I have flown the 12 3 times and the 10 once.

To put this review in perspective:
I am coming from a reactor / lift preference, ride mostly in surf with a kite turning style (rather than park and go) and jump unhooked (cant do any handle passes but i like the extra hang time)

I am very impressed with the Flows- it seems the guys have a product that has the direct turning of a C kite with (very close to) the wind range of a Bow.

There are no pulleys on the bar and kite feel for me was the same as a traditional c kite - this has been one of the / my major criticisms in the past of Bow kites - the lack of direct steering "feel" due to the pulles etc. The 12 flow on the 55cm bar had about the same turning speed as a lift of similar size - ie - plenty. The 10 on the 45 cm bar was actually slower and i would personally ride a 55 bar on the 10 flow - i have heard of some riders who prefer the shorter bar - (perhaps riiding unhooked and preferring the less responsive bar for handle passes ?)

The kite flies well unhooked so it ticks the boxes for power trick style riders too.


The bar worked well - i personally will be throwing a harness line on mine (we get steady wind here in WA) as i like the locked in power feel and extra bottom end this delivers. The cleat power and depoer works an absolute treat - i was sceptical here because i REALLY like the traditional airush depower strap - but the new system feels even better! And for people with shorter arms - girls , kids etc having the depower on the chicken loop will make life super easy.

With the kite presenting its area so flat the 12 is delivering bottom end approaching a 14 c kite. Yet the top end was insane with most 10m kites coming off the water while i could still stay safely out (although eventually steering response does fade away as back line tension comes totally off the kite) - 1 Flow = A quiver of 9 , 12 and 14 C kites - The range really is awesome.

The depower is incredible- if you do get hit by a spike you can eliminate it by sheeting out- this is great for the knees! However there is always good power on offer so you can keep your rail engaged (unless the wind totally drops out).

My main concern for a beginner is that they might not learn to edge properly as you can turn off the power so easily - this is a message that we have to make sure we give to learners as i believe one of the most rewarding aspects of kiting is linking kite power to your rail and using edging to control it - resulting in a faster and more dynamic ride. Possibly an endangered thrill as more and more riders learn on this style of kite

Relaunch was super easy with bow style rotate and relaunch on offer - i think these new kites may make 5th line relaunch (and hassles) a thing of the past. !


The build quality was outstanding - clearly extra reinforcements and stronger materials / lines have been used - these flatter styles of kites work up alot more canopy pressure so i guess the kites need to be a little more built than a traditional c- and airush have done a great job here.

Some nice details on the struts and wing tips with elastic straps on there to stop the bridles getting wrapped around the strut ends.
The dump valve on the LE is handy with the pump valve having a stopper ball - so pumping up really is easy. I leave my struts inflated and just pump up the LE each time - so i have 1 pump functionality withou having to TOTALLY inflate the kite each time AND avoid all the hassles that 1 pump gives when a bladder replacement is required.

We are getting some great feedback also from the townsville riders (unhooked power riding style) who , after some test flights , are committing en masse to the new flows too.

All up i think Airush are on to something special here- get a fly on one as soon as you can - or just get one - i am confident you will be pretty happy!

We will be offerring a demo kite program to our major retailers very soon so you should be able to get a test ride.

from Matt H - Airush OZ ()

Sorry guys,
I found the 10m SLE Flow really slow. A huge amount of bar input needed to get it move through the sky. Apart from that it ticks all boxes but it really doesn't perform slightly slower than a traditional "C" kite it flies a LOT slower.

The bar set up is just excellent, there's no doubt about it, it's safe, simple and effective.

People make sure you don't take my word for it, you really need to fly it ad try it and decide what works for your style or riding.

i had a go on saturday of the 10
think the bridle needs a mod. or somethin...
once goin the kite has heeps of grunt and you can just ride it one handed and pop, do airs, ride waves or watever.
i was on a surfboard and goin upwind in hardly any wind.
not sure what the strength was but guys on 12 c kites were struggling.
BUT, it just doesnt turn properly.

Hold the phone,
Airush have informed me that this particular kite needs a tweak, it shouldn't be slow and it has taken them a few weeks to track down the exact location of these 10's.

So...the review is still a works in progress and I dearly hope this kite can be sped up as it is just excellent in all other areas.

Stay tuned while we tune.

I have now tried the SLE Flow 10m with the briddle modification. Phew! I was really dissapointed and now I can have a smile back on my face.

The SLE Flow is no longer slow. It's responsive on the bar and does feel like a "C" kite as Airush have promoted it so.

in 23 knots I was a bit overpowered on the 10m to really put it through it's paces safely for me (75kg) with kite loops and unhooking comfortably as I had to have it de-powered quite a bit.

Which has got me thinking that this kite will be quite responsive in a bit less wind for me if the ratio of depower to steering loss is similar to to a traditional "C" kite.

It is also a very versatile kite too. Considering that it needed 32cm of line added into the bridle to speed up turning, I am surprised that any kite that can cope with this much adjustment in the briddle must be a very stable canopy design.

So I think that adding about 15cm will turn a pretty high performing kite into the safest thing for my wife to use as she gets a bit spooked by the speed of which a reactor turns.

So in a nutshell, I spoke too soon on writing off the SLE Flow and now give it the thumbs up. I think this may be the kite that gets me onto a bridle style kite. I have been resisting for a while because the fine feel and turning speed simply isn't there with other BOW style kites which takes away from the freedom of being able to ride any style and in all situations. I think the Flow is the compromise.

Definately recommend trying them out, just make sure the 10m has had the briddle length added.

Hi Guys,

We have had a chance to spend a little time on the Flows at Pinnaroo and in the waves too. To date we have ridden the 14m, 12m, 10m, and flown the 7m.

The 14m
This is the biggest kite we will have in our fleet this year as it has buckets of bottom end power. Yesterday Paul was out riding upwind in a genuine 9 knots as tested on the wind meter, also jumping and kitelooping in the same windspeed. The power is excellent and range is great. Turning speed is what you would expect from a 14m.

The 12m
This is a sweet kite, again loads of bottom end power and a good range, I rode this one in the surf and found it's stability and ease of use amazing. You do have to get used to the trimming as oversheeting is easy but doesn't produce a stall, it just slows the kite sown, somewhat like a foil, so you do need to work out where optimum sheeting is for power and trim the unusable length in. After that it's just all fun. Great wind range and I felt this was one of the easiest kites I have flown.

The 10m
Definately a concern until we fitted the 30cm bridle extension. Once the extension was fitted, wow, really fun kite. Fast and easy to fly.

The 7m was flown yesterday in the lightening winds from 18 down to 9 knots. The kite flew really well even in the hands of a novice, but definately needs to be more powered up. Fun to fly and loads of power even in underpowered conditions.

Overall
I had really high expectations of the kites after listening to the boys talking it up all winter. My expectations were exceeded. I really like the kites, all of them, and am stoked to put them into our rental fleet. The Flows have proven themselves fun to freestyle with nice big floaty jumps and super stable design and are great in the waves.

Well Done guys