Airush 2020 Collection

[Rygo]

I have a question about the Diamond 2020 and how it compares to the Union 2020 with respect to its freestyle/unhooked abilities.

I am still looking for a replacement of my Diamonds.
Basically, I am looking for a kite that is good at hooked and unhooked freestyle and with "soft" kiteloops.
The Diamond was doing that but it has been discontinued, so it's not a possibility anymore.


Elmarco was saying that the new Airush Session could act as a replacement of the Diamond:

Session is good for hooked freestyle and soft kite loops. Put the fixed bridle on and it’s solid for unhooked.

I would love to try the new Session and see for myself, but it is getting increasingly difficult to demo this type of specialized kite. Demoing all-around kites is easy but the only way to try specialized kites is to buy them it seems (unless you have a friend that has one)...

As I understand it the difference for the diamond and the union was mainly about how much force is needed to push it to the edge of the wind window. So if you are say, 60 kg then the Diamond is for you.

I think you are right. And that's probably why I liked the Diamond better than the Union.
I am not 60kg, more like 70kg, but I like low-powered / marginal wind conditions. Maybe that's why the Diamond was a good fit for me.

If you want perfect unhooked performance it’s hard to beat the Razor. I’ve used most every crossover at this point and once you’re ready for a full C it’s hard to go back. Bridals are great for hooked in tricks though. Always a trade off. I do find I have lots of fun hooked in on a full C though. The raw feel is addictive.

I have been wanting to try the Razor for years, and see how a modern dedicated freestyle/unhooked kite would do for me. But, like I was saying, you don't find this type of specialized kites for demo.
I almost considered buying one of those to see. But what if the first time you try you realize it was a mistake...
C-kites have the reputation to be terrible in gusty winds, and for having a very narrow wind range. And the wind is gusty and up and down more than 50% of the time where I am.
Is it still the case that C-kites are only good in steady wind conditions (or this has been improved)?

I’ve found my razor to be more stable in gusty wind. Back to back with a few bridle kites like the rpm it felt more consistent. In extreme gusty wind (12 to 30) it didn’t help any but more often than not I found it better for unhooked riding. Especially in conditions I was struggling in before.

[iwave]

I’ve found my razor to be more stable in gusty wind. Back to back with a few bridle kites like the rpm it felt more consistent. In extreme gusty wind (12 to 30) it didn’t help any but more often than not I found it better for unhooked riding. Especially in conditions I was struggling in before.

Thanks Rygo for the feedback here.
Definitely, I need to try one of those modern C kites, like the Airush Razor or the Duotone Vegas (or Core Impact, Ozone Amp, Naish Torch).
Actually, my first kite was the Naish Torch 2005 14m, but I forgot how it feels.

[elmarco]

@iwave do you ride at Sherman? My brother is there quite often, he has a 2020 9m Union I'm sure he'd let you take a rip on.
The union is my perfect kite.
I can do anything on it, unhook, freestyle, big air, loops, surf, foil, whatever, but it excels at unhooking, loops and proper sent jumps.
pm me if interested.