F-one Bandit or Duotone Rebel/Evo ?

[DuoiQueen]

So For the last two weeks I have tried Hyper by CrazyFly size 12 and XR by core size 12, and yesterday I tried the Duotone Rebel in the size of 11 and Evo in the size of 10 all of them 2020.

My last kite was torch 2012 which I hated because my style is not freestyle at all.
I like to just freeride, old school tricks and some jumps and air time.

My weight is 100 KG over 1.80 height.

Out of all the kites That I tested I must say that I fell in love with the Duotone kites, both Rebel and Evo..
Also The size of them was 11 and I thought I need 12M..
Wind conditions was in all of the tests the same something around 17-23 knots.

So I always kinda about to buy the Evo 2020 or the 2019 Rebel ..
But today my friend told me that I have to try the F-one Bandit and That I will probably will love it the most .. he said the Bandit is also good for unhook and waves.. which he said the Evo and Rebel are not.

P.S- I didn’t surf in last year except this 2 weeks I return, I had Tennis Elbow which healed, after I ride the XR and the Hyper the pain came again..
so with the Duotone I didn’t fell this kind of pressure on my elbow and wrist..

I would very like to hear your thoughts and advices!

All the best and thank you !

[luca]

The Bandit is an awesome kite with medium bar pressure.
But I think with 100 kilos go with a 5 strut design.
Try a North Orbit if you can. It’s near to the 2020 Rebel but with lighter bar pressure. I can ride the whole day with Orbit with no problems in the muscles of my und underarms. When I rode the 2019 Bandit 10 oder 12m I had problems after around 60-90 minutes when riding in high winds.

[DIALS]

Never tried a Rebel but I did the older Evo kites...Had wicket elbow pains from them..Then I got some Switch Nitros...The bigger models were pigs to fly been 5 strut but the 9m ws nice but need 25kts to come alive..I now have new 2019 Duo Dices in 10 and 8m and man I can fly all day without getting over tired...So easy to fly..First session on the 10 and was out for over 3hrs and still not fatigued ...Awsome kites them Dices but I would love to try a modern Evo for sure..

[purdyd]

I have the 2018 evo s with three struts. In the most rearward pigtail position they have relatively light bar pressure. I’ve read the rebel has more bar pressure.

I’d be interested in what you thought of the 2020 evo.

Duotone’s own chart seems to indicate the 2020 evo is not as good as the 2019 in drift and light wind.

That would seriously make me consider the bandit or pivot.

[windmaker]

I have been kiting for 20 years and owned kites from many different brands, since I started riding Bandits can't ride anything else.

[Blackened]

If you're just old school freeride/jumping, go for the Rebel. It'll suit your weight much better than the 3 strut kites. If you want to do a little of everything, than the bandit/evo/pivot would suit. You'll need to be careful in the upper end of the range of not overloading the wings (I often overload my Evos at 95kg, especially the 12m). As much as I love the Evos, the Pivot would probably hold the shape better as the PSI is much higher than the measely 6psi recommended by Duotone.

[Papiloko]

the Pivot would probably hold the shape better as the PSI is much higher than the measely 6psi recommended by Duotone.

This is very important when someone is around the 90kg+ Mark or go 5 struts.

[Blackened]

If you're riding 17-23kn as a normal wind range, you'll definitely need the 12m, regardless of kite. Rebel will give you more of that low end than the others mentioned.

[nothing2seehere]

I like to just freeride, old school tricks and some jumps and air time.

Out of all the kites That I tested I must say that I fell in love with the Duotone kites, both Rebel and Evo..

he said the Bandit is also good for unhook and waves.. which he said the Evo and Rebel are not.

I think these 3 lines ^^ are the ones you should focus on. A friend said to get a kite which is good for things that you don't like doing? You have demoed and liked the Duotone kites.

Kites are like any desire. You always wonder if another one is better than the one you have. If you have read these forums often enough you will have noticed that people regularly respond with 'Demo it and see'. This is because everyone wants something a little different. Thats why the XR6, Hyper, Rebel, Orbit can all coexist. They are all slightly different ways of doing the same thing. The real key is to identify what you like to do on the water.

Freeride, old school and big air - the rebel is a great choice. You have tried most of the others so don't feel you are missing out.

Want to do a little of everything then then the Evo is designed for that. Its just aimed at the lower skill range (and by that I mean less than 100 sessions per year on average rider) where the bandit and dice are aimed at the higher rider skill level (3 sessions a week average). Ultimately, buy the kite you need now - not the one you think you MIGHT need in 2 years time.

[Beardytello]

I can only comment from personal experience which may or may not have any relevance to others and should be taken with a grain of salt.

Love Evo's, I rode them for my first 3 years and are still my favourite all round kite.
Conversely, the only time I tried an F-one bandit it backstalled constantly then ditched in the surf and tried to kill me.

Make of that what you will