Frenchie's Honest Opinion

Here is my experience with Epic Kites, take it as it is, with absolutely no hidden agenda:

Last night, I flicked Dimitri an email to get his objective / un-biaised view on the main differences between the Fat Lady and Infinity v3.
I have seen the FL and Infinity v3 in action at the same time but with my intermediate level, could not tell the difference, especially in terms of performance.
I emailed the man as I saw in a post that Dimitri also tried the Fat Lady, and also because there is not much other literature, comparisons on kiteboarding forums. I asked him for a genuine favour in taking his Epic kites hat off and give me a honest feedback.
Surprisingly, he gave me his phone number (quicker over a phone chat) and I called him ... to realize he speaks French as fluently as I do ... how funny.

Anyways, we had a good chat and I am now clearer on the main features / differences of the 2 kites. We also talked about the level of warranty and support offered by Epic Kites and what to expect from a 'family & friends' business.
Dimitri also gave me valuable tips to make my Infinity v3 demo time as enjoyable as possible (I have next to no experience in light wind conditions).

Bottom line is really the fact that Dimitri takes the time to speak to his (potential) customers and genuinely answer questions. He shows a great deal of flexibility and is highly customer centric!
He carries many different hats: business man, customer service, technical advisor, etc.. ; so in the end, you get the full picture in 1 go!

I am also speaking with his Australian dealer - East Coast Kitesurfing - and Nigel is of the same caliber as Dimitri.

Again Dimitri, thanks for the chat today and I hope you got on time to pick up your favorite son from school !

Cheers, Fred

Review from a West Aussie on the Renegade 4G

Epic Renegade 4g 9m review 

Rider: 78kg, advanced 
Style: Freeriding, Surf, Freestyle 
Weather: 18-25 knots 
Build Quality: 9/10 
Satisfaction: 9/10 
Disclosure: Just another hoon at the beach who pays Full retail. 
I did a demo on the 4g 9m Renegade last week, that Nigel from EastCoastKitesurfing was kind enough to organise for me. 

The Bag: Big enough to carry & strap all your gear to if need be - good to note also that after you've rolled your kite up, you just fold it in half once and it fits nicely in the bag, should save a bit of wear & tear in the long run rather than being forced in & scrunched up.. 

The Bar: I used the old bar - have pictured the new one below that has a new Chicken Loop and an extra 15cm throw on it, which effectively increases your top end windrange.. to change from 55-45cm, just undo the Larks head on the outside (in picture) and put it on the inside 

The Build: Its solid built with the scuff padding in all the right places, the 3 struts are very skinny but work a treat. 

The Graphics: Very eye catching designs and colour schemes - one of the best looking kites on the market style wise. 

Kite Option settings: Freeride & wave The conditions were 18-25 kots, waves one side, glass flat the other - the kite was set to 'freeride'. From launch on the beach you definately notice how stable the kite is and from a stand still just pull the bar in & up you go. The kite definitely has power on tap. The delivery is deceivingly smooth as power can be incrimental from fingertip pressure, allowing a little in aerial transitions or a lot aggressive fishpole style. The bar pressure is about medium and you always know where it is and also enough to pull yourself round out of a trick if required. Unhooking you'll need a little trim as usual for an allrounder. The steering is very smooth in characteristic (but not as in slow) with very balanced power all the way through, making high speed downloop carving turns at lot fun on the face or flatwater. If you want it to pivot turn - it'll do so without any sideways slide that sometimes washes out redirection in kites sometimes. When trimmed a little from max power, its cruises down the line nicely without losing any bar input - the wave setting it would have been more fun again... unfortunately the winter wind disappears as fast as it arrives and didnt get the chance. 

Jumping ability - well heres a surprise where the game changes dramatically to say the least ! Go fast and slash that edge hard, redirecting and it will jump very high (remember it could lift me off the beach from just pulling the bar in) and its one of the easiest well behaved looping kites I've tried yet- keeping even powered and giving you that confidence to throw one anywhere, instead of the 'oh fark its stalled' just before the beating ! The float is average though will put you down soft enough if send it over the window with good timing. 

Relaunch - before you can 'pronounce it' its waiting for you, great when those sets are thundering towards you :) You wouldnt believe how hard I tried to get it to Err crash at the back of the window (sorry ) I wish I had one while I was learning 

Overall - a great allrounder for beginner to advanced if you just want to have fun without technical riding...

Comments from users on Kiteforum

jpkiter Says:

yep...I definitely agree that Dimitri + the EPIC team are awesome with customers...Heck, i just finished emailing him + Kristy about a sweatshirt ... I don"t think a day has even gone by + it's already at my door ....Yayhhhh !~~hot new EPIC hoodie to wear for the cooler Fall weather .... 

Thank u D ..+ K 

windsuks Says:

I've said it many times before both on this forum and on the beach, we have had and keep having amazing service as a supplier of Epic from all at the HQ ...time after time!

We get reply's to our emails almost immediately, stock arrives within days, usually three(trans atlantic with FedEx)
Any problems, of which there have been very very few are dealt with immediately,i.e. not waiting for months like we came to accept from the big brands.

Top job guys!

