Ozone Hyperlink V2 - The Most Versatile Foil Kite On The Market

[Oldman]

I have Ozone click in CL and also North Ironheart ...if Ozone is the iPhone Ironheart is Nokia ..no comparison ..soon most manufactures will copy ozone if no restrictions...that said you don't need the click in CL if you are having normal harness as opposed to rope, not many people reset CL but with rope harness every time, and with foiling more and more people use rope harnesses so this option is good considering price is same …


Back to topic ..can anyone confirm if Hyperlink V2 same AR and Cell count as V1?

Is it possible to install the north rope chicken loop into the ozone click?

[iriejohn]

Nice, preemptively TL:DR

Ok, ok! I'll keep it short.

The north ironheart has existed for a long time. During that time, many other releases have come and gone. The north ironheart is still here and has zero issues (not talking about the bar just the release).

Some of the issues with other newer and older CL release designs were:

1. Plastic in tension where deformation/ elongation would cause a failure of release
2. Mfg defects such as not chamferring sharp edges would cause failure of CL line
3. Loss of CL itself on designs with seperation of CL and upper release portion
4. Difficult to reload CL's like on old Cabrinha bars
5. And a host of other design failures, such as some releases only working for lighter weight riders

The ironheart had none of these problems because it was designed with plastic only in compression, and was simple. And it set the standard for every successful CL release since. Reguardless of the additional features the brand new Ozone release has, it definitely borrowed design principals from the north ironheart. And good for Ozone! Too many kite companies have made dangerous gear, just for patent differentiation.

And I would also like to reaffirm the doccumented plastic cold weather issues Ozone had in the past. But I have seen none of that recently.

Oh, and about the kite, it is ok. But Ozone offers better in other models. Still, the kite is usable. For the new version, ozone has typically improved with newer versions since the Manta 3 disappointment. So I would say that the new version should be at least as good as the v1.

Perhaps you would care to identify exactly what "design principals" Ozone have "borrowed" from the North Ironheart?

As previously posted:

It looks like pretty much everyone is "cloning" the North(Duotone) Ironheart release type mechanism. I got rid of all of my other unreliable CL's about 8 years ago and switched to the Ironheart, and have not had a problem with them, except getting "regular wear" parts for less than the price of a bar.

Since you have evidently made a detailed comparison of the Click In QR vs the Ironheart QR perhaps you would care to post that comparison which supports your statement that the Click In QR is a "clone" of the Ironheart? Thanks.

[Matteo V]

Perhaps you would care to identify exactly what "design principals" Ozone have "borrowed" from the North Ironheart?

Do you want a long post from me? Because this is how you get a long post from me! In fact, just making a complete post and saying "too bad" to:

Nice, preemptively TL:DR

is probably better AND shorter in the long run.


So from now on, I will try to make that my policy.

As to your original question:

The design features proven to make a reliable release, and copied from the Ironheart are:

1. Metal to metal contact at the disconnect point where the cam/lever connects to a metal box ring on the end of the CL line
2. No plastic in tension (high load) where elongation of that plastic will eventually cause an "out of tolerance failure"
3. The basic arrangement of the release

You can rearrange things a lot of different ways, change the looks of the cuff, install a mechanism for a simple "click in to reload", but the Ozone release has the same principals above as the North Ironheart. The two reasons it is not a cosmetic "complete clone" of the North - to add in the "click to reload" feature, and to differentiate from the North Ironheart release. Ozone does not do "straight up copy" like some other companies are willing to do (copying is good in my book, if you copy something good). But Ozone could not continue to be priced at the level they are if they engaged in utilizing the design of an existing product (and thus skip the R&D cost and additional liability). Thus an attempt was made at some innovation so that they could claim differentiation.

Ozone has had perfectly functioning releases before with the Megatron loop. It was just not passable with modern kites which went to a 'push away on the stem' on almost all manufactures. In fact, I cannot think of a company that does not have QR activation below the stem like as the old Megatron. So Ozone, being Ozone, had to find a proven design, change it so it was passable as "newly designed", and keep the functioning/design principals the same as what North and most other companies had switched to.

Think of it as the almost the exact same chassis under the body, but an automatic transmission instead of a manual.

And I am not critical of Ozone for doing this. Again, emulation of what works is definitely good. The opposite of that is creation of something that does not work in a effort to not be a "copy". And that is very bad. For years many brands did just that on purpose, or because they were forced to due to patent constraints. The effect of this was to put the end user in danger, along with bystanders and our access to the beach.

So good job, Ozone. But credit where credit is due. North nailed the design while Ozone was still pushing the Megatron. Now the Megatron is gone and we have something just like the North release.

[iriejohn]

Perhaps you would care to identify exactly what "design principals" Ozone have "borrowed" from the North Ironheart?

Do you want a long post from me? Because this is how you get a long post from me! In fact, just making a complete post and saying "too bad" to:

Nice, preemptively TL:DR

is probably better AND shorter in the long run.


So from now on, I will try to make that my policy.

As to your original question:

The design features proven to make a reliable release, and copied from the Ironheart are:

1. Metal to metal contact at the disconnect point where the cam/lever connects to a metal box ring on the end of the CL line
2. No plastic in tension (high load) where elongation of that plastic will eventually cause an "out of tolerance failure"

Both of the above are basic engineering principles.

