For Shannon (not Best), if you,re out there!-

What are they like,how do they fly ,how much do they cost, how does one order them. Please reveal all.

They look awesome> Bad times ahead for SS, Naish , North, AR, wipika etc.

Hi Loius
I found this review, done by a person that works for me.

"10am: Sleeping in I get a call from Steve. 14m Nemesis is here! Easy way to get a lazy boy out of bed!

Rider: Dave
Weight: 85kg
Board: Underground 128 Fridge Door (Pro Carbon)
Bar: Flexifoil Strike four line bar

First impressions out of the bag?

Its a kite!
Not overbuilt, strategically placed scuff pads.
Small diameter struts.
7 struts, 2 smallest struts on each end have valves, others don't. Like Rhino 2.

Awesome Stitch spacing and quality. Comparable to Naish or North. Good seam allowance all over.

The internal seam on the leading edge is covered by a foam protection strip to stop canopy wear.

Overall a solidly constructed kite with a few subtle bells and whistles. Simple colour and good panel layout.

In Flight:

Upon launch my helper noted the kite has quite an exaggerated arc a bit like a Rhino 4. Rhino 4 being my previous kites I noticed no obvious peculiarities or great differences in flight shape. Of course it lacks the s shaped struts but the arc has a very similar depth.

No jellyfishing or tipping.

Wind @ 17-22knots.

On the water the kite behaves well. I am riding in a 6knot downwind tide which doesn't help for the jump timing.

After on quick crank on the back hand I learn my first lesson about this kite. You will go high! Not scary high but unexpected high! I hardly expected to leave the water. And here I am a good 12 feet off the deck flailing like a monkey hung by his nuts. Lesson learned!

Now I am riding this kite with a 50cm bar which for me is less than ideal. I prefer to ride even my old 12m Rhino 04 on the wider bar setting.

After a good hour of riding as fast as I possibly could and seeing just how far you can leave this thing over your head before it hindenbergs I have a few observations and comparisons to my rhino 04's.

Straight after I got off the Nemesis I jumped on a 14m Rhino 04 so in direct comparison I would say;

Nemesis has more grunt and hence jumped better in those wind conditions.
I was unable to directly compare the steering because the Rhino was on a longer bar. I was eager to grab my Rhino 04 bar and put it on the Nemesis so I could directly compare the steering. Flight speed of the 2 kites however is almost identical.

So off to lunch and to go and replace my North chicken loop so I can use the bar.

By the time I come back the wind has backed off a little to around 15 knots.

On goes the North Bar and I am out again. This time with a 55cm bar.

WORLD OF DIFFERENCE!!! This kite is a @#$%ing weapon. In lighter wind than before all of a sudden this kite is scorchingly fast steering. I am amazed at how much the longer bar makes this kite turn faster. My timing is way off because of the steering and acceleration which makes for some great splash downs at high speed.

At the same time, rich is out again on his 14m R4 and is struggling to stay upwind. Granted he is unhooking and doing some PHAT kiteloops but can't gain ground back. He ends up doing the upwind walk. From the same position I decide to test the upwind ability of the beast in my hands. In less than three tacks I meet rich at the top of the beach. Needless to say I gloat with a blind Mooner! Then I huck a trannie a little close to shore and get a little more than I bargain for. I go for a single back which turns double and whoa Im way to high and now the kite is way too low. My bad!!

Insert crash here!

So how does it relaunch? Efforlessly!
Why? Well its simple. Everyone who flys Rhino 04's will know that when the top tip touches the water you are screwed. Well not screwed but you don't smile about it! If the top tip does touch the water whilst travveling to the edge, that it where it stays. Because the weight of the tip spar drops it just low enough below the water to stop the kite from opening up.

The Nemesis on the other hand has an inflated tip which floats and stops this from happening.

Floating tip = me smiling!

Other comments are that when doing wakestyle no whip tricks the kite stays quite low and has a very consistent pull.

I wasn't confident enough to try Kiteloops yesterday. Probably at the end of the session I was dialled enough but It was a little light by then.

Any way bottom line IMO for 50% of the price you get 100% of a great kite!

I am super keen to try the kite in decent wind and no tide. But of all the geezers out ther on the water yesterday all complaining about the inconsistent wind and I still had plenty of fun!

If anyone has any questions I am happy to do my BEST to answer them!

Gotta go the wind is cranking and the tide is going the right way today!

DaVe O....."

I hope that helps a bit.
Steve McCormack

Thnks Steve
Are they only available through internet purchase, or are there any dealers out there?

Very Sly steve. Make it a bit more obvious who the importer is. I reckon the kites will do well in Aust, based on their price and opinions from others

rules were made to be broken anyway. be keen to see some comments from a non commercial source. the "jumps higher, higher windrange, more feedback than other kites on water" thing must be a standard template for reviews.

also, good to see a lot of really good riders on older kites. shows its the rider, not the gear.

This season has been great. I have an 8,11.5 and an 14 metre and have been out 5 out of seven days all summer.
The wife is not happy, there are other things i should have been doing. But what can you do when its windy you have got to go.
Only about 4 weeks left before the Fremantle Doctor calls it Quits. Bring on the winter North Westers and the swell. I wasnt at a good anougth level last winter to get out on the ocean in heavy swell but this year im going to tackle it.

Constantly Stoked Allan

I can tell you that the person who made the review above spent another 5 solid hours on the 14M Nemesis yesterday in winds from 20 -25 knots, he had a ball is and is totally stoked with the kite. Over at Kurnell he was out with another well know local who was on a Rhino04, the other guy is 15-20kg heavier than dave, and he gave up about an hour sooner than dave. Dave and others said he was consistently jumping higher and longer than anyone else. Steve McCormack

Hi Steve,
From what I saw you may be slightly misinformed regarding the endurance of the "well known local".
I was at Kurnell for much of the afternoon and only saw the Best Kite on the water for about 1hr or so.
However the "well known local" had been kiting for hours before the Best hit the water and probably spent twice as long out there.

Regarding the jumping higher/longer comparison…by the time the "well known local" and other good riders had come in, Dave (a very good rider) only had the likes of me to outjump, Best kite or otherwise - not too difficult! So I wouldn't use last Saturday as a comparative test.

However the Best looked really good on the water, seems very well made and if it took me to Dave's level I'd buy one...oh if it were only that simple.

PS good luck with Bondi Council.
Cheers Al.

Thanks for the info mort. Im looking at the buy 2, get one free offer. Ie $470 per kite. Will this deal be matched?