Ozone Reo (2012)

Hi, I demoed the kite yesterday. I rode a 5.6 North WHIP bamboo tech board in mushy Perth shore break and chop.

First impressions when taking the kite from the shop: it was rather light. I even suspected they forgot to put the bar in. They didn't. The kite was really very light.

The bar is simple with minimal metal parts, very easy sliding trim line covered by plastic tube. The QR is activated towards the body. It is simple design with no possible rusting or corroding parts. The trim loop is above the bar about 65cm from it. In a wipe-out, when the waist harness slides up to the chest, it may be out of reach for someone with shorter arms. There is no stopper on the trim line, and no "O'Sh!t" loop at flying lines. The safety line slides very easily in the holes, not showing signs of catching or blocking. The bungee on the safety line looks thick and strong. The bar is on the thicker side of the scale, and felt comfortable.

The kite has three struts and minimal reinforcements at the wings and leading edge. It seems the designer wanted to keep the weight minimal. IMHO it's a good thing. Every 10 gram count on a wave kite. It may make the difference between a drifting and a falling kite.

One pump system with large pump/deflate entry. Quick to in/deflate. The bag is simple and functional.

Very clean and confident design. Only one attachment knot for the lines. Kind of "we did our homework, this is the optimal setting". Self launch and land is easy as expected from a modern kite. It has three steering line attachment points for bar pressure. Using the medium or the heavy settings for a whole 2-3 hours session may be tiring without a stopper on the trim line. On the light bar pressure setting (the only one I used), the bar pressure was comfortable. After 2 hour solid ride I had no fatigue (I am no Swarzenegger). However, I missed the hand free upwind ride.

I flew the kite fully powered, and I needed to half de-power it only few occasions, when the wind picked up. The power of the kite is perhaps a bit less than I expected from a 10m, but it is delivered very smoothly. The kite is very responsive, and turns fast even when de-powered. It delivers moderate power on the turn in a smooth, jerk-less manner. It de-powers evenly with relatively short bar movement.

The kite drifted extremely well. The tension in the lines was maintained no matter how I tried to ride towards the kite. In spite of the (only) 3 struts, the kite kept its shape without flutter on the canopy as long as there was some tension in the back lines.

I expected this kite to excel on the surf, and it did not disappoint. However, the greatest surprise was how well the kite jumped. It had significant hang time, and most importantly landed like a big kite, floating me softly.

The kite comes in sizes with 2m increments. I find it difficult to work out a proper quiver, since there may be just too much gap between the 6 and the 10, while too much overlap between the 8 and the 10. It is only an assumption, since I flew the 10 only. As far as workmanship is concerned, I found no faults or weaknesses.

Overall impression: an excellent easy to use wave kite, which also jumps well with good hang time.