The 2008 diablo review
Hey,
I am still in Martinique where the shooting video and photos are doing really good. The wind finally came back giving us the time to do what we wanted. With Linn we are now planing on leaving the island for an incredible cruising in the grenadine islands for 10 days ! We should be going the 9 th of February.
Here is my review of the new 08 Diablo kite from Ocean Rodeo... enjoy....
The Diablo from Ocean Rodeo is one of the latest real C- kites on the market. The level of the kiters is improving more and more, some people want to get back on a real C kite to be able to perform more technical tricks like handle pass and other wakestyle tricks.
The 08 diablo is definitely the kite you need for huge kiteloops, it is easy to pop very high and do big jumps. It is a C kite with a lot of depower and super easy to relaunch.
-The build quality is bombproof like always. The kites are reinforced both on leading and trailing edge. All the seems are double stitched. It has a single inflation system for lazy kiters.
The venturi system is in place, stopping the kite from back stalling and making it possible to unhook without trimming the kite.
The 8m: -The 8m has improved a lot from last years kite (which was already a great kite!). The shape of the kite is a bit different from last year. The kite looks like it has a lower aspect ratio than the 07 kite.
-The kite has an amazing pop! This is the biggest improvement from last years kite.
It feels great for kiteloops, turning fast. It seems like the venturi system is making it come back up to zenith faster after the loop. T he kite is very easy to relaunch, with the 5th line attachment.
The 10m:
The kite has a perfect bar pressure, enough to feel the kite, but not too much to pass the bar. It is a little bit faster than the 07, but not too fast.
The vents works great, the kite can be oversheeted without flying backwards.
The low end of the 10 is much better than the 07 diablo. Yesterday I was on the 10 while my friend was trying the 14, and we both had enough power!
The kite is very stable and feels very nice when I unhook. The pop is even better than last year. This kite is perfect for wakestyle, when unhooked the pop makes it easy to pass the bar. It also has a good hangtime. Relaunching this kite is very easy.
Conclusion: This kite is INSANE!!!!!!!!!!!!
The 14m: Big kites are usually slow and has a lot of bare pressure. But not this one!! It is the best 14m kite I ever tried ...
it felt like the 12m diablo 07 ! It turns very fast, has a lot of depower but in the same time a great low end. The bar pressure is very light, making it easy to do wakestyle tricks. I can perform all my handle pass trick really easily. The kite is stable and very easy to relaunch. It is also very good for kiteloops.
I am also impressed with the hang time-it is incredible! When you are tired of wakestyle this is a flying machine.
Linn Svendsen on the Diablo
Conclusion: The new venturi system introduced on tube kites by Ocean Rodeo is a really nice improvement for the performance of the kite.
Ocean Rodeo keep producing C kites and for a good reason .... Most of the people who improved with their SLE or Flat kite often want to try some new advanced tricks ...
The C kite are definitely easier kites to unhook and do wakestyle tricks . On most of the flat kites, ( which are really good kites) when you unhook you never loose the power of the kite .... while you are in the air the kite will pull a lot making the bar more difficult to pass in a handle pass for example.
On a C kite like the diablo, you pop and get a neutral power moment giving you the opportunity to realize your more difficult wakestyle tricks without any problems. The 08 diablo gained a lot on lift and pop ....
If I can give you one advice ... try it and you will make your own opinion about this amazing C freestyle kite!
Check out my personal website www.jeremietronet.com for more information.
See ya around
jeremie tronet
