Help me choose a new Kite

[fatkiter]

Hi

I am looking for a new 9m kite to be my high wind kite

This year i have already spend way too much on gear so i am looking for previous years models...

Rider : 120kg new to Intermediate. on TT . Freeride and some waves...
Conditions: 1) Side on with chop and small waves. 2) Onshore with fast frequency medium waves

Models that I am looking (mostly because of the price)

2017 RRD Religion (is it much worse than 2018/2019 model?)
2018 Naish Slash
2019 Naish Triad
2018 Naish Ride (I already have the 11m of this kite / I find it a bit slow...)

Especially for thee spot with onshore wind I need good upwind in order to get behind the waves and for sure something that handles gusts as well as possible...

Any input is really appreciated

Thanks

[Havre]

My 2 cents would be look for a big air type kite. They are typically very good at going upwind and for someone 120kg (I'm around 100 myself) having that extra rigidity helps (or at least anecdotally that seems to be the case).

Not sure how much of a need you got for a wave type kite if you are on a TT? I like riding waves on a TT, but for me the need for a wave-type kite seems to be far less when you are on a TT than for example a surf-board. How much drift do you need when you are on TT? Honest question - not a rhetorical one.

As for turning speed a I think most 9ms will be acceptable. I have never tested a 9m or smaller that felt annoyingly slow. Unless you like your kite to be extremely fast I would imagine that would not be a big issue going "big air", but that I guess only you would know.

[Herman]

Don’t give up on your BWS, which I assume is a wave kite, until you have flown it properly tuned. If it is not buckling on you it could well be worth keeping and I will explain why regarding the conditions you describe. If you were to pair this up with something like a switch blade or similar wake style kite you could explore the extremes. Stable power from the SB sort of ignoring the sea state driving through the chop jumping off ramps. Whereas the BWS should be good for engaging with the waves, dowlooping to gibe onto waves and working the kite hard just playing in the waves - smaller jumps but easier and faster transitions. If you decide to sell the BWS get an all round free ride kite rather than wakestyle , and give most credence to recommendations from other heavyweights.

PS As an aside looking at the designs I would expect C shaped wave kites to buckle slightly more but much less dramatically than the flatter designs. I suspect you have yet to appreciate the significance of this, but at your size you will in the future. My recent experience is comparing Oz Reo and older SBs.

[rw30]

I'm not an expert, hasn't flown that many models, but, considering that seems price is a factor for you, I'd maybe go for Switch Element. I have 14M and I like it a lot. New 9-10M would cost you ~750€ with the discount they currently offer, and you can fly it with most of regular V-bars (I use switch bar with Eleveight kites)

[HugoMC]

Naish Pivot would be one to look for. It is very fast and has a great wind range. You might even go for an 8m Pivot.

I don't use them personally but I have ridden them a few times. Excellent kites and it will compliment your Naish Ride.

[Exal]

You got the same stats as my brother. We are still testing for high wind kites he likes. Open C was no good because not enough grunt, 5 strut had too much bar pressure ... wave kites work good when they have good grunt but he didn't enjoy jumping with those. He also doesn't like big boards and currently has a 140x42. Once it hits 30 knots he can be on 8 or 9m kites and has fun. Maybe this helps, good luck finding something you enjoy!

[Dirk]

I ride Naish Pivots and Slash. (But at 73 kg). If you can find a Pivot at a good price I would also recommend to go for that one. However, the Slash is very good with a TT, as it is on the powerful side of the wave kite spectrum. I use the 7m as my high wind kite with the TT (but of course also with the surfboard)

[dave1986]

Naish Triad is also a very good all-around option. It's less of a high performance kite than the Pivot but will make learning and progression easier.

[JTKiter]

I agree with what Havre said: big air kites are great at going upwind as well as boosting. Or something like a good used Cabrinha SB?
If you're strictly riding TT, why not get all the power and stability you can? Ozone Edge in 9m will handle a crazy amount of wind but is nimble enough to downloop and kiteloop easily.
I'm sure there are other super solid, high AR kites that are similar. I just happen to own and love Ozone Edges. For actual drifting (slack lines) when surfing or on hydrofoil, you might want something like a one-strut or wave kite. Other than that, upwind capability and power and stability are almost never unwelcome!

[Hugh2]

If you can find a 2020 Naish Pivot I'm sure you would love it.