My review of Rebel 2012, 12M

[vannibombonato]

Hi all,
posting a few lines to share my experience with my new Rebel 2012.

I'm an intermediate kiteboarder, a lot into "old school" and not at all into freestyle, to be clear what i like and what i was looking for is huge air, hang time, etc. etc.

I've been testing the Rebel over a week spent in Dakhla, unfortunately with little wind, and i've had the chance to spend quite some hours with the 12M (not enough wind for my brand new 9M!). I was coming from a set of Wainmans which i've had for 2 years before they were stolen: i had the opportunity to have the kites re-imbursed from insurance and after a bit of research i've chosen the Rebels. Only kites i've spent some serious time are the Wainmans, so much that i'll say is relative to my experience.

Here's my take:

OVERALL
Like it a lot, wouldn't go back. I've used and had more fun with the 12M over one week than i've had in the 2 years before with my old 12M (wainman boss).

WHAT I LIKED
- Above all, i really did notice an incredible difference in hang time. Whereas before i could throw some big jumps but very seldom managed to get a true "zeppelin" feel, it was now immediate and since jump 1 to just float away. I was really amazed, if you keep the bar sheeted in you just don't go down. I managed to instantly land more rotations, transitions, etc. than i've ever done before and since this is what i like, i was obviously very happy and i can definitely say that my performance was very much improved by the kite, which in all honesty i never thought could be true if you're not a super-pro (which i'm light years from being).
- For sure the kite is screaming "top quality" in every inch, loads of details that you immediately notice tells you there's good build quality running behind.
- Uber-stable and, even if the conditions were far from extreme, i had the impression it could handle gusts very well. For sure lots of wind-range, i could be out with my 12M whenever someone else was, and i've handled a full afternoon overpowered without any problems. No b****it about "i was out with my 12M and everyone else was with 15m bla bla". I would say it definitely is a kite that pulls, but in the ballpark of the best ones around.
- Bar, liked a lot the pressure, which is quite the same that i had (average i would call), and definitely loved to finally have a stopper ball, which is invaluable for some big air tricks.
- For freestyle wake-guys can't speak as that is not my thing, but i can tell you that next to me for the whole week of vacation i always have had a 20-year old guy with the same 12M Rebel 2012 that was throwing some impressive powered un-hooked tricks. So, it definitely can handle that stuff. And yes, i was going around at night answering "uh yeah...i'm the one with the pink rebel 2012 you might have seen me..."
- Overall feel: i found it as fast as the Wainmans, which is good for me, had no problems downlooping in light winds, in general i immediately had very good connection with the guy.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE
- Now i understand all the bla-bla Wainmans has placed around the "keep it simple". In one day of very light wind i had more problems than what i've had in the 2 years before...specifically there are two things which i believe can be a potential serious problem. I'm here to report them as well as to get any advice from someone that knows the kite better than me 1- One is the fifth line: besides adding pure mathematical complexity in case of line tangles etc., in light wind situation when missing some jumps the kite DID stall a few times, Zeppeling. Now, if it Zeppelins and falls "the wrong" way, wrapping the 5th around the kite, according to what instructors in the north center and other people were saying, the best thing to do is release chicken loop, swim to kite and go on-shore. There simply is no way i could find to revert it back to launch position with the 5th line keeping the kite stuck on water and potentially cutting through it. Again, it had happened twice in a single day, never happened in the last two years, problem was solved by drifting away to shore in side-on wind and having someone flipping the kite over 5th line, but i wonder what would have happened if i was on this kite last Summer when i was kiting all alone in side-shore wind 500m off the coast at sunset in the middle of the ocean...really didn't like this, maybe i'm missing something as this is a potentially big problem. Again, it was very light wind situation and i missed the trick, but the solution can't be the "in light wind you shouldn't miss your jump" i was told. 2- Second issue was the bar: again in light wind situation, missed the trick, did a splash, and here i go finding myself with the front lines tangling with the 5th line which has somehow twisted around the bar underwater and inside the depower hole, leaving me with the bar stuck at full power, unable to release security, unable to depower the kite. Now, this was quite big: i managed to solve it using brutal force, releasing tension from the lines by holding them with one hand and untangling with the other, doing some twists underwater etc., but this was obviously only possible because it was light wind. I couldnt help but thinking what would have happened in a powered situation, with the lines getting more and more stuck and the total inability to release or depower. Thinking back now, this really is scaring me. Why has this happened? Well, simply because there is too much stuff going through that bar hole. Again, never happened to me before.
- Aside from these huge security issues i've had, speaking of minor stuff i totally HATE the look of the bar...why on earth can't they use some bright, big color to identify left-right??? Seriously, the left is identified by some very light red stripes placed in the middle of the dull grey and good luck holding on the right side right after a big crash to avoid a loop in a split-second...10-0 for the Wainmans here.

So that's my take, if anyone has suggestions for the security problems i've had i'm more than happy to learn.
As said, aside the problems mentioned above i liked a lot the kite, unfortunately couldn't test the 9M which is my preferred and go-to size.

Hope this helps.

Vanni

[Saami]

Thanks, nice review!

I've tried quite a few Rebels and Wainman's myself. I agree with you about the Rebels having a longer hangtime, particularly the 2012 Rebel 12m - that thing is a flying machine. Rebels were always good for jumping, but North somehow took it a step further with the 2012 models.

I don't agree about them turning equally fast - I find the Wainmans being faster and, which I think is also important, with more direct steering and feedback. Also, you can adjust a Wainman to have a lower bar pressure than you can get on a Rebel.

For wave-riding and looping, I much prefer a Wainman. For a a jumping and old-school trick session, a Rebel would be my choice. For wake-style, I don't find them much different.

