I bought some new kites recently. Tricky decision on what to get, but I went with the single strut Airush Ultra v2, in a 7m and 10m. I don’t like being super powered up, and ideally these kites will cover me from 12-25 knots (the conditions I like to kite in!).
I am a 70kg intermediate kiter, enjoying strapless wave riding and sometimes a few jumps and flat water on the twintip.
First impression - they are incredible kites! As soon as I first launched the 7m kite (in very gusty conditions) I felt so comfortable and in control. The kites are incredibly easy to fly!
I was concerned about single strut kites not handling well in gusty conditions or when really powered up, but I'm finding these Ultras have a massive wind range and with the huge de-power from the bar throw they are perfectly well behaved! The canopy feels and looks very strong, and the whole kite feels very solid when flying. I did expect for the kite to be flapping like crazy in a gust or when sheeting out, but that's not the case!
The kites fly fast, and it's very hard to make them fall out of the sky - even if you go into a gybe and carve before turning the kite, it's very hard to get underneath the kite, it will drift and keep flying!
The kites are perfect for wave riding, plenty of drift and they were covering up my moments of bad flying/timing!
I feel like the Ultra is giving me better light wind performance than my previous 3 strut kites, and also I’m feeling more comfortable at the top end with how effective the Ultra is at dumping power. The 7 and 10 have overlap so this is a comfortable quiver and working out well for me, but I think you could stretch the sizing out more too - originally I was thinking 6/10, but I want the 7m to be my main kite, expecting to be kiting mostly around the 15-20 knots conditions.
These kites are absolutely perfect for me and so far I have nothing negative to report!