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  1. If you heve a decent sized flying area with nice clean wind you should have at least one Frenzy in your quiver. The rapid development of the depowerable foil is all to easy to understand with one of these, a couple of sessions into ownership you WILL wonder how much those fixed bridle kites are worth secondhand. So, I walked into Airbossworld and mumbled something about a Frenzy, handed over the cash and next day collected a ready set up and prepared Frenzy, Damn was I excited.... Straight off to the field for a quick fly. Gary came with me to ensure I didn't maim myself and that all was peachy with the kite. Setting it out for launch is laughably easy dumpsack, walkback unwinding the lines (this is an important bit, take notes!) hook the ORANGE line over your stake NOT the safety leash! and set the deower strap to maximum power. Unpack the kite, allowing it to sit up in the wind and do a quick check on the pulley system and amazing multicoloured bridles then walk back and hook in. When it's launch time simply take the depower strap and set it to maximum depower, the kite will start to lift with all the pull of a 0.7 Buster! As it reaches the zenith it will have inflated and it's time to give it a bit more power!! YUM! Jumping time! This kite is shared between my son and me, he gets much more use than I do, he can fly it sub 10mph upto 20mph as the wind rises so does the hieght of his jumps and the float time... he does start to have problems staying down on the ground 16+mph and much over 20mph he just bounces about! With the bar out and the kite set on maximum depower it MAY be possible to fly in upto30mph plus... I however get decidedly nervous at 25mph plus so it comes down and smaller kites go up. So, what is it good for? Recreational is fun, jumps are but a dip of the wing away. Longer dips down the edge equal higher air when it goes back up. Great! Buggying, on lighter wind days the 7.3 is very good in a buggy, the shorter bar means thighs are NOT constantl jabbed as with the 9.5 or 12. The kite is nicely controlable and will "park and ride" all day. The depower can be used to heat things up or cool them down. WARNING please remember it will hoik you out if you don't treat it with respect! (this is quite nice for getting out of a low buggy though) Landboarding, Home territory for the Frenzy this! AWESOME silky smooth power available as required, jumps are yours for the taking and soft landings when you come down (please note.. My son does the jumping and relays the results to me, I am a big scaredy cat!) Snowkiting, yup, if you like getting cold this is for you. I don't so can't comment really. Watery stuff? Hmm, can't quite face the thought of dunking an open foil, can be done though I have seen it!! All this is fine, but what about landing? Some large kites just don't want to come down! The Frenzy is lovely to land, Either take it to the edge of the window and let it slip to earth or grab the Orange line and pull it waaaay down past your bum. This may seem impossible at first due to the power in the kite, leave the kite at the zenith and pull hard, when you can pull no more wait..... when the tension drops (about half a second but can seem ages if the kite is well powered up) pull it all the way back. the kite will then fall down and sit on the floor. That is pretty much a quick rundown of its capabilities BUT it tells you nothing of the kites quality! It is a superb package. The technical rucksack is wonderful! I have started hanging all of my stuff from it for the trudge to the flying field, loads of straps and hooks for everything. it can even hold 2 well packed frenzies! The kite itself is very well constructed and copes with bad landings well. all the seams have held up well and the kite still feels crispy and good after many flights and a couple of wet packdowns (always dried at first chance though!) The bar is comfy, well padded and is fitted with many safety devices. The first time you need them you WILL be glad they are there. If it's red then pulling it will operate some kind of safety device. The 03 Frenzy suffers here, the primary safety is out of eyeline so when you are being dragged down a beach it ISN'T visible. The 04 has it's primary safety just under the depower strap right where you can see it and reach it from any position. You pull that and all the power goes as the main lines are disconnected, need more? Pull the chiken loop safety and let go, the kite flops about like a wet rag! Need more?!? like the kite is stuck on a speeding car or still dragging you towards that cliff, deploy the wrist leash safety cutting all ties with the kite. BIG up to Ozone for this, top idea which means I am happy for my son to use the kite happy he is going to be safe if he gets into a panic. Surely with all this superduperness about the kite there must be SOME faults? Well, yes, there are a few. The whole depower thing takes a while to "click" along with not having the precise control of a pair of handles. The rucksack though GREAT does take an awful lot of room up and perhaps most damingly it has broken the side plate on both of its depower pulleys! This is despite great care being taken of them and sand removal after each beach visit! TOP kite for lighter to middle sized kiters, flexible easy power and easy launch and land. NOT a first kite but great to progress to. By : Adam
