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Light wind kite testing!

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OceanAdventures
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Light wind kite testing!

Postby OceanAdventures » Tue Jan 14, 2014 11:14 pm

Hello Everyone,

Well we have the line up of kites set for our first big light wind kite review. We will spend the next 2 weeks putting these kites through as much testing as we can.

We have a pretty good idea of what we will be looking for, but if you have something specific you want us to test or report on with these kites let us know here. We will be shooting a lot of video and pictures. Hopefully this will help out a lot of people picking out their next light wind machine!

Kites:
17m Slingshot Turbine 2014
17m Ocean Rodeo Flite 2
Epic Infinity V3
19m Core XR3
17m Cabrinha Contra
Attachments
Light wind test.jpg

rtz
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Re: Light wind kite testing!

Postby rtz » Wed Jan 15, 2014 12:03 am

Relaunch: If one of them stands out as being the easiest or hardest to relaunch.

True wind range: What's the usable riding range.

Low end grunt: Easy to board start and get going? Or does the kite need to get going before it has any power?

"Pulls like a truck": Sometimes not a real desirable trait. If it's just a total grunt truck and drags you down wind and only wants to go downwind.

Anything that really separates one kite from another or stands out. One of them might go upwind the best. One might be the fastest of them all. One might be the best jumping kite. Do any of them have any quirks or strange characteristics?

It wasn't all too long ago when most people's largest kite was a 14m. Before all these specialized 15m - 19m kites came about.

matth
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Re: Light wind kite testing!

Postby matth » Wed Jan 15, 2014 1:23 am

relaunch, durability, and how well does it go upwind are my biggest lightwind concerns.

slightlyimperfect
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Re: Light wind kite testing!

Postby slightlyimperfect » Wed Jan 15, 2014 1:30 am

very excited to see the results!
I wish there was an Ozone Edge in there too. But you cant include every kite...

SupaEZ
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Re: Light wind kite testing!

Postby SupaEZ » Wed Jan 15, 2014 1:59 am

Need a video with 5 proficient LW riders with all the same weights and all using the same board

They have to be out all at the same time in the same wind for 30 minutes non stop

Relaunch is the very last thing on my list

Riders would go back and forth doing transitions in 6-7-8-9 knots of wind max

LW is not 10kn and up

Besides winter wind testing is not the best test....summer hot humid wind is the real LW test needed

:pump: :surf: :sun:

gbgreen59
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Re: Light wind kite testing!

Postby gbgreen59 » Wed Jan 15, 2014 2:13 am

Rate them by how well they stay in the air in the lightest of wind. I was out on a light wind day on Maui. All kites fell out of the sky at about the same time except the cloud. The last of us (4 or 5 kiters) on the water were riding race boards and foils. The guy on the Cloud set it on a wing tip still flying while he ignored it and talked to a friend. The kite stayed there until he got ready to go out again. He pulled in the bar brought the kite back overhead and took off on his board. No other kites were able to stay in the air reliably. I know I was wanting to be out but had to pack it up. So, which kite can stay in the air the longest when the wind is dropping?

Westozzy
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Re: Light wind kite testing!

Postby Westozzy » Wed Jan 15, 2014 2:28 am

SupaEZ wrote:Need a video with 5 proficient LW riders with all the same weights and all using the same board

They have to be out all at the same time in the same wind for 30 minutes non stop

Relaunch is the very last thing on my list

Riders would go back and forth doing transitions in 6-7-8-9 knots of wind max

LW is not 10kn and up

Besides winter wind testing is not the best test....summer hot humid wind is the real LW test needed

:pump: :surf: :sun:


What supaez is saying make your test as valid as possible by keeping as many variables constant as possible. Flight characteristics etc will come out in the wash.

If you were fair dinkum you would have them fill in a carefully constructed survey (just with rating scales for each question) without them talking to each other then run the numbers. Might give some quantitative measure for what are subjective traits.

But agree light wind must be below 10 knots, when there is little power in the wind. Using a gps on each would be even better. Get them to do the same course two or three times on each.

It would be worth testing each kites top end as well though. Again keep variables as constant as possible.

All that being said any light wind test loses most it's punch if there is no edge in there. Sorry but it's true. Even if you don't stock this line, get one and chuck it in the mix. If ya fair dinkum that is.

Relaunch...why not, but if people buy a great relaunchable kite at the expense of performance I question there ability and rarely then take anything they say to have any value.

OceanAdventures
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Re: Light wind kite testing!

Postby OceanAdventures » Wed Jan 15, 2014 3:05 am

Westozzy wrote:
SupaEZ wrote:Need a video with 5 proficient LW riders with all the same weights and all using the same board

They have to be out all at the same time in the same wind for 30 minutes non stop

Relaunch is the very last thing on my list

Riders would go back and forth doing transitions in 6-7-8-9 knots of wind max

LW is not 10kn and up

Besides winter wind testing is not the best test....summer hot humid wind is the real LW test needed

:pump: :surf: :sun:


What supaez is saying make your test as valid as possible by keeping as many variables constant as possible. Flight characteristics etc will come out in the wash.

If you were fair dinkum you would have them fill in a carefully constructed survey (just with rating scales for each question) without them talking to each other then run the numbers. Might give some quantitative measure for what are subjective traits.

But agree light wind must be below 10 knots, when there is little power in the wind. Using a gps on each would be even better. Get them to do the same course two or three times on each.

It would be worth testing each kites top end as well though. Again keep variables as constant as possible.

All that being said any light wind test loses most it's punch if there is no edge in there. Sorry but it's true. Even if you don't stock this line, get one and chuck it in the mix. If ya fair dinkum that is.

Relaunch...why not, but if people buy a great relaunchable kite at the expense of performance I question there ability and rarely then take anything they say to have any value.
We do sell ozone, the edge has just always been similar to the crossbow... Which turned into the velocity... Which with the right board we all know can be ridden in super light wind.

Maybe our next test will be for the more higher aspect race kites for an apples to apples comparison. Most of our heavier riders like the more static pull and speed of the lower aspect kites, and in super light wind sometimes you really need the relaunch, which is why we see more people purchase these kites, which is the biggest reason we chose these kites.

I know people will disagree, but just giving our reasons for the line up we have. Plus no one is sending us these kites for free... Except Dimitri, but we have to send it back... :)

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Re: Light wind kite testing!

Postby kitenico » Wed Jan 15, 2014 3:18 am

Ive tried the turbine today in extreme light wind and its relaunch was amazing it lunched much better than the edge 17m it also stayed better in the air get going in about 6 knots and upwind in around 8 knots still not white caps pd i think edges is better goin upwind

Westozzy
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Re: Light wind kite testing!

Postby Westozzy » Wed Jan 15, 2014 3:30 am

Fair enough I do see you have no high aspect race kites in there. Go for it!!!


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