SENDIT! wrote: ↑Thu Jun 30, 2022 8:54 pm
I have a ton of experience flying all of these kites. I would first say that the Roams are super good for foiling/waves, as they drift well, loop well, and aren’t very grunty (which is nice when you’re down looping on foil or trying to keep from getting pulled off a wave). However, that lack of grunt means they’re not going to be the best choice for TT.
The Crave and Flite are definitely the better choices for TT. The Flite has a little better low end than the Crave, but not a ton. The Flite has a little more hangtime to it, but the Crave is no slouch. The Flite doesn’t drift that well, but it’s nimble enough that you can sort of compensate for that, and it hunts the edge of the window a little better. The Crave drifts more easily and loops much more quickly. But where the Crave really shines is for boosting! If you send it, you will be rewarded by a “sick-feeling-in-the-pit-of-your-stomach” YANK that will rocket you skyward. The very first time I rode it, it took me back to my days of flying my old Naish X2’s (C kites). It is one of my favorite kites now and I think it has been sort of overlooked b/c of the success of the other kites in OR’s lineup (Flite, Roam, and now the Rise). I use it for foiling, TT sessions, and even teaching. To me, it’s like getting all the benefits of C kite performance, but behaves like a bow kite that’s easy to use. Every single person that I’ve sold one to has done nothing but rave about them.
Unless you're mostly foiling/surfing, I think I’d recommend the Crave HL. It will do pretty much all of that you described wanting to do with no trade offs. Hope this helps!
Agreed, I fly the Roam in full Aluula, and the HL Crave and had some time on the HL Flite. I always position the kite size/style with what I typically do a majority of the time with that particular kite. So......
12m - Roam, because that's my biggest kite, so I am either foiling, or surf.
9m - HL Crave - I typically surf way more than tt, and the Crave is a lot better from a strictly surf standpoint in my opinion than the 9m Roam. The Roam is better for drifting (so if you have a lot of side-off waves) and foiling. The Flite would be better for jumping/tt, although the Crave as a similar yank to the old Razor.
So, I would say if it's mostly surf/foil, Flite or Roam, surf/tt - Crave or Flite (depending on which type of yank/jump you like).