Can anyone tell me how the FX does upwind? , and how well does it handle gusty conditions?
I love my 8m and 10m Switchblade, but the 12m I am not so crazy about, and yes its a 2016, still too slow for me.
So I am thinking of switching to a FX in the 12m size. In the ads for the FX they have conflicting ratings for the upwind performance. One chart shows it about 4 clicks down from good and the other only one. Any thoughts on the FX would be great..
good upwind but not as good as the Switchblade, maybe id go for the 14m fx as it has less low end. You will be surprised how fast is the 14m for a kite that size
I think a 12m FX would be a little close to your 10m SB. The 14m FX would be a great choice, fast turning and lighter bar pressure than the SB. Have you considered the 13m Contra? Spectacular kite. Better launching than the SB and FX ,Faster turning than the SB and more lowend power than a 14m SB and FX in the low to med wind range. Does not have the top end of the SB or FX but by then you'd be on the 10m SB. The Contra is great with a surfboard,TT and even works with a foil.
I'm surprised nobody has asked yet what kind of riding style you have. I have the 14m and 10m FX kites and I've had switchblades, drifters and contras in the past. The 14m FX would be an excellent replacement for a 12m Switchblade if you're looking for something a little more sporty. Top end should be about the same, I think upwind feels about the same too but to be fair I haven't done a back to back comparison. You might actually gain a little more bottom end over the 12 switchblade as well. The 14m FX might be a touch faster than the 12m Switchblade and will have a tighter turn circle which is really fun for kiteloop and downloop transitions. FX has a little less hang time but I think it can actually send you higher and quicker than the switchblade. Overhead loops on the FX are easy and make for nice soft landings
Oh yeah, the FX has a little less bar pressure than the switchblade too but still feels nice and direct.
Here's one of my favorite 14m FX sessions from last year.
I ride 8fx, 10 SB, 12FX AND 14sb........All i can say about the 12 fx is that i want to get rid of it and get a 12 SB. Bar pressure way to light.......no grunt at all! I hate it. Give me back my Switches any day!!!!!! Ill sway you my 2016 12M FX (wildcard colours)
FOR YOUR 2016 12M switchblade ........Hows that?????
If grunt is your thing then the Switchblade is your kite hands down. Fx is about lighter bar pressure and a kite that wants to be moved more to generate power. The 12m Switchblade may have better low end but it is not fun to fly underpowered IMO. I had a 12m Vector and even though it supposedly did not have the low end of the SB , it was much more fun to whip around when underpowered.
I ride 12SB and 10FX. I like the power of the SB for lighter winds. I swapped my 9m SB for the FX 10m which I find more fun to fly in stronger wind than the SB.
FX are less powerfull and have less hang time but allow you to do kiteloops and they feel alot lighter on the bar. I like the mix of FX for smaller sizes and SB for the bigger sizes.
The problem with the SB is that they are so powerfull that you often end up overpowered with them and then they are rideable but the fun factor goes down because they become such a heavy pull and they yank you around way to much on certain moves.
I kind of wonder how the fx guy from Cabrinha gets such big lofty jumps with the FX kites, I bet he is pretty light (I am 190lbs...)