Waroo 13m or Era 12m....?

[Airgasm]

....at 170 lbs I can easily hold the 14 Era down in 25....and having a blast in 20...at your size I would guess you could safely add 5 knots to my speeds...which means pretty much a one-kite-quiver in the Era

Cheers,

Chris

[WindRyder]

I rode the 12M Era and 13M 08 Waroo today, back to back at St. George Island. I weigh 140 lbs and was riding my CF Pro Ltd 125x41 as the winds lightened up quite a bit:12-13mph. I was also using the 45cm Best bar with both kites. I would have to say that the Era has bit better low end than the Waroo, and the Era turns faster. I had the Waroo set in the AA position, and the kite felt very smooth, yet still sluggish. REMEMBER, the winds had died down, and I was only able to compare the kites' low end. Had it been blowing a knot or two more, the Waroo would have been more responsive and funner to fly. I have not ridden the 14M Era, but considering your weight and the experienced opinions of others who have ridden it, I would suggest the 14M Era. You will have the benefits of a faster turning kite, as I don't see how the 15M Waroo would be faster than the 14M Era based on today's comparison of the 12M and 13M kites, and just as much or more power than the Waroo 15. I am not knocking the 13M Waroo, but for me, I would have had more fun with it in higher winds, as the turning speed in the Era made up for it's smaller size with the apparent wind I could get with it.

[bayflite]

i'd like to re-try the era cuz honestly guys,
i didn't see the big deal.
all kites rock.
peace

[Steve-O]

Man you even got me even wanting to try the damn thing.

Wind rocks!!!!

I personally haven't found a better light wind kite for my likes.
But, I like being totally lit in 13 knots, having exceptional responsiveness, the turning speed of most 10m kites, phenomenal low end, all at a great price.
Being able to ride it up to almost 25 doesn't hurt either.

I have noticed that different people like different things from kites, so this kite is most likely not for everyone.

Some people like a lot of bar pressure so they can work out while riding, while some are mainly interested in water relaunch ability.
All kites rock for different reasons, is true.

[Whitey]

Originally Posted by Skyway Scott

I personally haven't found a better light wind kite for my likes.
But, I like being totally lit in 13 knots, having exceptional responsiveness, the turning speed of most 10m kites, phenomenal low end, all at a great price.
Being able to ride it up to almost 25 doesn't hurt either.

I have noticed that different people like different things from kites, so this kite is most likely not for everyone.

Some people like a lot of bar pressure so they can work out while riding, while some are mainly interested in water relaunch ability.
All kites rock for different reasons, is true.

Please help me out. How can you be "totally lit in 13 knots" on a kite and then be "able to ride it to almost 25 knots".

When ever I'm totally lit on a kite and the wind doubles in speed which is at least 3 to four times (really more) the effective force / energy. I find myself in self preservation mode (along with everyone else on the beach who was "totally lit" before the wind doubled) trying to get the thing on the ground ASAP to get a much smaller kite.

I am sure you can ride it in 13kts and in 25kts. Just as I can on my waroo, ozone, and switchblade. But I would think the "totally lit" must be at the 25kt end of the window not the 13kt end of it.

Not sure about the physics. All I can say is today's kites are INSANE.
It blows my mind even, trust me.
Just ask anyone who watches me ride the kite if the statements are true, though.
Totally lit doesn't mean overpowered, not to me, anyway.
To me it means I have the power I need to have a blast.

I am totally powered up in 13 knots on my 130 Flexi, doing unhooked tricks on the 14m Era.
I can easily do 10 foot jumps at this wind speed.
At 25, the kite is too litt for unhooked, so I just go huge. Killing power is as easy as sheeting out a little. It's no big deal.

The sweet spot on the kite is right at 17 for me.
At that speed, I can unhook or go huge, it's nice to do one and then the other.

The secret is in the trimming of the kite and in being able to edge hard at it's top end, or edge just the right amount to haul ass in 13 knots and let the kite build apparent wind.
Lots of people (imo) kill their kite's ability to build apparent wind. I only weigh 165, that can't hurt.
I can feel the same way on my 9m Waroo from as little as 16 knots (on small board) up to 30 knots.
Again, I can't explain the physics and today's new kites blow my mind, compared to those of just 2 seasons ago.
I can say, in the light stuff, try to haul ass and build apparent wind.
In the strong stuff, I treat the kite more like a C-kite and try to kill it's power by edging hard upwind.

Plenty of people have witnessed this, so I will just wait for them to say "Yep, been there, seen it"
It's the low end that takes some practice "milking".
Trust me though, if it's blowing solid 13 knots, I will have a huge smile on my face (in flat water, non current situations).

The first time I handed Tom my 15m Hyper (in about 12 knots) he got blown off and had to come back.
I then handed it off to Donna, and she tore it up.
Maybe let's ask Tom how it's possible to be litt in that wind. LOL..