Hi all,
First things first. I have no affiliation to Zian Kites, I did not receive any favours or materialistic benefits. It is my personal opinion.
Back in December I was in the market for a new kite. The main requirements were good light wind and excellent upwind performance, ability to do some reasonable jumps and quality of build. Surfing the web for hours I stumbled across Zian Kites. There were very few reviews about this brand out there but from what I read, and especially considering the pricing, I decided to get the 9 m Zian Aquila II and 44 cm control bar with 22 m lines.
The sales reps, Gemma and Craig from Zian Kites Australia, were very friendly and helpful and it was a pleasure dealing with them. Thanks again.
In order for you to put the short evaluation in perspective here are some details about my riding skill and persona. I came to the sport about 7 years ago and consider myself an intermediate rider doing jumps and a few tricks. Generally I ride a Cardboards FR twin tip 131x40 in choppy conditions in Secret Harbour, WA. I am 172 cm in height and around 62 kg in weight.
I have now had the pleasure to use the kite and bar for about 15 sessions and I am very impressed. Coming from an old Cabrinha Nomad 2011 I found this kite much more powerful and the control bar more comfortable (lower bar pressure and better reach when sheeted out). A minor drawback are the back line knots protruding into the grip area which can be uncomfortable doing certain manoeuvres.
The low end performance is fantastic. I used this kite in winds as low as 11 kn. Needless to say that it was difficult (due to weight) to hang on in stronger winds. I abandoned a session at 28 kn as I was not in full control anymore. These readings are taken from the anemometer on top of my roof (200 m from water). Don’t know how accurate it is. Although I would think the winds were a bit stronger on the water (+3 to 4 Kn). In hindsight, I should have bought the 8 m Aquila II as the bottom end of the wind range is almost identical to the 9m.
Upwind performance in any wind condition is very good and leaves nothing to be desired. The kite is stable in gusty conditions and does not flutter in turns. There is definitely a big difference in performing jumps. Where the landings on the Nomad were sudden and quite hard, the Aquila II assures a smooth, soft landing. Hang time is considerably better too. The kite loops a bit slow. This might be due to lack of skill 
or possible setup issues.
Not much can be said about the quality of build yet but it seems to be quite good with reinforcements at the right places. Time will tell.
The kite relaunches easily and quickly and self-landing is like a stroll in the park when using a rope. I did one self-landing in light wind without a rope and that was straight forward too. Don’t know how it would be in +20 kn.
The only downside is the location of the dump valve at the tip. I only have ever used kites (Slingshot, Cabrinha) with dump valves located in the center. I find this much more convenient as the kite can be rolled up from both ends making packing up much easier. I guess it is a matter of getting used to but so far I have not mastered it. Also, the kite came without a manual and there was none available online.
I am very happy with the purchase and I do not hesitate to recommend this kite.
