4 line rebels exactly the same as the old fuses, going 4 line on the rebel is the best thing north have done in ages in my opinion. Find the rebel the best free ride kite at the moment

Demoed the evos as well and found them nicer then the old 5 strut version. All personal though! The 3 strut and slightly different shape of them does seem to make them drift nicer on waves as well.

As as for the XR5 I haven't flown them but hear loads of great things about them but haven't heard of anyone in the waves on them!

I have heard plenty of good stuff about the 4 line rebels. They are slightly different in feel but those using them seem to think they go just as big. The guys at pushKiting in the UK are using them and they seem to go plenty big. They have said the prefer the Rebel over the Evo as the hangtime is much better.

Both the guys who I ride with regularly have gone onto Xr5s (one pure freeride, the other using it for foiling and freeride). Its a good kite but not for me. I prefer it to both the 2014 Evo and 2012 Rebel (latest I have owned of each version). Bear in mind though that it powers a size larger than your North kites (12m XR5 wind range is identical to 13m Rebel) so don't be suprised if the low end feels grunty. Much better low wind turning response than the rebel and a more consistent power sweep than the Evo were the big improvements I noticed. They work on a North 4 line bar with gender changers but the north pump doesn't fit the inflate point so you'll need a new hose for your pump. My take on them is they are particularly good for 80kg plus guys as they load up with a grunty feel really early. Me, I prefer faster turning and a lower bar pressure so I have gone elsewhere (did a Blade trigger review recently on here)

The obvious other choice is the Switchblade as its pretty similar to the Evo.

I'm yet to hear anyone say anything (constructively) bad about the Enduro. That seems to be the allrounder to beat at the moment although its probably a little more technical to fly than your current Evo (less sheet and go grunt) .

Hope that helps

Gotta love the one post wonder from bigburd... same as the older fuses... people just stop reading right there, the dipsh1t doesn't know what he's talking about.

Then we get someone comparing at XR 5 to a 2012 rebel and a 2014 evo. Again no clue.

But I agree myself and those I ride with all on north are throughly disapointed with the garbage they've coughed up freeride wise this year. Keeping our hands firmly in our pockets.

It is true it's all relative and personal but ... no it's not, the new evo is fckn hideous. They had it bang on in 2016..

it doesn't even feel like a north kite!!!

leave well good alone i say. And before one of you morons mention king of air, we are normal riders not the best riders in the world paid to be on a certain kite by a certain brand.

Rebels ... yeh different, greater vertical jump access but everything else about them yuk... rode 10 and 13. This crap about them being faster, nope my 2017 10m rebel faster. Slopppy sh1thouse feel, but most of you numbnuts wouldn't notice anyway. But hey all the dribbling vacant Middle Ages couch potatoes can now get it in a 4 line!! Roll up roll up roll up, get your fat limp ass onto a rebel at least you may drown on an expensive kite.

For balance... the rebels okay really, you'd get used to it, but's it's not the same kite. You can't go from a no pulley, no bridles loaded fifth to a bridled pulleyed kite and expect the same kite. I don't like it you might.

The evo though is an abomination... how one can take such a great kite and fck it so far up is beyond us. Suppose try hard surfboard riders who can't quite do that nor TT ride any great level, hey you coukd feel special riding a foil maybe might like a kite that hangs and pulses of the front lines like a demented puppet, rocking back and forth in a mental home ... then yeh might be for you.

yep we will be Investigating the core X5 for sure.... maybe even the enduro for the more adventurous among us.

We are not happy JAN

Why would you ride north anyway?
There line's are rubbish or are they meant to stretch so far that you can't even them out so you just go buy a new set... I've seen a few set's this year that are terrible. But hey they look and feel different.

eppo said..
Gotta love the one post wonder from bigburd... same as the older fuses... people just stop reading right there, the dipsh1t doesn't know what he's talking about.

Then we get someone comparing at XR 5 to a 2012 rebel and a 2014 evo. Again no clue.

But I agree myself and those I ride with all on north are throughly disapointed with the garbage they've coughed up freeride wise this year. Keeping our hands firmly in our pockets.

It is true it's all relative and personal but ... no it's not, the new evo is fckn hideous. They had it bang on in 2016..

it doesn't even feel like a north kite!!!

leave well good alone i say. And before one of you morons mention king of air, we are normal riders not the best riders in the world paid to be on a certain kite by a certain brand.

Rebels ... yeh different, greater vertical jump access but everything else about them yuk... rode 10 and 13. This crap about them being faster, nope my 2017 10m rebel faster. Slopppy sh1thouse feel, but most of you numbnuts wouldn't notice anyway. But hey all the dribbling vacant Middle Ages couch potatoes can now get it in a 4 line!! Roll up roll up roll up, get your fat limp ass onto a rebel at least you may drown on an expensive kite.

For balance... the rebels okay really, you'd get used to it, but's it's not the same kite. You can't go from a no pulley, no bridles loaded fifth to a bridled pulleyed kite and expect the same kite. I don't like it you might.

The evo though is an abomination... how one can take such a great kite and fck it so far up is beyond us. Suppose try hard surfboard riders who can't quite do that nor TT ride any great level, hey you coukd feel special riding a foil maybe might like a kite that hangs and pulses of the front lines like a demented puppet, rocking back and forth in a mental home ... then yeh might be for you.

yep we will be Investigating the core X5 for sure.... maybe even the enduro for the more adventurous among us.

