North Rebel 2018

[sarc]

Tested Rebel 2017 9m back-to-back Rebel 2018 7m (on 4 lines). My impressions on 2018 are: more forgiving and better turning, less tendency to backstall, not as excellent depower. I felt less hunting of the window edge compared to 2017, so easier/more comfortable to use.
It was very gusty and I chickened out of kitelooping the 9m, but the 7m was very easy to loop. Not much of a pull, as expected of a Rebel. Very very slight lag on turns due to pulleys is nearly the same as the usual lag of earlier Rebels - I got used to it in 3 minutes and had no problem adjusting my timing for jumps etc.

The 2018 looks very Rebel-like in the air but flies more like a fac-simile of earlier Rebels. It provides similar performance but in slightly different way / different feeling. It fills the same marketing nice as earlier Rebels. It's another great 4-line Kite. Is it a good or bad thing? Dunno. Cheers and good winds to everyone!

[lindseym]

I had a chance this weekend to ride the 14m Rebel and the 12m Rebel (both 2018) in about 14 to 16kts. I liked the 14 but I LOVED the 12m. Yes, I am sure that the Rebel can hold down a bunch of power (Toby knows this) but the low end of these kites is insane. I agree with everything mentioned above - it definitely felt forgiving and in some of the more advanced hooked-in tricks it seemed to carry me through with a consistent pull. All said, I have limited experience on previous year Rebels so cannot speak to how it compares. However, my overall impression of the 2018 is that its one of the best-boosting kites I have used in lighter conditions...probably excel in super powered conditions too but will report on this hopefully soon.

Sidebar - I spoke to a guy on the beach who is a die-hard Rebel fan and specifically indicated that "nothing will ever compare to the 2012" but he seemed to like this year's model alot. I'm going to try it more and will report but for now I'd say that this is perfect for anyone looking to go big and minimize their quiver.

[Gueroo]

Im surprised alot of people are upset about the loaded 5th coming off, but its completely compatible with the 5th line bar that all the rebel lovers have. If it preforms similar or just as good i dont see the issue!
I would be more upset that in 2018 all bars are sold without a chicken loop and leash!! How useless!!!!!

[sabraxas]

Im surprised alot of people are upset about the loaded 5th coming off, but its completely compatible with the 5th line bar that all the rebel lovers have.

2018 Rebel is compatible but not loaded 5th.
There is a small sensitiviness in people that comes flying Rebels for a decade that is not easy to explain in commanding the kite. Loaded 5th line has special feeling and i love it.

Is Rebel 2018 a great kite?
Sure. But after all these years i still want my loaded 5th line. Thanks North, durability in their kites is not a problem.

[lindseym]

Quick sesh on the 2018 Rebel a few days ago. 14m in about 14/15 kts...a little light but alot of fun. Here's a quick video https://vimeo.com/238280148 of a few tricks during the sesh.

[NYKiter]

Yup...the 2011 was the sh*ts

[fat blokes can fly]

I heard a rumour the 2018 Rebel is more than similar to the Ozone Edge V9 when directly compared.

Can anyone post up a comparison pic?

[pikovsg]

Flew the Rebel yesterday in Boston.

Pro: Faster than 2016, definitely jumps higher. 9 and 12m just a bit faster. 7m significantly faster. The 9 and 12 are also more stable than 2016/17 in flight and during landing. Fantastic hangtime with pillow plush landings - also better than 2016/17.

Con: That 5 line take-you-by-the-back-of-your-neck-and-throw-you-up feeling is still there, but just a taaaaad less. Maybe the same... Not enough to make it solidly noticeable. It's replaced by a more agile, more solid, better boosting kite. I loved the 2016 9m Rebel, but after flying the new ones sold all 2016 rebels and switched to 2018.

The only real bad thing is with the 7m. The 7 does not give plush landings anymore for some reason - it's faster, boosts huge, but drops you out of the sky on boosts over 35ft. You most certainly need to loop the 7m if boosting over 40. Scary to boost big on the 7m for me right now, hopefully I'll get used to it - coming back to the twintip after year of just foiling.

For those missing the 5 line kite - I was one of you a few weeks ago. The Rebel feel is still totally there. It's better. They didn't turn it into the Switchblade, that's what I was afraid of. North did a great job - credit given where it's due.
If I nitpick, the 7m landing is a bit messed up. But it may be a matter of getting used to new timings and moving the smaller kite back and forth when landing.

Curious to the thoughts of the people that got a chance to ride and compare years.

[lindseym]

I heard a rumour the 2018 Rebel is more than similar to the Ozone Edge V9 when directly compared.

Can anyone post up a comparison pic?

Sorry - no picks but I flew the new Edge back to back with the 2018 Rebel and I found the Edge to be a bit too one demential for my taste. If you are into boosting and only boosting then the Edge is perfect. But I like to do alot of surface looping tricks and the Rebel was much better for this kind of stuff...it was more nimble and forgiving. With the Edge I really had to concentrate on dumping the power at the right time but the Rebel just kept an even power distribution through the entire trick. That said, I do think that it probably is possible to get some higher woo stats on the Edge once you get it dialed in but this really goes back to the skill of the rider.

[fat blokes can fly]

Good comparison.
Thanks