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Zian Aquila & Kima any reviews?

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nherbold
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Re: Zian Aquila & Kima any reviews?

Postby nherbold » Wed Mar 20, 2013 9:42 pm

Good luck to you Robert.
With so many brands out there it's gotta be difficult to distinguish yourself.
Hope to see some of those kites this season and maybe test one or two.

Just googled your company to see what these puppies will cost but I guess that is a secret for now :)

Cheers and keep kiting

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Re: Zian Aquila & Kima any reviews?

Postby ozchrisb » Wed Mar 20, 2013 10:17 pm

nherbold wrote: Just googled your company to see what these puppies will cost but I guess that is a secret for now :)

Cheers and keep kiting
http://ridezian.com/factory-direct.html

L0KI
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Re: Zian Aquila & Kima any reviews?

Postby L0KI » Fri Mar 22, 2013 11:55 pm

Keep working on your Dragon Wing!!! :thumb:
The Ozone C4 is doing very well, and is a really good kite, but could use a pulley to increase it's range, in my opinion.
The Blade Prime is very smooth and has great range and boosts really nice.
Have heard great things about the Noble 50 fifty C kite too.
The five line C kites are great but I don't want five lines, for sure.
I think there are a lot of kiters out there who want a kite that flies and turns more like the C kites of old, but with more range/forgiveness, and good relaunch.
There are lots of nice SLE/Delta/Bow -ish shaped kites out there but the more C shaped kites feel and behave way better, in my opinion.
The kiting business could use more good four line bridled C kites.

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Dimitri M
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Re: Zian Aquila & Kima any reviews?

Postby Dimitri M » Sat Mar 23, 2013 7:03 pm

I wish you all the best Robert with your new company. Orao onoma to KIMA :thumb:

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Re: Zian Aquila & Kima any reviews?

Postby eree » Sat Mar 23, 2013 7:44 pm

interesting currency rate for austria based company.

250$ in US and 351€ in europe for the bar

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mede
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Re: Zian Aquila & Kima any reviews?

Postby mede » Sat Mar 23, 2013 9:36 pm

I had no opportunity so far to fly a Zian kite.

However, one of the kite instructors in Kalpitiya (won't disclose his name ;) , who is actually teaching on North kites, was totally raving about it, said he preferred them by and large to the North ones .

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Re: Zian Aquila & Kima any reviews?

Postby slingshotucf » Wed Mar 27, 2013 8:32 pm

Here's my review on the Zian kites. My background is 13 years of kiteboarding, teaching kiting for 12 of those years. I ride Switchblades and Fuels and try out all brands. 5'11', 170 lbs.

The good of both the Aquila and Kima is that they both relaunch amazingly. Even with waves crashing down on them, the kite will pop right out of the wash and get up in the air. The safety works well and kills the power when missing the bar for a pass without dragging you. The bars have a soft grip and are very light, which most people will like. I tend to like bars with a rough grip and some weight to them. Both kite models have very good stitching and even complete the stitching in the joints which many companies don't. I've beaten the crap out of a few of these kites and have no signs of wear yet. The 3 strut design makes for quick pumping as well. Both models also have good low end to them with a good amount of high end. I would think that a 9 and 12 meter would give an average weight person full range to kite in most conditions around 12 to 25 knots.

I find that the Kima has more depower and boosts higher. Also I like how it loops. Feels like I'm jumping in 30 knots of wind when it's only blowing 20 out, so very pleased with the height. The Aquila has a little less depower but it makes it feel more like a c kite and if you want more depower then just pull the depower strap in a little. One thing I noticed is that the throw isn't as much as a Cabrinha bar but a session or 2 and you will not notice, this is good for people with shorter arms, the bar will always be close to you.

In the waves, you can load both models pretty well to let them pull you down the line without them back stalling. The Kima you will feel less of the gusts than you do with the Aquila.

The bad parts of the kites are the logos. Not my choice of print. The swivel on the bar which I was told is being worked on. The Kima's biggest size is an 11, I think a 13 will be awesome for my size. The bags are small but seems like all the companies like you to know origami to be able to put kites back in their bags.

To me the Kima feels like last years Switchblade, but with better hang time. The kites are good for beginners through advanced riders in my opinion. And if you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them.

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Re: Zian Aquila & Kima any reviews?

Postby jespin4845 » Wed Mar 27, 2013 10:06 pm

interesting that you compare the kima to a switchblade, i have a 12m 2012 switchblade and i love it, however i don't like the fact that my kite retails for 2000 msrp and if I break a bridle its going to cost me an arm and a leg....so i am always on the look out for kites that have that stability of the switchblade instead of buying a kite on closeout or a second hand kite from cabrinha...

i feel like factory direct is the way to go in the future...look fwd to demoing the zian kites one day...


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