A more quantitative measure of kite performance.

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Plummet
Plummet
4862 posts
4862 posts
28 Jan 2012 4:41am
ok here goes quiver explanation.

15m speed3 dlx.
bridled depowerfoil, stupidly high aspect, fat wing profile, projected area is huge. power per square meter huge also (eg 15m has a bunch more power than 17 zephur). this translates into this. crazy upwind performance, lift and glide is rediculous. kite is slower to turn and doesn't go down wind very well. due to its crazy high aspectness it generates more power with speed. makes it a good light wind charger but not so good on the wave powering up with the extra speed of the. There's no self rescue option with this kite. so don't take it out further than you can swim!.
So flat water and small waves, light wind, big jumps, glide.... big grins

13m edge.
high aspect 7 strut sle. has similar perfomance to the speed except its faster (less bridle drag), goes faster on the water too. lift is generous and glide is better than any other lei i've flown. but not as much glide as the speed 3. in the waves edge has similar issues as speed. it powers up too much with aparent wind so you can be pulled off the wave face though better at downwind than the speed it still sucks compared to lower aspect kite.
light/medium winds flat,small to med swell, big jumps and glide.... big grins

10m c4
5 strut hybrid bridled C. For 10m this is a fast turning kite (due to its more C shape and thinner leading edge). its medium aspect ratio which makes it ok for upwind and down wind. projected area is alot less than the edge, speed. Power per Sq meter is less. It also has less glide as well. This kite likes to be worked fly it slowly its boring. fly in agressively big grins. when powered lift is explosive but redirects need to be timed well or your coming down fast. This kite works well in the waves but still jumps well. Relauch is slower however as the tips can get stuck on the water. The bridled C style also has less depower and can become punchy and less fun in real gusty conditions.

medium/ high winds, flat to monster swell, boosting, looping wave riding ..... big grins

6m reo
3 strut med/low aspect sle. Its projected area is also less. its almost a hybrid C in that respect. but not quite. LE is thin which makes this kite fast with less lift. 3 struts make it light and give it a massive range. but you better pump it up firm on windy days or it will deform. Lower aspect means it sits further back in the window. not as good up wind. but when the wind is nuking upwind is not an issue. It goes down wind real well and has huge smooth depower at the bar. more than all the other. Its easy to shut off power just by letting the bar out. this is great for wave riding. the light weightness and lower aspectedness means it will drift back and go down wind well. The by product of lower aspect, less projected area is less lift. you wont be shooting to the moon with this kite and gliding like a paraglider. not enough sail area for that.

high gusty to nuking winds, medium to massive swell .......... big grins
radman4
radman4
678 posts
678 posts
28 Jan 2012 5:02am
Nice one Plummet youve just shown everyone what a review is all about,the good with the bad,no kite does everything 100% theres always a compromise somewhere,its all about riding a kite in a multitude of conditions, thats the only way you can know where a kite excells and fails.
Also it shows that a kite dosent have to be the best ever made to get big grins if it excells in the areas you want then what else matters,love my quiver,gets me big grins just about every time i go for a ride
Plummet
Plummet
4862 posts
4862 posts
28 Jan 2012 5:44am
yeah my quiver is going me enourmous grins at the mo too.. just need to shoehorn an 8m in there. There's times when my 10 is too powered but the 6 is a little boring.... perfect for an 8m, 25-35 knots....
radman4
radman4
678 posts
678 posts
28 Jan 2012 5:50am
Yea Love my 8m just got me a new one its insane,would take it out every ride if i could,had it out in 30-42 knots the other day the grin factor was off the charts,ordered a 6.5 the day before but dont know if i need it the 8 is so sick ,who cares though you can never have enough kites
kkiter
kkiter
NSW
452 posts
NSW, 452 posts
29 Jan 2012 1:42am
"It flies as good as an Ozone"
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