+1 Epic Renegade. Low aspect ratio, really forgiving, eats gusts without jerking your arms off, and virtually relaunches itself without requiring you to resort to prayer.

If you are using a shop to buy your kites,ask to demo some models. If you are using the online method, search the kite your interested in, you will find lots of info about the product if its a mainstream brand. There are so many good kites out there, to me,it would boil down to price and/or customer support. Buying from a good shop will usually get you set up with a kite and board you will enjoy, Plus the added bonus of possibly trying other product the shop carries. Good luck.

+1 for airush lithium

The lithium 2012 wins best relaunch in different magazines reviews
and best all-terrain free ride kite.

Here is a link to the sbckiteboard magazine 2012 review:

http://www.sbckiteboard.com/2012-kite-r ... ws_id=1854

Here is a link for the 2013 review from kiteworld magazine:

http://www.airush.com/blog/blog/2013-ai ... ium-review

The lithium relaunch in light winds like a dream.

I don't have any afiliation with Airush.

I agree with other forum members, try to demo different kites
Before buying...........

Hey Bud, I leaned on Ions, specifically with a 12.5 Ion 3, and I loved it, I never had any issues relaunching, like someone else suggested, revisit your technique more than the kite, cause now that I fly Switch Methods (Methods relaunch freaky fast) I realized that the Ions aren't the quickest relaunch of the bunch, but never spent more that a few tenth seconds relaunching no matter the conditions, they are a bit lazy in lighter conditions, but not any worst than others.

If you want a super simple kite, look into cabrinha switchbalde, or I've heard that the vector is also a very easy to use kite with fast relaunch, but I got my younger brother some ions to learn on, they are bomb proof (IMO) and are very stable, he's been good so far, the only small downside to the Ion is the depower, even when you let the bar out, there still power on the kite.

Someone suggested the Switch element in an earlier post, although a really nice kite, I didn't notice it relaunching any faster than the rest, but is a great stable kite.

I ride the Switch Element (not a team rider - just some dude) and it relaunches very easily. In light wind it is simply a matter of pulling on a steering line and rotating it up into the air. In regular to strong conditions, it really acts like it is part feline -- it hates the water. Sometimes I wish it would stay down and give me a second to catch my breath and decide where my board went, but more often than not it is up and soaring very far forward in the window.

On that note, Bill designs his kites to be super efficient. They fly very far forward in the window. This makes upwind riding awesome, but as a fellow beginner (I learned on BWS and immediately bought my Element) you have to be careful about flying kites like this (or any really efficient design) straight overhead with the bar sheeted out or de-powered. They can over-fly you and fall. No big deal if you learn to park it at 11 or 1 (or keep the bar sheeted in slightly) but be wary of gusty conditions directly overhead. Ask an experienced rider and they do that by reflex, but sometimes when you are new it is easy to think of 12 as your safety-safe.

Good luck and you'll likely enjoy whichever brand/model you buy. Modern kites are much more tame compared to the older C-kites (as long as you stay away from any brand's "high-performance" models). That should be common sense though.

Aloha

Hey speedkillz: did you find the BWS had problems with relaunch? And did it have the flying overhead problem you mention? I'd be curious to know how the BWS compares to your Element.

i had a Ion4 12.5 and agree is a pain to put it into the air in low wind, although in 15knts should be good

but you can´t just pull a line and wait magic to happen like in other kites

you need to swim a little, 2 or 3 strokes in the direction of the kite, let the leading edge to turn over around itself and just then start pulling the back line

think the Ion got, as an option, a 5th line that would make things easier. never tried

the good thing is: once you learn to re-lunch a Ion you will re-launch about any other kite in the market

nice kites the Ions, but you will enjoy it much more in a more advance stage of progression

+1 for Ozone Catalyst

trust in this guy, he is a pro making the relaunch of kites from the water

What he said is spot on