The new Uni Control Bar by Blade

[trxdude]

Can you also PM me, or just post the fix to the hole on the swivel for the safety line issue. Makes sense now why Slingshot uses those tiny metal guides on the swivel, and symmetric lines running through the larger swivel holes. The small "unguided" hole on the Uni-Bar swivel can bind due to a: the asymmetry of the line and angle of attachment (i.e. it's a little thicker at the end, Slingshot circumvents this somehow) b: any small amount of debris, sand, seaweed, etc. will make it difficult to activate the primary release, but more so, to reactivate it, when lines are not under tension because the small whole doesn't allow debris to clear. Blade will need to widen the whole, or reduce the thickness of the line end, and or add the micro guides to the top hole of the swivel where the safety line can shear when the kite is flagged out.

Maybe even more of a concern was the swivel wrap I experienced when my kite stalled during a lull. Because of the obtuse angle of the Y arms (more of a T), if there is slack in the lines, you can wrap a power line. I tried to recreate this scenario with my Slingshot swivel, but the arms of Y are more of an H, which deters the line wrap. Though I'm no kite loop expert, it seems the more acute angle of the swivel arms, would allow easier untwisting of the lines and less tension on the lines when you do loop the kite.

Other than those "small" (no pun intended) issues, the bar is awesome! Super light, cool style, very ergo and like many have said, can bring a 2012 or later Trigger back to life. I used it with my 14 m Rally without the line extensions (19m) and it gave the kite the perfect response, reduced drift, and finesse that I was looking for when using the Rally on flat open water. The bar also seems to have a 6th gear of sorts, as the wider chicken loop hole on the bar allows you to feel a unique element of bar pressure, kind of a lateral pulse that you can toggle, without actually sheeting the bar in or out. When you do sheet, the bar glides smoothly along the chicken loop, causing very little friction, if any at all. I'd say this bar is perfect for advanced riders and in wind conditions that are marginal to good. For beginners and light-wind wave riding, I'd be cautious of the safety systems and potential for line wraps, there will probably be a rare occasion where you wish you had access to one or two O-S (hit) handles and or a QR that you knew was going to work 100% of the time, even if the kite is not pulling hard.

This whole swivel issue kind of has me thinking of using the Slingshot Z Bar, which eliminates the swivel and active stopper ball, but keeps the other time tested safety features. Below the bar trim adjustment assures you won't wrap the swivel or that the swivel + the trim cleat won't create an anchoring effect, leading to bar wraps if you wipe out in the waves. Since I don't loop much, but want the safest bar for wave riding, I think the Z Bar offers the perfect solution. (thinking out loud)

Picture below shows the Slingshot swivel on the left, Blade on the right.

[BladeKitesUS]

Please see this short video to help your bar flag out with less tension on the lines.

In moderate winds or stronger, the kite should flag out on the stock bar. This modification will allow the kite to flag out in light winds and takes about 5 minutes to complete.

Thanks

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0ayTXfQjA0

[calibra]

realy nice video...

[ben newman]

Nice video.
No doubt that Blade customer service is great.

[Slappysan]

While I'm still quite happy with my Uni-bar I do wish that there was one thing changed about it.

The floats slide up the lines way too easily and when this happens it's very easy to get the float wrapped up in the centre lines and swivel.

The Naish bar has a smaller diameter hole in the floats so that it's really stuck to the adjustment knot which is all Blade would need to do to fix this issue.

I should also point out that I use the fact that the floats run up the lines easily to my advantage when relaunching and treat them like a handle to pull the steering lines. I quite like the fact that they are free to move for that but in the end it's not worth the 3-4 times the float has gotten caught up in the centre lines sending me in to a slow deathloop until I can rip it free.

[Mikites]

I have been having a very wierd problem with my unibar. The flag line between the swivel and the chicken loop twists like crazy and eventualy gets shorter than the depower line and takes all the front line tension. It will litteraly twist 100 times in a 5 min session. Im very worried that the line will snap and leave me without a connection to the flag line while powering up at the same time.. How can I solve this?

[NYKiter]

The swivel safety setup is so similar to SS that I'm very surprised there are no patent infringements...or perhaps SS didn't care to protect it.

Love the over the bar cleat but I dont care for the ball-seated chicken loop attachment...I like the SS steel hinge better...

[Mikites]

Do sling shot bars have the same problem with the safety line twisting and taking all the front line tension? Or do they have a way of fixing that?

[NYKiter]

Do sling shot bars have the same problem with the safety line twisting and taking all the front line tension? Or do they have a way of fixing that?

They have a bungi chord from the swivel to the leash ring that probably eliminates what your describing...never had a problem with this inappropriate tension myself...

[Mikites]

Are you saying that sling shot uses bungi instead of a solid line like blade does? Im seriously getting pissed that i have to come in to shore every 5 mins to unwrap this damned line.