Rider: Weight 83.2kg,
Level: Intermediate
Style: Surf/ free ride
Weather: 15+knots (had it in 37knts according to graphs)
Build Quality: 9/10
Satisfaction: 9/10
Disclosure: alliancegear.com.au

Here we go again my yearly review of the EGO since it has come out, i will also be doing one on the Naish Park very soon after flying both of these kites back to back. For those who don't know i sell these kites and enjoy writing about the kites i have ridden, this is information for all to read if you're not interested don't bother reading on, it's my honest opinion. The red thumbs don't hurt my feelings so feel free to thumb away!







The kite market is very hard to crack into and this due to the entrenchment of the major brands doing excellent jobs of producing some good kites with fantastic marketing, the Fluid brand has been chipping away at it the last 4 years and is finally starting to get some form of recognition. Being an Australian brand kite is not an easy thing in this market where buyers pull no punches in beating down the underdog. Fluid are one of the few brands that have a stocked warehouse where every spare is available, in my eyes that is a good point so if you have a broken part or need some warranty you can get sorted out in a reasonable time.

Last years EGO was a kite that suited me very very well, i don't like to use the word perfect because i feel that from an engineer's standpoint perfection is something that is seldom achieved. The 2011 model was fast powerful and had a decent wind range but it was not suited to the park and ride kind of guy, if you had a some kind of idea how to fly a kite you could get a lot out of it and i managed to ride the whole season comfortably on a 9m.


Fast forward to the 2012 Ego and you will see that the major changes are its loss of two struts so its weight has been slimmed down to the increasingly popular 3 strut platform. Fluid have always been generous in the strong fabric on their kites resulting in a heavier than usual kite but seriously strong, there is a full Dacron frame on this kite but it has been kept to minimum to retain the strength but bring the kite to a weight that is as light as some of the other kites that don't have the Dacron frame. The canopy also features Dacron on along the topside of the struts for protection and to assist as a stiffener. While a lot of the Tri strut kites flop around the EGO is dam solid even at the top end of its range.
This kite has always been aimed at the side of the market that wants a “C” kite with all the good traits of the bridled kite so what you find is performance like a smooth driving sports car with a nitrous switch to be unleashed when you need it!







The bar and lines have also undergone a nice little spruce up with a new type of grip that is a very durable, the heart if the bar is where the nice stuff goes down featuring a forged stainless steel union that is polished to a mirror! I have yet to see another brand using this, it's expensive and hard to produce but looks the goods and works even better. Let me explain.... typically the union on the average kite bar is made from aluminium, this metal is gritty and very dirty, even after polishing and washing it will tear up your naked lines and grind the plastic coated ones so it feels like you are running sand through your centre line. After 3 months of solid abuse the PU covered centreline and safety are yet to show more than a few small scratches and the movement of the bar is smooth with no resistance!
Sheeting the depower on the bar is done up top via a cam cleat, while this is a preferred system with most kiters it does leave a dangly bit flopping around when you have a lots of trim pulled on, the guys at Fluid had a clever idea to attach the end to the centreline with a ring so i does not have so much chance to give you a good rap on the knuckles. New for this season is thicker flying lines for reduced stretch, which also translates into a more direct feel from the kite. Last but not least the standard safety system has been upgraded to a front line flag, this will kill the power and land your kite face down facing you.


I was lucky enough to fly the initial 10m prototype, i had it for 2 days and then had to ship it back. The first day was started off with 15 knots and just kept getting stronger i kept pulling on depower until it was so strong i found myself having to jump to slow down enough to turn around. After 2 runs all i could get a feeling for a was jumping this kite, it performed really well having a foot of trim on. There is a huge amount of depower on the trim line on this kite for one good reason.. safety, after checking the graphs that afternoon the wind had peaked at 37knts!!
2nd day say 16-22 knot westerlies so gusty stuff, after putting the kite through some loops and jumps i was pretty excited about getting my kites.







The things i did not like we're;
*The grip on the bar is harsh, it does however soften after a few sessions and its comfy.

*the front line safety does not un swivel well if you're doing a lot of rotations or loops, you can run it what they call a pro kit which is just the mini fifth line and it works fine.

*The depower line attached to the centre line did not suit my style, i took the ring out of the centre line and tuck it up top to stop it swinging.

*Still no manual!


I was on a mission to get my kites to fly all the sizes and was pushing the factory to get them out, a phone call to them every other day eventually saw my kites arrive.







After flying all the sizes and dialling them in im really happy, the kite is better than last years in that it's a bit easier to ride for the average joe. You don't have to be a great sailor to get the most out of this kite now.
Its retained all of the performance from last year's kite, and added a little with a smother faster turning, better drifting (lighter canopy). I feel it does not have quite as much low end now but the extra turning speed makes up for that, this also makes loops nice to try at almost any height.
Upwind performance of this kite is very good, im using it on a race board and its proved to point very high compared to a few other kites i have tried it against.
Lastly pop, this kite seems to rip you off the water more aggressively that the 2011 model. Boosts are fast and hard with i would say a medium – good hang.

Im riding this kite on a surfboard, twintip and raceboard and its working well showing it's a good all-round kite. Couple that with the fact that it's also more user friendly to the average kite wanting a performance kite is a plus.

Big wind range and all performance box's checked above 8 make this my weapon on choice this season.