i was in the same situation as you last season. i ended up going with a well known, popular wave kite after demoing a few. i kept my 08/07 fuels. to be completely honest i think i wasted my money. the dedicated wave kite goes upwind a little better and relaunch is quicker in the surf, but for park and ride kiting the drift is the same and i actually prefer the way the fuel turns. the wave kite turns faster but has no guts through the turn compared to the fuels.
maybe i just don't know how to get the most from an sle, but i feel like i talked myself into change for the sake of it.

i rode some wave kites - they sucks sooo hard for freestyle, who can afford both. I rather get an allround kite - trouble is most companies have got the idea everyone can afford a different kite for a different styles of riding - sucks..

avoiding bridles and pullies...
Torch - not bad for waves and freestyle - hopefully finally tuned not to oversheet /backstall unhooked out of teh bag...???? for 2014...
Vegas - same - does not seem to backstall tho
Combat - 11m and larger too slow for waves - not enough depower hooked in.

my fave ever - 2007 2008 fuels with adjustable 5th line cleat - cleat off 1ft of 5th and you had teh ultimate wave kite (as well as freestyle!)

hey kais69 i went from a 7 9 11 2013 fuels to 8 / 10 reo and a surfboard. 110% happy with the change tho i do not use my twin tip to much anymore as i enjoy chasing waves to much. When i do take my twin tip down for some flat water it havnt found anything i could do on the fuels that i cant do on the reos. They unhook great and boost well too

KAOS69 said..

just out of interest to all ex fuel riders . i have been on fuels for 10 years now and have seen the good and bad of them . what my question is if you rode fuels do you still ride them or have you change ? it seems alot changed a few years back with the introduction of dedicated kites wave and freestyle . i have had a great time with fuels and i am sorry to say good bye to them,
but its time to get a dedicated wave kite . so if you went from fuels to waves just wondering what you went for and why?

Some reading Material
And sorry to all those rrd kiters ------ they r .....

Have been a slingslut fan all my kiting life.... then also wanted to change to another brand as I was tired of the endless flecking balls to the wall pull of the feuls and rpm's... so I bought a rrd after demo-ing all the kites again and this was about the closest kite ..... BUT.... and here it comes .... Nothing no kite comes close to a Slingslut and I am not slagging any brands of kites... this is my oppinion. when I want to ride waves no problem kites stay's in the air... when I want to boost big no problem kites handles it and when I crash and burn my kite is still in 1 flecking piece, not to shreads.
i have changed the feuls for the rpm's in 2010 as the area I moved to the wind was more consistant at 18 knots, So I bought a 12m rpm as with the bridle on the bigger kites it seems to turn alot faster and better on it's axis and you can generate alot more wind when working the kite... Kept my feuls and when the wind blew it's TITS off or was in Cape Town for the holidays I flew my 7m feul wave riding or just boosting and I still feel that they r a very stable good fly'ing .... balls to the wall kite.

2014 rpm 12m & 10M .... wat kites stable, build quality still good fly's like a dream and the hang time is excellent, only hasle the 12m needs that 25m lines on it in the lighter wind days. with the new type pulleys the kite feals more responsive and the bar does not pull away from you as with the normal bridles.

Sorry to anybody that takes offense to this but I am not putting any kiters brand of kite down. To me there is only These brands of kites you buy
1) Slingshot
2) Cabrinha & North
3) Nash
4) Best
5) Flexifoil, ozone and Liquid Force

thanks for taking the time GarryA thats a very interesting read