Manta II Review by AJ
First thing I noticed about these kites when I received them was the new style of bar, being smoother on the ends and more appealing than any other bar I have seen, the new megatron chicken loop looks and works amazingly, using it fills me with confidence and unhooking and hooking back in has been made so easy, the safety side of it is great with the new suicide leash attachment has made life a lot easier without leashes getting in the way, the new Beal chicken loop line is so smooth on the bar and along with the lighter bar pressure makes the bar so easier so you don’t end up getting cramps in your arm by the end of a long day of kiting.
As for the kites, the double pulley system and lighter bar pressure combined makes the pop a lot better as the power delivery is much quicker and more responsive than other foil kites, the bar pressure takes a few sessions to get used to but once u are used to it feels so much better than others, The kite itself is so much faster through the air than before the turning speed has been increased and the whole thing is so much more responsive than before. The boost out of the kite is unreal it’s like being attached to a rocket at some points, once you get to the altitude you stop at the float of this kite is massive, the hang time is huge and will give you loads of time to do whatever trick you wish to do.
The stability of these kites is amazing, I have flown in some really gusty and turbulent wind and the kites just seem to suck up the gusts and stay stable in the air, the mantas keep their shape so well in the air, there is hardly any wingtip fold as before, the upwind ability on the manta is great meaning you can boost even higher, with the new anti bowtie system helps the kite keep its shape should you collapse it or crash it.
The backpack is still ozone’s super quality and will easily fit 2 kites in I can get 3 in at a squeeze so should you need to travel light you will have all of the wind ranges covered, there is room on the back of the bag to attach a board or skis if you need to, kite setup is fast it only takes 30 seconds to get one out ready to use. You will not be disappointed if you owned one of these kites.
AJ
|
