Rebel 2007 vs. Rhino 2007

[nevetsjb]

I am having trouble deciding which kite to purchase, Rebel 2007 or Rhino 2007.

I am a beginner, but am interested in purchasing a kite that I will be able to grow into as I progress. Ideally I would like this to be my only kite purchase for the next couple years. I have no problem taking a little more time to learn if the equipment I purchase will make me happier in the long run. That being said, I don't want to get in over my head.

I am a pretty athletic guy and am a comfortable surfer and wakeboarder so I hope that once I learn how to control the kite, I will be able to get aggressive and progress quickly.

I will be using the kite mostly at 3rd Ave, Ocean Beach, and Chrissy Field.

I am also deciding between a 10m and 12m and boards would be helpful as well.

Thanks for your help, any thoughts about this would be very great.

[josha]

you might want to hold off on kiting at crissy until you are really comfortable kiting. as for kites, start with the rebel. it's a great kite. size-wise, how much do you weigh, and what other kites do you have in your quiver? for boards, check out crazy fly (crazy-fly.com). i've ridden one now for about a year and love it. nice, soft landings without feeling like a noodle.

[Loscocco]

How much do you weight? I have the 12 Rebel and Love it. I am about 140 pounds and it does me well the majority of the time but i might get a 9 for super windy days or traveling. I use it at Alameda, 3rd, Berkeley, Crissy, Ocean Beach however i would strongly recommend not going to the latter 3 until you have had quite a bit more experience. If you have not already you absolutely should take lessons at one of the local schools for your own safety and others as well. Alameda which is often a bit on the light side is a good place to go for a while as well as 3rd.
That said I am have only ridden a rhino once and loved it but i ride my rebel almost daily. Awesome kites.
:)
Good luck and i am sure you will enjoy either one for a long time.

PS Liquid Force Recoil boards ROCK!!

[nevetsjb]

Thanks for the responses. Understood about the locations, I have heard that Chrissy field is more for experienced riders and don't anticipate venturing out until I have more experience, but thanks for the heads up, i definitely don't want to put myself or others in a bad situation.

I am about 5'11" and 170 lbs.

[windhorny]

Based on the fact that you are not an advanced rider, i think the rebel would be the obvious choice. Not that you need to be an experienced kiter to fly the rhino but it takes more ibput to do what you want. The Rebel is a sweet kite all around, you can't go wrong. the 10 and 14 are a good combo for your weight range. If you get a 12 you will cover 12-25mph. But ideally it is nice to have a 9 for the sold 30 days and a 14 for the 10-15mph days.

[lacasaverde]

I'm pretty much in your size range & LOVE my 10m Rebel. I've sped up the bar a bit & it works great at the low end. I ride a 134 board, fairly narrow by current standards, and have a ball playing in the rollers at SI & have ventured out to the ocean a few times. I've played with the Rebel & my old school directional board. No matter the combo, the kite rocks. It too likes to be handled fairly aggressively, but that is definitely something you can grow into.

[bobbyboom]

I weigh the same and have a 10m and 14m Rebel. That covers me for pretty much every spot I ride. I ride my 10m the most. I have now learned to make it work in low wind too which is great. If you can only purchase 1 kite I would recommend the 12 as it has great range and will work well at the spots you mentioned.

Boards are tough. Everyone has different opinions as to materials, flex etc. Sorry I can't be of help on this one as I'm still figuring out what I like best.

-Bobby

[nevetsjb]

Hey everybody, thanks so much from your advice. I ending up getting the Rebel 12m. I am looking forward to getting into this. We'll see you out there.

[skysalr]

I disagree with the Rebel being a better choice for a beginning kiter. In terms of flight characteristics there are two differences of note between these two kites:

(1) The Rebel depowers much more aggresively than the Rhino.
(2) The Rhino has much more low-end power.

The ramifications of the first are that if you get into trouble you can depower a bit more, but if a beginner is out in conditions that the range of the Rhino cannot handle, that person isn't paying attention to local kiter's advice and there will be plenty of that at 3rd.

The ramifications of the second are that if you accidentally bring the kite into a jump mode you will jump the kite, even at low board speed. My experience is that beginners, once they know how to drive the kite properly, stay away from jump modes until they are ready to learn how to jump. But 'when' you decide to learn how to jump you couldn't find a more forgiving kite to jump on than a Rhino. At low board speeds (like almost standing still) you can give the Rhino a little nudge and up you go. With both kites you don't want to send the kite past noon, because they both handle so well that you could get in front of the kite.

If these two differences are enough to select a Rebel over a Rhino then I concur with others. Otherwise I do not. The big difference between these two kites is not for beginners, or at 3rd (for sure), but for wave riders who really 'need' the depower range of the Rebel and don't need the low-end power or jumping capability of the Rhino. If you want to ride 3rd and you want a kite you can move into a Rhino is an excellent choice.

Jack

[windhorny]

???