In December I travelled to Florida on vacation to escape cold Copenhagen. Prior to my trip, I had gotten an interest in trying Epic kites. Dimitri is not only a fab kiter and great promotor, but I witnessed his customer service going beyond his brand name! Responding to my e-mail on going to Florida and I wanted to test his gear, Dimitri not only said he was so convinced that I would buy the Screamer 10 Ltd that he would send it vs a deposit, but also offered to ship a board together with the kite to my hotel to try while on my holiday. That is unparalleled customer service! I was the happiest man in South Beach, finding all waiting for me there.
The Screamer got to ride FL waters 3 times during my holiday. First at 20-24 knots wind on flats outside Key West, then once at 16 knots winds and then 14 knots at Key Biscayne. Dimitri told me that I would love the Screamer… and here’s the review. Note: I’m fairly new and have ridden f-one and Naish kites before trying the Screamer.
Screamer 10 LTD
I must admit, I Love it! And I bought it. Dimitri was right… and after that it has gotten about 5 rides in the cold Copenhagen water and weather in both perfect (18-28 knots) as well as gusty conditions (25-35 knots)
Pros:
+ amazing grunt, lift and air control. I found it to have better stability during the jump and more responsive turn control when jumping compared to the Bandits I ride usually/used to ride usually. I had never before taken such lengthy flights as with this kite.
+ very responsive - also felt it rewards aggressive handling extremely well
+ powerful in upwind
+ playful in waves – learned this in Copenhagen; it’s extremely nice turning with good stability in good winds lets you be very playful in the waves
+ predictable and stable but thrives in higher winds rather than low - find it better than my bandit 7 when it is in the 18 knots+ area
+ handles extremely nice in low end of power window
Cons:
- in gusts at low winds it tends to loose power and you have to be alert on stalls and mid field drops - it drops fast and maybe because it is...
- ...heavy (but sturdy build has a compromise)
- inflation blocker (ball) is not working always – and improvement for next generation would be to look at f-one or Cabrinhas inflation systems.
After coming back to Copenhagen, and giving it a few more rides, I got perfect trim of the kite and removed stall tendencies by putting the front lines on the second know of the lines. It has become my favorite kite for the conditions we have had lately, the grunt lets me have fun on a 10, when lots of the others around are at 12s.
4G bar
My first reaction after 3 rides was that I was not totally sold on it, but it is growing on me the more I’m using it.
Pros
+ great control and responsiveness
+ comfy handlebar grips
+ lines have easy to open attachment mechanisms
+ release system is good and the ball mechanism is easier than f-one’s lock to reattach
Cons
- power and depower control system.
I had a bit difficulty finding comfort with the power and depower system. The system is very clear on increasing and decreasing, but handles are hard to reach and response is not so immediate as on the f.one system. The benefit is that when it is set, it sticks (unlike the f-one which can tend to jump out if you don’t secure it well)
- unprotected/covered lines makes it easy to get a burn if you ride one hand and ride split finger over the lines, and lines will probably have more higher wear over time
Droid board
Love it! This was a surpise. It is light and extremely responsive, loved how it responded snappily to turns - felt I could pop front to toe much easier than the f-one Trax (regular version, not the carbon that I have not tried)
Pro
+ responsivenes
+ landing smoothness
+ good pop
+ handle bar - love the feel
Con
- tendencies to getting a bit dug-in in high downwind chop
Also, one of the most experienced riders at the tour organizer in Key West got to try the Droid – and he was very positively surprised.
All in all, I have witnessed first hand Dimitri and his crew’s fantastic customer service and products and encourage more to do it. They deserve a big thanks! With the offer – pay a deposit and you can return if you don’t like it – I can only say: try it!
