new reviews on 2021 North Orbits?

[luca]

This comparison is too old.

2021 Orbit sits deeper in the wind window and has a bit more grunt. That means, it is more stable and will not overfly so fast.
But still the 2021 Orbits will have the tendency to overfly easier than the Switchblad.

So for an rookie the Switchblade is easier to ride or take the Reach. For me the Reach is the better Switchblade.
For everyone else who wants to do modern riding, the Orbit 2021 and soon 2022 is outperforming the Switchblade a lot.

What do I mean with modern riding. Technical big air style with looping etc. The switchblade is more the kite for the older guys

[Kitedicted]

Is the kitelooping recovery ability of the orbit that much better than other kites (like f.e.x. a pivot or bandit) or more compared to other big air kites like XR or a rebel?

[RasmusP]

The difference is mainly just progression of the same characteristics. For me, the 9v10v11 is loopability vs hangtime. You can think of it like this (not exactly, but you get the idea):

9m = 75% loop, 25% hangtime
10m = 50% loop, 50% hangtime
11m = 25% loop, 75% hangtime

The 10m is fast enough to learn with late pull/high loops and hangy enough to provide longer soft landings. I'm currently teaching a few guys to loop on their 10s - they're at the same stage you are in loops/boosts. They also regularly hit 10m on their 10m, so you should be fine.

Thanks a lot! So since it's a steady progression rather than a sudden change of design like with some Kites, the 10m is the size I need and will get.

I haven't ridden the 12m. A couple guys at the local loop the Pulse 12m, but no one loops the 12m Orbit. Can you? Yes. Should you? ...whatever works. If I need a 12m over the 11m, I'll be on the 15m anyway.

Makes sense.
A bit of waffling:
I could only demo the 12m Orbit vs my 11m edge v10 and the Orbit felt so playful in comparison (obviously).
A lot lower steering resistance but a bit more bar pressure for power/depower.

I found that I used 75%/25% 11m edge vs 9m raptor so I'd like to make that a 50/50 and be able to choose between the characters in the most common winds here.

If it's not enough for the 11 edge, I have a 17m zephyr. If it's too much for the 10 Orbit, I won't be confident with a 9 either and rather take my old trusty 7.

[Blackened]

Is the kitelooping recovery ability of the orbit that much better than other kites (like f.e.x. a pivot or bandit) or more compared to other big air kites like XR or a rebel?

Yes. They're also faster with more precise control. You need to pay attention, otherwise in gusty winds they'll front stall themselves out of the sky.

The new XR and Rebel seem to recover much better than previous versions. I didn't have any issues with stalling with the 2021 Rebel or the XR7. They're just really slow with a large turning circle.

[Blackened]

Makes sense.
A bit of waffling:
I could only demo the 12m Orbit vs my 11m edge v10 and the Orbit felt so playful in comparison (obviously).
A lot lower steering resistance but a bit more bar pressure for power/depower.

I found that I used 75%/25% 11m edge vs 9m raptor so I'd like to make that a 50/50 and be able to choose between the characters in the most common winds here.

If it's not enough for the 11 edge, I have a 17m zephyr. If it's too much for the 10 Orbit, I won't be confident with a 9 either and rather take my old trusty 7.

11m Edge = 12m Orbit in power. I've ridden the 11m V10 and it's a great Airstyle kite for lighter riders. So much hangtime and mentally slow turning even on the 11m. The guy I stole it from occasionally does late pulls on it, but I didn't have the balls for that, especially on the tiny bar he was riding.

I haven't ridden the Raptor, but from what I've read, it's similar to other 5-strut boosting machines in wind range. If so, the 10m Orbit won't add much. It'll just be easier to get around for learning looping than the Raptor.

[RasmusP]

11m Edge = 12m Orbit in power. I've ridden the 11m V10 and it's a great Airstyle kite for lighter riders. So much hangtime and mentally slow turning even on the 11m. The guy I stole it from occasionally does late pulls on it, but I didn't have the balls for that, especially on the tiny bar he was riding.

I haven't ridden the Raptor, but from what I've read, it's similar to other 5-strut boosting machines in wind range. If so, the 10m Orbit won't add much. It'll just be easier to get around for learning looping than the Raptor.

Thanks again!
11m edge = 12m Orbit.. Yes, but not quite. I had about 1.5m waves during the testride and while I could get to the same height and speed, the Orbit definitely had a slightly stronger pull when popping over the waves and pulling in the bar for the little hop. It just felt a little bigger.

I thought about getting an 11m Orbit though to basically get 11m edge + "9-10m edge" but since I couldn't decide if I should get a 10m or stay with 9m for the high end, a written 10 on the Orbit is the best middle ground I guess haha

It's true that the windrange of the Raptor is more like Rebel/XR/Edge but the fun-range only starts when you're lit with it.
Before that, it's nice for cruising but it lacks the "drive". The edge is a lot more consistent in this regard.

Main reason for selling it though: the center tube area around the valve doesn't lay on the ground but hovers around 5-10cm above the ground.
This leads to bouncing and drifting when you don't have sand or a board on the kite.
Issue is: here in northern Germany, most landing helpers will grab your kite, lay it down and go away before you're at your kite.
Works with 99% of all Kites here.
2x the helper didn't hear/understand me and I got pulled across the beach by a re-starting kite. Luckily nothing happened..

(Releasing would've caused a mess with everyone, people tangled etc so I preferred to do a controlled slide on my feet)

I'll try to demo the 10m Orbit and report back in a few weeks with my report and my decision!
Thanks again for answering all of our questions. The Orbit isn't widely used here yet and most shops sound more like advertisements or just never flew the kite...

[Blackened]

No worries. Good luck with your demo!

Just be aware it often takes a lot of time to get used to an Orbit. They fly a bit differently than most other kites. In lighter or really gusty winds they can be a real handful. At least they're quite predictable to when they're going to stall.

[Kitedicted]

Any Intel on the 2022 orbit?

[Dutchman]

Any Intel on the 2022 orbit?

I saw the today at a Dutch shop
https://www.kitemana.nl/north/orbit-202 ... ?sqr=north&


Just a question from my side related to the Orbit vs other kite discussion. Currently I am having a full quiver of Dice kites (7,9,12, 90kg) I am doubting to change the 7m and 9m for a 9m Orbit and my 12m Dice for a 12m Pulse, as I don't kite anymore after 40+ knots and I like to unhook with the 12m Dice but seems the Pulse is more or less similar. Do you guys have any experience on both and can be tell a bit on the differences?

What I notice now is that when having 10m+ jumps on the 9m Dice, you need to be very precise when helilooping/downlooping as the float/catch is a hit-or-miss. Steering too far to one side and it won't catch you anymore when helmlooping/downlooping. Catching is not right word in this but hopefully you understand what I mean. Besides that, the bar pressure is quite heavy, especially when having multiple days in a row, my lower arms feel sore in strong winds. I am doing kite loops now at around 7/8m but the dice is not always catching me, so which kite is quicker in looping/catching after the loop? Or is it similar?

Happy to hear your thoughts.

[Blackened]

Any Intel on the 2022 orbit?

Official release date is 13 September I believe. From what I've seen from the North team riding them, another small revision from the 2022. I haven't ridden one yet, but will post something in the 2022 review thread when they let me on one .

PS. The green one looks amazing in the sky.