After a couple of windless weeks, I finally got to take my 2nd gen Assault 16m for a spin. I used to have an 06 Switchblade 16m but it tore in half after being swallowed and spat out by some waves thus, necessitating the need for replacement. I was happy enough with my 12m Assault 1 so I decided to give it's newer bigger sibling a try.

Kite set-up is pretty easy and straightforward. All I can say is I am never, ever going back to a multi-pump system again! These one pumps are definitely the go for me. Build quality looks pretty good but only time will tell, I suppose. Don't worry, if mine falls apart, I'll tell you all about it.

The bar and lines of the 07 Assault are an improvement on the crappy 06 Assault control system. Bar pressure on the older system was a sore point. The 2nd gen bar has less bar pressure but it is still there. Kiters used to having little or no bar pressure may find it a bit heavy but it doesn't bother me as much as the forearm-busting bars of the Switchblade 16 and Assault 1 did. Also, one no longer needs to be built like an orangutan to reach the bar when the kite is fully powered up.

This kite has the easiest relaunch characteristics of any kite I've ever tried. Letting go of the bar results in the kite losing its power and flying down to the edge of the window. Pulling on the appropriate rear line launches the kite back into the air without any hassles.

The wind range is insane! I weigh 95 kg and borrowed an undergound flx42 for this session. Wind was gusting anywhere from 10 to 18kts. I normally would have put up my 12m when the wind picked up but the 16m just soaked up the gusts with ease. Jumps were a lot easier to perform than on my old Switchy. It also turns a lot faster than my previous 16m bow. Other adjectives that come to mind are "stable" and "predictable".

Pros: ONE PUMP, Wind range, Stability, Predictability, Turns fast for a 16m bow, PRICE!

Cons: Bar pressure

Summary: A reasonably-priced kite that is stable and predictable. It turns well for a 16m and it has a good wind range. One-pump convenience makes set-up a breeze while launching/relaunching is a ho-hum effort. I would have loved to see a little less bar pressure.

i forgot to mention that i added another knot to the rear pigtails and this greatly improved the kite's turning performance. out of the box, the kite came with 3 knots on the rear pigtails. i added another knot about 50mm above the last knot (the one closest to the kite) and immediately experienced better turning performance.

just re-checked the wind reading data at the place i kited yesterday and the minimum reading was 11kts with max 20kt gusts. the kite managed to soak up these gusts with ease.

Thanks for the tip. Hope to get better performance out of the kite as I get more sessions on it and get it dialled in. I reckon I can add another knot to the rear pigtails if I need to but so far, that one knot that i had added did the trick. Cheers!