Big air kites blank test

[TheJoe]

Please use theses kite with a bunch of average joes

Do you think average joe could articulate the differences though?

What kind of average joe exactly are you guys talking about here? Because someone who can throw kiteloops in 10m plus is not an average joe to me, but an advanced rider who knows quite well what he/she is doing. Of course those riders are not pro like Ruben etc., but they for sure would be able to articulate differences between kites.

To me the most interesting part is not the "winner" North Orbit but what Giel said: The nexus might be the best for the "average joe" and that he has learned so much on this kite. Of course Kites like the Orbit or Rebel are performing higher, but it also means that you already should know what you are doing. A Nexus or an Evo for example is much, much more forgiving and way better for learning new tricks.

This is the same advice I give to people when they ask which kite to go with. Get an all around kite that does everything well. For beginners they can try everything and find their niche. For advanced riders learning loops they are better for learning the tricks because they tend to be faster and have a better low end. Plus not everyone lives where the wind is 25+ all the time so a 9m orbit is not going to be the best compared to a Reach. Too many people get caught up on the gear and what someone else says is best. I prefer the Orbit over the XR, and Rebel because I like a faster kite. I know I will not jump as high on it but I rather have my turning speed vs 1-3m xtra height.

[cor]

It would not, because Rebel is your regular high-aspect kite that is designed to boost as high as possible, but not to loop well.

I really disagree. The Rebel has become quite a machine from years 2021 onwards and loops incredibly well. In fact, it is the exact opposite of a "regular high-aspect" kite but might be one of the best kites for big air and kiteloops in 2023. Again, I prefer the Evo as it is more forgiving, but sayin that the Rebel does not loop well is definitely not true anymore.

[alunj]

Please use theses kite with a bunch of average joes

Do you think average joe could articulate the differences though?

What kind of average joe exactly are you guys talking about here? Because someone who can throw kiteloops in 10m plus is not an average joe to me, but an advanced rider who knows quite well what he/she is doing. Of course those riders are not pro like Ruben etc., but they for sure would be able to articulate differences between kites.

To me the most interesting part is not the "winner" North Orbit but what Giel said: The nexus might be the best for the "average joe" and that he has learned so much on this kite. Of course Kites like the Orbit or Rebel are performing higher, but it also means that you already should know what you are doing. A Nexus or an Evo for example is much, much more forgiving and way better for learning new tricks.

I really enjoyed the first one of these
This one not so much . Seemed to be a North sponsor fest . Two riders who ride for the group . Everyone in mystic gear . The whole thing smells to me .
Did we ever find out what the pig was ?
I fully expect Ruben to be brought to heel and put on orbits.

[knyfe]

Average guy/ girl definition: whoever is interested j. This specific topic - so yes a person who is interested in throwing 10m kite loops.

Being able to articulate: well if it does not matter to the average- great - then we have an answer. I think people who fill the definition above should be able to talk about it well.

Hang time: I think this got clearly answered. One kite which was voted out for looping. The Edge. Look through the vid again. That’s also why the XR was not there as it also jumps well but loops bad.

Independent pros: If I am not wrong they all came from different companies and they clearly spoke their mind on the beach. We just need to keep their job always in perspective and good. Nothing to hide here. I think they all did well.

[consumer]

For those of us with ADHD is there a summary of how everyone voted? I tried scrolling through the video but I didn't find any sort of summary.

[duddd]

I think its very unfortunate that the Rebel was not part of the test since that would be a good competitor for the Orbit.

It would not, because Rebel is your regular high-aspect kite that is designed to boost as high as possible, but not to loop well. It's pretty much the same kite as XR or Edge in terms of characteristics. These kites will take you very high but are shit for anything else, including (in particular) looping, which is what "average joe big air rider" wants to do as well

That's why Core did not put XR there - which was a very smart move from them IMHO. They know XR loops terribly, and they know Nexus is WAY better for 90% of us that want to loop with confidence besides just going high. You've heard what they said about the Edge: "VERY good kite, but not if you want to loop ¯\_(ツ)_/¯". Same review applies to Rebel.

