Ozone Edge V10 - Packing a serious punch

[iriejohn]

I know the Enduro very well, the lowend is very good when acitvely flown (so is the Dice) but not great and upwind is okay. Maybe V2 is better than V1, I only know the 12m V1. One of the most important things for me are upwind capabilities as I mostly ride on lakes. The last thing you want for lightwind being a lightweight rider is a grunty big bow kite, even if it's a very light one strutter or zero strutter. It just drags you downwind. Being lightweight you are better of with a small high AR kite (tube or foilkite) and a big board.

12m V2 upwind certainly is very good (I've never flown a V1). 81kg, 138x42 twintip.

[Havre]

Interesting. I got Enduros v1s in 9 and 12m. More often than not when I get stuck behind someone or end up kiting in the same area I feel like I can go harder upwind than the other guy/girl. Especially with the 9.

Then again I got limited experience with that many other kites. And I am certainly not lightweight.

[martino86]

Don't get me wrong. Upwind performance of the 5, 7 and 9 V2s is absolutely fantastic and I simply love the smaller Enduros! Similar to you I have the feel like I can go harder upwind than others. It's just simply the 12 V1 that doesn't work for me because it needs apparent wind to go upwind. Tried the 12m Alpha V1 and it works even less with a TT because it sits too deep in the window and just drags me downwind in light winds. Had the 12m Hyperlink V1 and it had the performance that I was looking for. It's a foil kite though and I don't like the handling of a foil kite. That drives me to the conclusion that I need a high efficient kite that flies far at the edge of the window with low downwind forces. The Edge is probably a good compromise between the Enduro and the Hyperlink.

Btw I have two TT, a 133*40 Lieuwe Shotgun and a 138*41 Lieuwe Awesome.

[IWB2]

The Ozone Edges I would say pack a little more punch than the Enduros, when underpowered. Based on your specs the 11m Edge as you have mentioned would be the best fit without jumping to the larger 13m. You can play with the line length as well... ie 23, 25, 27m lines... I have a 10m Edge and always impressed how it performs in lighter winds, ie conditions boarder line for staying upwind. Im roughly 70kg.

[Dave_5280]

How long is the span between wingtips when inflated on the 19 meter kite? Guessing 9 to 11 meters from the looks of the 9 in the video above. Can’t imagine trying to launch a 19 meter kite - might need a crane!

Flew a 17 once and it made me nervous, not sure about a 19!

[Daversj]

Don't get me wrong. Upwind performance of the 5, 7 and 9 V2s is absolutely fantastic and I simply love the smaller Enduros! Similar to you I have the feel like I can go harder upwind than others. It's just simply the 12 V1 that doesn't work for me because it needs apparent wind to go upwind. Tried the 12m Alpha V1 and it works even less with a TT because it sits too deep in the window and just drags me downwind in light winds. Had the 12m Hyperlink V1 and it had the performance that I was looking for. It's a foil kite though and I don't like the handling of a foil kite. That drives me to the conclusion that I need a high efficient kite that flies far at the edge of the window with low downwind forces. The Edge is probably a good compromise between the Enduro and the Hyperlink.

Btw I have two TT, a 133*40 Lieuwe Shotgun and a 138*41 Lieuwe Awesome.

There aren’t many compromises with the Edge if you stick with its intent. I cant think of a kite that goes upwind better. There is a reason they won all the course races for years. The larger sizes suffer from difficult relaunch in light wind, but any high aspect performance kites have that problem. I doubt the hyperlink would go up wind better, but would it certainly fly in lighter wind. Like you, i don't like the turning speed and feel of foil kites. Larger size foil kites are painfully slow to turn, yuck.
I just picked up a 12m v2 Enduro and it goes upwind well, even in marginal wind, with proper technique.
The Edge is not a great beginner kite however. The relaunch can be tough when the wind drops. The biggest sizes turn slow like most big kites. And they will easily Hindenburg if you zoom them over your head in light wind. But for experienced riders they offer the best upwind capability, huge jumps and float, with super light bar pressure.

