I haven't tried the bigger ones but it looks as if you can do freestyle on them: https://www.facebook.com/SwitchKites/vi ... 545877573/
Great review, any updates on this lovethepirk? Did you solve the lean issue, how about TT riding? Thanks!lovethepirk wrote: ↑Sun Oct 21, 2018 1:13 amI just got my Switch Helium V3 16m last week and rode it for the first time tonight on the race hydrofoil(580sq cm front wing) in 8-11mph wind. I'm 210lbs and my hydro doesn't get going until you have forward speed, period. Once up it's game on thou! A few experienced hydro guys even have trouble with my foil. I'm also coming from a 17m Contra that is flying really poorly. I also have a 16m NRG which is just terrible in the low end so I don't hydro with it often. It is such a higher aspect kite it stalls immediately after the first downstroke.
Noticeable kite things....weight vs the 17m Contra seems about the same...close enough I'm not even going to measure it. And the kite floated just fine in the light winds. Weight and float in those light winds is not an issue. The middle strut seems like it may be a much smaller in diameter. The leading edge is smaller in diameter. I always thought the Contra's diameter on the LE was a little too large.
The wind was dead onshore and that makes for a bitch of a time getting off the beach because you basically are paddling with your feet hard enough to exhaust yourself to keep the kite up. I did not have to once loop the kite to keep it alive although once I though I should have and I risked it and it still found wind and rose upwards, whew. I got about 60-80m off the beach and FULLY expected to fail getting going, but holy fkin shit the 16m is much faster than my old 17m Contra. What I need when foiling is I need my 1st downstroke to get me upright and then I need a powerful upstroke to keep me up and tension the lines and the 2nd downstroke is critical. This kite seriously did exactly what I am looking for, it got me upright enough where I could swing the kite all the way to the other side of the window and it happened so fast I was not under the kite and the center lines were tight where my next downstroke yanked me nicely and I was foiling lit up immediately in 10 mph. Stoked!
Bar pressure may be about the same, I cannot pin point why the bar pressure feels different than the contra but it feels different, but not heavier or lighter. weird
Jumping...I love to boost on the hydro...even though it was light I can get going 22mph in those winds on the hydro and can get decent air. I think the Contra is a little larger jumper and floatier, but not sure yet. That's just my first assumption.
Upwind...much better on the Switch kite. I rode some nice angles and she didn't wan't to stall out nor did she even have the hint of stalling out when I was waterstarting which is what my concern was. My NRG is almost unfoilable in light winds because the kite is so slow and stally in those winds and water starting angles you have to put the kite in.
I'm really happy with this kite...I bought a cheap Pansh 15m Apollo 2 foil kite and that thing is just too slow to foil in 10mph winds. It pulls me out of the water then takes 3 full seconds to get the kite back up...I dislike that kite...except I love boosting on it with a TT in 18knots lmfao, fking huge air.
The bad....I think the kite has enough of a lean to the left that I'm going to have to send it back. My right shoulder is sore from holding her up going left foot forward. I'm going to ride it again in a little better wind and then I'm also going to flip my bar lines and attach them all in reverse so as to make damn sure it is not my bar and is the kite. I could clearly tell the kite wanted to dive into the water tacking left foot forward. I also did some nice jumps and 2 times when I jumped going right foot forward the fkin kite was way behind me after the send and dangerously so. Without experience it could have hurt, but I redirected hard as f*** and the kite was fast enough to save me. I checked all my bar lines 5 days ago, they are dead nuts perfect. Anyway...I'll report back, but she is a sweet riding kite for light wind foiling and I am stoked about her, but I think she may be a bit defective.
Overall, if you need a foiling kite for that wicked low end, this kite is killer...I will responds back to some TT riding with it and downloops and such. I'm a fan.
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