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Eleveight RS 14m 2018 review

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KitingPolak
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Gear: Slingshot KeyHD 2010 10
RRD Obsession 2010 13.5
Boardriding Maui Cloud 1st Gen 17
Pansh Aurora 2015 19
Liquid Force Solo v2 2016 6.5
RRD Obsession Mk9 2017 12
Eleveight RS V1 2018 14
Naish Pivot 2017 9
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Eleveight RS 14m 2018 review

Postby KitingPolak » Wed Aug 01, 2018 4:25 pm

I've had this kite for a while now and feel I can give a decent review. This review is not sponsored but for full disclosure I picked the kite up for 15% off during the Eleveight promotion for being one of the first 200(?) to buy one of their kites.

For those interested here you go:

I'm an intermediate twin-tipper (front/back rolls, hand-drag, dark-slide, hangman) and beginner hydrofoiler (no problem going straight, still trying to obtain carving consistency). I'm usually kiteboarding in MI and 2018 is my eighth season kiteboarding.

I was looking for something to replace my 13.5m RRD Obsession which I purchased used. The Obsession is very heavy for its size, pulls like a truck, and has what I consider 8+ out of 10 bar pressure, where 10 is un-ridable for a full-day.

Late last year I picked up a new 14m RS from Adam Super at Sessionsports. Appropriately Adam was super responsive and answered all of my questions. The kite was shipped quickly and arrived well packaged. As I always do with a new kite, I inflated it and let it sit overnight to check for leaks. Unfortunately the next morning I saw that the kite was losing air. A quick check revealed that the o-ring in the inflate valve was deformed and not making a good seal. I called Adam and Eleveight had a complete inflate valve setup in my hands in two days. After swapping out just the o-ring the kite held air fine. I really like that the Eleveight inflate valve connects directly to a pump-hose, without any need for adapters. This is secure, offers unrestrictive air-flow, and there's no adapter required or to lose. Why all manufacturer's do not go this route is beyond me. After inflation it's just a half-twist of the cap, close 3 struts clamps and the kite is good to go. I think the Eleveight made good compromise decisions with this kite in terms of durability vs weight. There aren't heavy reinforcements or bumpers like you see on other kites, nor do I think that these are necessary for this type of kite. The bridle utilizes two sliders which I prefer to pullys. Another cool innovation is the anti line-snag feature near the rear attachment points; I've actually had a line snag there on one of my kites in the past. One item of note is that the kite has trailing-edge weights meant to reduce flutter and hence wear on the canopy. I checked with Eleveight and they said the kite can be flown without these rods in light wind. I haven't tried pulling them out to see how it would effect the kite, but if you plan to pack it down for travel you may want to consider pulling them out so they don't poke through or otherwise damage the kite while in transit. The rods are held in little pockets which close with velcro. The RS came in a very nice bag with shoulder strap and a zippered pocket + another little velvet pouch with some bladder and canopy patches. These would stack much nicer for transport in comparison to the backpack-type bags, but the con is that you cannot attach a board to it if you need to hike to your launch area. The 14m also comes with 3m line extensions which I used during most of my sessions. I find the additional length helpful due to the size of the kite and it is not much of a hit on kite responsiveness.

The 14m RS has a wing area-loading second only to the strutless Cloud when compared to the other LEIs in my "quiver", and the bar pressure is significantly lighter, around a 5 on my scale. I can kite on it all day, and because of its light wing-loading it does not fall from the sky when the wind lulls - nor does it overfly me. This is very much appreciated, especially when I'm foiling and there's little load on the lines when I'm initiating a turn. As with my other kites, when the wind is extremely light it's better to change directions by down-looping rather than bringing it over the top. The RS is most fun on a twintip though.

My favorite thing about the RS is how easy and forgiving it is to fly, while still giving me plenty of boost. I attribute some of that to its higher aspect ratio which I've come to prefer. I've been caught overpowered on it when the wind kicked up unexpectedly and it depowers nice and remains controllable. It's also quite manouvrable for its size and changes directions readily. Relaunch is typical for its size and shape. On the 14m in light surface winds I find pulling the opposite front line helpful. Kiteloops are very easy to manage and may even be a little docile for some. I consider this a positive because even at 14m^2, I'm not fearing for life and limb when I loop it, whether I do it slow or fast. Honestly I can't really find much to complain about here and I will definitely be buying more Eleveights in the future when the time comes. The RS has been solid and the company has been very responsive. They even sent me out a new set of extensions after I lost one somehow and asked to purchase a replacement.

I have no experience with the Eleveight bar; I didn't purchase one because I have enough bars already. One comment about pricing; when I looked at the Eleveight prices I thought that they didn't scale down well. That is, the big kites are inexpensive, I would say a bargain, compared to other kites of similar size - but as they got smaller their price competitiveness disappeared. This is just from my comparisons to the other kites I was interested in so YMMV.

Bar used with this kite: Liquid Force Response 2016 in 56cm mode

Other stuff:
Usual wind conditions where I ride: 12mph with gust potential

Kites I own/use:
Slingshot KeyHD 2010 10
RRD Obsession 2010 13.5
Boardriding Maui Cloud 1st Gen 17
Pansh Aurora 2015 19
Liquid Force Solo v2 2016 6.5
RRD Obsession Mk9 2017 12
Eleveight RS V1 2018 14
Naish Pivot 2017 9

Boards:
Slingshot Ignition 2010 140
Ocean Rodeo Mako 2017 140
LF Kitefish/Low Aspect Hyrdofoil 2016

dzincha
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Re: Eleveight RS 14m 2018 review

Postby dzincha » Wed Aug 01, 2018 7:59 pm

High bar pressure on 13.5m, 2010?
It has lightest bar pressure i had felt.
Maybe your 12m from 2017 was with high bar pressure?
How mk9 obsession compares to RS?