About the 5th line on the Rebel... When it wraps around your kite, you can often sort it out simply by unhooking the bar from the chicken loop and then letting go of the bar. As all the tension then will then be on the 5th line only, the kite and lines will then usually sort themselves out if you just wait for 30 to 40 seconds to give the kite a chance to spin around on the surface of the water (which will un-wrap the 5th line from the kite), at which point you can simply retrieve the bar and re-launch. Still, I agree that it's not fun, particularly if there are waves!

About the situation of being 500m off the coast and being worried about having the 5th line wrap around your kite: I think that if you are worried about what will happen if something goes wrong with your gear, then you are too far out, period. Your exit plan should never be "my gear must keep functioning". You should be ready to swim in, with or without your gear, at any point (or have some other exit strategy such as a rescue boat on standby). How far you can swim obviously depends on a whole bunch of factors (your swimming skills, your physical condition and stamina on that particular day, the water temperature, the currents at that spot, and so on), and you will have to evaluate that every time you go out; but the basic point is that it's never a good idea be out futher than you know that you can comfortably swim. Don't count on your gear bringing you back to shore...

At any rate, thanks for the review!

[dimitri12]

Saami,


Looks like you have flew past years REBELS. By any chance did you tried the 2011 Rebels? if so how does the hangtime differs from the 2012?, could you say that there is a big difference between these two years in terms of jumping and hangtime. thanks!

[SupaEZ]

SORRY THAT YOU DISLIKE IT MORE THAN YOU LIKE IT

PLEASE SELL THE KITE ASAP

YOU ARE A DISGRACE TO THOSE WHO LIKE THE KITE

STOP YOUR WHINING ON KITEFORUM

THIS IS A HAPPY PLACE

[highairman]

I have been flying Rebels for 7 years now. I used a Waimann a while back and found the bar pressure to be quite heavy. I didn't have the bridles on and I wonder how much of a difference that makes? Is that bar pressure on the 2012 Rebel as heavy as the Waimann?
Thanks

[sarc]

Agree that the North bar sucks, especially 2012. But the chicken loop and the depower clear are the best in the market (the rest is junk, especially the lines)

Can't understand how you got the kite to Hindenburg (not Zeppelin, unless this is a new move I've never heard of ) if you are a beginner Sh*t will happen with any kite, but to Hindenburg a 2012 Rebel you must really do something wrong. I think as you progress it will be almost impossible to repeat this.

[Saami]

But the chicken loop and the depower clear are the best in the market (the rest is junk, especially the lines)

Agreed, the North "Ironheart" chicken loop / safety release system is the best system that I've come across. Solid construction, does not require a huge force to activate, allows you to release whether or not there is tension on the lines, easy and quick to re-assemble in the water, does not jam no matter how much sand it is exposed to. This is the standard to which other companies should strive!

So, keep the North Ironheart, but you could take the bar and lines from some other company.

Is that bar pressure on the 2012 Rebel as heavy as the Waimann?

The bar pressure on both the 2012 Rebels and Wainmans can be adjusted somewhat. When both kites are set to the lightest setting, the bar pressure on the 2012 Rebels is somewhat higher than on the 2012 Wainmans. In other words, you can get a lower bar pressure on the Wainmans than on the Rebels.

Saami, Looks like you have flew past years REBELS. By any chance did you tried the 2011 Rebels? if so how does the hangtime differs from the 2012?, could you say that there is a big difference between these two years in terms of jumping and hangtime. thanks!

Yes, I have tried both the 2011 and 2012 Rebels. The hangtime has been improved on the 2012 Rebels compared to the 2011 Rebels, but not the jump height (which depends more on your skill and riding speed, in any case). I wouldn't go so far as saying that there is a huge improvement in hang time, but if you are experienced with 2011 Rebels I think you will notice a difference.

[davesails7]

About the 5th line on the Rebel... When it wraps around your kite, you can often sort it out simply by unhooking the bar from the chicken loop and then letting go of the bar. As all the tension then will then be on the 5th line only, the kite and lines will then usually sort themselves out if you just wait for 30 to 40 seconds to give the kite a chance to spin around on the surface of the water (which will un-wrap the 5th line from the kite), at which point you can simply retrieve the bar and re-launch. Still, I agree that it's not fun, particularly if there are waves!

I've had a revelation! People have talked about the wave grenade from Slingshot from years ago being a good solution when you wrap the 5th line around the kite. I think something like this can be done on the north bar without any modifications! Just unhook from the 5th line and undo the loop around the metal ring at the end of the fifth line.

At first, this doesn't seem possible, but when you loosen up the loop, it's plenty big to wrap around the metal ring, and you're officially 5th line free! Haven't tried it on the water yet, not sure how far the fifth line can pay out until it maybe gets stuck somewhere on one of the stoppers or knots in the line.

I've been riding 2011 Dynos 18 and 10m on the North 5-line bar for 6 months now and it's the best bar I have seen compared to my past Epic (2010), Cabrinha (08), Best (07,08,09,12), and Airush (10) bars that I've had. My only issue with it is how high up the split in the front lines is. Chicken loop, adjustable bar length, below the bar swivel, and the above the bar depower cleats are all the best I've seen.

I can't picture how your 5th line got stuck inside the bar. Can you explain that one a little more?

[ThickAir]

Agree that the North bar sucks

You guys don't have a clue. The North bar is absolutely the gold standard that every other company strives to match.

[SupaEZ]

....ABOUT YOUR REVIEW ON THE BAR YOU HATE SOOOOOO MUCH

....You could give me a North bar totally black
....with winders totally black
....and bar floats totally black
...and back line leaders totally black

....and i would kite at dusk and do spins / backs / forwards / kiteloops / downloops
....and always know in my head the left from right of my bar when i uncross my lines