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Switch to North from Cabrinha Kites ?

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sebastienbolhuis
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Switch to North from Cabrinha Kites ?

Postby sebastienbolhuis » Mon Nov 19, 2018 11:31 am

Hi Guys,

I'm kitesurfing for approximately 2 years now. I've always used my father in law's gear: Cabrinha Switchblades. However, last week I flew with a North Mono (7m) and trust bar and I have to say that I very much liked it. I liked the bar feeling, pressure and liveliness of the Kite. I'm aware that its a fast moving kite due to the 3 strut design and 7m but I have a feeling that it is also part of the North DNA. I liked the faster turning and resposiveness...

Therefore, I'm thinking of making the switch towards North Kites: Evo or Rebel. However, I have a Cabrinha 1X Overdrive (recoil) (24m) bar and I was wondering if it would be compatible with say a North Evo or Rebel (10-12-14m)? I read a lot of stuff regarding the difference in low and high split of the front lines, but I was wondering if someone had real experience with this?

Also wondering if people who made the switch are happy they moved from kite brand or somehow regret it?

Any input is welcome.

Thanks a lot!!!

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Re: Switch to North from Cabrinha Kites ???

Postby kishtsang » Mon Nov 19, 2018 11:44 am

Hi Sebastien,

Please note that the North Mono is a one strut kite, so please be sure that it is indeed the kite you've flown. 3 Strut North models are the Evo (as of 2018, before that it used to be a 5 strut kite), Dice and Neo. I don't know which sizes of the Switchblade you're used to go out with? Big kites turn slower than small kites. Almost all 7m kites are fast, even the 7m Switchblade. If you're looking for faster turning and responsiveness you can perfectly stay with Cabrinha, but look at other kites such as the FX or the new Moto.

If you want to make the switcht to North however, I'd stay away from the Rebel as it won't be the fast and responsive kite you're looking for especially in the bigger sizes. For bar compatibility, please provide the year the bar is from. Older Cabrinha bars used double front-line safety which isn't compatibel with North kites. Split of front lines is something you should test, there are a lot of kites which work on both high en low V splits but there are also kites which don't

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Re: Switch to North from Cabrinha Kites ???

Postby caduo » Mon Nov 19, 2018 12:30 pm

it s not so much about the brand,but more about your level and the "kind" of kite you wanna do,both brands make very good kites,i would also stay away from the rebel(sorry rebel lovers))except if high long jumps are your only target,you can probably demo an evo or a cabrinha moto,i use the moto and i am super happy,but anyway both brands are great and it s almost impossible to become disappointed,if you choose the right model.
notice that your bar must release in just one of the front lines to be compatible with the new cabrinhas also(no pulleys bridled).

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Re: Switch to North from Cabrinha Kites ?

Postby Jwoo » Mon Nov 19, 2018 1:18 pm

I've never used a Cabrinha bar on a North Kite, but have tried an Ozone bar, which is similar in that it has a low V like the Cabrinha bar. I tried it on an EVO and found the kite turned just as well, but lost a lot of power with the Ozone bar. I don't know the dynamics between the low V and high V on a North Kite, but the performance of the Evo was very poor with the Ozone bar.

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Re: Switch to North from Cabrinha Kites ???

Postby sebastienbolhuis » Mon Nov 19, 2018 1:26 pm

kishtsang wrote:
Mon Nov 19, 2018 11:44 am
Hi Sebastien,

Please note that the North Mono is a one strut kite, so please be sure that it is indeed the kite you've flown. 3 Strut North models are the Evo (as of 2018, before that it used to be a 5 strut kite), Dice and Neo. I don't know which sizes of the Switchblade you're used to go out with? Big kites turn slower than small kites. Almost all 7m kites are fast, even the 7m Switchblade. If you're looking for faster turning and responsiveness you can perfectly stay with Cabrinha, but look at other kites such as the FX or the new Moto.

If you want to make the switcht to North however, I'd stay away from the Rebel as it won't be the fast and responsive kite you're looking for especially in the bigger sizes. For bar compatibility, please provide the year the bar is from. Older Cabrinha bars used double front-line safety which isn't compatibel with North kites. Split of front lines is something you should test, there are a lot of kites which work on both high en low V splits but there are also kites which don't
Hi,
Yes you're right, I made a typo hha. Mono is indeed one strut, which I flew. I'm 185 cm and +- 83 kg and I usually fly with a 12m and 14m. I'll have a look at the other Cabrinha kites.
However, is there a general difference between North and Cabrinha regardless the type of kite which differentiates the two brands?

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Re: Switch to North from Cabrinha Kites ?

Postby sebastienbolhuis » Mon Nov 19, 2018 1:28 pm

Jwoo wrote:
Mon Nov 19, 2018 1:18 pm
I've never used a Cabrinha bar on a North Kite, but have tried an Ozone bar, which is similar in that it has a low V like the Cabrinha bar. I tried it on an EVO and found the kite turned just as well, but lost a lot of power with the Ozone bar. I don't know the dynamics between the low V and high V on a North Kite, but the performance of the Evo was very poor with the Ozone bar.
Thanks a lot

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Re: Switch to North from Cabrinha Kites ???

Postby Pemba » Mon Nov 19, 2018 3:53 pm

sebastienbolhuis wrote:
Mon Nov 19, 2018 1:26 pm
However, is there a general difference between North and Cabrinha regardless the type of kite which differentiates the two brands?
I don't think life is as simple as that. For me that question is comparable to asking "is there a general difference between say Renault and Peugeot, or Nissan and Mitsubishi". Some people will prefer the one, others the other. Both Cabrinha and North have a good reputation/are good quality. I think there is little point in switching from one make to the other only because it's a different make. As said by others, you really need to look at what model you're interested in.

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Re: Switch to North from Cabrinha Kites ?

Postby FLandOBX » Mon Nov 19, 2018 6:47 pm

Both Duotone (formerly North) and Cabrinha make good quality kites, as others have said. If I were comparing the two brands, I'd consider the support, parts, warranty assistance, etc. provided by my local kite shops. I'd try to demo all the kite models from the brand that my local shops support and then make a decision on that basis. You can't go wrong with either Duotone or Cabrinha.


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