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OR 12m HL-flite vs HL-Crave

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flying doctor
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OR 12m HL-flite vs HL-Crave

Postby flying doctor » Wed Jun 29, 2022 9:57 am

I've been able to test both kites in limited circumstances on twintip in medium-low wind conditions
Flite is really quick turning, more so than Crave, but it was a lot easier to feel where the Crave was in the air.
Both kites were a joy to use, each in different ways.

I'm thinking about purchasing one of these kites for light wind twin-tip/wave/foil
Does anyone have more extensive experience and feedback on these kites?

Flite is lighter by 0,1 lb
HL Flite and Crave are same price (A-series Flite is 750 euros more and 0,4lbs lighter)
But OR states that wind range on twin tip and waveboard starts at 11knots on flite and 15 knots on Crave, that's a big difference!
Can anyone acknowledge this?
And any experience on foiling with these kites?

Thanks!

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Re: OR 12m HL-flite vs HL-Crave

Postby droffats » Wed Jun 29, 2022 7:40 pm

I have ridden both, more of the Crave than the Flite, but still a bunch. I don't know that the low end wind ranges are that different. At the very low end of any kite I find a lot has to do with the current, waves, air density, lulls vs. steadiness, skill, board, etc. The differences for me were more that the Crave is faster turning, drifts slightly better, and unhooks with less trim.

- Stafford
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Re: OR 12m HL-flite vs HL-Crave

Postby Pana » Thu Jun 30, 2022 3:49 am

I have not tried the crave….but notice you have wave & foil in your list, for that you should try the Roam. Personally i prefered the Roam to the Flite. The flite is a light wind design, it is a bit more grunty but you feel the ‘drag’ in apparent wind conditions. Roam has more finesse i think, but enough power to TT.

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Re: OR 12m HL-flite vs HL-Crave

Postby Pana » Thu Jun 30, 2022 3:53 am

I have not tried the crave….but notice you have wave & foil in your list, for that you should try the Roam. Personally i prefered the Roam to the Flite. The flite is a light wind design, it is a bit more grunty but you feel the ‘drag’ in apparent wind conditions. Roam has more finesse i think, but enough power to TT. The Roam 12 in Aluula is an outstanding crosover, try one if you can. If you use a 12 often it’s worth the pinch.
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Re: OR 12m HL-flite vs HL-Crave

Postby flying doctor » Thu Jun 30, 2022 6:22 pm

I've tried the A-Roam 10m and loved it on foil, TT was fun too because of the loops but it's definitely not a grunty kite.
Do you have experience with A-Roam vs HL-Roam?
I'm spoilt for choice, all these new OR kites have something going for them..

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Re: OR 12m HL-flite vs HL-Crave

Postby SENDIT! » 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!
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Re: OR 12m HL-flite vs HL-Crave

Postby adamj2281 » Thu Jun 30, 2022 9:32 pm

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).
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Re: OR 12m HL-flite vs HL-Crave

Postby flying doctor » Fri Jul 01, 2022 12:42 pm

Thanks for the feedback guys! Really helpful and I agree the Crave maybe overlooked. I was really surprised by the performance but have only limited time on it.
I guess it is the best allrounder in the lineup and that's what I'm looking for.
Funny you mentioned the X2, I owned 3 of them (even the 20m) back in the day and they could be great or ruthless 😬


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