new switchblade 12m or 10m

If you want something faster than the 09 12... You'll have to take the 2010 10m...
The turning speed of the new kites isn't that much faster, but the low end is much better... The '10 Sb 10m still won't have as much power as last years 12m - but it will get you riding 1-2knots earlier than the '09 10m...

Making sense? Choose the 10m...

Smedg's got a good point here... If you want grunt - the 12 is obviously going to be better...

There's always going to be a compromise if you want grunt and turning speed - Unless you choose a delta kite like the Core GT, Bandit Dos etc..

I prefer a small kite that I can work for power and ride with a flatter-faster board, many others prefer a big kite they can really hang off and manage the power with hard edging...

Had my first session on the 2010 switchblade 12m the other day at Magnetic Island, in winds I'd consider the lower third of its range - 16-18kn averages on the AIMS outside wind meter, 13-15kn close to the shore, with plenty of holes in the wind flow.

Riding a 135x40cm TT and using the rear "lighter" bridle settings, I'm 77kg, and coming from a background of C-kites (wipika matrix 11m/13.5m) and then switchblades, sb2 12m/8m, sb3 12m/8m, and recently Nomad 11m.

First impressions - the build and fittings are of the highest quality. The kite looks higher aspect than the sb3, and the outer 2 struts have been moved closer to the wingtip, giving a large clean area through the middle of the canopy. The kite still has that legendary low-end grunt, both in terms of pull at low speeds, and pull in the lower end of its wind range. The upwind ability was awesome, which would also suggest the higher aspect tweaking. I was rocketing upwind, nicely powered, in 15-16knots. The stability of the kite is also still there - a few small jumps, hooked in spins and aerial transitions, and with your hands in the middle of the bar, the kite hardly moved in the window.

I wouldn't say the turning speed was significantly faster than previous models in these winds, maybe 5-10%. Anyhow, the critical test for this kite is not how it turns in the low end, but how it turns in the upper end of the wind range. The older model 12m was great in that you could hold them well into the low 20's, with insane boost - but the turning was poor once more than half the depower was pulled on. Will have to wait for some more wind to report on that.....but in any case, fast powered turning is not what the switch is designed for - they have the Nomad to fill that niche now. This kite is all about stability and power.

The bar and control system is very comfortable, and the relaunch was effortless, as with previous models.

I realise this is all very preliminary opinions based on only one session, but I know a lot of people have been using the switch 12m as their main sub-20knot kite, and would probably be looking at upgrading to the 2010 model, so I figured the info may be useful.

I'm very happy with the kite so far, and I might add, that it really fits well with the Nomad 11m as a quiver to cover everything from 13 to near 30 knots for freeride, freestyle and waves. They are pretty different kites, and I doubt I'll be on the switch 12m if the wind is above 20knots, as the Nomad is just so exciting to ride in those winds, as it rides very fast and is so sweet to turn. If we had more perfect conditions here, with smoother water and bigger waves when the wind is light, then I'd be tempted to go for the 13m Nomad instead of the switch 12m, as I lean a little more toward freeriding and waves. But, our wind-chop waves are only good when the wind is in excess of 20 knots, so the switch 12m fits the bill perfectly for mucking around in chop in 15-18knots on a twin tip, where you really want low end power, stability, upwind ability, and quick relaunch.

If you are a dedicated wakestyle rider, then you might want to go for a 9m switch as the smaller kite, and if you ride somewhere with good flatwater and waves at all windspeeds and freestyle and waveriding are your thing, then a quiver of Nomads might be the go.

Thanks to Marvin from In the Loop Townsville for great service in getting the kite to me promptly.

Andy.

I have 13, 10 and 7 Crossbows. The 10 is the sweetest size by far with great handling and range .... but! Since I got them I have put 15 hours on the 13, about 7 hours on the 10 and 5 hours on the 7.

If you have stronger winds get the 10. If you ride a fair bit in lighter to strong winds get the 12.

Tonk007,
The 2010 SB I find to be a bit more grunty than the 2009 SB of the same size, and turn a little slower. The 2010 feel a lot more rock solid and stable than the 2009. If you are looking for a faster kite out of the 10 and 12m then go for the 10m. The 2009 SBs in my opinion had the edge for hooked in surfing as they drift back nicely if and when you chased the kite. In the right hands I feel that the 10 and 12m should boost similar. The 12m will have a tad more hangtime.
As you tend to do more wave riding this in my opinion is big reason to choose the 10 over the 12m.