3. The basic arrangement of the release

It has a common purpose, what else would you expect?

You can rearrange things a lot of different ways, change the looks of the cuff, install a mechanism for a simple "click in to reload", but the Ozone release has the same principals above as the North Ironheart. The two reasons it is not a cosmetic "complete clone" of the North - to add in the "click to reload" feature, and to differentiate from the North Ironheart release. Ozone does not do "straight up copy" like some other companies are willing to do (copying is good in my book, if you copy something good). But Ozone could not continue to be priced at the level they are if they engaged in utilizing the design of an existing product (and thus skip the R&D cost and additional liability). Thus an attempt was made at some innovation so that they could claim differentiation.

Ozone has had perfectly functioning releases before with the Megatron loop. It was just not passable with modern kites which went to a 'push away on the stem' on almost all manufactures. In fact, I cannot think of a company that does not have QR activation below the stem like as the old Megatron. So Ozone, being Ozone, had to find a proven design, change it so it was passable as "newly designed", and keep the functioning/design principals the same as what North and most other companies had switched to.

Think of it as the almost the exact same chassis under the body, but an automatic transmission instead of a manual.

And I am not critical of Ozone for doing this. Again, emulation of what works is definitely good. The opposite of that is creation of something that does not work in a effort to not be a "copy". And that is very bad. For years many brands did just that on purpose, or because they were forced to due to patent constraints. The effect of this was to put the end user in danger, along with bystanders and our access to the beach.

So good job, Ozone. But credit where credit is due. North nailed the design while Ozone was still pushing the Megatron. Now the Megatron is gone and we have something just like the North release.

Not exactly a rigorous comparison, was it Matteo?

[Matteo V]

Both of the above are basic engineering principles.

It has a common purpose, what else would you expect?

Yes, something North came up with 10+ years ago. Good for Ozone finally getting in on the game. Better late than never.


Is your only rebuttal to my response that it was not rigorous enough? Any portion of it demonstrably misleading or untrue, to which you can provide evidence such as possibly different time line?

[Foil]

Is it possible to install the north rope chicken loop into the ozone click?

yes

[tomtom]

To say that Ozone click copy North IH Is same claim as BMW copy Mercedes engine because it has pistons. Ozone click has nothing to do with North IH.
North IH is actualy quite bad and cheaply executed design. Whoever buy it as State of art release is pseudo engineer. Why is bad:

It weight 500g which is PLAIN ridiculous. I have numerous board ding and bruises just from it swing while manipulating. /i live with it one year 2018 click bar/
One hand reasemble is imposible a two hand reasemble is very clumsy - release lever can fit into "red plastic opener" in numerous ways - its not "only one way possible" you must thing about it if everything is correct.
Otherwise it work - quite expected from such a simple device after 20y development...

[iriejohn]

Is your only rebuttal to my response that it was not rigorous enough? Any portion of it demonstrably misleading or untrue, to which you can provide evidence such as possibly different time line?

I have no need to rebut anything. You have singularly failed to produce concrete evidence to support your allegation that the Ozone Click in QR is a "clone" of the North Ironheart QR. Fin.

It looks like pretty much everyone is "cloning" the North(Duotone) Ironheart release type mechanism. I got rid of all of my other unreliable CL's about 8 years ago and switched to the Ironheart, and have not had a problem with them, except getting "regular wear" parts for less than the price of a bar.

Since you have evidently made a detailed comparison of the Click In QR vs the Ironheart QR perhaps you would care to post that comparison which supports your statement that the Click In QR is a "clone" of the Ironheart? Thanks.

[Matteo V]

I have no need to rebut anything. You have singularly failed to produce concrete evidence to support your allegation that the Ozone Click in QR is a "clone" of the North Ironheart QR. Fin.

Ummmm.... Fin.

[Matteo V]

It weight 500g which is PLAIN ridiculous. I have numerous board ding and bruises just from it swing while manipulating. /i live with it one year 2018 click bar/
One hand reasemble is imposible a two hand reasemble is very clumsy - release lever can fit into "red plastic opener" in numerous ways - its not "only one way possible" you must thing about it if everything is correct.
Otherwise it work - quite expected from such a simple device after 20y development...

Did you ever get a chance to use the kite release CL's that did not work? Can you name them? It is a LONG list.

As far as weight of the CL, I think that the weight of the CL should be taken up by the tension of the kite in the lines. If it is flopping around, next to your board, something is VERY wrong. Not to say that I don't spend some time swimming on my home lake as the wind is pretty much destroyed by the trees being so close upwind, but I cannot remember the last time that the weight of the CL caused a board ding. Still, when I was at the beginner stages, and even when I was learning to jibe, it must have happened. I would say that most of the force going into the side of the board was from the tension of a suddenly powered up kite on an unexpected gust after the lull that dropped me in the first place. So thank you for your input on a property of the releases that I have never considered.

iriejohn did thank you for that post, so maybe he could elaborate on the weight of the CL banging up your board. My thought is maybe maybe you could put a pool noodle around it. Just be careful that you can still activate the release.