I am looking for a lightwind kite to use on my airush sector v2. I dont have a whole heap to spend with a budget of $500-$600.

I have found an 08 north rebel 16m I am interested in. My question is how does the performance of these older bigger kites compare to modern kites?

ie will an 08 16m get me out in less breeze than a 13m 2013 kite?

how much difference could I expect in bottom end between a 08 north rebel 14 and 16. I assume the 14 is quicker so it could generate more apparent than the 16 but then the 16 is bigger.

What do you think i should be looking for in a lightwind kite in that pricerange, as big as possible or as new as possible? dont worry i dont buy kites pre 2008.

Cheers Brezzo

I have a 2009 14m North Rebel and a 2012 16m Switch nitro and I get out much earlier on the 16m. 14 is good for 11 knots + on a twintip for me at 150 pounds.
check out Switch kites. They are cheap enough even brand new. I've seen used ones on NWkite.com recently as well in your price range.
The newer rebels in the same size have so much more power I should add. Maybe get a skim board for the super light stuff.

There has been a lightwind kite revolution going on since 2011. The newer lightwind specific kites are pretty amazing, especially when you pair it to a race style board like your sector. Much better low end than the lightwind kites of 2008.

$500-$600 might be a stretch for a newer lightwind specific kite though. I saw a 2011 Dyno 16m go for about $700 a few months ago, but I don't think that included a bar. If you've already got a bar though, $600 is possible. I'd say a 2011 Crossbow 16m would be the cheapest way to get one of the newer lightwind kites.

With race style boards like the sector, high aspect kites (i.e. edge, dyno, crossbow) are the way to go because they pull you better upwind and gain power as you start going fast on the raceboard.

I ride my raceboard with Dyno 18m, 10m, and Kahoona 11.5m, and 7.5m. You can really notice the difference in speed and upwind angle with the high aspect ratio Dynos!

I have a 2008 Rebel 16. I can't compare it to the newer thin leading edge Dyno/Zephyr type kites. But I can tell you it is easy to keep in the air even in low wind, much lower than I can ride a twintip in without losing ground. If we get a marginal day here soon I will see how much wind I need to ride my Cabrinha 183 raceboard.

BTW, Kite Line in Oregon has some great deals on 2012 North kites, including Dynos.

I have a sector v1 52. Weigh 165lb. I use an ozone edge 11m if the wind is in the teens. 13-20. If it is super light I can use the zephyr starting at about 10mph.

I have a feeling that the 13m ozone edge is all I would ever need. I think the zephyr might be overkill when paired with the sector. Also there is a big difference in board speed when using the edge vs zephyr. Edge is noticeably a faster kite for board speed.

I would highly recommend a fast forward flying kite to pair with sector. Rrd obsession, edge, north dyno.

There is a noticeable difference with the high aspect kite and sector.