  2. I recently reviewed the 6m sam. Well I now have my hands on the 4m. I wont go over the rucksack, unpacking, quality etc because thats all written in the other review. Its Ozone OK, 'nuff said!. Same field 16mph NW. Bang, straight up and a 5m stumble. You know thats a good sign. This is a deceptively powerful kite. I did wonder if it was actually a 4m. It looks smaller but pulls like a Geordie on a stag night. The speed at which it moves around the window was like a 2m in a gale but the power delivery was smooth and pretty uniform. This size did lose a bit of power as it approached the edge of the window and the stagnation point, so its upwind performance was not as good as the 6 in my opinion, but then you would expect that for a smaller kite. We did have a little bit of overshoot in gusts and again this was remedied by shortening the brakes a little. If you are a more experienced pilot you can leave as is or even lenghten a little more to get that little bit more out of it, but it will hit stagnant air and begin to fold, so you need to react quickly. Again I would recommend this kite to all abilities of recreational flyer, boarders and buggy pilots. Here at www.chillikites.co.uk we were a bit miffed when we heard the LDs were to go. But Ozone have more than made up for it with a kite that can be tailored to your demands. Our stable is in blue, and very nice it looks too. I still dont know why they do them in yellow though. You can go Banzai with a Samurai if you want to but you can also go swan lake.We as a result are using them in our school and mighty pleased we are with them too. By : Jon Pither
  3. adamski

    Ozone Frenzy 7.3M

    If you heve a decent sized flying area with nice clean wind you should have at least one Frenzy in your quiver. The rapid development of the depowerable foil is all to easy to understand with one of these, a couple of sessions into ownership you WILL wonder how much those fixed bridle kites are worth secondhand. So, I walked into Airbossworld and mumbled something about a Frenzy, handed over the cash and next day collected a ready set up and prepared Frenzy, Damn was I excited.... Straight off to the field for a quick fly. Gary came with me to ensure I didn't maim myself and that all was peachy with the kite. Setting it out for launch is laughably easy dumpsack, walkback unwinding the lines (this is an important bit, take notes!) hook the ORANGE line over your stake NOT the safety leash! and set the deower strap to maximum power. Unpack the kite, allowing it to sit up in the wind and do a quick check on the pulley system and amazing multicoloured bridles then walk back and hook in. When it's launch time simply take the depower strap and set it to maximum depower, the kite will start to lift with all the pull of a 0.7 Buster! As it reaches the zenith it will have inflated and it's time to give it a bit more power!! YUM! Jumping time! This kite is shared between my son and me, he gets much more use than I do, he can fly it sub 10mph upto 20mph as the wind rises so does the hieght of his jumps and the float time... he does start to have problems staying down on the ground 16+mph and much over 20mph he just bounces about! With the bar out and the kite set on maximum depower it MAY be possible to fly in upto30mph plus... I however get decidedly nervous at 25mph plus so it comes down and smaller kites go up. So, what is it good for? Recreational is fun, jumps are but a dip of the wing away. Longer dips down the edge equal higher air when it goes back up. Great! Buggying, on lighter wind days the 7.3 is very good in a buggy, the shorter bar means thighs are NOT constantl jabbed as with the 9.5 or 12. The kite is nicely controlable and will "park and ride" all day. The depower can be used to heat things up or cool them down. WARNING please remember it will hoik you out if you don't treat it with respect! (this is quite nice for getting out of a low buggy though) Landboarding, Home territory for the Frenzy this! AWESOME silky smooth power available as required, jumps are yours for the taking and soft landings when you come down (please note.. My son does the jumping and relays the results to me, I am a big scaredy cat!) Snowkiting, yup, if you like getting cold this is for you. I don't so can't comment really. Watery stuff? Hmm, can't quite face the thought of dunking an open foil, can be done though I have seen it!! All this is fine, but what about landing? Some large kites just don't want to come down! The Frenzy is lovely to land, Either take it to the edge of the window and let it slip to earth or grab the Orange line and pull it waaaay down past your bum. This may seem impossible at first due to the power in the kite, leave the kite at the zenith and pull hard, when you can pull no more wait..... when the tension drops (about half a second but can seem ages if the kite is well powered up) pull it all the way back. the kite will then fall down and sit on the floor. That is pretty much a quick rundown of its capabilities BUT it tells you nothing of the kites quality! It is a superb package. The technical rucksack is wonderful! I have started hanging all of my stuff from it for the trudge to the flying field, loads of straps and hooks for everything. it can even hold 2 well packed frenzies! The