F One Bandit Advice

[wmorris]

I've demo'd the F-One Bandit and find it a much nicer kite to fly than the Slingshot Turbo Diesel's I currently have. I'm looking to replace my quiver and have demo'd the Slingshot Rev as well (which I liked too). I'm just starting to do a bit of wave riding, but not too experienced. Any advice on these or other kites to demo? Any advice on kite sizes would be great too (I'm currently using 9M & 12M slingshot TD's mostly) as the Bandit seems a bit more powerful than my current quiver. I'm a pretty heavy guy (200lbs) though.

Thanks!

[mfremont]

What comparisons can you draw from your demo of the Bandit vs. Rev?

I have not tried the Rev yet, but I liked the Bandit. Quick turning but stable. Powerful, too -- the day at Waddell I tried the 9m I was riding my twin tip and while another, more experienced rider was riding the 7.5m on a 6' surfboard. Since I outweighed him by 70 or 80 pounds, and I had no difficulty getting upwind, that was a really pleasant surprise. The power was maybe a little light in the lulls, but the other rider didn't feel really overpowered, either.

I also had a chance to try an 08 Rebel 12m recently. Because of the difference in size it's hardly fair to compare directly to the 9m Bandit. My impression is that the 08 Rebel 12m has better stability and low end than my 07 Rebel 14m. Since I like the North bar and line set better than the F-one, it would be nice to try a 9m Rebel.

[wmorris]

I was only able to try to Rev at Alameda in a comparatively light wind day (I tried the 11 and the 13 and was underpowered on the 11), so I'm not sure if my comparision is really fair. What I have been really surprised with is the power of the Bandit in the smaller sizes. I flew the 9 at Crissy yesterday in 25'ish knots and was really powered up on the second knot (less powerful) setting on the bar. The kite is very stable and does whatever you tell it to do - i.e. very responsive. The depower is great - it was pretty gusty yesterday and the kite handled very well. I feel much more in control and much smoother than i do when flying my older Turbo Diesels, but that may have something to do with my skill level too. The kite seems great for jumping as well. I also took the 11 Bandit out on a lighter wind day at OB and was massively overpowered. The depower strap on the bar is a really long reach, which if you are overpowered can be a bitch to actually grap, but supposedly you can modify this on your bar as well. F-One also does not have a one pump system - I think they say the reason is that they want to have more pressure in the struts and putting in a one pump system affects the performance of the kite, but it takes a little longer to pump up as a result. I'm looking to buy a surfboard as well, so I think if only two kites I would buy the 7.5 / 11 Bandit combo (I'm trying out the 7.5M today). The smaller one for most days on the waves and the larger one for most days in the bay. If I go with the Rev, I think I would buy the 9 / 13M combo as I think the Bandit in the same sizes has a bit more power (although I haven't had enough time on the Rev to really make this claim - if anyone has an opinion here, it would be interesting to hear). I thought the Rev was also a lot smoother than the Turbo Diesels and much less bar pressure too (if you aren't using the pulley system which I think makes the kites very unresponsive). It also felt quite responsive and smooth and wanted to stay in the air. I don't think you could really go wrong with either kite - the Rev is a bit more expensive, but Slingshot has a reputation of making pretty tough kites (although my friend managed to take out my 06 TD crash it into the water and explode the leading edge - if anyone has a recommendation on where to get this fixed, that would be great too!). I haven't tried to the Rebel - perhaps today.

[Bulldog]

I've only flown the 7 Rev, on an extremely windy day, but I have a 7 Link and the Rev is definitely more powerful and stable. I wouldn't be surprised if the 7 Rev covered all but the windiest (gusting over 40) days on the coast. It felt more like a 9 to me, especially since I literally rode it back to back with my 7 Link.

On the other hand, the Rev doesn't seem to have the same ability to dump power as the Link did, i.e., the power is more progressive and builds when you edge. I was riding it at Alameda, but if I was riding waves I'd rather be on my Link. Most people will probably like the Rev better, though.