Okay Peter got out today for the first time. Remembering it is a 14m LW. Was 12 to 15 knots I weigh 77 kg and I was cranking upwind and TT surfing on a shinn monk (left my sector at home
) on a real ****ty frontal westerly. When it dropped to 10 and below I didn't stay upwind but was still able to get to shore easily and that's through a sizeable(not huge) swell. So on my sector I reckon I'd easily be staying upwind( got a 54). Don't know if ya familiar with the monk, but its not the most wind friendly board, not bad, but I normally use it to take my kites near to their max wind range as you just cannot break this boards edge. Bugger I didn't bring the sector, stupid really.
Okay the kite. One word, smooth everything is smooth about it. I'm sure lithium riders would back me on that. Quick to for its size, infact I was able to do some sizeable jumps and that is within the first one and two tacks on it. So it's a no brainer kite really. It is air rushes plug and play kite for the masses and I can see why. In smaller sizes I would say this wouldn't change at all. I'd get bored on smaller sizes as I fly the VX, but for ease of use highly rateable. Wind dropped to 5 to 6 knots t one stage and it had no probs staying in the air. As I said it does turn quick enough and I was actually surfing the waves albeit TT style and downlooping down the line(kind of have to being a bigger kite). I didn't try any actual transition roll looping or anything and it would be a push to do this but anything is possible when the canopy is so stable. Yeh again smooth is the word of the day, smooth power delivery through the turns, with no real annoying power spikes. That is because of its forward turning ability. Can't be bothered explaining what that means but it does.
The bar pressure was a little on the heavy side, but remember I'm used to the deft touch afforded by the VX. I did notice though I had it on the medium bar pressure setting, not on light. I think the 2013 light bar setting is even lighter than the 2012 ( which I rode) as this is one of the main issues with some riders.
So, smooth kite, predictable, plug and play and oh yeh it actually flies to the edge of the window much better than I though it would given its deep profile. Drop it, sheet out and she hunts the edge, then pull in for some power and grunt. I have heard though the light wind version has less obvious grunt than the smaller versions, the grunt was not really grunt, but smooth power delivery.
For a delta that really surprised me.
Also to note it picked up for 5 minutes, friend on the beach read 16 knots, gusting to 20. Not sure if his wind meter is all that accurate though, didn't feel that. Yeh it picked up but I had no probs holding the edge, but then again I was on a shinn monk with a lot of water time. But needless to say, the 8 to 18 knots is conservative. I reckon you are fine in the gusts that take you higher than this. Although I had put another knot in it, further from the kite as I knew it may get up there.
So SB is your safe bet, but will give you less bottom end. The SB is also smooth, but I reckon this kite is smoother by a fair margin to. Reckon the 12m would be quicker to than a 12m SB. Now I'm talking about a 2012 like you said as the 2013 SBlades apparently are quite a different beast, although they reckon some bottom end has gone.
So sorry I can't discuss an actual 12m, but hope this helps. It is perfect for me as my actual light wind kite that will get me going 10 to 16( powered) and holding ground 9,10 knots on sector and downwinder no probs on a sector 8 to 10. Easy with some. Hard choice you gotta make I reckon!
