Postby tautologies » Mon Dec 17, 2018 9:52 am
Hey yeah well...mostly for the 7. I did not ride it side by side, but my take is as follows. LE and struts are significantly thinner. I mean really significantly. The 7 recommended PSI you have to lean into. It gives a better feel to the kite in some really great ways. Super easy to turn, drifts like crazy. Its still the same overall feel in terms of how turning the kite feels on the bar, and through its power range...it still eats gusts like its nothing. I've been riding it quite a bit with my foil and can back up the kite and ride waves with my foil. I have used it with my TT..it still jumps high with great hangtime, but still feels controllable and you do not get the neck breaking pull that you can get super powered on the pivot.
So I did not get the first version of the slash, but I had the 7 in 2018 and now in 2019. To what extent you should get the 2019 I can't really answer for you. Personally I felt the new slash was different, but recognizable. The LE and struts are thin, which makes the kite lighter. It also makes the kite be able to do faster turns, it feels like to me, and riding straight towards it on a foil, the kite drifted like it was nothing., then at the end, I looped it at the center of the window to changed direction and power it back up. On surfboards, the kite was just drifting waiting for me to reengage. The reason I mention the foil, is because I kited it in much lighter winds, which would be a good way to find misbehaviors. On a surfboard, I normally ride stormy winds and the slash is fantastic. I have to say both 2018 and 2019 is great in any wave, but felt like the improvements could be felt across the performance in waves. Except maybe on the jumping. I did not feel a significant difference there.
Not I am not an extreme rider in any way so what works for me might not work for everyone. I am glad I upgraded. I like new toys.