We are not happy JAN

You can have a crack of mine next time I'm down the Estuary if you want. The throw on the bar is pretty big compared to my wainman , about 80-100 mm more and I'm not used to the high y bridle . If you invert the kite i can't just unhook my bar and thread it through like I normally would. The only reason I tried this kite is my smoke is getting worn out and it looks like wainman aren't doing anymore..
I'm no pro just an average punter and the core works great for me.

Up here in the tropics, North kites are a dime-a-dozen, but compare the riders to you guys down South? Man, you guys have improved no end. Up here, most are still "mowing the lawn". . Some venture beyond the odd jump etc and crash their kites a lot (aka me!), but it's because I know what a **** kite in light winds is like - and North are crappo in light winds, even their biggest was crappo compared to the Ozone Zephyr for example. Which is why a lot of us up here fly foil kites... it's just a given with the light wind situation.
Ozone LEI kites up here - totally different story. A decent 12,14m Ozone (any brand) rips riders and gives them so much more options for tricks and jumps than a North kite ever would.

Eppo was on the right track....You guys haven't got a F__Ken clue.Unfortunately due to how sour you dusty, crusty old dogs are know one takes your opinion seriously anymore. The market internationally has been asking for a proper 4 line rebel (not a fuse) for years. So North made it.
And the lines they use are used by many other brands, probably on kites you dufus's are flying right now.

Fly on da wall said..
Why would you ride north anyway?
There line's are rubbish or are they meant to stretch so far that you can't even them out so you just go buy a new set... I've seen a few set's this year that are terrible. But hey they look and feel different.

Mate, the click bar is even designed for line stretch. You get a bunch of different pigtails with the bag at 25 or 50mm length differences. Intention is you change out the different length pigtails as the lines go out of tune. I haven't decided if this is genius or madness yet.

try the dash, i was really impressed how well it drifts and turns in kite loops, its got a great bar feel and quality is good.

eppo said..
Gotta love the one post wonder from bigburd... same as the older fuses... people just stop reading right there, the dipsh1t doesn't know what he's talking about.

Then we get someone comparing at XR 5 to a 2012 rebel and a 2014 evo. Again no clue.

But I agree myself and those I ride with all on north are throughly disapointed with the garbage they've coughed up freeride wise this year. Keeping our hands firmly in our pockets.

It is true it's all relative and personal but ... no it's not, the new evo is fckn hideous. They had it bang on in 2016..

it doesn't even feel like a north kite!!!

leave well good alone i say. And before one of you morons mention king of air, we are normal riders not the best riders in the world paid to be on a certain kite by a certain brand.

Rebels ... yeh different, greater vertical jump access but everything else about them yuk... rode 10 and 13. This crap about them being faster, nope my 2017 10m rebel faster. Slopppy sh1thouse feel, but most of you numbnuts wouldn't notice anyway. But hey all the dribbling vacant Middle Ages couch potatoes can now get it in a 4 line!! Roll up roll up roll up, get your fat limp ass onto a rebel at least you may drown on an expensive kite.

For balance... the rebels okay really, you'd get used to it, but's it's not the same kite. You can't go from a no pulley, no bridles loaded fifth to a bridled pulleyed kite and expect the same kite. I don't like it you might.

The evo though is an abomination... how one can take such a great kite and fck it so far up is beyond us. Suppose try hard surfboard riders who can't quite do that nor TT ride any great level, hey you coukd feel special riding a foil maybe might like a kite that hangs and pulses of the front lines like a demented puppet, rocking back and forth in a mental home ... then yeh might be for you.

yep we will be Investigating the core X5 for sure.... maybe even the enduro for the more adventurous among us.

We are not happy JAN

So where did you go with this Eppo?

Im looking to buy a 10m kite and want to get it right. Im not a rider with great experience.
I recent bought 2017 North dice 13m and have had limited chance to ride but 3 of the 4 rides really felt comfortable with my choice, 4th occasion just to overpowered to underpowered in gusty conditions.

I was going to just go buy a north dice10m but then decided I should try and broaden my horizons a little having only ridden RPM and Dice with Zephyr as lw kite. With limited opportunity to demo in my area I managed to get a XR4 to try out with view to buying Xr5 perhaps.
First ride I found some positves with this kite in that it gave great boost (not that big is where im at) and then floaty feel to come down, similar feel to that of the Zephyr, but had this feeling it pulled to hard all the time. Yesterday wind up near very top end for 10m maybe above at times peaking at 33knots gusts (im 93kg) waves a bit bigger this day 2-3foot, I found the kite just driving me up wind to hard with to much pull into the chop/waves. For me wasn't an enjoyable ride at all. So in my head I classed the Xr4 as a one trick pony, I would buy this kite for flat water and boosting only.
So now im back to thinking Dice but then think Evo might be worth a look as it marketed between Dice and Rebel/xr5 which is where you come in, is the Evo really that bad as a cross over kite to use TT in waves and bit of flat water jumps and learning tricks? or is your harsh review purely on it hard core freeride ability to jump? unfortunately I cant demo to find out for myself so is there any positives you can throw out at that kite. any 2018 Evo riders out there able to give me pro and con Evo v the dice?

Thanks for all the replies, sorry it has taken me a while to get back on SB. Work has been taking me all over the place recently.

I am am pretty much sold on the XR5 now to decide between the 12m or 13.5m at 94kgs with a 2017 Evo 10m at my slightly smaller Kite and an old 2012 Rebel 7m when it gets to 30kts+