Cheers guys, I already fly it on the shortest knot with another knot above as Cauncy suggested in the reviews when it came out.
I just find i have to nurse my edge before takeoff, and my preferred aggressive pop kills the power. but clearly it's my issue :)

Eaglelad, if you're ever up Melbourne way for a kite let me know and I'll be happy to have a look at how you're tuning and riding it. Easiest to work out in the flesh probably but feel free to post/PM any questions. The 2013 8m is a sweet kite so keep experimenting.

So no one other than Spark flown the 2014 Reo/Dice?

I guess I will have to wait.

Kitegrandad said..

Cauncy you typed the following:

100% the problem, also if you fly it hesitantly ie bar in bar out all the time , personally on the shortest or a tad more as suggested this kite goes from a school kite to a advanced riders kite, its easier to put a muti knot setting on the main bridle rather than sliding your floats up and down as conditions change.

Did you mean Multiple knots ( muti knot setting) on the main bridle vs using the 3 knots under the floats ? And, if we connect to the knot closest to the bar is that the shortest line setting ? I've had some say the line furthest from the bar is the shortest and also the knot closest is shortest...somewhat confused.

Kite grandad how are ya bud.

Listen the actual larks head is on the bars leader line (attached to the bar) ....Hence the knots are actually on your back lines that go to the kite.

So to make your back lines the shortest you can (most powered) get the larks head which is essentially attached to your bar ends and place it over the closest knot to the kite...or the furtherest UP the back lines towards the kite.

Can you see how that will shorten your back lines now. (Can I be honest with you, I had to think this through as well and was a little confused to start with...lol, so ya not alone).

Very simple system and effective, as opposed to those plastic insert thingies you have to hinge off the north bars (I have an ozone and north bar).

Or you could do what cauncy does and actually put some knots on the leader lines at the kite end as it always used to be with all kites. I'm thinking about doing that myself as I'm finding I prefer to ride the zephyr fully powered (back lines shortened) but even fully depowered I still get too much pull for me when unhooking, so the middle lines would be better for this.

Freeride shortest, unhooking middle...so adjustments at the kite end would be easier....might get some more directions off cauncy for that.

Also I agree with djodjo, power that bitch up, use your edge to get that kite forward in the window to spill air, then use the power to crank. Even at 75kg I've been on the zephyr on the shortest knot in 17 to 20, with no depower, kites don't like to be depowered in my opinion. Maybe a tad here and there or if you are wave riding and really wanna kill the thing for park and ride.

Hope that helps.

^^^^ No need. Once you have the lines sorted for a given kite, there is plenty of trim on the above bar cleat. If you have it close to stalling with the trim right out and the bar right in, then you'll have all the top end you need by pulling in the trim. Taking it past that by lengthening the rear lines (or shortening the front) means you are well past the optimal wind range for the kite for your weight. You will get the symptoms that Eaglelad described.

Well, well, well.

Flew a 10m 2014 reo and 10m Dice back to back this afternoon.

Wind was a solid seabrease 25 knots gusting to 28.

So both kites at the top end of their range.

And the winner is.....

...

Dice.

by a country mile.

It turned better, drifted better, felt smoother, lighter bar pressure, jumped better.

There was nothing the reo did better than the dice. Wait..... it did a funky pivot turn loop down the line that was quite nice.


On a side note I don't like a plastic pullies on the Dice. They scream out wear and snap at the most inappropriate time to me. I would aim to replace those with a more robust pulley.

I guess the Reo was really outside its target wind range for wave riding. perhaps it would perform better closer to 20 knots. It certainly did not handle the strong wind as well as the Dice.

So Dice is still top of my list. I wonder how the cat would go against it. perhaps 10 cat/10 dice would be a more fair comparison.

Righto djodjo great theory.

Dice works on twin tips and surfboards.

Maybe your theory only works with reos who knows.

Have you actually ridden the reo? Or the dice?


I have the new cat and reo in my shed, will be riding them all back to back, 5 guys on the water , a trigger in the air as well. So there will be all three kites up plus two dice kites and we will be swapping between all kites on both twin tips and surfboards in the waves then a session or two on the flat.

I will try and relay what everyone feels.

Ridden REOs, not dice.

Look at the profile of the REO compared to the Catalyst when they're in the air - different wing sections for different purposes. So yes, the Cat has a broader target application than the REO, and possibly the dice does too ...

The way I see it, the REO is designed so that the power can be killed quicker than any other Ozone kite by letting the bar out. It has a flatter wing section that can be made to luff more easily, produces less grunt for a given angle of attack, while still having surface area to aid drift when it is deep in the window (acting more like a balloon than as a wing).

The Cat has a fuller foil shape - and will produce more power over a wider range of angles. It is still light enough (only 3 struts) and low enough aspect to have adequate drift for most wave-riders, while surrendering some of the REO's finer surfboard-oriented features and gaining usability for higher load applications - twinnies, mutants, boosting etc.

djdojo you need to get out there and ride a Dice so you can compare.

