything that most freeriders want amazingly well, but more importantly it has the direct connection feeling, the positive bar feedback, that you cannot get with a bridled kite. It works great for beginners, is very forgiving for progressing intermediates, and has all the performance necessary to be a competition wave kite.

Longer answer: for straight-up freeride and waves I'd recommend the Rebel or Fuse. If you are doing some freeride and some unhooked and some waves, you may want to try the Evo or the Neo. The Vegas would be the best for unhooked freestyle and would work fairly well for freeride, but would not be the best choice for the waves. I'm not familiar enough with the other brands to recommend specific models.

I'm sure this over-simplification of the three brands has major holes, especially in the other brands' lineups. Please don't get angry if you love one of the other brands and I said something wrong. I just can't handle anger this morning. Simply correct or expand on what I've said.

Hope this helps somewhat, and remember, nothing anyone says on this forum will help as much as demoing the gear.

-Dan
Hi Dan,

Are you going to have a Long Island, NY dealer soon?

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Dan-at-Duotone
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Re: F One / North / Cabrinha

Postby Dan-at-Duotone » Fri Sep 28, 2012 8:04 pm

William-

We're working on that right now.

Westozzy-

Your review seems fair and unbiased, and I understand why you may feel personally that the Rebel doesn't work for you as a wave kite, however many people do find it to be the ultimate wave kite. I am not saying there is anything incorrect in your review, but I don't think it's fair to say that the Rebel is not a wave kite simply because it does not suit your style of riding waves.

Personally, if the conditions are ideal, down-the-line type riding with head-and-a-half or smaller waves (preferably 90 degrees, sunny, perfect 9m wind, girls in bikinis on the beach. I need a vacation), I really like the Neo (or at times the Evo or Vegas) as a stable unhooked wave kite, and I believe that your Bandit has similar characteristics to my Evo.

However, when conditions are not ideal and I'm staying hooked in and moving the kite around a lot, I by far prefer the Rebel. It has quick, responsive handling and the direct feedback allows you to feel where it is even when you're underwater getting hammered by a wave. Perhaps most importantly, it has a really short depower stroke, so you can easily shut off the power and truly surf the wave, and at the same time still steer the kite with it completely depowered, which is a feature that really sets the Rebel apart from any other kite. There are plenty of kites that depower completely... the beauty of the Rebel is how responsive it remains when depowered. Plus the 5th line can help you relaunch more quickly and, if necessary, allows you to lay the kite on it's back to handle a pummeling without blowing apart (though again, the 5th line is a personal preference thing, and some will tell you that 5 lines is a hindrance in the waves. As with kite choice, there is no right answer with the 4/5 line thing, just preferences)

Different people can have very different ideas of what makes a wave kite a wave kite, but for many people out there, the Rebel fits that bill perfectly.

And for the record, Patri Mclaughlin just won the KSP wave event in Mauritius on a 2013 Rebel. I'm not saying that it's the kite that won it... He is an insane wave rider and would be competitive on any kite he chooses, however he is unarguably one of the top wave riders in the world and he chooses to ride the Rebel. That said, the reigning champ, Airton, came in second and he chooses to ride the Neo.

Point is, there is not a single "best wave kite" out there, but if there were, I would certainly include the Rebel as a very viable contender.

-Dan

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Re: F One / North / Cabrinha

Postby RalfsB » Sat Sep 29, 2012 2:04 am

I can't share that enthusiasm about North/Rebel. I was riding North kites for few years and they seemed ok at that time but then switched to 4-line bridled bow kites and never wanted to look back. With my current setup (Ozone) I have much better depower range and kites are more stable. There are few cases where 5 line system is helpful, but a kite without bridle is too oldschool, at least for my liking.

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Re: F One / North / Cabrinha

Postby knotwindy » Sat Sep 29, 2012 3:12 am

if you get a chance to demo, for what you are after a kite you should try that has not been mentioned is the Cab Drifter. they talk of it as a wave kite and it is but it is also a really good all-around kite and boost ok as well. imo :lol:

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Re: F One / North / Cabrinha

Postby jumarcil » Sun Sep 30, 2012 12:32 pm

Tried the Bandit V this summer and I really liked these kites.

If you want to switch to North or Cab you realy want to know what characteristic you are looking for as FOne have only one model but North and Cab have them all. Wave, Wake, Freestyle etc...

If you are thinking about cabrinha you should really try out the new switchblade in the smaller size. I have never been crazy about the Switchblade as the bar pressure was killing me but I have a Switchblade 9m 2013 until I get my new F-One B6 and I must say that they did a great job on that kite. A lot less bar pressure, the kite is faster and more reactive but it is still rock solid in the gusts. It also still have that great jumping ability. Maybe you want to give it a try.

For me this year it will be Fone B6 + a Bigger Core Xr2 for Lightwind.

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Re: F One / North / Cabrinha

Postby Lanc » Mon Oct 01, 2012 7:15 am

All three of those are great brands each with their own unique characteristics. I would suggest going with the shop that is nearest to you and offers the best after sales service, preferably within walking distance of your favourite kite spot. It is really handy having a shop near by that is willing to do whatever they can to help you get back on the water if/when something goes wrong with equipment so that you do not have to miss out on a session.

The kites I would suggest from north/cab that fly very similar to your bandit are the nomad and the evo. But try each model for yourself if you are able to.


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