Torn on what to buy

[MikeBirt]

We have had a really good year on the Union's
I used to use a lot of different kites from the airush range in our demo quiver - Wave, Razor and VX, but find myself using the Union pretty much all the time. I thought the razor was jumping higher but Woo tells me otherwise, and the handling on a wave, and for that matter on a foil is exemplary. You can get more out of specific kites but there is no doubt in my mind that if options were limited the Union is the one kite to have the most fun on through all the different riding I do.

The 12 pushes out 10 meters in height on flat water with a woo regularly, and is very athletic around the window. the 9 and smaller are really good fun and light in the hands, right down to the 6 which is a exceptional storm kite.

2017 has seen some tweaks. The kite feels a bit more connected with more bar feedback and the canopy tighter and stiffer. Better for hooning around and those who like a really connected locked in feel. Perhaps at the expense of the high depower handling (which is only of any use on a foil really)

Build quality solid. Not heard of a single canopy failure on a Union yet - load frame really doing it's job.

[John-B]

Here are my thoughts on the 2017 Union below lifted from a UK forum - yes I'm a 'team tester' as part of the UK distribution, but I buy my kites and I'm not in the 'industry'. Also with a young family my time on the water is valuable and I want to maximize the fun I have - the Union let me do this. Here is a recent pic of me on the 6m in some 40mph winds - across the sizes they are exceptional at jumping.



Review:
Like previous years and being a UK team tester (crash dummy) for Airush I got my hands on some of the very early 2017 final production Unions and being in Scotland I have managed to score sessions on my 12, 9 and 6m Kites already. The short review – they have taken last years excellent kites and eked out a little bit more from it.

Now if you read online Airush say all they have done is reduce the bridle by 10% in 2017; however my impressions are that the canopy seems much more taught and they all feel a bit more structurally solid. If you read what I said about the 2016 one of the things I first noticed was that in low to medium power if you pushed the depower throw past 80% the canopy would luff, but at medium to high power this would disappear as everything seems to tighten up. On the 2017 9 & 6 this tendency has pretty much gone and it’s much less noticeable on the 12m.

That said I usually try to ride with the stopper pulled in and use edging to ‘depower’ the kite when possible – which the Union responds to brilliantly. I also think it’s worthwhile me saying how I setup my kites as they can be tuned to preference. The first thing I do to all mine is set the bar pressure on the leading edge bridle to low – this prevents any elbow pain which due to gym work I’ve suffered from in the past (Mike laughs at me and thinks I’m a bit of a girl). On the 12/9 the rear lines are set to the outer, fastest point at the wing tips and on the 6m to the middle. All my kites I pump until they can’t be pumped anymore so I imagine around the 9psi mark.

The result of this is that I have the fastest possible kite on the lightest of settings; however the Union still has excellent feedback. I never look at my kite and always know where it is and in fact I’ve become so in tune with the Union that recently (while testing a Woo theory) it took me about 20 minutes to get dialed back into the Razor (the Union jumps better IMO). The thing I love about the Union is the precision of it in that I can make it do what I want with differing input – as I’ve said before if you want to sheet and go then you’ll have a heap of fun. However, if you understand how a kite flies and responds to different input then you can unlock a whole lot more.

Using a combination of the bar throw, edging and adjusting your steering input can give you such a different response from the Union. For example I use the edging and it’s flying speed through the window to get some whip (kite way back overhead to 2 then throw it back up to 12 when airborne) and go for maximum height – throw and hold a stiffy (inverted, board up at lines), then sheet out so the kite goes overhead and you swing under it, but at last moment crank the bar to do a very tight down loop of the kite – land toeside and transition out in style.

The ability to edge and place the Union in the Window is an outstanding feature and for me it means I can (safely) have as big a kite as possible in high winds to try and jump as big as I can. With the 12/9 at high power/wind speeds you can set the kite low low and edge against to put it at the front of the window – then as described before let it rip to go big! My rule of thumb though is if I need to use the trim then I need to size down – although the V3 bridle still gives full steering on max depower at the trim and bar throw. Alternatively I’ve had the 6m out when other guys were on 9m kites (one of those up and down days) and if you let it ‘breathe’ then it shoots upwind and you can hold ground and still have fun – I even managed to pop some decent raleys on it… a 6m!

I suppose in many respects it doesn’t really excel in any one area (not that it’s supposed to) – sure it is very stable and will slack enough for freestyle, but it’s no Razor. I can chuck it about and (pretend) to ride and slash up the onshore, wind-blown mushy waves we get, but it’s no Wave. However, if your style is a bit of everything, riding around fast and having as much fun as you can then the Union is IMO a bloody perfect kite to do this on. Actually, and Mike might argue differently, I think it does excel in one area – boosting. The Union is one of the easiest kites to consistently get good height on in real world conditions (choppy seas and gusty winds). It’s handling, ease of use, speed, efficiency, feedback and precision make it super easy to jump – definitely my kind of kite.

Other things to note this year - the bar is the same quality affair and apart from some colour changes they have reduced the diameter, which is actually more comfortable and apparently better for handle passing! The bag is nice, although I do wonder why we need nice kite bags, but it has enough room for a 6 and 9 packed for a trip (it can fit a 4.5 year old in the 98th percentile height wise), and places to attach a pump and bar so what more do you need

[Stewynew]

+1 for the Union from me too!

I'm not quite as good as decribing kites as the people above but I can honestly say I think this is a great kite.

I agree with all of what John says above and would describe the Union as a BMW M3. It's doesn't have the low end pull that I hear the Pivot has but it does have that element of excitement when flying it. Again, like John describes well, fiddle with the tuning of the kite and it feels a bit like a sports car with great handling.

I'm a huge fan of the 16m, 12m and 9m. The 12m being my favourite, I find it reassuringly confident when trying to learn new tricks (and for a 12m it loops well).

Now I also know I will split opinion here but for me it's the bars Airush make - they feel amazing. I'm my view this is what you feel connected too to the kite, very important for me.

As with any kite, go a try one before you buy one. You wouldn't buy a new car without taking it for a test drive!

[FredBGG]

Never use the word "torn" when it comes to kites or any other textile gear. It's just wrong.

Kind of like never use the expression "Hit the Road" when talking about motorcycles.

All I will add is that i've had many brands of kites. The most reliable have been my Naish kites.
Bought both new and used. I'm still using a first year Bolt 9m and it's my most used kite from the day I bought it.....
I live near the beach and ride all year round. The bolt's never had a leak, flies straight .... only pinholes in the canopy.

[madworld]

https://oceanrodeo.com/kiteboarding/kite/ Ocean Rodeo makes great kites and the best customer service in the industry.

60 days customer satisfaction policy and 1 year warranty.