Got a whole day in on the new North Dice 10m. In a SSE 18-22 mph wind this kite was in it's perfect range for my weight (75kg) and style which is strapless surfing... I rode on the Quad 24m lines bar. I was sound side so no real waves. But there was enough small stuff to test the drift and wind to test the jumping capability.
Overall I love this kite and will seriously consider buying it. I'm revamping my quiver after a 5 year run with the 2009 Slingshot Revs. In that 5 year span I have had a good amount of experience on 2011-2012 Cabrinha Switchblades and 2013-2014 Slingshot Rallys. For 3 strut kites I have tried the 2010 Naish Park and the 2013 Switch Element.
This kite was very sensitive to gusts and lulls. At the launch it would buck and ebb with the holes in the wind due to the wind shadow in the slightly offshore conditions. This foreshadowed it's impressive drift capability. As I got further out in clean wind I said "Oh yeh - now we're talking"! On my 5'11" Doc Lausch strapless I loved ripping up some speed and then peeling off downwind on various little waves. This kite is almost invisible when you drive towards it. Bar pressure is medium and virtually non existent when you sheet out. This is in opposition to the Rallys which maintain a more even bar pressure throughout the sheeting range. So yeh great drift...
The "slight delay" I have read about is there on the initiation of the turn. It appears that it is due to the 3-strut design. I really made a point to observe this delay by watching what the kite did when I yanked on it. There is a "bend" between the wing tip and the center of the LE when the line pulls on the wingtip. Since the kite is not as rigid as the Rally, it has a little bit of a "spongy" thing that happens at the turn. But it is a delay that does not matter for me since the kite in the 10m size turns quickly enough.
I experienced none of that deformation that another rider spoke of on the Seabreeze forum when high wind buckled his kite. I rode this kite in it's perfect wind range. There were some strong puffs though and this kite remained a champ.
Session 2 was with my TT and yes this kite can jump. It swoops from low to high with impressive speed and up you go. I would argue that compared to the Rallys this jumps higher but has less hang time. But you do not drop out of the sky. I was let down nicely and quite impressed with it's jumping capability. It's such a light kite in weight and feel that you feel like you can do anything quickly.
I'm not nuts about the North bar. Even though depower is above the bar it can be hard to pull under load... I did not experience the dangle problem with the trim rope. When you depower there is excess line that visually becomes apparent between the bar and the Y. I wish that wasn't there... But the bar is simple and effective and light unlike the SS which is heavier and more substantial. The Rally seems like a Cadillac compared to this Audi turbo of a kite.
I would assume unhooking would be great because of all this weightlessness I'm talking about. But I did not unhook...
Thanks to Dan at North for hooking me up with Brian, Danny and Dane at Ocean Air in Avon. I was thankful to try the only Dice on the East Coast! This kite is a contender!