Rider: 100kgs - Intermediate/Basic - getting older and slower!
Style: Freeriding, Surf,
Weather: 14-20 knots
Build Quality: 9/10
Satisfaction: 10/10
Disclosure: I like to kite :)
Ok spent the arvo trying a couple of kites - they were:
Lithium 6m, 10m, Vapor X 10m, Ocean Rodeo Rise 9m
All on the estuary on a range of boards from a 138 TT, Skim Board, Choptop, 6'4" Converse.
Started on the Vapor as this is what I am used to apart from my Flysurfers - great kite - flies forward in the window and pretty zippy, dint have the buzz of the Vapor 1 10m though - that was a sweet kite!
Jumped on the Lithium 10 m and it looked way different in the sky and had more pull, what some people call static - and it was pretty good fun, rode it more than the vapor on a bigger variety of boards. Jumped on the 9m Rise - probably the best feeling out of the kites, didnt like the hardness of the bar - or I just have soft hands! It flew really well and I was impressed and torn between the Lithium and the Rise.
Matt pulled out the 6m Lithium and started racing across the estuary - which blew me away - even though he is 25kgs lighter than me! So I hooked in and jumped on the choptop and the thing darted across the sky and started pulling me across the water...
I was blown away to say the least - this tiny kite was dragging my ample weight across the water. I couldnt do huge jumps - not that I tried - but as a kite to pull me onto waves and switch off - then turn on to get around a section - its a hard act to beat!
Im rather torn now between a 6m or 8m lithium or the rise... smaller is definately the way I think - if its too light to fly the 6m on the converse - then chances are I will have the 15m Psycho 4 out for a cruise...
First time I have had the opportunity to test kites back to back like this - and it was a great experience - and I learnt something too - as I thought a few hours ago there was no way in the world a 6m was going to get me going!
I have to agree on the lithium and its insane bottom end.
at 110 kgs i ride the 8m and 6m and they cover me for most of the wind conditions i ride in ( i have the 13m LW for super light and desperate days) I have not tried the 6m in sub 18 knots, but it has no problems dragging me around in 18+, compared that to the 7m Core GT or 6m Nano which were great kites but need to work them for all they are worth at 20 knots.
The lithium's do top out early for their size. The 8m is a real handful once over 25 knots
the rise is such a sick unknown kite ay, i was well impressed by that 9m as well, it has a solid range on it, for me it worked sick at the slider jam on the one day i used it.. it worked quite well unhooked and boosting when it was windy was actually kind of fun.
i didnt quite feel the same about the lithium though, there was just something there that was bugging me and i cant figure it out.
must agree about the rise bar though, that thing is a bit anoying, hopefully they get rid of those curves and make it a bit more slender/ less bulky next year. but any 4 line bar would work, even the airush.
