Airush Lithium (2010)

I have used a 6m and 8m Lithium now for over 2 months and about 10 sessions. I had been using Wainmans(WM) prior to this for over 2 years and this is what i am comparing the kites to.

The build quality(kite material only) isn't i'm afraid in the same league as the WM, i had a 9m smoke which still looked good after 2 years and 100+ sessions. I am on the water a lot and i am not expecting the same lifespan from the airush.

The airush bridles are a lot better than the WM due to the different rope they use, i would go through a least one bridle set a year on my 9m and 7m WM.

The Airush bar is more sophisticated and i suppose you could argue safer but in truth i prefer the simplicity of the WM.

The bar pressure feels similar to the WM in that i feel i have a very clear idea of where the kite is at all times.

Jumping, i only really use these kites for surfing so i'm not really the best person on this point.

The depower however is what convinced me to swap. I feel i have a significantly more depower with the lithiums and whilst i was never worried about the depower on the WM its only when i had experienced more depower in the waves with the Lithiums that i wanted to change.

The kite also steers well when depowered and maybe because the kites are a little lighter(material) i think it behaves a little better unhooked and drifts downwind with more ease

In terms of speed the kites are similar maybe the WH feels a little more direct.

What i hate about Airush kites and RRD's for that matter is that when the kites are packed away wet the colour runs and ruins the appearance of the kite and in my mind its 2nd hand value. I never had a hint of that problem with the WH kites...come on Airush sort it out!

Hope that helps

I have been riing this kite in the waves for over 3 months now. Whoa! I think this is the best Airush kite ever if you like to surf. Pivotal and fast turning. Tons of low end grunt.

Rider: Weight 98k, Level advanced
Style: Freeriding, Surf, Wake, Freestyle
Weather: 10-15 knots
Build Quality: 10/10
Satisfaction: 9/10
Disclosure: own a shop

I finally got a ride on the shop 10m Lithium today, after every one else. It seemed to be a hard kite to get back of the local riders they all just wanted to hog it for the day & stay on it!

The wind was light but we had a moderate run out tide so that helped we all seemed to stay up wind on the kite not bad for a 10m for riders ranging from 70kg to 100kg.

First impression was, that it was light on the bar & very smooth in flight as well as power delivery, at the top of the window the kite did offer a bit more power & the kite seemed to want to lift you out of the water even when flown smoothly overhead. The kite has four struts & I have noticed that most of the kite with the center strut missing do tend to give good boost with float. This kite is no exception. You must time your jump to come down (or at least expect more time in air before landing.)

Moderate to fast turning speed, when you crank the bar the kit dose pivot on it's self a nice tight turn. I feel the kite would not have as much top end wind rang as it dose bottom end. So I would look at a smaller kite option rather than a big kite, (10 to15knots & we all were going well enough on the 10m,) yes we could of used a 12m but the 10m felt fast light & did the job with out to much effort. Water relaunch was instant like most Delta EVO kites.

Good all round kite good boost not massive but with good float, went well in the surf instant de-power & pull the bar in. Boom instant power, Nice feeling, not rip you off your board. On the wave push the bar out & chase the kite with no problem. Good fun kite but keep you eye on it when turning it can be a bit fast when you get over excited.

Another nice kite from Airush, this kite is nothing like the 09 DNA much more refined & loads more performance. I would ride the Varial over the Lithium for freestyle. But the Lithium as a more all round kite if you could only have one kite.

This kite is pretty money. One of the most underrated in my opinion. I have heard of it being a good beginner kite if you want the auto relaunch of a "delta kite". But as a competent kiter, I like that its performance- not a dog like the bandit. Super stable and a different type of turn (pivotal) than what i am used to. I've tried the bandit, wainman, and evo and i think that this one takes the cake.

Overall more refined in performance.

Don't take my word for it - try the damn thing out!!

My rating is comparing it to the category of deltas to make it easier!