2014 9m Switch Method V2 versus 2015 9m North Neo

Rider: 85kg, Intermediate
Style: Surf
Weather: 12-30 knots
Disclosure: I own both kites, no particular bias, paid for both

My Comments:
Have some time to kill so thought I might put down my thoughts on these two kites as they represent almost two ends of the same market. I have been flying the methods for a full season and primarily bought them as I wasn't sure whether I wanted to get into surf kiting so it was a cheap way of finding out.

Price:
Switch $762 delivered
North $1500 RRP

Build Quality:
It's really too early to say for certain how the North is going to hold up to the particular style of abuse that I deal out to my kites. However I've found with both brands it's rarely a manufacturing fault that lets them down, it's a piece of sharp coral or some other force of nature. Some notes particular to both though:

Inflation Valves

North 5/10
North's thinking in this department is a bit retarded. The give you a dump valve on the end of the kite and a finiky quick pump in the middle. They tell you to undo the quick pump before releasing the dump valve, which seems like a lot of work to let the air out of a kite. I end up just twisting the quick pump valve to release the air, which is hard to do with soggy fingers. Really stupid implementation right there.

Switch 8/10
I really like the switch inflation valve, you can inflate and deflate from the same point, however they don't sew the cap grommet under the leading edge which leads to the cap not being directly attached to the kite if you pull it too hard, which of course I did. If they sorted that out it would be a 10/10 system.

Bridle & Tuning

North 10/10

The Neo has no pulleys and allows you to adjust both depower throw and turning type at the kite. I haven't had a need to change from medium depower and soft bar pressure yet as it is just perfect in the waves. The stability that this setup seems to produce is nothing short of amazing. One handed steering of the kite is a pleasure, it is immensely predictable and I've yet to backstall the kite even in marginal wind conditions. From the first time I went out on the kite, even in overpowered conditions, I felt relaxed. Suddenly you can forget about the kite and start hitting the waves properly, not worried that it's going to suddenly surge forward or drop back and leave you duck faced in front of a wave face.

Switch 7/10

I've had the chance to try all different configurations and generally just have it on the fast turning setting. The Method is a pivot turning kite and it does that really well. Great for small mushy stuff that seems to be our lot up here. Compared to the North though I would describe the turning characteristics as spongy with a tendency to back stall in gusty or marginal conditions. The Method has a much thinner leading edge than the Neo which leads to the kite deforming under load when you really want it to maintain it's shape and provide drive. In it's quoted wind range though the 9m Method is a solid performer that is certainly value for money.

Bar

North 9/10
I've been a fan boy of the North bars for a long time, so no surprise it gets a high mark here. They lose 1 point for the no doubt toxic **** they coat their lines in, I'm sure they prolong the life of the lines but think about the children! With the 4 line bar they have lowered the Y closer to where most other kites have theirs. Which is great if you want to use a differen't bar with your Neo or vice versa. The bar itself is just right for me, right grip radius, excellent soft grip for my office worker hands and the depower works perfect like.

Switch V2 7/10 or V3 6/10
I used to think I hated the V2 bar, then I bought a V3 bar. They fixed a heap of annoying things with V2 and introduced a whole raft of new annoying things. I won't really go into it as some people love them both so it's obviously a personal preference thing.

Performance

Drift & Stability

North - Drift 10/10 :: Stability 10/10
Head straight for it at speed, it just puffs back as advertised. Let's be honest if it failed this test, it wouldn't be a wave kite. The stability of this kite is incredible, it's like it has a self leveling feature built in or something.

Switch - Drift 10/10 :: Stability 8/10
The Method's drift really well, I've never had the kite fall out of the sky charging directly towards it. The stability of the kite lets it down a bit and I'm pretty sure this is due to the pulleys. The Method has a tendency to drift downwards which can be an issue when you're screaming down the face of a wave resulting you having to pull in a couple of handfuls of the top steering line. I think sometimes the pulley is stuck short on one side after a hard turn causing the bottom steering line to be shorter. Stupid pulleys.

Steering & Turning

North - Steering 10/10 :: Turning 10/10
The Neo steers with the same sophistication as a Reo, the stability of the kite means it only moves when you want it to move. Bit like a laser pointer. The turning on the soft bar setting has a nice arc motion to it, you don't need a ton of bar pressure to get it moving in the right direction and on time. If you want to get it to pivot it will do that as well. Stitching together top and bottom turns on this kite is an almost religious experience.

Switch - Steering 7/10 :: Turning 8/10
The Method demands your attention, at all times, the kite has a tendency to wander requiring constant adjustment. The sponginess in the bar means it takes a while to learn when you're over adjusting or not. The pivot turning can take a bit of muscle too isn't too bad. Overall though the Method is more than up to cutting loose on the waves and navigating the shore break.

Wind Range

Both 7/10
Here I couldn't tell the difference between the kites, they both have incredible bottom ends letting you get out in 14 knots and turn on waves no worries. I think they over state the top end of both kites, it comes in a lot sooner than you would hope. This can be a bit of a problem if you are using the medium depower setting on the Neo, as you run out of string to pull in pretty fast. They both exhibit the same overpowered symptoms, seeking the top of the wind window and fluttering during turns. Again the stability of the Neo might put it ahead a little but not by much.

Overall when I went to demo the Neo I told myself it had to be at least 30% better for me to warrant slapping down over 3k for two kites when I could just about buy 5 Switches for the same money. The Neo was just so much easier than the Method, I suddenly felt like I was out there for the waves rather than to wrestle a kite into submission. On the fact alone it was worth it. If I was just getting into the waves I'd definitely go the Switch again, you drop your kite a bit while you're cutting your teeth in the break and it would be pretty heart breaking to see 1500 go up in smoke. Anyway I'm out of time and that's all I got, see you out there.

Hi I was thinking of getting a neo for my high wind kite but not sure if to go a 7 or an 8 would prob be for 20 to 30 knotts I have been told they have big bottom end etc mainly wave and a few jumps im 79kg cheers for any advice

Agree..it's so nice to have a grassy spot to pack up on, and a hose to clean up gear with too. (Horrocks)
But also good to have the dump valve for sandy beaches too..