F-ONE Kiteboarding Bandit 9m 2015
Reviews / Kites
41,428
At A Glance
Now in its eighth year, the Bandit stands tall over a legacy that just seems to keep on going. The kite that changed everything all those years ago has itself changed an awful lot from those early incarnations. In recent years the kite has seen tweaks to the design rather than a radical overhaul and that is true once again for 2015. It is a three-strut kite with a definite C-Shape arc, whilst still retaining the Delta characteristics that changed the face of kitesurfing all those years ago.
For this year the placement of some of the key materials has changed, the kite still uses the super stiff TechnoForce canopy material, but the distribution of the Dacron on the trailing edge has been tweaked to reduce flutter. In addition, the bridle connection to the kite has been updated; it now uses a 4-point connection, which offers more control and improved handling.
One-pump is standard although there is no “fast” inflation system as yet, something we have seen lots of brands adopting over the last few years. The build quality is as good as ever and there have been some upgrades to the one-pump components. The bridle itself remains short and simple with a direct connection on the rear and a pulley on the front to allow the kite to move as you sheet in and out.
Sizes: 5m, 6m, 7m, 8m, 9m, 10m, 11m, 12m, 14m
The Bar
The Monolith bar underwent an upgrade last year, this single machined block of aluminium still remains one of our favourites. It is light and simple and seems to last forever! The upgrades included redesigned floats and a new chicken loop. The floats aren’t integrated into the bar ends yet, although this seems inevitable down the line.
F-One have licensed technology used in North’s Iron Heart system to create the new chicken loop. A sensible move as it reduces development costs and brings one of the best systems available into their stable. The internal mechanism is the same, but the external design is still very much F-One’s own style. Elsewhere, a clam cleat provides the above-the-bar trim system, and a short “5th” line safety allows the kite to flag out onto both front lines.
You can set the safety up as a “safe” suicide system or directly connect the leash to it for instant releasing of the kite onto the front lines. The depower rope is sleeved in PVC which is a testament to the bars hardwearing characteristics. We ran one of these for 2 years solid and had no real wear and tear on the components, impressive to say the least.
Overall it is a simple bar system, it lacks the adjustability of some of the bars on the market, but there is no clutter and everything is clean and functional. It looks great and will outlive the kite without the need to change the depower line through wear and tear!
In The Air
We’ve flown the Bandit a lot over the last few years and have come to appreciate its very versatile nature. F-One do produce other kites, but the Bandit is the kite used by the wave team, freestyle team and everyone else in between. It’s fast, with a short depower throw that offers lots of instant control.
The turning speed is exceedingly quick and the kite is very responsive even when fully depowered. This year the team have tried to improve the bottom-end of the kite while maintaining the top-end. We’ve had the kite flying us around in 15knots on a surfboard, which is impressive for a 9m kite with a C-shape arc profile.
Equally we’ve been riding it in huge surf and gusty 35 knot winds and never felt troubled. Perhaps the most impressive thing amongst all of this is that the steering remains constant throughout the wind range. The characteristics of the kite don’t change too much between its overpowered and underpowered state. The bar pressure is light throughout the wind range too and flying the Bandit feels effortless.
Jumping on the Bandit is fantastic, it offers a real boost off the water and the pull is very much vertical giving you a real sense of power. The hangtime is also impressive especially when you are at the top of the wind range. Kite loops can be powerful if you initiate them slowly, or if you really engage the bar you can get a gentler more pivotal arc.
Upwind is great, improved if anything from last year, the kite flies forwards in the window more and doesn’t pull sideways. This makes for a more comfortable ride that requires less energy. In the waves the kite impresses once again, no surprise when you consider just how much Raphael loves wave riding. The fast nature is a bonus and the kite drifts down the line really well too.
"One of the most versatile kites on the market and loaded with performance!"
For
Further tweaks to an already great design make the Bandit one of the best yet, it’s fast, responsive and boosts amazingly well. Fantastic handling in the waves make it a solid choice for any wave rider out there, whilst the dynamic performance will please the freeriders and freestylers too.
Against
We’d like to see a fast inflation system, it’s a small thing, but something we are thankful of when we see it on the other brands. It would be easy to add to this kite and would be the icing on the cake. Integrated bar ends would also bring the bar up-to-date with modern trends; this is most likely in the pipeline though.
Overall
If you want a well-tuned and perfected kite that is extremely versatile, then the Bandit fits the bill very well. It is very fast and responsive with light bar pressure, so if that suits your style of riding take one for a spin and be impressed.
Videos
This review was in Issue 49 of IKSURFMAG.
For more information visit F-ONE KiteboardingRelated
By Rou Chater
Rou has been kiting since the sports inception and has been working as an editor and tester for magazines since 2004. He started IKSURFMAG with his brother in 2006 and has tested hundreds of different kites and travelled all over the world to kitesurf. He's a walking encyclopedia of all things kite and is just as passionate about the sport today as he was when he first started!
