knotwindy said..

daggy said..

Two words...
"speed holes"

perhaps a bit more detail?
thanks!

That's four words!!

Oops missed the game format, my bad.




I would love a details review of the razor....

Hey daggy,
any chance of a detailed review of the Razor and why you liked it best? not easy to get a demo where i am right now. thanks

Sorry guys, got knocked off the sea breeze and then forgot my password, so it's taken a while to respond.

Well I'm probably the last person you want to hear a review from, I seem to love kites that everyone else hates and hate kites that I should love.
Whenever a shop guy says "oh this kite is a great looper" or " this kite is the best booster " then I seem to find the opposite. Hence why I gave up asking advice and just had to start demoing every kite known to man.

But I can say demoing kites really does show you how different kites are.
Some kite BRANDS just felt absolutely rock solid and smooth in the air ,while others in comparison really did feel like old technology.
I was loving the 'feel' of the Norths, the RRD and surprisingly the Ocean Rodeo!
These three were in a class of there own. Check my list, there are some big names there that really disappointed.

This is my 8th year on the water and I didn't even want to try the Ocean Rodeo because it really has a pretty low profile in the area that I kite (scarborough WA ). I'd heard nothing about it, and just wasnt interested. But Phil had one in his shop and was super easy going about me giving it a go so 'what the hell".
I flew both the OR's The RAZOR and the PRODIGY and they both felt fantastic in the sky.
They were probably the first kites I really didnt wanna hand back.

My kiting style is also a bit weird. We do downwinders from City Beach to Trigg on Twintips. These trips take 1 1/2 to 2 hours so we're not smashing the waves and eating up the distance.
Mostly we BOOST like hell, backrolls, frontrolls, downloop transitions, double back rolls ,triple front rolls (not me, that'd be Rowy),play in the waves chase each other, get in each others way and generally act like idiots out there.
Embracing the crash has been this years lesson and landing upside down backwards on your head AT SPEED is this seasons no1 trick.
My signature move is definatley the Backroll Kite loop. Which on my slingshot RALLY I can do with my eyes shut ( literally). This kite loops on a ten cent piece so the loops really dont pull much.
Demoing 10 different kites always meant seeing how they performed a backroll kite loop[ in varying wind conditions.
AND SO THE CARNAGE BEGINS
Do NOT try a back roll kite loop on an Ozone EDGE!!
I also performed my first deep water self rescue in over 6 years thanks to the North REBEL (slow loop, catch the wing tip on the water, roll the kite over itself, relaunches with the 5th line "bowtieing" the canopy, pull your safety quick or youve just chopped someone elses Rebel in half. $$$$ )

IMHO
The Ocean Rodeo RAZOR just flies beautifully. It's really fast (ie pulls you fast across the water), smooth, powerful, it eats the gusts.
Turns quickly, responds quickly
It likes to be flown with one hand
Boosts incredibly well
performs NIIICE back roll kite loops
AND....
it's got speed holes!


just for fun , it's a wacky looking kite (why be normal)
it's got 4 struts.
weird forward kicking LE wingtips
and bizarre vents in the canopy To " equalize the pressure above and below the canopy" -I'm just gonna call them
SPEED HOLES

Please DO NOT LISTEN TO MY ADVICE on any of this
Like I said - If I like it, you'll probably hate it . So go demo yourself

Have seen the sales come on recently too. Hard to believe little improvement in technology form 2012/13 to 14. Why would the kiting companies release new gear not significantly better than previous year and smash the value of their customers kites unless there was a really good reason. I would have thought the new season gear should leave superseded gear for dead? is this true?

eppo said..

No doubt the technology and ideas that underpin lei kites reached if you like, a plateau near 2010/2011, some would argue earlier.

But the kites still get better every year, even if the increments are less.

For instance the rebel this year is markedly better than the 2012 in all aspects. But most wouldn't know the difference.

Why do they introduce a new kite very year, well some don't, but most do.

It's called marketing and profit generation like any business.

It's gotta make a coin or it will cease to exist. Like any product. And profit generation allows a certain level of R and D which means better stuff.

And I guess wear and tear. We need new products to replace our old.