Rider: 80kg, Intermediate
Style: Freeriding, Freestyle
Weather: 15-25 knots
Build Quality: 9.5/10
Satisfaction: 9.5/10
Disclosure: Given the fact that I won the kite in the Seabreeze comp, some may consider this as bias, but I've got nothing to gain by giving a favourable review. You make the call, I'm just being open about it.
My Comments:
Kite was delivered on Friday so I've had two sessions, the first was Saturday 15-25, mostly around the 20 knot mark, the second was a short session in around 20 to 25 before the wind died and ended my session prematurely although this kept my wife happy. My smaller 9m kite is an 08 but my bigger kite (which this is replacing) is a 2007 so it may be unfair to compare the two, given the two year gap which is substantial these days in kite technology terms. I haven't tested a lot of 09 13m kites except for the 12m Crossbow IDS which didn't impress me much.
Likes: Fast turning kite and doesn't lose as much steering when depowered vs my old kite, great jumping and performance - nice glide on the jumps; depower ratio on the bar is fairly aggressive (in a good way) and range of the kite seems impressive so far (haven't really tested top and bottom end properly so can't give an accurate idea of what its like); nice dump valve and inflate valve setup - prefer it to the cab setup; build quality of the kite is impressive; very neat bar and leashing setup which looks and works well (have heard issues about chicken loop line wear but can't comment on them myself after 2 sessions); lines thicker on front lines to handle extra wear and tear which is great thinking from SS; line quality seems to be better than a lot of other brands as well; nice short bridle setup on the kite, not sure if this effects performance, but its neater and easier to setup; Great bar pressure - gives a good feel for what the kite is doing without being too heavy; Nice large pump with gauge as standard.
Dislikes: Didn't find too many yet...Non-colour coded lines may be an issue for some but it hasn't been for me, maybe it'll be more of an issue if I ever have to untangle my lines; Oddly there are some little items missing that most other bars include like bar elastics to keep the lines on. I thought it was unusual for SS not to put these on given that they went to so much effort in other areas but maybe different company see different priorities; I would have liked to see an allen key included for adjustment of the stopper ball although the location has been good for me so far and I haven't felt the need to move it (maybe I'm not supposed to move it so correct me if I missed something about it); Would have been nice if the 13m was a little faster, but its not slow by any standards and I guess that comes down to personal preference because I like fast turning.
After two sessions, my first impression of the kite is outstanding, it is a brilliant kite and I understand why it has received as much attention as it has. It feels ultra refined. I tested the Rev1 for a short session previously and where the Rev1 took a little getting used to and was more the seat of your pants kind of riding, this felt comfortable the moment you get on it. It feels like the difference between a kit car and a commercially manufactured car. Everything just feels like they got it spot on. Pet hates of my old 12m was the amount of bar movement required to depower it, the rev2 seems to have a far more aggressive depower on the bar (similar to my 9m) which makes riding much more comfortable in gusty conditions, but its definitely not over aggressive as I never battled to find the sweet spot with the depower.
Big thumbs up. If you're planning on buying a new 12/13, this is one to test drive.
