Just demoed some Epic kites in Puerto Rico. Here's my take on the kites....
Test conditions:
Average wind speeds: 16-20 knots and some stronger gusts
Spots: flat water and small chop
Board: 131 x 40 2009 Skywalker Rider
My weight is 70kg (155 lbs)
Kite experience: 2 years, intermediate, freestyle
Gotta start by I'm not affiliated to Epic to Epic or any other brand. I have flown Best, Royal, Liquid Force, Cabrinha, Ocean Rodeo, Monkey, Eclipse (Nano) and Slingshot. Currently flying SS RPMs and REVs, so I'll compare to these.
Flew a Screamer LTD 10m, a Renegade 12m and a Renegade 9m. The three felt perfect right away, like if I had already used them many times before. The only kites I've tried that have felt so good right from the start have been SS and Royal kites.
Screamer LTD 10m
Got a new kite straight from the bag. Flew it as it comes from factory. Only change made was, as per Dimitri's suggestion, adjusted the front lines to innermost knot (made them shorter).
Seems extremely well built with good attention to details.
First of all: the bar. I loved it. It is light, with green on the right, red on the left and a good written warning when you have the bar on the wrong way. Colored lines. Elastic bands on each tip of the bar to hold the lines (brands like LF have it, I wish SS did.) The grip is super comfortable. So far my favorite grip has been SS. Epic's has a perfect thickness, super soft. Sailed for three 3 hours and my hands didn't feel tired. Could have kited the whole day without hurting my hands a bit.
The quick release is very easy to access in an emergency, without getting in your way. With some quick releases it is easy to activate them by accident, but i don't thing there's a chance here. Can't tell how good it works cause I didn't use it. Everything looks of good quality and strong. Chicken loop has a very neat size.
Power/depower above the bar. I'm not used to this, since I'm used to SS's depower below the bar. I always loved the idea of having the power/depower rope below the idea, but I recently had some issues with it...when I pull the depower rope it gets stuck in the cleat, so the whole thing comes out including the chicken loop. You know what happens rest. So I got to appreciate the power/depower above the bar in Epic kites. The nicest thing is that it has two very distinctive, reachable and big handles to pull. This helps to avoid pulling the wrong end in a hurry. Liked it a lot.
Bar pressure - I suffered from tennis elbow a year ago that kept me from kiting for a while, so I always look for light pressure. Heavier pressure in C kites bring me back the pain in minutes. This bar felt like heaven. Very light pressure, even better than the pressure on Revs, which was my favorite till now.
Boosting - This kites wants to jump all the time. High boosting without any effort. The hangtime is great. Compared to my 10m RPM, it gives me about the same hang time but a lot more height in flat water. Better hangtime than my 11m REV. I wish I could try the Screamer with some good chops!! I don't dare to say its the higher jumper out there, but if there are any kites better at jumping, I'm sure the Screamer beats them in most other aspects, like safety, relaunch and stability (see below)
Relaunch - The kite fell three times but but didn't actually get to lay on the water, so I wasn't able to test the relaunch well. I did do a self launch from the water and it was super smooth and fast.
Turning speed - Super fast. Moves like a 9m. Not extremely fast, but, for me, it was the perfect speed.
Power - This is where this kite excels. Super powerful. I felt I was in a 12m. Also, when the wind died and other 10 & 11m kites were not enough, I was still moving.
Stability - Very stable kite. I never had to watch it, you always feel where it is even with the light bar pressure. Flew great everywhere in the wind window. Easy to control - toe side, heel side
Overall, compared to my RPM, i felt it performed similar in most aspects, but the Screamer excels in jump height, stability**, pulls harder, and the power/depower system. I would have to test in more in lighter conditions to be able to say it really has a better low end, but It definitely felt very well powered at 18-20 knots. At that wind speed it pulled stronger than all 10m kites I've tried and as much as all 11m.
RENEGADE 12m and 9m
I didn't that much time in these. Same great bar as the Screamer (read above). The stability on this kites is even better. I loved how the Screamers managed the gusts. I didn't get the harsh pull you get in other kites. In this it was similar to my RPM, better than Screamer and SS REV. For students this kite feels extremely safe. With 3 struts the kite is very light. I tried letting the kite up in the air without holding the bar and it stays perfectly up at 12 everytime.
