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I have never ridden a C kite, except for about a minute on an Ozone C4. So I ride Switchblades and try to do as much unhooked freestyle as I can. I can land the occasional backmobe, but other than that it is front to blinds, railey to blind, flat 3...stuff like that.

I would say that I spend as much time as I can unhooking, so that is really my thing. I kite in places with usually very light winds, so I thought that Switchblades with their low end would be good.

People always tell me that the Switchblade pulls too much for unhooked tricks, and I must say that I find the bar getting pulled out of my hand a lot...but I have always put this down as my lack of good technique.

I tried an Ozone C4 for about a minute in very light wind last week. When I unhooked and went for a backmobe, it was sooooo easy. It felt as though the bar didnt pull at all during the trick and was just waiting for me as I landed. I didnt get a chance to try it any more.

So do you think that it was luck, or will I really get so much more slack to pass the bar using a C kite like everyone keeps telling me?

I have been looking at the Razor and the Best GP. Am I really going to see a lot of benifit with these over my Switchblade for progression with handle passes?

Thank you!

Yes, you'll find the C kite much better for passes.

This is especially the case for airpasses, as the slack does make it a lot easier. For surface passes, the difference isn't so great, as you're generally slacking the kite by riding toward it somewhat.
In both cases its important to have a kite which has very good feedback via the bar, so you know what its up to when you're not looking at it.

C's aren't without their own issues though, they're generally a bit more difficult to relaunch, have a narrower windrange, and the pop is much more explosive - you go up fast and come down fast, rather than being pulled all the time (this is both an advantage and a disadvantage)

Generally bridled/slashed wingtip C's are a little less like a true C than their direct connected, square tipped counterparts, and offer more of a blend of both worlds.
If you're going to go for a C, I'd suggest trying a few, as they do feel considerably different.

If you want to stick with Cab, try the chaos- its sweet. I was having exactly the same experience as you on the switchblade, but the chaos has slack galore. Also perfect for megaloops and any other type of riding you want to throw at it. So much easier to do passes-especially in less than ideal conditions.

Yes, you sacrifice a little lowend, but I find I can ride in the same conditions just by working the kite a little more and building some apparent wind. 13M is SO much faster than the 2011 switchblade and is super light in the bar. Loops and jumps much better too I think. Haven't ridden the 2013 switchblade though, so this comparo might be out of date given what ive read about the new switchblade. Relaunch is fine as long as it's not ridiculously light wind.

PM me if you want more info. Good luck.