Rider: Level intermediate 65kgs
Style: Freeriding and Freestyle
Weather: 15-20 knots onshore in small waves
Build Quality: 8.5/10
Satisfaction: 9/10
Disclosure: not affiliated with switch
My Comments: Firstly the kite build quality looks pretty solid. Graphics are sweet(i got the black one) One thing i noticed straight away was that the struts and leading edge were thinner than that of my previous kite(9m Core gt) and other kites i have used. I'm lead to believe this is because it is a high aspect kite. It is one pump with a screw cap valve that is huge so its inflates really quickly and deflates in seconds.
In the air the kite performed really well, it was fast turning but but not twitchy and you always knew where the kite was. The turning was smooth as was the power delivery not on and off. Bar pressure was a little higher than other kites i've flown similar to the GT but nothing to worry about. Bar throw was quite short which i liked but im told you can adjust the throw by moving the clam cleat up the centre lines if you want more depower. The depower/power system is a clam cleat and is effortless to depower.
Unfortunately i dropped the kite in waves on its first run but this gave me a chance to test the relaunch which was great and the kite was in the air before the next wave rolled in.
Jumping was great and i suspect with a little more wind(20knots+) , the nitro will be boosting machine. Lofty jumps with smooth landings. Upwind ability was good as it flys forward in the window. Kite was also stable during tricks and you could feel where it was at all times.
Its always a risk buying from a relatively new company especially as there wasn't a lot of talk about these kites but it definitely paid off and I'm very impressed with the nitro!
Cheers
cool. sounds awesome. been waiting for someone to review these kites. retailers are ****ting their pants. my only issue would be trying to sell them at the end of the season
And the word is getting out that they are quality kites... I have a 12 and 7 method and am super pleased w/ them... resale should not be a problem....
I tried to look at buying a 12 nitro to replace the Rebel, but they were sold out. What size kite did you get? I assume you got a 9 to replace your core, which means I won't be able to get a true reading on the kite I want to eventually replace. Never the less, I want to try it.....now!
Rider Level: 80kg, just into unhooking, ralleys and backloop kiteloop stuff.
Style: Freeriding and Freestyle
Weather: 15-25 knots, flat - small chop
Build Quality: didn't really inspect build quality
Satisfaction: 6/10
Disclosure: no brand affiliation; currently ride RPM's 8m & 10m
Tried the Switch Nitro 10m briefly back to back with my RPM 10. Can't say I liked it at all. I know it's not exactly an apples to apples comparison as the RPM is more angled towards freestyle unhooked stuff and the Nitro is angled towards the free ride/race and boosting stuff but.... the main thing I didn't like with the Nitro was the jerky on off power. It felt a powerful kite with something akin to the powerband on a 2-stroke motocross bike. Pull the bar in just a bit more and whammo. Bar pressure seemed oddly both heavy and light depending on where the kite sat in the window. With the kite low to the water there is fair bar pressure and you have to pull the thing back up and then when between 11 and 1 it is quite light and the kite wants to dive one way or tother so you have to be careful with the bar on some manoeuvres. I only did some popped loops and loop transitions etc but had trouble keeping the kite where I wanted. With only a short go on it I didn't feel comfortable unhooking on it. I didn't trust myself and kite not to get jerked off my feet and send the kite resulting in an alarming high dangle in the shallow water (I've scared myself enough with that when learning rallyes) . Such is the power when you do boost it. And it's very floaty coming down from boosts too. Lot's of hang time. So I guess it delivers on its target of boosting big and race/speed/freeride. It would be nice if they smoothed out the power delivery though. Interestingly, I spoke to a guy who tried the Nitro too. He's good (fully inverted handle passes etc) and he said the same kind of thing. In fact his words, "switch is a good name for that kite. The power switches on and off." I guess if you want the unhooked stability and power delivery then you'd have to step up to the Switch Combat. But given they say, "The Combat kite is not for the faint-hearted", it seems a big step for mere mortals.
Anyway, just my humble opinion that I've written here because it's the kind of thing I'd like to read before shelling out if I didn't have the opportunity to try one first. Don't flame me. Thanks.
no flame here edhead, that was well written and concise. Its good to hear opinions from different style and level of riders for a particular kite to find its strengths and weaknesses. Knowing MarcBt and how high he likes to send his kite, the whole jumping freestyle floating back down to earth thing sounds right up his alley. (mine too but have not reached those stratospheres yet) Look forward to trying it out to see what you mean about the power on and off issue with the bar.
thanks for chiming in
I have had my nitros 8 10 and 14 metre kites now for about 4 months now, iI dont know where this guy is comming from. The nitro has a very smooth delivery of power,great boosting ability and awesome hangtime. Build quality is equal to or better than most kites on the market today.They have a huge wind range. My 14 i ride from 11 to 22knots comfortably. At 22 knots the jumps are huge and hang time superb even when i land on the beach accidently i land on my feet softly!The 10 is my favorite fast and smooth same great boost and hang time.As for the price,what can i say best bang for your buck for a country mile that no kite company can match yet. When they do i will change. I am not affilated to switch and just your common kiter that loves to kite on great products while still having money in my pocket.Test one for yourself
I've had a couple of sessions swapping between RPMs and a friend's Nitro and they are very different kites especially in the way they handle gusts. As a big RPM fan, I found the Combat more to my taste. It is a bit more high performance than the RPM and a bit less forgiving but not hugely so.