When parked, the screamers stay there and feel great. I believe these would be great for riding unhooked.
The 11m Renegade turns noticeably slower than the Screamer ltd 10m and my 11m SS Rev. I know many guys that prefer it like this. It didn't jump as high as the Screamer but jumped pretty high. It is a super powerful kite for going fast. Relaunch was instant. It felt super comfortable at 20 knots. Actually felt as good as the Screamer 10m.
The 9m Renegade
Got amazed with this guy! Felt perfect when everyone else was with 10 - 12m kites. Felt powered, very good jumps, and as stable as the 12m. I loved the turning speed. Felt very similar to the Screamer 10m. Great speed, not crazy fast speed, but super good-controllable speed. Loved it. According to Epic's website its high end is more than I'll ever need, and I'm sure it will still feel safe and stable. If I were to buy a 9m today, I would buy this one right away.
The three Epic kites felt perfect right at the first time. I would buy any of these right away. I was stoked with the Screamer 10m and the Renegade 9m. Would love to try the Screamer 12m - might end up buying a Screamer 12m and the Renegade 9m , or a 10m Screamer Ltd as a one kite quiver. I've loved SS kites for a while and am now loving Epic kites.
Have to say that Dimitri was extremely nice with everyone and was thrilled to have us try his kites. It is uncommon to have the big shot from a kite company come spend time, open a bunch of kites for demos, take pictures, give shirts, surf and tell jokes with local kiters. I didn't even have to rig my own kite. Getting to know the man gives an extra value to his products. (kudos to Dimitri for his marketing skills:) ) My friends liked the kites very much and already offered Dimitri to buy his demo kites before he leaves the island.
These kites are very good in every aspect. I haven't checked their pricing, but at a right price these kites might well be the best buy in the 4 line inflatable freestyle/wakestyle kites market. Can't tell about surf - we spent the day in flat water heaven( Parguera, Puerto Rico)
Test conditions:
Average wind speeds: 16-20 knots and some stronger gusts
Spots: flat water and small chop
Board: 131 x 40 2009 Skywalker Rider
My weight is 70kg (155 lbs)
Kite experience: 2 years, intermediate, freestyle
Gotta start by I'm not affiliated to Epic to Epic or any other brand. I have flown Best, Royal, Liquid Force, Cabrinha, Ocean Rodeo, Monkey, Eclipse (Nano) and Slingshot. Currently flying SS RPMs and REVs, so I'll compare to these.
Flew a Screamer LTD 10m, a Renegade 12m and a Renegade 9m. The three felt perfect right away, like if I had already used them many times before. The only kites I've tried that have felt so good right from the start have been SS and Royal kites.
Screamer LTD 10m
Got a new kite straight from the bag. Flew it as it comes from factory. Only change made was, as per Dimitri's suggestion, adjusted the front lines to innermost knot (made them shorter).
Seems extremely well built with good attention to details.
First of all: the bar. I loved it. It is light, with green on the right, red on the left and a good written warning when you have the bar on the wrong way. Colored lines. Elastic bands on each tip of the bar to hold the lines (brands like LF have it, I wish SS did.) The grip is super comfortable. So far my favorite grip has been SS. Epic's has a perfect thickness, super soft. Sailed for three 3 hours and my hands didn't feel tired. Could have kited the whole day without hurting my hands a bit.
The quick release is very easy to access in an emergency, without getting in your way. With some quick releases it is easy to activate them by accident, but i don't thing there's a chance here. Can't tell how good it works cause I didn't use it. Everything looks of good quality and strong. Chicken loop has a very neat size.
Power/depower above the bar. I'm not used to this, since I'm used to SS's depower below the bar. I always loved the idea of having the power/depower rope below the idea, but I recently had some issues with it...when I pull the depower rope it gets stuck in the cleat, so the whole thing comes out including the chicken loop. You know what happens rest. So I got to appreciate the power/depower above the bar in Epic kites. The nicest thing is that it has two very distinctive, reachable and big handles to pull. This helps to avoid pulling the wrong end in a hurry. Liked it a lot.
