I am pretty immune to extreme superlatives ..like; "First to 50." There's always someone who's going to climb K2 backwards without oxygen. (maybe it was an early lack of oxygen that gave them the idea..) But this is one helluva kite.
I keep hoping some small brand not caught in the middle-market inertia trap might bring us something that is an actual innovation. I had hopes Bruno's last effort would rub off on Eric in Cabarete, but sadly his last kite, the Ovando I bought was a disaster ..for me. Most of the other small brands seem to mimic big labels and rely on Parkour marketing or attractive pricing to chip a piece off North, Cabby, etc.. I wasted too much time on foils.
This kite does not have auto-inflation or lay out the lines itself, while I am selecting which color sunblock best matches my board. It launches like any other, uses 4-lines, has a traditional bar, yatta-yatta... It does excel at going upwind and is actually fast. It does not have the bottom end of a 14 but when 15kts comes - it takes off. Some of my kites are like oxen - they seem to pull very strong, but this seems noticeably fast. We have some sections of protected water and I could get going scary fast.
This bridle is the sort of thing I like. It's the first time I have seen someone rig their kite without copying everyone else. It works great. The canopy reminds me of half an A-10 wing in the sky. I am more than pleased with how responsive it is. I can flick it all over the sky easily. Another EH kite I like, the Ripper, was interesting, but now not so much ..after two sessions on this Hydra. It does not seem to be peaky like the Ripper. I read comments on the heavy bar, but I like manly kites. I like to know, in my hands, what the winds are doing.
I well learned the lesson; not to buy unknown kites new, so this was pretty well used before I got it. Doing that shows the weak points. It appears they picked the same contractor as J-N kites. The leading edge of this 2010 is constructed of that soft nylon that looses its sizing pretty quick - meaning you have to pump it harder than normal. Heavy bar action wants a sliding stopper to give you a break. It needs kook-proof line ends ..especially since that bridle is confusing at first look. (the lines are colored properly)
...but, I feel fortunate to have one of these kites. I cannot wait for my third session.
Jim