Don’t want to open up the old Foils v Inflatable’s debate, I know now that there all good. 
Been a Flysurfer rider for about 4 years, never tried any other type until a session last weekend down at Pt Walter on the swan river.
Was offered a test fly on my mate’s New FlexiFoil Atom (his second from the shop as the first had a leak from the bladder valve). Had to drop that in as foils don’t leak !
Have always been a little cautious to try an LEI as all I have ever flown are Flysurfers, I was worried that after all the cash I have spent over the years could have been the wrong choice in kite styles (especially with all the abuse we get for flying sleeping bags etc etc ! 
) personally I don’t think Flysurfer look anything like sleeping bags, they look as good as any new Bow style kite.
Well, after a 20min test fly I was totally convinced the Flysurfer was a better kite for my ability, the foils tend to “fly” and defiantly give better lift. I guess it’s like comparing the efficiency of an aircraft wing to a flat sail.
There wasn’t much difference with the speed of turning but found the LEI did de-power a little quicker but pretty much to the same extent as the Flysurfer. The power/depower on the LEI was very “twitchy” compared to the smooth feel of the foil which defiantly felt a little weird.
Not having to waste 20mins of my kiting time rigging & pumping is also a huge advantage if you only get a short pass out to kite from the other half !
I’m probably at a good intermediate level and don’t recon I will progress any further. If I start trying kite loops and all the cool moves I see Damo and the crew doing the Knees will defiantly go for sure. I can’t comment for the experienced riders but Sebastian Bubmann seemed to match anything the LEI boys could do while he was in Perth recently.
I guess the only real advantage I could see with the LEI would be learning in gusty conditions, the rigidity in the leading edge really helps when landing and parking the kite when playing with your board etc. With a foil you have to keep great control over the kite at all times. The new Pulse 2 kites are defiantly a lot more stable but you still have to keep a good eye on the kite as I guess you should with any type of kite. As you progress through your learning curve this obviously becomes less of an issue and the final benefits for me far out way the disadvantages.
Was down Woodies the other week, got an assisted land from a guy rigging up on the beach. When I talked to him he asked “how did I like the foils” then he told me he didn’t like them. I asked him if he had ever flown one, He said “No”
Funny how people can have an opinion about kiting without actually trying different kite styles !
Not trying to convert anyone, we all like what we like but would defiantly recommend people try something different once in a while (as I did), you never no, you may actually like it !
To sum up……
Made a great decision getting lessons with Youngie and buying Flysurfer Kites !
Cheers
Mark 