I actually found the dice better down the line in the waves. The reo was punchy, back stally, pivot turny and the power came on too fast. It wss not enjoyable at all. Granted I was at the upper limit of the both kites. But I want my kites to work well at the upper limit. The power came on far smoother with the Dice. Even trimmed it worked well. I would trim., ride a wave in complete control then let the trim off and boost on the way out.

At the end it came down to grin factor. My face was grinning far more on the Dice.

To be honest I'm shocked. I'm a die hard Ozone fan. Been on Ozone since 05 before they even made lei's. I would much prefer to buy ozone. The design guys a 300km up the road and I would like to support a company that supports NZ. I really enjoy my other ozones. I'm bummed that I am having to look outside the ozone range to get a kite that suits my needs.

Looking forward to Eppos test of the 2014 cat.

We compared a 2014 10m REO demo and my 2013 Edge 10m using a Monk FE, Mako King and Axxis SB. Our conditions were mainly flat or choppy water with winds - one day 18 to 21K and 2nd day 15 to 18K. Everyone who tried the REO liked it's friendly feel, ability to jump well and quickness to loop but we consistently preferred the Edge using a Twin Tip. Our conclusion, MAYBE the 2014 catalyst would be a better comparison for our riding needs. The Dice sounds like a hybrid similar in concept to the Rebel - dabbles in all conditions. We are waiting for the new EVO as well, before making the plunge into new kites but it is a shame to look outside of Ozone for smaller kites.

I agree about talking gear and sharing information on this forum. But, a personal demo on the kite ( preferably several session ) before buying makes the most sense.

Well I have had the New Cat out now twice, with dices in the air, three other riders swapping to and fro.

One day at the lower end 16/17 on light wind board setups to see the basic characteristics and then today 20 to 25 and maybe a tad higher in the gusts. Same set of riders, this time lit on our normal boards, which we happen to swap around today as well.

I can concur from my personal observations what others have said the new cat is an improvement from last year as it should I suppose going into its second generation.

1. Smoother power delivery especially in gusts (was southerly to SSW today so some wind shadows afforded causing some slight turbulence in places...comes through in lines in those winds on the estuary).

2. Turns much better depowered and quicker overall. Was very decent in the small swell breaks we had ocean side in the lighter wind day for flying follow and drifted nicely down the line, but it has always been a stable platform.

3. Jumping is good and with the right technique some decent air in the stronger winds today, always feedback on the bar, nice easy float with solid landings.

4. Loops keep a more consistent speed (they always did but maybe a tad more). Still flutters through the loops, but its an open C it will do that. It won't accelerate through the loop like a more closed C so the loops are nice and forgiving.

5. New bar is very functional and still has the ozone simplicity. I really like the ozone bar setup. Interesting they have left the bottom of the quick release and manual swivel open....thought about it, this makes sure you can get any sand out they may lodge in there. Smart really. The rest is still the same.

6. Unhooking is really stable and forgiving with only some slight depowering needed sometimes beforehand.

So in summary an improvement on the first gen, Rob knows his stuff...but if you are happy with your 2013 I wouldn't be running out there to sell ....of course the new one has some improvements and if you like new gear why not.

A very forgiving platform, easy to fly, great for a beginner to a rider that wants to push the envelope a bit without getting spanked to hard. Exactly it's design profile. Can't go wrong with this kite.

Hope that helps.

Ps we did get out on the new REO on SBs and TTs, and honestly there weren't any waves to really get a correct feel for this kite so I'm not going to say anything except it does fly 'differently' to the last incarnations (will work more forward in the window for sure...does allow the boost potential (landings more so, it always boosted). I cans see why it takes crew a little while to dial in from last years but most I've spoken to on emails etc, say that once they do they are loving them. Also as Djodjo said even in our somewhat naive conditions it suited the SB far more than the TT that is plain to see now.

Just realised this a comparison with the dice. I was just answering plummetts question on the new cat.

Don't know if you can say one is better than another, it all depends on how you want to ride. The new dice if you look closely and past the swept wing tips really does resemble a Vegas. It really does have that closed C arc...relatively speaking to the cat which is more open. This affords far more powered loops. We have found the dice will go big, all four so us would argue bigger than the cat but it requires a more Detailed C technique. The cat is easier to use in this regard. The dice has Lighter bar pressure that takes more technique to make your mark given the same board, rider and conditions. This also means once you are in the air and you've gone big, you gotta be on your C kite game. The cat is a no brainer through the air. The dice is asking to be looped.

On the, making your mark point, The upstroke of the dice is very powerful and can be used to your advantage, the cat lacks this upstroke power but does compensate by flying slightly more forward in the window. Dice absorbs gusts better it seems.

So while it is fine for beginners it really is a kite that advanced riders can stick their teeth into.

One thing is for sure it is a killer wave kite, that we are all certain about. I'd almost go as far to say that's not an opinion, that's fact.

Already noticed a red thumb...dear me, some individuals are really spoiling this platform.

Bye.