it depends on what sort of riding you are doing or are planing on doing in the future. Both these kites are completely different the bandit dos is a lot more high performance and is a delta c kite which will generate more power for its size is great for wake/freestyle riding and flys extremely fast. Where as the rebel is more a hybrid kite which is just a nice cruisy kite that doesnt realy excell in anything but comfort for the rider its not to aggresive will ride at your pace do nice jumps etc. is well suited for intermediate riders just looking to freeride.

There are a lot of kites on the market that fall somewhere in between these 2 kites that could suit you so dont limit yourself to just 2 choices.

I dont think one demo ride on a dos would do it justice. it takes a few sessions to dial in the flying of it, otherwise I cant think of any negatives imo.

I think the North Evo and Bandit are more comparable.

Hi guys,

Both kites are very different. Dos may have slightly better bottom end than the Rebel. Both turn very fast but Dos does it with less effort. Rebel has better boost and hangtime.

Dos has very little "feel" to it whereas the Rebel has very positive bar feedback.

Personally I prefer the Rebel as the Dos steering is too sensitive. The slightest of input gets the Dos turning which is annoying if you want to just park and ride and at the top of a jump when you want the kite to park with full power, I found the Dos "wanders" due to minute changes in bar pressure and tended to leave me wondering where it was in jumps.

The Dos steering sensitivity may be an advantage if you want to work the kite or fly it around rapidly. I also found the Dos tended to want to fall in the water and needed constant upper wingtip bar pressure to prevent it falling into the water when riding with the kite low in the window whereas the Rebel tends to remain "put" to a greater extent regardless of height in the window.

The Rebel is better build quality for sure. Both are similar in price, both have similar re-sale although I'd say North carries the better brand awareness when reselling.

The Rebel flies better upwind, both are very stable.

You should ride both to see if each suits your style of riding. You can get used to any kite with time, but you shouldn't need to when you find the kite that suits your style.

Good winds,

Can't agree on all that you've said Kitehard. Dos has plenty of feedback through the bar. Unless you are coming from a 2:1 turbo 2 or xbow where you have to wrench your shoulder out to get the kite to turn. The bar pressure is there, but not too heavy. You shouldnt get sore after a session on this kite, but its not twitchy either.

In terms of jumping, the dos is solid. It has a very very different timing and feel to a flatter kite. Once you work it out the bandit is a huge jumper.

Build quality. Its got its issues thats for sure, I had the plastic bit on my chicken loop break but was a quick fix with warantee. I haven't seen too many kites with as much dacron used in the construction of the kite though. It will take a beating for sure.

You are probably right with the upwind ability. The Dos has a huge advantage in power but sacrifices some of the upwind ability to achieve this.

Kitehard said...

Hi guys,

Both kites are very different. Dos may have slightly better bottom end than the Rebel. Both turn very fast but Dos does it with less effort. Rebel has better boost and hangtime.

Dos has very little "feel" to it whereas the Rebel has very positive bar feedback.

Personally I prefer the Rebel as the Dos steering is too sensitive. The slightest of input gets the Dos turning which is annoying if you want to just park and ride and at the top of a jump when you want the kite to park with full power, I found the Dos "wanders" due to minute changes in bar pressure and tended to leave me wondering where it was in jumps.

The Dos steering sensitivity may be an advantage if you want to work the kite or fly it around rapidly. I also found the Dos tended to want to fall in the water and needed constant upper wingtip bar pressure to prevent it falling into the water when riding with the kite low in the window whereas the Rebel tends to remain "put" to a greater extent regardless of height in the window.

The Rebel is better build quality for sure. Both are similar in price, both have similar re-sale although I'd say North carries the better brand awareness when reselling.

The Rebel flies better upwind, both are very stable.

You should ride both to see if each suits your style of riding. You can get used to any kite with time, but you shouldn't need to when you find the kite that suits your style.

Good winds,