Kawaii Freeride 2015. Review. Part I – English version
Hi there!
As you noticed, some days ago, I received a 12 meters brand new 2015 Kawaii Freeride. I haven’t had the opportunity to test it in the water because we haven’t had any wind here in Almerimar lately and unfortunately, Brazil is too far …
Out of the box, the kite looks really amazing. I have used for the first time some kites from differents brands and I have had the same feeling as well. My F-one bandit and my North Evo have a quite similar leading edge. When I unbox the kite, a crispy sound comes to my ears. It’s priceless. Well, actually it costs 875€ including bar and leash.
The rest of the kite is built in high quality as well. battens, one pump tubes, whatever… Seams are also very well done. The general aspect of this Kawaii freeride is really wonderful. A simple kite with no more pretensions but perfect for kiteboarding.
When I’m going to inflate the kite, I find out a fast inflation valve. Arghhh. My 2014 kite doesn’t have it and it’s really usefull. I switch the pump on and without lot of any effort I get my kite inflated. The one-pump tubes are covered with neoprene rubber to avoid getting damaged which looks fine.
This kawaii kite has a delta shape, and it means that this is an all terrain kite. It is perfect for learning or just kiteboarding. Two kite quiver is possible.
Once I finished pumping the kite, I did the bar. Kawaii Lines has the North bar setting. I mean, it has an “Y” as you can see in the picture below. In contrast, the Slingshot bar has a different setting for its lines.
Moreover, the bar feeling is really comfortable. The grip has a perfect shape, as a result, the bar doesn’t become slippery. It just works fine. This bar fits all the kites they have. Switchkites does the same with its bar. I think this is very interesting in order not to increase the final cost of the kite. As a matter of fact, if you need two bars for your quiver you will have to spend more money on it. Kawaii sells their kites complete, you don’t have the chance of buying only the bar, what is a shame, It could be in our TOP 3 of chipest bars with high quality performance.
The swivel is absolutely fantastic. It is over the chicken loop. So you aren’t going to stretch out your arm to reach it anymore. Good choice, kawaii!
No, I don’t like the Chicken Loop. I think this is a really old-fashioned system. That’s just my opinion, no more to say.
The clamcleat is also very simple and it works fine.
When I connect the kite to the bar I find out 3 possibilities. The one close to the edge is the best setting with this size of kite. This setting will make the kite go faster. The medium setting is a neutral position and the third option will turn the kite very slow. This option is the best for un-hooking.
Right now we are ready to hit the water! Today the wind blows at 10 knots which is not enough for testing it, however it’s a sunny day here in Almerimar. 25ºC, an average temperature here in Decebember, but I need wind!. I hook the kite in and … check this out!
When I came back home, my wife asked to me how the kite had worked, and I said to her that it was the same as the other kites I had had.
Then, I realized this is perfect for the kite. A high quality kite for a second hand price.
If you wanna see how the kite works on the water, stay tuned! But if you are really interested in buying this kite go to their site. Further photos.