I had a chance to get two great sessions in on my new type 8 and here is a quick review.
First off I am in no way affiliated with any shop or brand....I buy all my gear slightly used. I got this kite slightly used with bar and lines for $700.
I have ridden waroos and 05 fuels. I got this kite to replace my 14m waroo which, despite what people may say, is a seriously shitty kite.
First I will start with the bar:
well, I really dont know if it is for me or not and here's why: i have never seen such a complicated cluttered easier to get tangled bar and lines than this one. I am sure that the next time I use it it will be smoother to set up with less hassels. so on the ground the bar sucks, but when flying the kite it turns out to be pretty great. the double depower function works great and towards the end of the depower on the chicken loop line, the fifth line tension engauges and the kite depowers about 80% which is plenty for me. also this bar has a bit of resistance to it when depowering so the bar kind of floats in the middle with no pressure making one handed riding very comfy, but in order to engauge the double depower you have to push the bar from you... I like this feeling.
Construction of the kite looks like they left off some extra reinforcments to keep weight off. Stitching looks good though and I havent heard of these kites just coming apart so I would say the build quality is good, but not bomber.
In the air the type 8 is VERY fast turning....I tried the 12m 2007 vegas and the rrd is noticably faster. This kite compared to the vegas looks like it is a lower aspect design when flying it. I would say the rrd turns as fast as my 9m waroo.
Upwind on this kite is very easy. As good as my waroo. I was in 16-25knts and 25knts seems to be the high end for me with the 12m. I weigh 150lbs.
This kite really shines for me when in the surf or carving big powered turns. It turns so fast and the lower aspect really holds lots of power through turns. Way better for this than my waroo or even the vegas. With the vegas when you fly at the kite while surfing a wave it stalls a bit, but the type 8 resists it much better and pulls downwind a bit. I like that a lot.
Jumping this kite took me a day to get used to. Because the bar pressure is very low with the type wave bar it is difficult to feel where the kite is when jumping. I had the kite fly back across the window lifting me 20ft without me expecting it. Like I said it turns very very fast and without lots of bar feedback it takes some getting used to. I feel like with a standard 5th line bar setup I would get more feedback from the kite. I will try it next time.
I didnt get great hangtime but I dont really care about floating down. I like shooting up, so this kite is great because it really rips you off the water.
This kite is already making me a better rider. The waroo's make it TOO easy! I noticed, especially in transitions how I am usually relying on the kite's depower to keep the transition smooth. With the type 8 I have to harmonize body position, weight distribution, and timing to have a good powered transition and when done correctly feels better than ever. I am not into tricks yet, only the way things feel and with this kite kiting feels better than ever so I am pretty stoked on that.
I bought this kite without trying it first, only based on what I read about it. Everything I read about this kite matches up with my experience of it. It is a real treat to fly. I can say that this kite is undoubtedly more fun to fly that a 12m vegas or waroo. Cant wait to get a 9m!
Coleman