Blank kite test with Youri Zoon

[jyka]

What I understood from the comments, all kites were tested in all conditions. The video was just cut (stupidly) to look like they eliminated one kite before foiling.
Because it seems to be hard to "drop" kites one by one, a better test would've been just to tell what kite is good at what and give points to different things (jumping, hangtime, drift etc) and if there is some kite what Youri like more, he could have said that.

[Blackened]

Just wonder how they got from brands blank kites without any brand signs? Have doubts if brands produce it specially for such test. Can someone explain my how they got it?

From the podcast, Colin said he asked a bunch of brands for plain black (or white) kite last year. They were to be what was offered on the market, so all the kites are supposed to be 2022 models and not prototypes.

[RayLeon]

I love the idea of comparing several kites back to back without the brand on them. I would like to see another batch of kites on the next video, like:

- Fone Bandit
vs
- Reedin Supermodel
vs
- Naish Pivot
vs
- Cabrinha Moto

Cheers!

[Blackened]

They only got what the brands sent them. Ideally he would be able to do all of them, but not all brands participated.

[Havre]

It is a bit tricky with reviews like this. Will Ozone and Ocean Rodeo participate the next time?

One of the reasons why I don't like reviews that focus a bit too much on "good or bad" - even if I think he describes the kites well the focus will still be on the elimination. Much more interesting to listen to how the kite behaves etc - as very few - if any - kites are "best" at everything.

If anyone asked me which is the "best" kite between Edge and Rebel - I really couldn't say. But I do think I would be able to fairly well describe how they are slightly different - and then it would be up to "you" to decide which one would suit you the best (based on my "subjective" experience).

[Greenturtle]

Having just the one tester is not that great. Yes he is a great rider and knows kites, but its not like his preferences align with everyone else's or even anyone else’s. Would he prefer an rpm to any of these? Probably. Maybe thats his problem with the enduro, that its not an rpm but is in direct competition. See? Bias. A “group” of testers non-existent. One riders opinions. Questionable one-off custom kites that may not even be exactly true to their production run counterparts. Personally, (choice of next words in honor of kitewipe) I think this test is shit.

[RayLeon]

I agree with you on the review's format. I believe that every kite is different and it will be better under certain weather conditions, or riding certain boards, than others; so the elimination may not be the best to get the full picture of the kite's characteristics. They could have kept the 4 kites on the 2nd episode and give a full review.

However, reviews like this may help narrow down your search if you are after a new kite. Unfortunately the kite market is so broad that the choice to pick one kite that suits you without testing them is very difficult. Most of the times is not easy to get the kites you would like to test in order to take a decision on where you are going to spend the cash, which on top of the high price, they are getting more expensive every year. And even if you have the chance to test one, the wind conditions may not align.

Regarding the topic 'what kite is the best', I think the best kite is the one that leaves the biggest smile on your face after each session. It is up to the rider eventually, and every rider has a unique style from beginner riders to expert riders.

[rnelias]

maybe they should have left the 4 kites and make Youri try all of them on different disciplines (big air, wakestyle, foil, surf), describing his feellings about the kite x discipline, however, in the 1st episode, Youri has told that the test is based on freeride kites. My understanding is that freeride kites are like a duck. It swins, walks and flies but can't do any of them efficiently, thus, the idea of a "best kite" makes more sense. The question Youri is trying to answers is: for his personal preference, which kite is the best "duck"?

[edt]

maybe they should have left the 4 kites and make Youri try all of them on different disciplines (big air, wakestyle, foil, surf), describing his feellings about the kite x discipline, however, in the 1st episode, Youri has told that the test is based on freeride kites. My understanding is that freeride kites are like a duck. It swins, walks and flies but can't do any of them efficiently, thus, the idea of a "best kite" makes more sense. The question Youri is trying to answers is: for his personal preference, which kite is the best "duck"?

I think free ride kites are typically high boosting floaty kites. Wakestyle kites by contrast can't boost very high. The "jack of all trades" is one that can do both wakestyle and boost, and that's the kite that can't do anything very well. Typically free ride kites are excellent at boosting. The numnber 1 trick for beginners is a simple jump so free ride kites must be able to boost well.

[Havre]

I haven't tried the Rebel SLS myself, but I know the older Rebels. I love them, but they are quite "brutal" and very very slow in the bigger sizes. So without having tested the Edge (I pre-ordered so impossible) I made an educated guess on the Edge being slightly less "brutal" and not as slow as the Rebel. So far that is exactly how I think the Edge v11 is as well. Is it better? That is another discussion. So if I was going to eliminate one of them in such a test it would be quite pointless.

I think it is a cool concept and I would love it if they were able to improve on it going forward. Very often you got experience from some kites, but not all. Then these kind of tests could be very useful in terms of helping you decide where to look. In my case I obviously know the Enduro very well and I kind of new my new kite should be something in between the Enduro and the Rebel (pre SLS). Maybe the Edge wasn't the best I could do, but there is no realistic way for me to test a bunch of kites. And even if I did I would never be able to test a bunch of kites under the same conditions and under varying conditions - it would be a full time job.

Not sure if these tests really give you that - even if he does spend some time describing the feel.