Are you even watching the big air scene at all?
All Duotone riders, except Edgar Urlich (who is using the EVO SLS) are using the Rebel SLS.
Winner and 3rd place of KOTA were riding Rebel SLS.
This is not a post saying that Rebel SLS is a good kite or not, i just want to point that Rebel SLS is now a good looping kite and not just a boosting kite anymore.
Most likely the same will happen with the XR8.
Core sent the Nexus 3, because the XR7 is old and the new version won't be anything like the 7

[Kitedicted]

For those of us with ADHD is there a summary of how everyone voted? I tried scrolling through the video but I didn't find any sort of summary.

Giel said orbit by a mile, Ruben also accepted orbit as a winner but looked really stoked talking about the Lift. Marc is biased but said Lift as his second pick.

[Blackened]

1st: Orbit - Unanimous
2nd: Lift - Unanimous
3rd: Giel - Nexus, Marc - Code, Ruben - Bullit

They agreed on the first two as being the best for the average rider getting into looping or learning first loop tricks. If they were going for height, all of them agreed on the Edge.

Keep in mind these are three riders with different styles and personalities. Giel liked the Nexus because he learnt on it. Marc liked the Code because it was basically a quicker Nexus. Ruben liked the Bullit because it was aggressive (probably not what you want for an everyday looping kite).

[lizards]

Sure the rebel sls is better for looping than it used to be but no amount of marketing bs will make a high aspect kite loop better than lower aspect one.

When the xr7 came out I remember core publishing a quote from janek saying (paraphrased) “i used to not like looping the xr6 in sizes bigger than 8m but with the xr7, I can loop the 10 with ease.”
Then in subsequent interviews he admitted he doesn’t like looping an xr7 bigger than 8m.

No doubt they will say the same thing with the xr8.

I’m not knocking the rebel I’m just tired of the dishonest marketing from some of these kite companies. I’ve also noticed that since king of the air Andrea has been on kites other than rebels more often than not. He, Lorenzo and other top riders can make any kite look good.

[Bartek_]

I think its very unfortunate that the Rebel was not part of the test since that would be a good competitor for the Orbit.

It would not, because Rebel is your regular high-aspect kite that is designed to boost as high as possible, but not to loop well. It's pretty much the same kite as XR or Edge in terms of characteristics. These kites will take you very high but are shit for anything else, including (in particular) looping, which is what "average joe big air rider" wants to do as well

That's why Core did not put XR there - which was a very smart move from them IMHO. They know XR loops terribly, and they know Nexus is WAY better for 90% of us that want to loop with confidence besides just going high. You've heard what they said about the Edge: "VERY good kite, but not if you want to loop ¯\_(ツ)_/¯". Same review applies to Rebel.

Are you even watching the big air scene at all?
All Duotone riders, except Edgar Urlich (who is using the EVO SLS) are using the Rebel SLS.
Winner and 3rd place of KOTA were riding Rebel SLS.
This is not a post saying that Rebel SLS is a good kite or not, i just want to point that Rebel SLS is now a good looping kite and not just a boosting kite anymore.
Most likely the same will happen with the XR8.
Core sent the Nexus 3, because the XR7 is old and the new version won't be anything like the 7

Are you?
What they ride in KOTA - and what sponsored riders use - is the worst example you could bring here because these people are the absolute opposite of an "average joe".
Rebel is significantly less confidence-building for looping than Orbit. That is a fact, not an opinion. Simple as that, but that's enough to make it not competitive in this particular ranking here.

Sidenote thoughts:
1. This might be a far fetched assumption, but I think that the rule of thumb these days is pretty simple. If pros are able to double loop a kite, it is most likely confidence-building and good for single loops for "average joes". Nobody's double looping a Rebel.
2. What kites riders use in KOTA has absolutely nothing to do with the final results (like, 0% entirely). It is all about rider's consistency throughout the entire day - last two years showed it very much in particular.