grigorib wrote: ↑Wed Aug 30, 2017 2:45 pm
Off Peak topic then, so what about LEIs?
- I've never had a chance to see the Conceptair Pulsion, curious
- LF Solo seems to be in a good account
- Cloud built a nice hype (though I demoed a 17m in spring and it was a disaster - nice solid zenith but the moment I dove it the eartips came close getting me a "C" kite and no pull, and slow powerless loops)
- I demoed Airush Lithum 3 years ago and had similar feeling as of the 17m Cloud above
- I think some folks recommended OR Flite
I've been foiling under 2012 Rally's which are quite light and deliver fast looping and good power from the looping compared to strutless/1-strut kites.
The Pulsion is a foilkite.
LF Solo is good but not perfect in marginal wind, a bit too heavy eventhough it has really good power and grunt, but slow. Upper end also lacking somewhat.
Clouds, dont know personally, but I would think 17 m2 is too big for good powerspike/loop, but the next size down much better in this respect ?
Airush, dont know - only tried a 6 m2 Ultra (which was great) so no idea about the big ones, but on paper they sounds good... (which you can not use for anything
)
OR Flite are recommended, and a friend of mine had a 10 and a 13 m2, really good but not superlight so good for crossovers to other boards or for higher winds also because of the struts.
I got a Zeeko Notus Air 12 m2 onestrut, it is lighter than the LF but not superlight as the strutless.
Hangs easy in less wind than I can ride, which is my main goal, and has good range and fast, but you can find kites with less range that starts earlier.
The Storm Voyagers are incredible in marginal wind, hangs in "nothing", and can even be relaunched where others give up, and quite powerful, lacking a bit of upper end of course.
Maybe the Gong strutless are something similar, but noone here got these, and I havent flown them.
North Mono has loads of power, some find it too powerful so difficult for hydrofoiling - I dont know their weight.
IMO:
High AR foilkites are by far the best for pushing the marginal low end.
When sufficient for light LEI kites they have many practical advantages, and as said, they hang as good, and in some cases better and dont fold, than racefoilkites.
These no or onestrut kites with bottom end, will typically not have same comfy range and not behave when powered, like strutted kites.
Light strutted kites will give you a crossover to either hydrofoil in the upper end, or use it for other boards, but can of course not match the lighter no or onestruts in marginal wind.
PF