NitroV3 review from Wavehogger

NitroV3 review from Wavehogger 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0eXRQBfbTc&feature=youtu.be

Current Kites:
Core GTS 9m
Best Waroo 11m (2008-old)
Board:
Underground FLX

Ordered the 12m Nitro and Controller 2...arrived earlier this week. Pumped up the kite...love the quick inflation and that there are no pulleys so the front bridle should last quite a few years. Great finish and looks really well put together. Must admit though that the kite looked huge on my front lawn…seemed 1,5 times the size of my 11Waroo…struts go waaaay up!

Kite bag looks great, has all the right compartments and big enough for the kite but what’s up with the small front opening to try and squeeze the kite back into the bag..looked like a hatched sea-turtle today trying to get it bag into the bag!? Really miss the old Naish bags that extended like a sock…no zippers!

Unrolled the Controller 2 – would be great if it had the same auto unwind under the bar like my Core ESP instead of a manual front line unwind…but having said that, the ESP depower strap started slipping after only 10 or so sessions…great bar but with faulty depower…not good in 30 knot winds. Also, a bit difficult to grab the depower ball thingy of the Controller 2 when powered up…needs a small strap for easy grab and pull….but all in all a very nice bar…nice long throw, release works great, looks durable and worked well with the kite.

Wind was blowing 18-23 knots today, and although the site states up to 27 knots with the 12 I was a bit sceptic since the kite really looks huge!
Wifey helped me with the launch, depowered the kite and honestly almost no pull, smooth, soft…and me thinking, ok….no issue with this huge looking kite…well, powered the sucker up immediately and 2 hours later came in with a huge smile on my face!

Carving: The site states that it carves upwind like no other and I have to agree…the angle seemed weird at first since I am not used with this on my Core or Best…nobody could keep my line tacking upwind. How well the kite can carve upwind is not that important to me but I was impressed.

Pop: Not the same pop as my Core but better than my Best. 100 times smoother however than my Core and more floaty (vertical) than my Best…great for rotations. Not for newschool I reckon.

Jumping: Awesome, amazed over the smooth lift, same action as the Core but just soo much smoother….and you stay in the air forever! My Waroo jumps high with a better glide than the Nitro but again not as smooth or as high as the Nitro.

Kiteloops: Loops ok for a 12 and have to watch out for that bottom end when the kite comes around but nice steady power throughout the turn.
Flying Angle: Kite sits nicely at 45 degrees and reckon that’s its sweet-spot.

Stability: Very stable in the air…no flapping and also experienced no back-stalling during a botched jump.

Verdict – very happy customer, stoked with the kite and what makes it even better is that I bought a really nice kite and bar at a fraction of some of the other boys on the market. For my style of riding – rotations, loops(not megaloops), jumping, etc. – perfect match!

Next step: Pawning my other 2 kites and getting a 9m Nitro.