North Light Wind kites comparison - Anyone?

[Puetz]

Puetz, yes, last week I flew the LTD in Gust up around 23 MPH. The kite never deformed in the gusts. I did put 2.5M Extensions on it before that Sesh. For me the Exts give me a little more time to learn to Switch my feet before my turn.

I pump the LTD to 6 PSI. THE LTD Is Rock solid. In that higher wind I never felt out of control. The LTD is spot on with Bar control for Depower.

14

... cool man thanks for that!

[Billy B.]

Heh Puetz,

I have a 16 that I hope to ride soon, I asked some of the other snowkite team guys to share their experiences with the 16. I have heard great things. Including great relaunch in lower winds, which another poster said they had a problem with, maybe it was just to light to relaunch for them?

I will shake it down ASAP, as a reminder I have flown every light wind kite North has made since 2011. I also have some new dynos to try when they get here..the new dynos are using the heavier Dacron in the leading edge and should help stop the "flexing-deform" issues you super big guys experienced.

BB

[JamesB]

This just in...

I got the 2013 Fuse 16m with the 4-line setup and am completely stoked on the first session I had on snow. Note that the Fuse replaced my 2011 Dyno 16m on 5-lines. I've also flown the newer Dyno's as well. I flew 17m Ozone Zephyr's prior to that.

I was hesitant at first to switch to the 4-line since I had been running the 5-line on my Dyno and Rebels, and I was concerned about depower during a full release in high wind and equally concerned about the ability to relaunch in light wind. We often have to deal with light wind at altitude in Colorado and also at Lake McConaughy in Nebraska where I mainly ride in the summer. I was also concerned about the kite being heavier since it has the one-pump system.

The kite was surprisingly stable in gusty Colorado mountain wind. It's the main reason I choose inflatable kites with lots of depower and stability. It never backed down in the lulls once, just sat above my head with little input. Other guys were struggling with their Cabrinha kites that day but the Fuse was fine. I relaunched one guy 3 or 4 times. The Fuse was predictable and never caught me off guard with any erratic behavior like some kites can do when you are new to flying them. I am used to sheeting out in light wind to keep kites from backing down, but I don't recall having to consciously have to do it in the lulls. In the gusts, it had plenty of range.

I landed it straight downwind a few times and was actually blown away and relieved by how easily it rocked up on the wingtip and relaunched. I've seen some other kites do that before and was glad to see that because I had committed to the 4-line which doesn't have the option of pulling the 5th line to get the kite to roll onto its back. That was one of my biggest concerns because the place we ride in the summer often has us riding in light wind on big boards.

It had good low end which I like to a certain point. Since coming from Zephyr's with not much low-end, I quickly got used to the low-end of the Dyno's and Rebels. I've also ridden Cabrinha's and in general with the Crossbows and Switchblades, they have more low-end than I like. They are also harder steering. I always liked the Dynos and the Fuse is pretty similar in responsiveness and bar pressure. My arms aren't super strong and I don't like getting tired out with heavy bar pressure. The Fuse felt just right. Note that I used the back pigtail for the light bar load setting. I will try the front pigtail and the heavy bar load setting some other time and report back.

I sent a bunch of jumps and it had great acceleration upwards and floaty hang time. It felt stable and predictable overhead.

If you liked the Dyno but want the convenience of the one-pump and the durability for snowkiting like I did, you'll be stoked. If you are concerned about relaunch, go for the 5-line, but note that I was impressed by the relaunch on the 4-line. I am looking forward to riding it on the water with a Nugget board this summer!

[cglazier]

I got the 2013 Fuse 16m with the 4-line setup and am completely stoked ..

Good to hear a happy review for the Fuse, a great kite. I have flown the Fuse 2012 and 2011 years and found them very nice behaving kites. Like the Rebel (which I fly) they can back stall, but you quickly learn to pull a little depower in light winds to avoid this. The 4 line system is a definite plus over the 5 line (some will argue this). I expect that the Fuse will become more popular than the Rebel because of the 4 lines. My buddy just got a quiver of 2013 Fuses and is totally happy with them.

I have less experience with the Dyno but I hear good reviews from my friends here who fly it in the big sizes.

CG

[Puetz]

I got the 2013 Fuse 16m with the 4-line setup and am completely stoked ..

Good to hear a happy review for the Fuse, a great kite. I have flown the Fuse 2012 and 2011 years and found them very nice behaving kites. Like the Rebel (which I fly) they can back stall, but you quickly learn to pull a little depower in light winds to avoid this. The 4 line system is a definite plus over the 5 line (some will argue this). I expect that the Fuse will become more popular than the Rebel because of the 4 lines. My buddy just got a quiver of 2013 Fuses and is totally happy with them.

I have less experience with the Dyno but I hear good reviews from my friends here who fly it in the big sizes.

CG

... hey cglazier, can you ask your friends to write a bit down what they think on the Dyno, maybe you can relay the info for us?

cheers,

Robbie