2012 kite boards top 5

1. Xenon LaLuz
2. North Team
3. Spleene Rip34
4. Cabrinha Custom
5. Slingshot Lunacy

Thats a joke !
The LaLuz is a very nice board - no question - but to put it up as a top level freestyler is worse than kites claiming upwind below 6 kts.
It is definitely NOT a top freestyle board. Not even close. Its not even trying to be.
Freeride - yep - its up there close to a few other great boards; very cruzy, performs well, pops nicely etc.; but not even in the same class as a serious freestyler.
Keep it Real.

The flexifoil Hadlow pro looks the best to me. I use Colin's last custom which is the same board as that and it is by far the best shape on the market

Marvin, Why do you feel the need to Pimp Xenon on every forum post...
Gettin Lame...

Top Boards: (In any order)

BRUNOTTI YOURI PRO , NOBILE 50FIFTY; NORTH TEAM, HADLOW PRO, WOODYFISH (JL) (He still makes a few every year if you can get a hold of them... Leander Vyvey Pro)

The Nobile NHP also holds its rank in the list above if you are looking for a board you can ride in most water conditions and value smooth landings)

haha you telling me to keep it real. get a grip buddy, do you even ride freestyle??
its always funny to get opinions from people that dont even ride a certain style they claim opinions on.
The difference between you and me is that i actually do what i post on here so my opinion is based on experience.

In regards to the 6knts kite going upwind- we had hundreds of people witnessing the upwind ride in 5-10knts on weekend during the nationals 1st race.

i reckon you should keep it real mr woodys and stop hating!

BTW
Woodies will not be stocking the Xenon Boards anymore, our new Xenon Dealer for WA is WA Surf in Safety Bay and we will announce another Perth bound dealer soon.
If anybody is keen to testride the Freestyle boards laluz or infra Sci Anderson and a heap of other friendly people are in Woodmans point and other WA beaches..

Peace*

1. Carved Tantrum custom is sick!!

I have ridden all these boards except the spleen and i would honestly have to say the Tempo board is definately #1 against all of these in my eye's. 99% of guys who have ridden my board go nuts over it!
I make an effort to ride everthing i can get my hands on and the Tempo still amazes me :)

You dont have to ride freestyle to know what makes a freestyle board.
I know lots of people who can pick a good football player from a bad one but couldnt kick a ball for sh1t. etc etc



Old news Marvin. They have been on sellout clearance for a month now. Our choice.
They just dont shape up to the value & performance of our other great brands - sorry but thats for real.



Where the hell does that come from! No hate here - ever for anyone.
And no-one will ever (accurately) accuse me of being anything but 'real'.

I was politely pointing out to those who may not know its your brand that if they want a 'freestyle' board they should ignore outrageously inaccurate pimping like that.
Im quite sure there is not one other kiter in the world that would rate the LaLuz as a serious freestyler. (other than Xenon riders and friends of)
Any serious' freestyle' board is not a super comfy all round 'freeride' board. Freestylers pay the price of comfort for the performance they demand. (IMHO)

Seems there are already a few other indy riders posting here that my inexperienced 'guess' was pretty spot on. Guess I just got lucky?

I gave it full credit for what it is - a very nice freeride board.
And that must be an expert call cos thats what I do. ha ha


Peace* Always - no problem with that.

Custom vs tempo vs 50fifty?

Intermmediate, 78kg, 6'3" riding straps and working on basic unhooked and general freeriding, mainly in chop but some flatwater. Currently riding a 2010 136 custom but wondering if the tempo or 50fifty would give similar benefits of a bit of rocker but be a bit less power-hungry. As a tall skinny guy I like a longish but not too wide board.

All thoughts from those who've actually ridden these would be appreciated.


P.S. If anyone recommends the laluz in response to my question I will unleash the biggest can of cyber-woop you ever saw. [}:)]

yeah tha xenon stuff really doesnt suit freestyle, its got a pretty random outline and the flex is far too soft. great looking freeride but not freestyle.

the 2011 custom has even more rocker but is a lot less power hungry and is a heap better than 2010.

I don't even ride kiteboards (watson hybrid wakeboard) but out of all the boards i tried over the last summer (tempo, most north, most airush, slingy, cabrinha) the Tempo is leaps and bounds ahead of anything and is probably the only kiteboard i would ride, and i want one! just need to save up the coins.

its fast, got good stiffness between the feet so it doesnt bananna flex like the north boards do on hard landings, it's got enough rocker for a kiteboard and has awesome pop.
the cab is nice too but like mentioned is more power hungry and not as fast as the tempo (which is important for flat water), didnt like any slingy boards except the darkside but that's a wakestyle bindings board not freestyle.

the Cardboard tempo would be the pick of the litter for sure, cheaper, faster, stronger, more pop. landings are cushy.

i love the Sincs are my favorite pads/straps. Perfect fit and adjustment.

i know few people that ride the laluz wityh cab sincs.

Ride hard and land Happy buddy

its a lot faster still and way more agressive, more in line with the lunacy's type of riding. you really need to work it to get the benefits and it isnt as forgiving as the tempo. excellent in flats for fast agressive riding but if you're just getting into unhooking or are not working on mega tech stuff the tempo would be better suited as it's a bit easier to ride and is a lot more forgiving in regards to sloppy technique and especially not landing 100% on track etc.

Thanks Charl,

Does anyone know how the Underground Crypt performs in comparison to these others? This board looks sick!

I own a Shinn Monk and I'm stoked in the all round performance of this board.
Its not Hard core Freestyle, but I have had a couple of sessions on the Shinn 'The Player' down at "the Cut"
WOW.....explosive Performance, Fast and furious

Worth a mention

Thanks Guys...

all great insight and info.....
I ride a Cardboard Temp and my wife does as well.
from the forum i have decided not to change, Cardboard (Dan) has been exceptional in his service and delivery of top boards....so Dan i'll be in contact soon for a new board!!

thanks