F-ONE Kiteboarding Bandit 6m 2013
Reviews / Kites
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At A Glance
We tested the 9m Bandit Six last issue and loved it, and with our trip to Cape Town looming and some mega winds in the post we opted to take the smaller brother too. We first flew the 6m in Beauduc in some howling winds and were impressed with its stability, so we wanted to see how it faired in the mega gusts of Cape Town. The Bandit Six is a delta platform kite, with a C-shape profile and a simple three strut design. Mostly it has been tweaked for 2013 with lots of small changes culminating in the new kite. For more details on the basics of this kite, see the test in issue 35. To find out how it performed in Cape Town read on!
The Bar
The new Monolith Bar is a work of art; machined from a solid piece of aluminium it is CNC cut to shape and then the bar ends are connected to the machined pieces. The aluminium is of a higher grade too, 6061 alloy is charged with magnesium and Silicium to create a highly strong and resistant material. Used in the space program it offers excellent stiffness, resilience and resistance to corrosion. The rest of the bar set-up is nice and simple, as is the norm for the F-One bar systems, the chicken loop is the same but, as Raphael says “they have over 50,000 of these loops on the water over the years and when something works well it is often prudent not to change it”. The EVA grip is new as well and is very comfortable on the hands whilst being reasonably ‘sticky’ to ensure your hands stay connected when throwing down kite loops.
In The Air
When the wind starts to howl you need a kite that is safe, reliable and controllable. In winds over 30 knots things can go wrong very quickly, and a 5 knot gust when it is already blowing 35 will feel like a steam train hitting your kite. Knowing that your kite can handle it and, more importantly, handle it without throwing you around too much is very important. Thankfully the Bandit Six 6m excelled in the gusty conditions of Cape Town. In winds where I would normally be wishing for footstraps and thinking about reinvesting in some windsurfing gear the 6m kite ate it up and spat it out for breakfast. It is super stable and has real control at your fingertips when those gusts hit. The turning speed is still fast and predictable, but the kite doesn’t possess any “Angry Wasp” tendencies. In the waves it likes to be thrown around and even when depowered it remains responsive. Boosting with the 6m is exciting, but the hangtime doesn’t feel as smooth as the 9m in lighter airs, the smaller canopy obviously offering less resistance.
Overall
Solid, dependable and above all stable in high winds, the 6m Bandit Six is a great kite if you want to tackle some big winds this winter and not be left on the beach…
Videos
This review was in Issue 36 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!