Any more crew tried the Nitro??
Keen to hear more +'s and -'s of this kite.
Cant demo one so can only go by interweb reveiws.
They have been out awhile now,,,,surely more people have flowen them??
PM me if you dont like posting. Keen to find out more. Especially turning speed and bar pressure. Im fly ozone cats,,,so Im use to fast turning and light bar so bit worried that turning speed/bar pressure,, might be too slow/heavy to what Im use to.
Or not a massive difference?? Or will get use too it after a few hours???
Still want to be able to ride waves but want more lift/boost for jumping on the way out , that the ozone cat's lack a bit of.
The eternal seach for the perfect all rounder continues.
Maybe if the Aussie switch distributors are confident in their product,
they will send a demo up this way for us locals to try???Will pay for postage.
One Demo kite might mean 5 or 6 bought.
lotofwind,
I struggled with the same decision for a long time. I did not get to demo the Reo but did ride the Nitro and the BWS Noise.
I picked the Noise. I think it ticks all your boxes and you should be able to demo it. If not there is a 30day guarantee.
There are definitely a lot of good kites and everyone seems to have their own idea of the perfect kite. Demo the Noise. I would not buy any kite (learned my lesson) without riding first or having a 30day guarantee like BWS or Best. There were a lot of things I liked about the Nitro too but for me the Noise was a better choice.
Good luck.
Tony
Hey kiter63,
thanks for your input.
We are all different in what we like,so hard to know what each person enjoys out of their gear,
but
am interested in what you liked and dislikes with the nitro 10m, compared to the noise that made you choose it over the nitro.
Thanks.
Good to get info off crew that are nornal kiters, not pimping crew.
lotofwind,
I rode the Nitro 10m for 3-4hrs powered up flat water. No idea on the low end performance or light wind relaunch.
It was very smooth, screams upwind, great boost and float. Good feel for where the kite was. Top notch construction. Bar pressure for me was very high.
I rode the Noise 10m powered up flat water for a couple hours and then again for about 1-1/2hrs in sine dying winds ... gotta sine the kite like crazy or sink downwinder. Great boost, upwind and float. Great downwind. Low end performance was great. Light wind relaunch not an issue. Lighter bar pressure and not as great a feel for where the kite is but you learn.
I wanted an all-around kite that I could push the wave riding with a bit more but still have fun in the flat water. I did not ride these back to back so can't nit pick all the aspects but I picked the Noise for these reasons:
- Noise is a better wave kite, no question, which makes it a better all-around kite
- Bar pressure was too much on the Nitro and perfect on the noise
Hope that helps
Tony
I spent a little bit of time on the 10 yesterday, conditions were ranging from13 knots up to 16 steadish, odd gust in low to mid 20's. I weight 82 kilos and was on a 141 underground.
This kite does everything advertised. I certainly didn't have enough time to really sink myself into the subtleties of the kite, but it behaved well. My only complain is relaunch. When the wind was on the lower end (being the only time I dropped it) took me ages to get it back flying. Tried several tricks, but there wasn't much joy. Unless I am missing something here, (highly likely) I would not want to drop this kite in the surf.
For what its worth, I am currently riding 7 and 9 meter rev2's and 12 mt north rebel.
Hey dafish the only Nitro I have is the big one, the N16R and I have only had it a week, I put the kite on the water once just to try the relaunch, it wasn't instant but did relaunch in only about 10-12 knots, using this technique.
What a f around,depower grab both lines wait for it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!,by the time you did all that in the surf you'd of got smashed ,and prob wrapped the bar as well.
Its a light wind relaunch.
In wind that light you would be flat out getting up and riding,
let alone trying to ride waves.
Trying to kite in wind that low is a f.... around.
Ya, I pretty much did all that except I did not depower the kite at all. I was far enough out too where I could not touch bottom and having yourself planted would make it easier. I would hope that it would shoot up quicker, but I am only wishing that based on my experience with the kites that I fly right now.
That said, I liked the kite and it does just what it says....also, there are no tuning options, not sure if that's a good thing either as most of us like to fiddle around and try new things.