kite itself is very well constructed and copes with bad landings well. all the seams have held up well and the kite still feels crispy and good after many flights and a couple of wet packdowns (always dried at first chance though!) The bar is comfy, well padded and is fitted with many safety devices. The first time you need them you WILL be glad they are there. If it's red then pulling it will operate some kind of safety device. The 03 Frenzy suffers here, the primary safety is out of eyeline so when you are being dragged down a beach it ISN'T visible. The 04 has it's primary safety just under the depower strap right where you can see it and reach it from any position. You pull that and all the power goes as the main lines are disconnected, need more? Pull the chiken loop safety and let go, the kite flops about like a wet rag! Need more?!? like the kite is stuck on a speeding car or still dragging you towards that cliff, deploy the wrist leash safety cutting all ties with the kite. BIG up to Ozone for this, top idea which means I am happy for my son to use the kite happy he is going to be safe if he gets into a panic. Surely with all this superduperness about the kite there must be SOME faults? Well, yes, there are a few. The whole depower thing takes a while to "click" along with not having the precise control of a pair of handles. The rucksack though GREAT does take an awful lot of room up and perhaps most damingly it has broken the side plate on both of its depower pulleys! This is despite great care being taken of them and sand removal after each beach visit! Sum it up then adamski! TOP kite for lighter to middle sized kiters, flexible easy power and easy launch and land. NOT a first kite but great to progress to. By : Adamski
  4. First thing one notices when you get your Samurai is the quality pack it comes in. I think to myself, if this is what the pack looks like I can't wait to get to the actual kite. Pulling out and setting up really is a breeze (forgive the pun). When they say "ready to fly" they mean it. Everything is easily unpacked and labeled to set up for the first time out in the field, not setting up at home for hours first. Putting this up it just amazed me at the stability and pull for a 2M kite. After a few hours of just mild scudding around, we moved off to a larger area and pulled out the landboard, at a mild breeze (blowing about F2) it generated enough power to move pretty well, definately not a trick kite in lower winds but skimmed across the grassy park after you got goin. All for all you'll spend more on the Ozone than a Rhombus or Flexifoil but in my opinion its totally worth it. The construction seems VERY solid, easy packing up with a little velcro enclosure for the bridle lines. This also makes for a great unpacking experience when you lay it out for the next venure. By : anthobun
  5. After flying an N-gen and thinking hey I am the greatest, but at the same time watching everyone around me fly by I upgraded. Many months of tossing and turning at night, I chose the Razor. I agree with most others comments, at first this kite is difficult to like, but that is only a temporary setback. And one that isn't left to linger in the back of your mind for long. Reason being that it flys like nothing else, that is if it is flown correctly. These kites are a race Kite they have to be going forward to perform at there best, they aren't a lazy mans sit overhead and look good machine. They arent a park on the edge of the window and hey look Im cruising. although saying this I have overtaken many a Race kite with my 4.5 parked and the other kites being bigger are working hard to try and stay ahead. They definetely aren't a jumping kite as the aspect ratio would suggest they have little if no upward pulling when overhead, it is all forward moving grunt. They do not know how to go slow, they will fly right out of the window and collapse, they will very rarely but occasionaly fly over your head and luff. But that is while you are standing on the beach stationary. Once your seated hold on for the ride of your life the acceleration of the kite is un-rivaled by any other kite. Ozone have incorperated some good ideas into the Razor, velcro dump valves in the wing tips for removing excess sand etc. Another velcro tab in the centre vent on the leading edge for keeping the bridles tangle free at all times. Pre-sewn loops on the break lines for easy attachment to an anchor point on the ground. Plastic sleeves over flying lines to protect fingers from chaffing. The inboard positioning of the break lines is a new innovation and seems to be very effective from reports I have read. And all the bridle joins are sewn not tied very clean and strong attachments. The kites design is second to none and its overall appearance is just fantastic, it just looks awe-inspiring in the air with its lightning bolt type graphics on the back. When it comes to brakes and the razors I have found this, the smaller 2.5 does not need any brake on at all to fly fast, a nice loop in the rear lines is all that is needed to produce a race winning performance, these little kites turn on a dime and pull like a steam train. As for the 4.5 I also fly with no brake on, and find it is just unreal. I have experimented with having more and less brakes whilst flying, by having several more knots in the power lines