North Rebel 2018

[sabraxas]

TL;DR: It's a Rebel. Don't judge it till you try it...

Dan, thanks for your explanation.
First, I dont know who you are, but you are talknig in the name of North brand.
¿Who are you? or ¿What functions do you develope at North?
¿Who is Ken?

Thanks.

[PullStrings]

On a side note – please don't take anything @pullstrings says seriously. His responses are aimed to derail conversations, no substance in them. Not sure why he keeps doing it...

Enthusiasm ..got nearly 1000 hours on Rebels....you ?

[Faxie]

TL;DR: It's a Rebel. Don't judge it till you try it...

Dan, thanks for your explanation.
First, I dont know who you are, but you are talknig in the name of North brand.
¿Who are you? or ¿What functions do you develope at North?
¿Who is Ken?

Thanks.

Ken Winner. He designs the Rebel.

[sabraxas]

Ken Winner, designer of the Rebel.
Thanks.
¿And Dan?

[Jollydriver]

Dan-at-North's profile lists him as NKB North American Sales Rep and as NKB Rep, West Coast/Canada/Baja.

He's been active on the forum for over 7-years, and in general he comes across as a person who definitely supports his brand, but I don't recall him ever stooping to bashing other brands or wading into forum food fights. In general he comes across as brand biased (duh...he works for North) straight shooter and I also recall a few posts where he has helped resolve North warranty/replacement issues.

JD

[sarc]

TL;DR: It's a Rebel. Don't judge it till you try it...

Dan, thanks for your explanation.
First, I dont know who you are, but you are talknig in the name of North brand.
¿Who are you? or ¿What functions do you develope at North?
¿Who is Ken?

Thanks.

Dan is THE MAN... always available to help with info or, in my case, obscure parts. Always with a smile. (ps Dan thanks for the lazy pump tubes - got me out of a tight spot!)

[Dan-at-Duotone]

Sounds about right. My position may be somewhat different (probably should update my profile) but I still work for North Kiteboarding in North America. For the record, posting on forums was never in my job description. I just saw a lot of misinformation and unanswered questions here so I took up posting as a bit of a public service. Obviously you're not going to see me giving negative reviews about our gear, but neither do I just regurgitate the marketing buzz passed down from above. I'm just on here as a kiter who is in a position to maybe give a little extra help/insight to other kiters.

Sarc, thanks for the shout-out and glad we were able to sort that out for you.

-Dan

[Kitemanmuc]

Lol...ok, have you tried both? I have.

LOL...No, you have not.
Or you are just a newbie pretending experience. Or you do not the hand to feel the diference

I began kiteboarding in 2005.
I still do own 5 North Rhinos, 2004 (4 lines), 2005, 2006 (5th line) , 2008 (4 lines or Passive 5th line flying).
I own 2 Rebels 2011-2014 (active 5th line) and 1 Fuse 2012 (exactly the same Rebel kite, but with bridle and 4 lines bar).
I own 1 Vegas 2016 (5th line)

So, i perfectly know the difference between 4 an 5 lines North kites and how does it fell.

Yes..I have. Have you? Yes you can feel a difference, but its EXTREMELY minimal. I rode Rebels over Evos because I didn't like the vague 4 line feeling of the Evo. I like knowing exactly where the kite is in the air. I thought i was going to hate the 2018 Rebel for exactly that reason, but i don't, it surprised me and every one else at the meeting. Thank you for listing your kite collection though.

[lindseym]

I just saw a lot of misinformation and unanswered questions here so I took up posting as a bit of a public service.

Thanks for the info Dan. As a former team rider at Best I am on the hunt for a new boosting machine and reading your post has provided alot of clarity. One thing that I am curious about is the bar pressure. I've had wrist and elbow tendentious issues in the past and can feel it when I'm on kites with a heavier pressure - especially after long sessions. I know in the past the Rebel had a bit more pressure and a more direct feel but the last one I flew was the 2015 model and that was a bit too heavy for me. How does the new Rebel compare with regard to bar pressure ? Much appreciated.

[Dan-at-Duotone]

lindeym-

Definitely lighter bar pressure. Just back-to-backed with a Neo and the Rebel is a good bit lighter on the bar.

-Dan