Looking for a comparison between these two kites.
I'm guessing the reach will be more turny and less bar pressure ...and the contra will have more grunt.
Any comments appreciated
I'm 74 kg
13 m reach v 13 m contra. As light wind kites
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andylc
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Re: 13 m reach v 13 m contra. As light wind kites
Can’t say I’ve tried them but personally I like the look of the Duotone Juice. If you are after light wind boosting I think it helps for a light wind kite to be reasonably high aspect. My best boosting light wind kite was an old 13m 5 line c kite - the downside was if it fell out of the sky you were finished.
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ktflyer381
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Re: 13 m reach v 13 m contra. As light wind kites
I had a 2015 Contra 13m, a 2016 Contra 15m and now a 2020 13m Reach. I’m not sure how much the Contra has changed in those sizes since, but they still look very similar.
I don’t notice a big low wind difference between all three of those kites. I would be hard pressed to find a day where the 15m Contra would have worked and the 13m Reach wouldn’t have, they are so close. The bar pressure on the Contras I had was definitely higher than the Reach, but the Contra is not that bad. I think the Contra sits further back in the wind window which has a lot to do with the difference in bar pressure.
The Contra goes upwind fine but only if you have good technique. If you don’t know what you are doing the Contra can pull you downwind quickly, but I had my 14 year old daughter out (110 lbs maybe) on my old 13m Contra in 15-20 kts of wind and after her first accidental downwind run I talked to her about her technique and she went back out and stayed upwind no problem in the same conditions. I had smaller kites that day but it was a great opportunity for her to learn.
The Reach is easier to stay upwind on regardless of your technique and with the lighter bar pressure it makes longer sessions more fun. I think the Contra jumps higher and floats longer but the Reach isn’t bad at all. I haven’t ridden them back to back in the same conditions but that’s my recollection of my Contras.
The build quality is outstanding on both Contra and Reach, no issues of any sort on any of them. The Reach has the two battens but not a big deal at all. You are supposed to pump up the 13m Reach a lot less (I believe it says 6 PSI by the inflation valve) but it seems to work well despite my friends saying it’s too soft when they launch it.
The Reach is definitely more fun with a surfboard, the Contra is not and I only rode it with a twin tip.
Both Contra and Reach are nice kites. Personally I will never again buy a bigger kite than 13m for light wind riding. I’ve got my mountain bike if there’s no wind to kite and so far I have not been convinced to foil. Even the good guys that can get going in super light wind with their foils seem to swim in an awful lot…
I don’t notice a big low wind difference between all three of those kites. I would be hard pressed to find a day where the 15m Contra would have worked and the 13m Reach wouldn’t have, they are so close. The bar pressure on the Contras I had was definitely higher than the Reach, but the Contra is not that bad. I think the Contra sits further back in the wind window which has a lot to do with the difference in bar pressure.
The Contra goes upwind fine but only if you have good technique. If you don’t know what you are doing the Contra can pull you downwind quickly, but I had my 14 year old daughter out (110 lbs maybe) on my old 13m Contra in 15-20 kts of wind and after her first accidental downwind run I talked to her about her technique and she went back out and stayed upwind no problem in the same conditions. I had smaller kites that day but it was a great opportunity for her to learn.
The Reach is easier to stay upwind on regardless of your technique and with the lighter bar pressure it makes longer sessions more fun. I think the Contra jumps higher and floats longer but the Reach isn’t bad at all. I haven’t ridden them back to back in the same conditions but that’s my recollection of my Contras.
The build quality is outstanding on both Contra and Reach, no issues of any sort on any of them. The Reach has the two battens but not a big deal at all. You are supposed to pump up the 13m Reach a lot less (I believe it says 6 PSI by the inflation valve) but it seems to work well despite my friends saying it’s too soft when they launch it.
The Reach is definitely more fun with a surfboard, the Contra is not and I only rode it with a twin tip.
Both Contra and Reach are nice kites. Personally I will never again buy a bigger kite than 13m for light wind riding. I’ve got my mountain bike if there’s no wind to kite and so far I have not been convinced to foil. Even the good guys that can get going in super light wind with their foils seem to swim in an awful lot…
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