Bar pressure - I suffered from tennis elbow a year ago that kept me from kiting for a while, so I always look for light pressure. Heavier pressure in C kites bring me back the pain in minutes. This bar felt like heaven. Very light pressure, even better than the pressure on Revs, which was my favorite till now.
Boosting - This kites wants to jump all the time. High boosting without any effort. The hangtime is great. Compared to my 10m RPM, it gives me about the same hang time but a lot more height in flat water. Better hangtime than my 11m REV. I wish I could try the Screamer with some good chops!! I don't dare to say its the higher jumper out there, but if there are any kites better at jumping, I'm sure the Screamer beats them in most other aspects, like safety, relaunch and stability (see below)
Relaunch - The kite fell three times but but didn't actually get to lay on the water, so I wasn't able to test the relaunch well. I did do a self launch from the water and it was super smooth and fast.
Turning speed - Super fast. Moves like a 9m. Not extremely fast, but, for me, it was the perfect speed.
Power - This is where this kite excels. Super powerful. I felt I was in a 12m. Also, when the wind died and other 10 & 11m kites were not enough, I was still moving.
Stability - Very stable kite. I never had to watch it, you always feel where it is even with the light bar pressure. Flew great everywhere in the wind window. Easy to control - toe side, heel side
Overall, compared to my RPM, i felt it performed similar in most aspects, but the Screamer excels in jump height, stability**, pulls harder, and the power/depower system. I would have to test in more in lighter conditions to be able to say it really has a better low end, but It definitely felt very well powered at 18-20 knots. At that wind speed it pulled stronger than all 10m kites I've tried and as much as all 11m.
RENEGADE 12m and 9m
I didn't that much time in these. Same great bar as the Screamer (read above). The stability on this kites is even better. I loved how the Screamers managed the gusts. I didn't get the harsh pull you get in other kites. In this it was similar to my RPM, better than Screamer and SS REV. For students this kite feels extremely safe. With 3 struts the kite is very light. I tried letting the kite up in the air without holding the bar and it stays perfectly up at 12 everytime.
When parked, the screamers stay there and feel great. I believe these would be great for riding unhooked.
The 11m Renegade turns noticeably slower than the Screamer ltd 10m and my 11m SS Rev. I know many guys that prefer it like this. It didn't jump as high as the Screamer but jumped pretty high. It is a super powerful kite for going fast. Relaunch was instant. It felt super comfortable at 20 knots. Actually felt as good as the Screamer 10m.
The 9m Renegade
Got amazed with this guy! Felt perfect when everyone else was with 10 - 12m kites. Felt powered, very good jumps, and as stable as the 12m. I loved the turning speed. Felt very similar to the Screamer 10m. Great speed, not crazy fast speed, but super good-controllable speed. Loved it. According to Epic's website its high end is more than I'll ever need, and I'm sure it will still feel safe and stable. If I were to buy a 9m today, I would buy this one right away.
The three Epic kites felt perfect right at the first time. I would buy any of these right away. I was stoked with the Screamer 10m and the Renegade 9m. Would love to try the Screamer 12m - might end up buying a Screamer 12m and the Renegade 9m , or a 10m Screamer Ltd as a one kite quiver. I've loved SS kites for a while and am now loving Epic kites.
Have to say that Dimitri was extremely nice with everyone and was thrilled to have us try his kites. It is uncommon to have the big shot from a kite company come spend time, open a bunch of kites for demos, take pictures, give shirts, surf and tell jokes with local kiters. I didn't even have to rig my own kite. Getting to know the man gives an extra value to his products. (kudos to Dimitri for his marketing skills:) ) My friends liked the kites very much and already offered Dimitri to buy his demo kites before he leaves the island.
These kites are very good in every aspect. I haven't checked their pricing, but at a right price these kites might well be the best buy in the 4 line inflatable freestyle/wakestyle kites market. Can't tell about surf - we spent the day in flat water heaven( Parguera, Puerto Rico)