[Havre]

Don't get me wrong. Upwind performance of the 5, 7 and 9 V2s is absolutely fantastic and I simply love the smaller Enduros! Similar to you I have the feel like I can go harder upwind than others. It's just simply the 12 V1 that doesn't work for me because it needs apparent wind to go upwind. Tried the 12m Alpha V1 and it works even less with a TT because it sits too deep in the window and just drags me downwind in light winds. Had the 12m Hyperlink V1 and it had the performance that I was looking for. It's a foil kite though and I don't like the handling of a foil kite. That drives me to the conclusion that I need a high efficient kite that flies far at the edge of the window with low downwind forces. The Edge is probably a good compromise between the Enduro and the Hyperlink.

Btw I have two TT, a 133*40 Lieuwe Shotgun and a 138*41 Lieuwe Awesome.

There aren’t many compromises with the Edge. I cant think of a kite that goes upwind better. There is a reason they won all the course races for years. The larger sizes suffer from difficult relaunch in light wind, but any high aspect performance kite has that problem. I doubt the hyperlink would go up wind better but would it certainly fly in lighter wind. Like you, i don't like the turning speed and feel of foil kites. The larger sizes are painfully slow to turn.
I just picked up a 12m v2 Enduro and it goes upwind well, even in marginal wind, with proper technique.
The Edge is not a great beginner kite however. The relaunch can be tough when the wind drops. The biggest sizes turn slow like most big kites. And they will easily Hindenburg if you zoom them over your head in light wind. But for experienced riders they offer the best upwind capability, huge jumps and float, with super light bar pressure.

Have you ever tried the XR5/6 or Rebel? If so how would you compare them to the Edge?

I love my Enduros, but I just love jumping old school so I'm going to replace them with a slightly different style of kites and I'm trying to explore different options. Edge being one of them of course.

[Daversj]

The Rebel is the most similar to the Edge. I think the Rebel has a more intense pop when you jump it than the Edge. It pulls you up like a rocket initially. I think it might be due to the bridal system. Ozone doesn't use pulleys and North uses a rocking bridal that i think gives a more abrupt angle of attack change when you sheet in. They are very similar kites but hard to say which one would boost higher. Technique matters more than anything. You would have to ride them back to back on same day to discern the differences accurately.
I think the XR, Rebel and Edge are all very close. The Edge was the benchmark of performance kites for so long and was copied by many. But now i think now its a closer race. Just pick a color.

[Havre]

The Rebel is the most similar to the Edge. I think the Rebel has a more intense pop when you jump it than the Edge. It pulls you up like a rocket initially. I think it might be due to the bridal system. Ozone doesn't use pulleys and North uses a rocking bridal that i think gives a more abrupt angle of attack change when you sheet in. They are very similar kites but hard to say which one would boost higher. Technique matters more than anything. You would have to ride them back to back on same day to discern the differences accurately.
I think the XR, Rebel and Edge are all very close. The Edge was the benchmark of performance kites for so long and was copied by many. But now i think now its a closer race. Just pick a color.

Thanks. Yeah. Got completely blown away by the Rebel. Loved it, but as you say it might be a kite that you get an extra kick out of the first times you ride it because the way you get that ridiculous pop.

I'll probably end up with the kind where I can find the best deal. We'll see. I got no reason to move away from Ozone other than having always had Ozone. Not a very good argument, but at the same time part of the fun is to try out different kind of equipment.

[jyka]

I have flown 9m rebel, 9m xr5 and edge v10 11m. All are great kites. But my favourite was edge.. It handles high wind and gusts so great. Just jumped my highest jump with edge yesterday and it wasn't even overpowered. In my opinion (from the kites what I have tried) it is the best LEI for hooked in jumps. I wish they were cheaper.