and break lines at the handles and just shortening and lengthening them. I found that as soon as a little break was applied to the kite they just would'nt take off as well or produce any where near as much pull. As for the larger kites I am waiting for mine to arrive, and frankly am killing myself in anticipation, so I don't know how they will perform best but will let you know in the future. Turning the kite is a break assisted thing with the larger kites, that is if you want to sign it quickly. Otherwise flying it with just the power lines is just as effective. I found that I could sit just off the rear of another kite, break the kite slightly to slow it and then release it quickly to power up once again. The resulting effect was like getting a boost increase in a turbo, it would accelerate you forward and would eventually overtake the kite you were once following. The up-wind performance is very much on par with any other kites on the market, baring maybe the c-quad, it will go 45 to 55 degrees upwind depending on the conditions and still maintain at least half wind speed. The kites also seem to need a few good flying sessions to break them in, whilst new they are a lttle reluctant to fully inflate and fly fast, but this shyness is only temporary. After a few good sessions they seem to find their feet and really start performing, I found it rather strange and unnerving. I have only found a few things about the kites I don't like and these are only minor points. Handles : I believe they have changed their handles recently and may have fixed this problem up. The plastic tube covering the flying lines to protect your fingers from rubbing, after time comes out. This in itself is no real drama but the hole in the handle is left larger and the knot seems to start pulling thru the handles. Although a quick re- tying of the knots to increase their size fixes this problem. And the bag : be very careful when packing up, they are great bags but Zips and kites are a deadly combination. Just ensure that the kite doesn't get pinched by the zipper as this will produce a weak spot and will tear in time. The other, is its stability on the ground it is almost like it is uncomfortable being shackled to the ground. Even using the provided loops on the break lines for anchoring down, the razor will quite often flare up and try to take to the sky. The overall result at worst is a little bit of a twisted line. But becomes annoying at times and could have potential for injury, so I weigh down whenever possible if leaving unattended for any period of time. Packing up the kite for the first few times was a little tricky as the handles are covered from head to toe with neoprene. This makes for a very comfortable handle but doesnt grip the lines very well when they are wound onto the handles. The lines tend to slip and slide a little resulting in the occasional tangle. I have found a method on the web, where you fold up the kite and put in bag first, then stuff all the lines into one side of the bag beside the kite. Then place the handles on the other side of the kite in the bag, when unpacking just take out handles stake down walk out letting line spool out. Once at the end of lines lay out kite and walk back to handles, very quick, and no tangles. Do the opposite on packing up and it is a very effective one man launch and pack up procedure, in high winds. The packing takes a little longer but well worth the effort in the long run less tight wrapping of the lines. But overall these kites are definetely for the experienced flyer who is after a thrill machine, nothing will come close to you once you master the Razor, and as the name suggests you will cut the field to pieces. By : Troy Woollett
  6. RaceKites

    Ozone Razor

    Ozone are a relatively new Paraglider manufacturer who have this year released a couple of ranges of new kites. The Little Devil, a beginner/freestyle kite. The Imp, a 2 line trainer and the Razor, a full race kite. The brief for the Razor was to produce a fast low drag kite with race winning speed that's accessible to a wide range of pilots from fully hardened racers to recreational users out for a bit of a high speed buzz. I've recently received a set and after spending about 15-20 hours flying them these are my thoughts... Out of the Bag: Talking about the bag, its a well built white item with the kite size and a logo stitched on the front, the new bags come with a round mesh bottom that should allow sand and water to find its way out and make things easier to put away. Getting a new kite out for the first time is always nice and the Razor certainly didn't disappoint. Built from the new Skytex water repellent Porcher Marine cloth to the same standards as their Paragliders Ozone's build quality is second to none. A look over the kite reveals sewn Bridles, extensive use of mylar reinforcement and diagonal ribs, with all internal venting having sewn reinforcement. The Logo on the top skin of the kite looks great and construction is mm perfect on all the production kites I have seen. The original set of prototypes still look good and have stood up to all the abuse we have thrown at them, the production ones are better quality and if the way the protos have worn is any indicator should last for many years to come. A Velcro tab in the centre cell keeps the bridle tidy when its time to pack away. Ozone are also producing some new line sets, coming in 190/110 kg 4-line sets available in 20m, 25m, 30m lengths. The quality is great and I've had 5mm of stretch on the top lines over a 25m set and I reckon that's pretty good. A note on the sizing, while The Razors dont have as many sizes as some brands, the kites increase in 25% jumps through out the range so increases are constant and shoud'nt present a problem. By : Steve Burgoine
