2010 NAISH TORCH 12M

Rider Level: Intermediate/Advanced Freestyle
Weight: 80kgs
Board: 132x41 TT
Conditions: Flat+Chop 20kts (gusty)
Kite: 2010 Naish Torch 12m.
Disclaimer: No brand affiliation, like to ride kites knowone else are riding.

Got the chance to ride the new Torch in some pretty lit conditions. I have been riding for 4 years now. 2years on C-Kites and 2 on Hybrid. I ride mostly wakestyle but throwing in more freeride these days due to injuries.......... and age.

First Impressions: All the gear (pump+bar/lines+kite) fit really snug in the bag....thought it was a tad small initially but after packing up post sesh, realised it was the perfect size. Loved the Octopus one pump system, the thing pumped up in no time at all. I think Naish has had an epiphany for the 2010 gear colours and graphics. I always thought it was lacking but they sold me this year. Kite felt solid and surf tough. Definately a very high quality product compared to the mid-range hybrid I came off previously. The rubber scuff pads on the LE were a nice touch. Bar was fantastic with an easy push away emergency set-up....big and red. Having experienced some late model Fuels, I dont particularly like the 'below the bar' depower however the torch depower was very compact. It was integrated with the emergency somehow and didn't seem to get in the way as much as the SS set-up did. Very tidy.The bar was very soft and looked good in its 'all white' get-up. You can really only comment thoroughly on a bar after about 15 rides to see if the bar material stays in tack......u all know what I mean. No need for set-up instructions for line connections as its ready to fly straight outta the bag. Colour coded pig-tails across the kite and no knots for power settings....which I thought was strange.....but it's so user friendly and worked perfectly. Fifth line was a breeze to set up.

Flying: So many kites these days are designed for all styles......jacks of all trades.....masters of none. I gotta say that this kite is a 100% wake inspired, freestyle weapon-of-choice.Refreshing! First things firsts, the virtual suicide is stuff of legend. Just connect your safety to the depower rope ring and away you go......I came un-stuck numerous times and the kite immediately depowered and floated down to the edge of the window awaiting a re-launch.The fifth line safety attachment I would recommend as your 100% depower safety however. Unhooked riding was the standout for the torch. Bang down the board hard and you get rocked outta the water so hard....pulling you through whatever flip or spin you can think of. For every action, you get a reaction and as a result, the slack in the line is sweet. I attempted my first 313 which ended in spectacular rag-doll fashion......but thats not the point......the slack in the lines gave me the opportunity to try something I have never tried under my Hybrid before. very happy! Anywho, the conditions were not the greatest for me and unhooking however landing unhooked s-bends and indy glides was a very different and more enjoyable experience on this kite. As far as boosting goes I felt this kite boosted as high as my 11m Hybrid in the same wind, once dailed. Being a C though I guess the float was not as big and you have to use board pop rather than just yanking the bar down (which labels you an immediate kook in my book). The kite flew backwards at times no problems at all when riding the small waves down the line. The kite never folded up when too powered either.

Re-Launch: Most times the kite came down to the edge of the window making relaunching easy by just steering the kite up. When it landed LE down, directly downwind I just swam a tad whilst pulling the middle lines. When on its back I just pulled an outer line and it made its way to the edge of the window and relaunched no probs as before. I never tried reverse relaunch but imagine it would be possible as it is with the Fuels.

Bar: The bar pressure was medium, the way I like it. I hardly had to look up to see where the kite was at any time. I got instant turning when I dialed it in which was breath of fresh air coming from the delay of a bridle (have never liked pulleys). Looping the kite had a constant pull even in the gusty conditions and added predictability. The stopper on the chicken loop worked a treat at most times but it slid up without my input twice which was annoying when spinning the bar out. I have heard other systems have the same issue.

Overall: Felt this kite could really help me progress my freestyle riding, especially when it comes to grabs and passes. Would recommend this kite to anyone wanting to get back to their kiting philosophical roots and are stuck with their present bag-o-tricks.

Wanted to say thanks to Jason at Briskites for trusting me with a brand-new demo kite, never flown.

Peace!

11m in 14knt would be nice but I am sticking with the 12m as I am 85kg an kite in Brisvegas.

One small session on the 12m so far and the main difference I noticed is the refinement in the canopy. They must have tweaked every panel on the 2010 as the canopy is super tight, not a flutter to be seen.

Need more time on it to make a better review though.

I also took my 9m & 12m 2010 torches up to FNQ and was battling to stay upwind in light 14/15 knots on the 12m (weight 82kg). I also took my 9m in gusting 35knots winds in Sydney & even with it fully powered on the cleet, the gusts were no probs.

I have not riden them enough yet to give a fully valid review (plus everyone likes different things), but the feel is very direct, you could fly these babies blindfolded. Unhooking compared to a bridle kite was a treat & as riddim1 said they are just great in loops, constant pull thru the window and then a nice stomped landing everytime

It's the number 1 kite on the PKRA, for me that says it all. it's a full blown wakestyle weapon, if you like your unhooked flips and spins & get a kick out of kite loops then you should prob be riding these kites. They don't have the same bottom end range as a bridled kite, so if you 80kg plus then you should be looking at the 12m.

hope this helps and oh yeah, they look the bomb & are seriously well made

i`m really interested to see if the exploding leading edge syndrome has been fixed . not buying one till next year as my09`s now been fixed and after 3 kites exploding on me i`m sticking with my reinforced one

Just be real careful when looking up the naish website for info. I new the site was something like naish kites or naish kiteboarding.com ,so I put in....

www.naishkiteboarding.com

Does Robby have another side to the company that I wasnt aware of..