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I tried the new Eleveight WS V5 7m, it is a super nice kite surfing the waves.

However it was really unstable when powered up, going upwind with the wing tips almost jellyfishing.

I am unsure if I did not pump the kite hard enough, if the wind was super gusty or it was the kite.

Does anyone have experience of the WS V5 kite who is not sponsored / a dealer etc?

Many thanks

Maybe not relevant for a wave kite but I remember a friend testing a 8m couple of weeks ago as he needed a small kite for a day or two, his remarks were:
"it was the worst kite i used in recent memory, terrible for any kind of jumping and upwind"
to be fair he was on a TT trying to enjoy some strong winds and that is not the goal of the kite. He then switched to a 10m reedin supermodel when the wind become more manageable and couldn't be happier to go back

Absolut useless reply... It was the worst kite, ok, why ? Reasons ? Why you simply don't say it wasn't fitting to its needs of riding ? I have tried it and feel as being a very good and smooth kite, I also know many owners of WS that are really happy with it... Please if you have bad reviews, go into details and simply not bash a product without any explanation behind it...

he seemed to be happy with the kite

I think I've seen less red flags on footages of Stalin parades.

But seriously, that video review of the WS is unreal.

I own and fly the Eleveight v3 WS 7m & 9m (2020).
There isn’t much info or many reviews on these kites as they don’t really push them that hard. Maybe because they’re so good the people who actually use them don’t need reviews. So maybe this will help.
There hasn’t been a huge amount of change from the V3 to V5. Slightly lighter which is better for the bigger sizes but when the wind is strong the weight difference is a lot less significant. Also they made slight tweaks to the shape but the biggest change was made on the V3 when they added front bridal adjustment.

I’ve been kiting since the beginning (around 2001) and while I was always on a twin tip, I also surf when the wind isn’t blowing, so decided to finally change up my kite style and get into directional kiting.
I bought some Duotone Neos. They’re great. But seriously beefy kites especially the smaller sizes in stronger wind. Which there is a lot of in Cape Town.
So I tried a 7m Eleveight WS as I managed to get a new one at a ridiculous price (through an auction).
Compared to the Neo it’s way more chilled. Less aggressive. It drifts like a dream and gets you upwind no problem. The bar pressure is light and on the “pivot” setting it turns super quickly.
I think it’s the perfect kite for me for waves. Doesn’t pull you off the board like a Neo. It’s an easy kite to fly and gets you upwind easily. It’s a kite that does its job very well to the point where you forget about it. Ideal for wave riding. I’ve also had serious fun on my twintip as it’s so responsive.

The 9m is a bit slower but I’m about to change the settings to pivot so it will speed it up. I still own a 9m Neo for even lighter wind as the Neo has more low end power so is essentially the equivalent of a 10/11m. The smaller Neos are just a bit too grunty for me. They’re great if you’re doing strapless board-offs like Airton.
My buddy rides the 8m Neo but weighs more than me and I think that’s about as small as I’d go with a Neo.

The build quality of the WS is brilliant. It’s a really well built kite. I think the WS is one of those underrated kites that some people absolutely love and others just don’t really know about.

If the friend of the person who made the comment about how bad the kite was knew anything he wouldn’t have chosen a wave kite for high wind jumping, and then criticized it. Also no mention of how it was setup etc. Seems like a bit of a pointless and damaging comment about someone else’s experience.

As for the jellyfishing - that sounds like maybe not enough inflation or over sheeting so causing it to backstall and then recover and repeat. I’ve never had any jellyfishing on either my 7m or 9m even in ridiculous winds going upwind and anywhere.

I didn’t think I’d like the Eleveight WS as much as I did but I sold all my Neos except the 9m because of it.

I asked the original question in the post. I ended up buying the Eleveight WS V5 6m and 9m 2022.

I also tried the Duotone Neo and North Carve before deciding on the Eleveight.

For me the Eleveight felt similar to the Neo, but the Eleveight is a more straight forward design, hence less potential breakage points (no elastic bungees on the depower lines, single dump valve, low V on the bar) and the build quality is good.

The North Carve had more pull (it looks lower aspect), I felt it would suit a heavier rider.

So far I am impressed with the Eleveight WS, it is a super nice kite in the waves.

I use the WS since 3 years and continue testing as many kites as possible. To me the WS is a killer, it allows smooth or aggressive wave riding, it is super quick, super low bar pressure and effective depower. I use also with a TT, and it doesn’t jump as high as a RS or Supermodel but still, it jumps good !
When I read the complaint about upwind or kite collapsing, I’m sure the kite had not been pumped enough. It happened to me at the beginning, coming from Ozone Enduro which allow quite low pressure. The WS (and other Eleveight) do need their 8 PSI minimum, else it won’t work properly ; I guess it’s is a design feature allowing the super low bar pressure (?) - these kites are very stable in high winds, very secure if pumped hard enough.
I use WS in 7 and 9m, OS in 12m. (Big kite needs to be super light)

I'm a zero sponsorship, guy Intermediate. At a point now that I dont worry about killing myself or getting lost at sea. I chose the RS based upon price and a 3 strut, been a really cool kites, just my 2 cents, can't make up some drama story,