  7. I have just aquired an ozone little devil to upgrade my c-quad. I got the 4.5 as it was a similar size to my old c-quad. The kite came in a very girly swim-style bag (no offence to any female flyers!) with the draw string acting as the handles, or shoulder straps. This was stolen this morning while I was on the beach! First impressions were good with the kite beautifuly folded and tied, the strings were all on one spool and the handles were covered in lovely feeling neoprene. due to this covering, I cannot say how sturdily built the handles were. The kite itself is so light, the weight lost doesent look to be at the expense of reinforcement. All of the external material edges have been sewn to plastic strips. The ribs have also been strengthend at bridle points. Once the lines had been unwound and the handles attached the kite was launched. Owing to lack of beach space, I was stood up to my waist in water! The kite is fast and maneuverable, it can turn on its wing tips. The power isn't shy, it proved sufficient to drag me through the water in 8 knots of wind. The upwind prefomande is ok, with me being able to keep upwind bodydragging. The kite flys straight up to above your head with very little input, it also stays there in lights winds without stalling. The kite provides little lift, and when made to jump, it does stall. When the wind dies, it tends to fall out of the sky nose first unlike slipping down like the blades. This is not a problem as this is below 5 knots. This morning (6 o'clock) I took the kite to Slapton Lee, a beach with a lake behind it, with a long straight road along its length. I took my longboard (like a massive skateboard) to this road and comenced a mile long run. I found the power was sufficent to pull me along at a steady 7 miles an hour. The wind was probably 6 miles and hour. When I completed the run, I spent an hour in a car park carving around with the kite. As it is a fast kite, you realy have to work it. Conclusion : It is a cheap, light, and powerful kite that provides little lift making it suitable for all round traction, flyers looking to jump can go for the new blade. However, it is amazingly stable and has excellent gust response. By : Rory Scammell
  8. I purchased this kite approximately 6 months or so ago after owning an Ozone Razor 4.5 Mtre kite for roughly 3 - 4 months prior to this. Be aware that the Little Devil is not a race kite as such, comparisons against it's bigger brother the Ozone Razor is unfair in my opinion as it is more suited to general kitebuggying or for going out & having a kite buggy blast without getting too serious sort of kite. I received the kite from the supplier & upon first inspection I noticed it came in a drawstring bag, this bag (once the kite is removed) can be scrunched up & will fit easily into the pocket of your pants/jeans etc (can be a handy feature in my opinion). Opening & unfolding the kite I noticed that the kite is certainly up to the standard I have come to expect of Ozone kite manufacturers. The colour schemes for the Little Devil kites appear to be fairly basic (mine was a red & white kite) but do look quite nice in flight so no real complaints there. Handles The handles are the same as the ones on the Ozone Razor in that they are completely padded with a similiar if not same material as that is used to make wetsuits & even some stubbie (beer) coolers. The handles are comfortable & easy to hold, however I have noticed on my Razor handles that the plastic sleeving which protruded from the handles & helps to protect your fingers from chaffing caused by the "anchor" lines has since deteriorated & fallen apart & that furthermore the knot which holds the anchor lines on the handles has started to protrude through the handle, a wear & tear issue obviously but hopefully this is something Ozone will remedy in the near future. Kite The kite was unrolled for its maiden flight I noticed the lines lengths are approx 20 - 22 Mtrs a good length in my opinion (another plus). Upon launching the kite I was really & truly amazed at the flight characteristics of this kite the whole experience can best be described in one easy word "SMOOTH" very smooth. This kite does not give you any nasty surprises at all through the main wind window & this view has continually been reinforced in the 6 months of flying since original purchase. The kite is very controllable in all parts of the wind window, does not luff that easily, is very easy to work through the window to help build up your speed & if for whatever reason you do happen to crash it easy to relaunch in my opinion. The 3.0 Mtre Little Devil has since been flown in 20 knots of wind & even then upon launching of the kite, it was still quite smooth as it passed through the main wind passage, yes there was the customary fast dragging that you get but I had expected a lot worse (ie having my arms torn out of sockets & being flung head first into the sand which has happened with my C-Quad & old NGen since sold) given the conditions. I don't feel as though this kite has ever limited me in terms of land speed (ie it does not feel like a slow kite as such) even on days when I have flown it in 15 knots + wind & really starting to hoot down a beach, I have never felt that I would overtake the kite. The Little Devil travels well in flight & will stay in the main wind passage without too much effort on the pilots part. Summary A great general purpose buggy engine, easy to launch, easy to fly, very controllable and the power delivery is smooth. Only possible drawback(s) perhaps the colour scheme could be better & the handles (wear & tear issue) could be improved as per what has happened to my Ozone Razor 4.5 Mtre. By : KM
