kitexpert wrote: ↑Tue May 07, 2019 10:33 am
To say Soul is a middle-low performance kite is a bit too much when it easily beats all LEI's and all other foil kites not including race kites by its L/D. But I'm not saying everyone should buy a Soul because there are many other things than L/D which are essential in kites.
Soul is the best foil kite in general at the moment. With Soul it is possible to megaloop, jump over 28m high and have 17s hang time from the flat surface. No other kite has anything comparable. That shows mid AR foil kite concept has huge potential.
Sorry, but I am not really agreed with your point of view...
Soul beats easely a tube kite? Even if you are looking to do Kiteloop? Are you sure? Do you ever trie to make a big kiteloop in gusty wind with the Soul??? Because I do kiteloop with a TT since 12years with an hybride kite... I do it on the snow with foil kite and I really don't want to test a 10sm foilkite in 20kts in kitesurfing.
It is not because some top riders do this, this year, that it is a revolution... Top riders done megaloop with tube kite since 2002-2003... So the Soul have the same performance than a 2003 kite?
Foil kites are really not at the same level on depower and turn ability... They have good points and they have bad points like tube kites, like everything. The soul doesn't change the problems, today everybody can do a kite loop with a tube kite, it is so simple... And make a kiteloop with a foil kites needs to be on the good timing in the good wind with a good rider.
I change between tube kite and foil all over the year... I am always surprise when everybody tells me "The soul turns as a tube kite, the soul have the same depower"...I test it, nothing to compare. Or I heard "my tubekite is lighter than a foil, my tubekite have the same power..." seriousely a tube kite have 10-15% less power for the same surface and it is 800-1000gr heavier.
I understand that you love your soul, but this kite is more a freeride kite than a top performant kite. It is a well balance kite. But his L/D ratio is not incredible. It is approximatively the same than a race tube kite... But nobody have race kite to compare anymore.
I think that the freeride foil kite is the more interested kite because it's closed to the rider level and with the way that riders want to kite. But clearely, on every brand the L/D ratio decrease on the most popular foil kite. And it is not a design problems, it is because they want to go for a well balance kite, easy to run, fun and seccurity...
Best regards
Norbert