Thanks to Felix I was able to try out the Element 3, 9m yesterday at Moks.
This is a fantastic kite -- smooth, stable, and strong. It performs very well
at many things.
I'm a somewhat functional intermediate kiter, 155 lbs, and usually on a
surfboard. I usually fly a Bandit 11m (v.1), and Switch Method 2, 7m. I've
also flown a few Naish kites. Yesterday, when I flew these kites I was on
a 5’4’’ Cabrinha S-Quad surfboard, and the wind that was around 15-17 mph.
The first thing I noticed was how small the kite was -- Felix put me on a 9m!
This Element3 has lots of low end grunt. I had plenty of power. As a contrast,
Felix also put me on a 10m Nitro 3, which also had plenty of power.
The Element is very easy to fly. “Smooth” is the best overall description of
this kite. The bar pressure is light, and still provides enough feedback to
know where the kite is. The kite is responsive with sufficient and clear input,
this doesn’t require a lot of input but the kite is not flying off at the slightest
tweak and twerk of the bar. The kite pivots super-smoothly on a wingtip, with
minimal to no power as it pivots, then it grabs the power quickly as it starts
moving away. This is like my Bandit, but quicker and more steady. Moving
across the wind window the Element is quick but not super-fast like my Method
7m.
The kite absorbs gusts easily; in fact, I didn’t really notice the gusts just from
feedback from the kite. The kite's upwind ability is very good.
My interest is primarily waves and I was amazed by how the Element performed
here. While riding down the line on waves, the kite drifts well. Its drift is a
little herky, jerky, but it keeps its nose up as it moves backwards. When I was
ready for power, a little upwind turn on my board and the kite was pulling me
along.
I jumped a few times and it performed well. I'm a beginner at jumping so I
can't say much about that.
This kite is easier, smoother, and more stabile than any other kite I've flown
-- this made it a lot of fun; so easy to fly it without thinking much about it. I
would strongly recommend this kite for beginners and those who like the pivot
style in their kite. I had a difficult time choosing whether to get the Element 3
or Nitro 3.
In the end, I decided to purchase the Nitro because I like the constant input
from that kite, even in the turns, and the incredible wind range it provides.
But if I’d love to have the Element 3 in my quiver for those days when I want
to got out and have fun and forget about the kite.
This is a fantastic kite -- smooth, stable, and strong. It performs very well
at many things.
I'm a somewhat functional intermediate kiter, 155 lbs, and usually on a
surfboard. I usually fly a Bandit 11m (v.1), and Switch Method 2, 7m. I've
also flown a few Naish kites. Yesterday, when I flew these kites I was on
a 5’4’’ Cabrinha S-Quad surfboard, and the wind that was around 15-17 mph.
The first thing I noticed was how small the kite was -- Felix put me on a 9m!
This Element3 has lots of low end grunt. I had plenty of power. As a contrast,
Felix also put me on a 10m Nitro 3, which also had plenty of power.
The Element is very easy to fly. “Smooth” is the best overall description of
this kite. The bar pressure is light, and still provides enough feedback to
know where the kite is. The kite is responsive with sufficient and clear input,
this doesn’t require a lot of input but the kite is not flying off at the slightest
tweak and twerk of the bar. The kite pivots super-smoothly on a wingtip, with
minimal to no power as it pivots, then it grabs the power quickly as it starts
moving away. This is like my Bandit, but quicker and more steady. Moving
across the wind window the Element is quick but not super-fast like my Method
7m.
The kite absorbs gusts easily; in fact, I didn’t really notice the gusts just from
feedback from the kite. The kite's upwind ability is very good.
My interest is primarily waves and I was amazed by how the Element performed
here. While riding down the line on waves, the kite drifts well. Its drift is a
little herky, jerky, but it keeps its nose up as it moves backwards. When I was
ready for power, a little upwind turn on my board and the kite was pulling me
along.
I jumped a few times and it performed well. I'm a beginner at jumping so I
can't say much about that.
This kite is easier, smoother, and more stabile than any other kite I've flown
-- this made it a lot of fun; so easy to fly it without thinking much about it. I
would strongly recommend this kite for beginners and those who like the pivot
style in their kite. I had a difficult time choosing whether to get the Element 3
or Nitro 3.
In the end, I decided to purchase the Nitro because I like the constant input
from that kite, even in the turns, and the incredible wind range it provides.
But if I’d love to have the Element 3 in my quiver for those days when I want
to got out and have fun and forget about the kite.
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