  9. The kite comes in a smart drawstring bag with good instructions (including how to para pack a kite). Ozone boast that you can fly the Little Devil immediately as it comes with handles and flying lines attached. Also includes profoundly large and not very cool Ozone sticker. First thing you notice in the fluorescent green and yellow lines which distinguish the top from the bottom lines and the neoperene covered handles. Set Up: Place bag on ground and take out handles and walk backwards. Para Packed lines come out fairly smoothly, couple of kinks soon work themselves out. No brake line loop on handles so have to hook handles over stake. Unpack kite. Leading edge is completely open, no mesh or gauze to cover it. Beach users might find that sand would get in a bit too easily but would also come out easily too!. Build quality seems excellent. Kite sits on ground leading edge up. Kite shape quite unusual bit like the top of the screen of an old television cut in half. It is quite fat and solid looking. Handles are slim and neoprene covered so feel quite comfortable if not particularly substantial. Flight: 18mph wind and kite goes up with gentle tug back on top lines. Flies out stably to the edge of the window and sits there. Minimal lift at the top . Couple of experimental loops and some real power is developed, however, feels very stable and controllable. Getting in buggy is easy and kite does not suddenly do anything unexpected. Power comes on easily and then the fun really starts. The kite does not seem to know where the edge of the wind window is, it just goes on flying and pulling, it actually feels as if you are flying directly up wind at times. Really had to work at overflying the window and it goes without saying that it retained its shape and did not luff. Down wind the kite is a monster developing smooth and constant pull. That point when the kite just sits there pulling you along seemed to happen a lot and very naturally. The kite is very controllable and really does go where its put there is none of the heart stopping worry that you get with a Blade when the wind gets a bit unpredictable. End of the day: I am not sure how you para pack a kite out in the field, so ended up winding on to handles. Conclusion: I imagine that for racers this kite may be a bit tame and not have the flight characteristics that they need; however for recreational buggying this kite is superb; it made even an amateur like me look like I knew what I was doing and I would recommend it to anyone. By : William James
  10. RaceKites

    Ozone Frenzy

    Packaging Neat bag - although you could slice the lines if agressive with the bag zips. The instruction leaflet is small and miserly - the diagrams require a magnifying glass and imagination. Assembly Easy - everythings marked - straightfoward. Flying First thing and most important - the clamcleat adjuster has a big red bobble - wrong colour! - well no - the wrist attached kill lines are long - and yellow - just about every time I've flown the kill lines tangle around the red bobble leaving me in the dubious position of being permanently attached to the front lines should I ever desire to part company with my big blue consort - solution -tie back the big red bobble to the front lines with an elastic band before you launch the big blue kite. In flight - if you run fully powered - bar fully back towards you - it's a bit like flying a big soft pillow - all HGV without the grunt. It's slow - it's cumbersome and it all happens in slow motion. Push the bar foward and speed the kite up and it drops out of the sky on the edge of the window on the turn. The only fun thing I can do with this blue kite is depower it and fly it into the centre of the window - pull the bar back and slide a bit. No matter how I trim the kite below 15kmph it's main use is scaring seagulls and practising running backwards. As the wind picks up - 40kmph - it flys like a big blue soft pillow with all the grunt of my white and blue 2.5 mtr ( name witheld ) and without any of that annoying tendency of sudden movement associated with adjustment of the bar. I paid £476 to aquire the above knowledge. By : Alan Harris
