Which kite to buy? Testing the F-one Bandit, Duotone EVO SLS, Reedin Supermodel v2 and Harlem Go v5
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- Опубликовано: 11 июл 2024
- Welcome to the review that will change your life forever! One day when the kitesurfer roamed the planet, RUclips was full off marketing video’s and pro riders telling you how good a certain type of gear is. Now these video’s give you a great impression of what a product is capable of, but often leave out some of the flaws.
Going BIG and doing tricks was the main goal for my next purchase, however I also want a kite I can grow into. The EVO SLS and HARLEM GO are probably my two best options, nevertheless I am really irresponsible and bought a kite that is probably a little bit above my current skill level, which is the Reedin Kite. The skinny bar was also a big factor in this decision. Keep in mind the supermodel is the only kite that uses a low Y in the center lines. The other kites all have different Y and bar settings.
Firstly, I will briefly mention the best attributes of each kite, beginning with the big brands.
1. The F-One Bandit is probably one of the best selling kites, for good reason. Owning the f-one bandit for a while I can say, it’s fast and has amazing drift.
2. Testing the Duotone SLS for 2 hours at the Telstar surfcenter in the Netherlands, I can say this kite is really easy to use and extremely predictable.
3. Testing and now shortly owning a Reedin Supermodel v2 I can say looping this kite is definitely the easiest out of these 4.
4. I tested the Harlem Go on the beach after borrowing the demo kites from the Harlem owners. Apart form the fact they know what the are talking about, I probably think this is the best allround kite I tested. It has a ton of lift and it is very predictable even in strong winds.
Lift
Don’t get me wrong, you can go very high on the bandit, it just requires a lot of time and skill. I have done 5 meter jumps on this kite, and my kite-buddy even 12 meter jumps and Liam Whaley probably 25 meter jumps, I am still going to score this kite 6/10 for lift. Landings with this kite were quite often hard.
Testing the Duotone SLS in light conditions it was a really pleasant experience. Jumping was very easy and the landings extremely soft, even for the weather conditions. 8,5/10 Lift was very similar to the Harlem Go.
Jumping with the reedin supermodel was really scary. After a few sessions with it, I am still not experienced enough to exactly predict how high this kite is going to take me after lift-off. Scary but fun, 9/10 for lift.
The Harlem Go has a lot of lift, I tested it in hard wind conditions on the dutch beach. Shoppy big Waves, gust upto almost 40 knots, this kites still gave long and predictable hangtime. Even for me a somewhat mediocre kiter, It was very easy to ride off after landing not even buttchecking once. Something wich was almost standard for me on the reedin. 9/10 for lift.
Ease of use
Once you get to know the bandit, it is really easy to use and playful. Steering this kite just feels amazing, in all kinds of conditions. The Linxbar is also a nice plus. 9/10
The evo SLS is a kite you can park in the air and it just pulls you. I did not like the 2022 clickbar however. It felt stiff and steering required more input than I was used to on the bandit. Maybe it was because the bar I test was brand new, the big center line seemed stiff. 7,5/10
Using the supermodel was, and still is, a learning curve. Even though the bar is relatively small, the kite really listened to the slightest bit of bar input. Quite similar to the bandit. The bar pressure is really light. Personally I also love the skinny bar. 7/10
This kite feels very similar to the evo sls, which is a complement. The bar unfortunately just wasn’t my cup of tea. A bit to big for me, especially since you do require to use a little bit more bar input. Harlem also provides a clickbar, which I did not test during my session. 7,5/10
Looping
The bandit turns quick, which makes looping great 9/10
The EVO sls is a bit slower than the bandit, however still no trouble at all. 8/10
This kite (reedin) is made for looping 10/10
I down-looped this kite (harlem) in pretty gusting harsh conditions, which was really scary. 8/10
00:00 - Intro
00:17 - Some footage
00:51 - Overview
01:45 - Short summary
02:00 - Scoring
03:40 - Results
![XO (Only If You Say Yes) - ENHYPEN エンハイプン 엔하이픈 [Music Bank] | KBS WORLD TV 240712](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/wBT1bKKwPTo/mqdefault.jpg)
I hesitated for a long time between the supermodel V2 and bandit. But i had a great price with the Bandit 2021 like 2 weeks ago so … for 300€ less … love you Kevin but love my purse more !
Hey there are no wrong choices, as long as you are kiting ;)
Bro I had the fone the bar is just bad man the lines get stretched really easy
Great video, just picked up a supermodel v2! Very happy with it ;p. Btw why is the supermodel blue? Does that mean there wont be a new kite for 2022, just a new color?
I don't think there will be. However I have spotted a new bar in some promo video's. The color I bought is the newer petrol one, somewhat blue.
@@Jochumvideos I saw the bar too, kinda reminded me of the Duotone bar with the center lines in one square block. We shall see I guess.
Sick chart man...I saw it!
haha indeed, video is doing better than expected😆
I think u need more experience to be making a video like that because u could make people do wrong choices not hating bro just saying everyone has his own favorite kite for example me an experienced I rider I prefare the core xr and naish pivot more than these kites and I tried them
Bro, deal with it
I agree you haven't experience dude🤔.. For example you said about looping, are you loop all these kites in 30 knots?
Well for you it may not be great but I think for newer riders it's actually better, you get the advice of someone that is around your level and it's probably more accurate. When you're more experienced I'm pretty sure those comparison videos don't mean a lot, it's way better to actually try the kites.
@@Helic4 lol, that’s actually completely wrong . When I bought my first two kites I knew nothing about them , so I bought wrong and will recommend wrong based on this bad reviews from internet . After 10 years as instructor , I know everything about kites and can recommend newbies kites , boards . What mistakes to avoid etc . So think again about what you wrote please :-)
Problem with bandits : lower build quality , flutter a lot when loaded and also when you loose bar a bit , super heavy on bar even in soft settings , lower hang time . I think this “test” deserves like 2/10 points .-) nothing personal . Love bandits for price etc but to give them 9 in those categories it’s way to false .
Nothing personal I get what you're saying, although a lot of kite performance also comes from the rider.
@@Jochumvideos hh, nope , kite performance is kite performance , rider performance is rider performance :-) for sure friend can send it higher and longer than me , still it doesn’t make from bandit long hang time kite .-) I mean it’s your channel I wish you luck and for sure you can record and share what ever you wish . I just know how people suffer once they bought kite for 1000€ and it’s not as expected …
Surprised Bandits still have those same issues after so many years, used to love my Bandit for the fun feeling of flying it but build quality, that flutter, and those crappy lines breaking three times on me, moved on