Flexifoil Kites

[alamedanick]

Thinking of buying an Flexifoil 12m - Atom kite. What are people's experience's with Flexifoil? Are they good reliable kites? Haven't seen many around.

Kite will be used mainly for all-around kiting. It is either between this or a 2009 HP Nemesis, but the Nem. is much more expensive and looking to save a few bucks on the flexifoil.

[eag]

Flexi makes fine kites that seem well made, just haven't gained much ground in the bay. I'd take one over the Best.

[adamrod]

seems to me you might be better off sticking with a brand that's better represented around here. you might have trouble getting warranty replacements and customer service.....i'm sure the kite itself is great though, but pretty much every company makes great kites nowadays.

[knyfe]

arent you looking at two really different kites? I would say the Nemi is more the hang time kite and the Atom is more the general use kite.

Flexis are good for sure. They just dont have someone to push them here in the bay area. G

[eag]

Adam makes a good point about local service. In that case you'll want an Ocean Rodeo.

[alamedanick]

Owned an 08 HP Nemi last season and loved it and will be getting the 09 Best today.

Doing a search for reviews on Flexifoils just pulls up positive reviews about the kite with little criticism. Seems hard to find honest reviews/criticism sometimes.

Thanks again.

[elli]

Well, they are good kites, but for sure small brands have more fanatic loyals.

Agree with Goerge, Nemi is more comparable to the ion than the atom (higher aspect).

Flexifoil kites are very nicely built, you can see all the small details in the construction. When I first looked at my kite I was little pissed that I paid for all that stuff that would probably not make much difference in the way the kite flies. Even the bag, kind of feels that you are spending money on the wrong thing. I am not going to climb a mountain with a kite.

They make top of the line gear with tons of features. Among the first to have 20+5 line set, before it became more common, tuning options on the kite for different behaviours, direct back line connections, tiny bridles, very short depower, first time in my life I was thinking of cutting the chicken loop two inches shorter. Kites are very well behaved and well rounded, 4/5 line options, you can go on and on. I love the bars. First bar that I thought was great as is (and last actually :)).

Construction is also killer, high quality fabrics, double rolled seems, double layers on all the critical points, custom molded EPA. Construction wise, it’s the opposite of Best. Not that a Best kite would fall apart, its just a different philosophy in making gear. Feels like Flexi is building a kite for the love of it, Best for the business in it.

I loved the ION on short lines and grunt setting. Its high aspect kite and very round C like kite but still have a bridle for big range. The pull from the water in jumps can be intense, you don’t go up you are shot up like a cannon. I once got completely disoriented from the crazy up pull I cant even remember what happened next (other than it hurt). I am not so used to that after bows, but once you can control it its addictive.

In terms of service if you buy local you should be fine. Otherwise Sonny takes flexifoils too :) parts and stuff you can get online.

On the flexifoil forum there are lots of reviews and comparisons to other kites. The ION is normally compared to the Vegas on 5 lines.

Comparing to Nemi 08 that I tested, I would say Nemi has more low end, ion more high end, ion goes higher, nemi floats longer, ion turns better, bar pressure is similar, ion has WAY better bar feel (easy to ride without looking). Ion has the edge on construction and much better one pump system and bar. Swivel does not work on either as one could expect. Nemi more mellow, Ion has peppers.
After testing the nemi I did not feel any need to replace the ion which was actually one year older model, but a lot more fun.

[adamrod]

Seems hard to find honest reviews/criticism sometimes.

yeah. this bothers me too. I don't care if you're a rep, team rider or just a regular rider, every kite has bad points, no kite is perfect. I'm not going to trust the positives you list unless you also tell me the negatives. I fully expect the 2010 kites to be better than the 2009s, but saying they're faultless is a bit ridiculous.

[knyfe]

I fully expect the 2010 kiteRS to be better than the 2009s ....

not necessarily the kites only ... ;-)

[pacspeed]

But whos going to fall on their sword to give us the dirt?

Having been in several companies in the action sports industry, I can say with certainty that honest reviews are a rarity. You cant rely on reps or team riders for obvious reasons. Mags are no better. If they trash a brand, they wont get the ad revenue.

It's up to us. My two cents: love my Naish shockwaves, but the 9 is the only one I'd call perfect. The 7 is hyper active, and the 12 is a slug. The bar is a joke. They're getting a bit long in the tooth, and I would happily trade up to a Helix, the new bar is great, but the pricing is ridiculous. Plus I don't like the way the M kites sit on the beach, they don't just hunker down and stay. Nitpicking I know, but there it is.