  11. A sheetable kite aimed at the boarding side of the market, primarily marketed as a snow kite though it performs well no matter what board you ride. The build quality is what we've come to expect from Ozone, top quality Galvanor (silicon impregnated cloth) is used throughout the 5 & 7m sizes, the 9 & 12m kites have a Galvanor topskin & Skytex lower skin to save weight. The line set is top quality Eldrig line & the bar is Ozone's own. Packaging The frenzy comes ready to fly. The line set is 360kg Eldrig line & is colour & number coded. The kite comes in a well made rucksack that has compression straps you can just about fit a board under. There are also some loops to attach the bar to. A repair patch & instruction manual comes with all kites. Ozone's usual Velcro tab located in the center cell keeps the bridle tidy. The bag could be a little bigger but as long as you're methodical about putting it away its not a problem. One thing that puzzles me about manufactures current obsession with rucksacks is the zips? Sail cloth, thin bridle line & zips aren't the best combination & while the latest offerings from Ozone & Flexi look great in there backpacks you do have to pay attention when putting them away. Getting the kite caught in the zip might not be physically painful but it will almost certainly cause some mental scaring. Out of the bag The first thing you notice is how slippery the Galvanor is, its quite a heavy material but has excellent porosity & stretch quality's. The surface coating really does make keeping the kite clean very easy & water just runs off. The usual Ozone mylar reinforcement is also present on the trailing edge & round the cell openings. Attachment of the lines is very easy thanks to the numbered tabs on both kite & lines. The bar has a permanent loop & chicken loop installed & a effective safety system that can be used with a wrist leash or attached to your harness so you can unwind the lines after a spin with out tangling the leash up. Flying Put on the leash & hook in to the chicken loop & your ready to go. A small tug on the top lines gets the kite in to the air & already were noticing some differences to other kites. The kites doesn't inflate that quickly due to the very narrow opening in the leading edge. This is intentional & allows you to launch in the center of the window when very powered up, though in the lower wind ranges you sometimes need to sheet the kite in & out to help it inflate. Once in the air the kite slowly inflates as it rises up with very little drama even in the higher end of the wind range for each size. This is also an advantage should you manage to luff one. (You have to try hard & its usually down to an apparent wind luff). Because of the rate of inflation the kite doesn't suddenly go from no pull to max power allowing you time to recover & make sure all your the bits are still in the right place. As the kite reaches the top it's usually fully inflated & ready to go. Power for size the frenzy doesn't match up to a traditional foil like the Blade. The 9.5m frenzy pulls about as much as a 7.2m Blade. However the power delivery of the frenzy is far friendlier than a Blade & the 9.5 will depower down to appox the pull of a 4.9. Unfortunately comparing the kites like this should be taken with a pinch of salt cause they really are poles apart when it comes to power delivery & feel. Once your moving the Frenzy gains power & the difference in grunt becomes far less noticeable. One things for sure, I'd rather be maxed out on a frenzy than a Blade any day of the week. The kite is amazingly stable, all the usual tricks that usually result in a luff are just shrugged off with suprisingly little drama. You can cause the kite to luff in the lower wind range but as the wind increases the kite becomes more & more stable & after a certain wind strength its like someone's switched on the turbo & the performance goes though the roof. Just send the kite up, sheet in & up you go. Once airborne the kites very resistant to mistakes in input & has a superb glide to it. Even in light winds you can get some real long jumps going. Unfortunately the Frenzy's low wind performance doesn't match its abilities in a good blow. While the kite works in light wind, it's not easy to get going. I need at least 8-10mph of wind to get easy park & ride style flying with a 9.5 & jumping starts about 12-14mph when on a very quick surface. In the light stuff the frenzy just doesn't say it, your constantly wanting more & trying to bully it round the sky isn't that effective. The kite gets very tippy(the tips fold up) & tends to run out of go at the sides of the window unless your very careful about where you put it. I've yet to try a 12m Frenzy so this may solve the problem, all the early reports say the 12m works very well but I've yet to get a go one so I'll hold judgement till then. Bad points Light wind performance. The chicken loop cleat has a habit of fowling the leash, be very methodical with how you set them up. I have found that with a waist harness on the chicken loop line is too long. I didn't have a problem with the lower hook on the seat harness but when using my waist harness either the chicken loops to long or my arms are to short. I've since shortened the chicken loop & it's all fine again. Overall Well, when the wind has reached the minimum for the size your gonna fly I think there one of the most amazing kite I've ever flown. So stable they're giving me bad habits. Lovely boost, wicked glides, massive de-power & a safety system the works, what more could you want? Well, possibly a bigger one but as the 12m's are filtering in to the UK that won't be a problem for much longer. By : Steve Burgoine
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