Rider: 95kg, Intermediate
Style: Freeriding, Freestyle
Weather: 16-28 knots
Build Quality: 8/10
Satisfaction: 8/10
Disclosure: no affiliation, just own a 7m and 9m 2010 Griffin. Kite tested was the final pre-production model
My Comments:
Where to start. I'd been looking for a kite with a wider range than the 10m Switchblade 3 I was riding. I'd picked up a 7m 2010 Griffin as a high wind kite that I could thrash if need be (my first 25+knot kite) and its ability to soak up massive gusts which we get here in Wellington (I've been out in 33 gusting 45 with the 7m) and the easy flying nature made the 9m worth looking at.
I wasn't expecting to drop down a size when testing the kite, but my light wind kite, an airush Vapor II 14m was good up to about 18-19 knots + gusts, so I decided to test out the pre-production 9m Griff that was brought in by Kapiti X-treme Sports.
First: the kite tested and eventually bought was a pre-production model. This means it's *not* using the tangene (sp?) fabric that my 7m has, and the graphics are the old ones, not the new (IMO better looking) 2010 graphics. The shape and bridle of the pre-prod are identical to the new ones however. Having flown the production and pre-prod 7m, i'm comfortable saying that the production will be if anything better than the pre-prod i rode.
stats: 1 inflation point system, standard Griffin bar (i tend to ride on the smallest one, though I've tried it with the medium bar as well) 2 tone fabric (i have the red and white one) riding on the 21m lines. I keep my bar rigged with the shortest setting for the back lines, and usually have about an inch of depower pulled.
Overall characteristics: Like the 7m, it soaks up big quick gusts like no other kite I've flown. It's a very very easy and forgiving kite to fly, great for beginners / intermediates (like me). I really like the fact that once going, I can essentially forget about the kite and concentrate on whatever kite skill i'm working on at the moment (toeside right now) Power delivery is good, though I do need to dive the kite more aggressively to get going than I did my more powerful 10m. delivery is smooth and easy to predict.
Bar pressure is currently a little too light for my tastes, but there's multiple settings on the kite to change bar pressure, power, turning speed for more experimentation will be required. The power delivery also doesn't feel as immediate as the other kites i've flown: pull the bar in doesn't mean instant pull, it takes a few seconds to ramp up.
The kite is IMO much faster turning than my SB3. smaller size takes some of the credit there,but overall I find it much easier to fly.
Wind Range: I had this kite out this weekend in 16-17knot, in 25+ and in a very consistent 18-20 knot wind. At no point did I feel like I was overpowered or out of control. Pulling in a little depower was all that was necessary. I had great power to pull through up to 1.2m swells. Around 25 knots I usually would switch over to the 7m but getting back to beach to do so on the 9 was no problem.
Water relaunch is the easiest I've ever seen, tug a back line and it pops back in. The kite tends to climb to 12 oclock when the bar is pushed out after a crash which is quite convenient.
This is definitely a freeriding kite though, surf towards the Griffin if it's parked in the window and it will not be happy. When going directly towards it i tend to flick it back and forth a bit to keep it moving. The argos were much better in this regards.
The jumps I've done (not a jumping expert by any means) have been predictable, with smooth landings and easy pop. I've seen people in Waikanae get some very big air on the griffins, so I'm sure in more skilled hands there's more to tell.
I've compared it to the Argos quite a bit. Before buying the griffin I had an entire day where I swapped back and forth between the two (thanks to Kapiti for arranging that!) In the end, I chose the Griffin over the argo because it's better suited to my current skill level. The argo is more powerful, but a bit more of a handful as well. The Griffin flies and is powered up in a larger % of the window and is much more forgiving.
Build quality on the 2010 production models (from my experience with the 7m) is a definite step up over the 2009. Molded plastic bumpers on the leading edge, a two valve inflation system (one with ball, one without) and the new fabric make me thing the kite will be fairly rugged. I've had some pretty epic crashes on my 7m and the worse I can say is that the ball for my ball valve has popped into the bladder.
Overall I think the Griffins are excellent value for someone who has the basics down and is looking to get a kite to handle gusty conditions like a champ. As I get more time on this kite I'll update.