KitingPolak
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Gear: Slingshot KeyHD 2010 10
RRD Obsession 2010 13.5
Boardriding Maui Cloud 1st Gen 17
Pansh Aurora 2015 19
Liquid Force Solo v2 2016 6.5
RRD Obsession Mk9 2017 12
Eleveight RS V1 2018 14
Naish Pivot 2017 9
Slingshot Ignition 140cm
Ocean Rodeo Mako 140cm
Liquid Force Fish w/Foil Fish
Dakine Pyro Harness
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Re: Eleveight RS 14m 2018 review

Postby KitingPolak » Wed Aug 01, 2018 9:35 pm

dzincha wrote:
Wed Aug 01, 2018 7:59 pm
High bar pressure on 13.5m, 2010?
It has lightest bar pressure i had felt.
Maybe your 12m from 2017 was with high bar pressure?
How mk9 obsession compares to RS?
We must have different kites or a different setup. The bar pressure on my Obessions is second only to the 17m 1st gen Cloud that I have (which I use with a LF bar, not the CCS). The newer 12m Obsession has the same or heavier bar pressure than the 13.5m.

To answer your last question, I got the 12m Obsession for a really good price - but if I had to do it over again I would pay the extra money to get a 12m RS instead. The 14m RS just flies nicer and is more forgiving while the RRD might have a bit more explosive grunt. I feel safer and have more fun on the RS than either of the Obsessions. Even if they flew the same I would still prefer the RS because of the little details like the:

* inflation valve that doesn't require adapters,
* 2 sliders vs 4 (FOUR!) pullys,
* the fact that it has pigtails terminated the same way as most of my other kites vs the backward way that RRD does it,
* two choices where to attach the steering lines for some bar-pressure flexibility,
* and I prefer the Eleveight bag.

Hope that helps. If have the means I would recommend trying them both and not taking my word for it as we all have our preferences.

Peace!

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fluidity
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Re: Eleveight RS 14m 2018 review

Postby fluidity » Sun Aug 05, 2018 11:46 am

I had a look at an eleveight bar early this year. I like the way the quick release clicks back, no fiddly resetting. Simple reliable looking bar.

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Re: Eleveight RS 14m 2018 review

Postby badgb21 » Mon Aug 06, 2018 6:25 pm

Trailing edge weights - Really?
Is this the alternative to 'Bow Kite' scalloped TE to avoid the patent I wonder.

KitingPolak
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Gear: Slingshot KeyHD 2010 10
RRD Obsession 2010 13.5
Boardriding Maui Cloud 1st Gen 17
Pansh Aurora 2015 19
Liquid Force Solo v2 2016 6.5
RRD Obsession Mk9 2017 12
Eleveight RS V1 2018 14
Naish Pivot 2017 9
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Re: Eleveight RS 14m 2018 review

Postby KitingPolak » Mon Aug 06, 2018 6:43 pm

badgb21 wrote:
Mon Aug 06, 2018 6:25 pm
Trailing edge weights - Really?
Is this the alternative to 'Bow Kite' scalloped TE to avoid the patent I wonder.
According to the Tkb review they're referred to as "battens". I couldn't find a good photo on the interwebs although you can almost make it out in the main photo of their review (those color are way off - lol). Will take a photo time I have the kite out. I just did a 6 hour session on it yesterday and there's no wind in the forecast so it might be a little while. Foiled in light wind early and then twin tipped and Makoed once the wind powered-up. Just like before the kite handled the wind gusts and lulls very nicely. I slacked the lines on purpose a few times and this kite resists hindenburgring nicely.

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Re: Eleveight RS 14m 2018 review

Postby Lokihel » Wed Aug 08, 2018 12:02 pm

KitingPolak wrote:
Mon Aug 06, 2018 6:43 pm
badgb21 wrote:
Mon Aug 06, 2018 6:25 pm
Trailing edge weights - Really?
Is this the alternative to 'Bow Kite' scalloped TE to avoid the patent I wonder.
According to the Tkb review they're referred to as "battens".
I think it is battens just like on many other kites.
The weight is minimal, it is just to add some stiffness to the trailing edge.

KitingPolak
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Posts: 106
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Gear: Slingshot KeyHD 2010 10
RRD Obsession 2010 13.5
Boardriding Maui Cloud 1st Gen 17
Pansh Aurora 2015 19
Liquid Force Solo v2 2016 6.5
RRD Obsession Mk9 2017 12
Eleveight RS V1 2018 14
Naish Pivot 2017 9
Slingshot Ignition 140cm
Ocean Rodeo Mako 140cm
Liquid Force Fish w/Foil Fish
Dakine Pyro Harness
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Re: Eleveight RS 14m 2018 review

Postby KitingPolak » Sun Nov 25, 2018 5:56 pm

Lokihel wrote:
Wed Aug 08, 2018 12:02 pm
I think it is battens just like on many other kites.
The weight is minimal, it is just to add some stiffness to the trailing edge.
You are correct; after writing about them here I started to notice that many kites have these.


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