EastCC Says:

I agree Windsuks, they make it really easy for their dealers , leading by example with awesome service.

All my emails & questions to Dimitri & Helen are answered really quickly, not sure if Dimitri actually sleeps at all....

Kristy does a great job too, orders always shipped that day.

Thanks team

BiteMe likes the service

Yeah, I got to give it to them for Customer Service. Had a two year old bar break in a way it shouldn't have. Contacted Dimitri and he said they had seen that on a few other bars. He sent the parts right out and made it right. Respect.

Lecdanial comments on service

I am using Epic kites since the beginning. And, since the beginning, i have an awsome service. Dimitri answers my mails almost within an hour afer receiving.

This week,i sent him 2 bars to fit them with his new 4G chicken loop and it is already ready.And in addition, he sent me a video of what he did!!!

So, even if his kites weren't the best ones i got till now, i would continue with Epic for that fantastic customer service and his friendly approach..

Great work Dimitri.

Pete Likes His Renegades

I honestly don't know how Dimitri does it, and to be honest he couldn't do it without the support of his wife Helen and his assistant Kristy. Regardless, the people I have had the pleasure to be served by over the past year are exceptional. I was a critic of the epic tactics right up until I experienced first hand what it is like to be an epic customer/potential customer. These people are incredibly dedicated to providing their customers with the best service they can. 

I've never been treated with such respect, efficiency, and integrity. No other kite company has even come close to the service I received from EPIC. In addition to the great service I received, the Epic Renegades are awesome all round kites. Perfect for beginners thru to advanced riders. Great range, awesome stability, unbelievable relaunch and the build quality is as good as I've ever seen... And I rode ion3s coming into this so my expectations are extremely high. Being an epic customer does not end when you pay for your kites, it's like being part of a club. The support is not exclusive to questions or concerns of the product but inclusive of advice, contacts around the globe for travel plans and confidence that no matter the situation, Dimitri will answer your questions to the best of his ability... And he is pretty able and connected.

It is no wonder there are so many loyal supporters.

Experience changes everything.

Sincerely
Pete

Infinity Demo

Hey All,

I have scored a couple of epics after demoing through Nigel in Qld Australia.

I tried the 9 but for the moment I am packing the Infinity V2 and the Renegade 3G 11m. The 9 jumps high and quick and is easy to land, but the wind here is more applicable to the 11 and Infinity. The Infinity IMO is like a giant version of the 9m. But it's the 11 that steals the show for me. Yesterday on the 3G I ran straight at the kite in 12-14kt straight onshores whilst flying down waves and the kite luffed easily in the sky. I did give it tiny bits of feedback to stay up but this was not a full time consideration and I had most of the time to study the wave. (which was worth some study! Shoulder to just overhead waves) I thought I would out run the kite in these conditions (cross on shore) but there were no dramas and waves were had! There was no need to cutback which was great for the wall(ie) waves and the response time for smacking the lip and gliding some foam took next to no time to get dialled in.

I have a mate who is a fast progressing noob. He started on the cabs, and I gave him a few sessions on the Renegade and that was it. He still has other kites 14 & 9 and rode friends and he says he only wants to fly this 11. He said he wished all his kites were this kite! I feel the same way. Awesome kite. We're sold on it. I just now want the rest of the 4g family to be the same way! This is the kite as far as i'm concerned. I have not been on the 13 or the screamer or judge, but I've flown a lot of other brands and models and I realize that when you vary the size, you vary the performance. This is a shame because I would like my quiver to be all like this 11.

What is wrong with the kite?
Ok, so nothing is perfect. I prefer continuous safety lines on the bar. I have heard that the new bar has addressed this issue. Also I don't like the strut feeder tubes being activated early to avoid bladder explosion. I simply took 3 zip ties and secured the LE end of each tube. Whallah! problem over. The quick release is a little stiff at first. I put in a little olive oil and that's fixed too. The depower rope looks very much like the North Trust element system so it may need some wax melted in to help preserve.

Good things about the kite?
:p lots! relaunch, drift, pivot turning, look, build quality, bar, lines, bridle, sliders, delta tips, easy maneuverability, Out of the bag it's all impressive. The bag is easily one of the best made for kiting. Loads of room for everything. I have 2 bags and I just keep both epics in the one & have the at the beach every time to cover margin calls. Both bars fit in the sidepocket. Check. The pump is still gr8 and I have been using it heaps. Mainly on the infinity - such is the season we're having here.

Just to touch on the infinity debate that seems to be raging here lately. I really don't see the fuss?
The kite flys in 3-4kts. I have done it. I have a wind meter. It is exciting for about 30 seconds then when I realize it's not strong enough and it won't pick up it's back in the bag and back to work! I waded out in the waves in this wind speed and paid the price by having to pack up a very wet and sandy kite after some small waves pushed me towards the kite, very boring, but what kite would even fly in this range? The Cabrinha? Also since all those Cab guys had the video's ready for the infinity, you'd expect they would have one up for their 18 on this day or in similar winds - can anyone here point the way to this video? That would be awesome. I would like to point out that I like cab kites. I'm a big fan, I have a switchie and a convert and have used their large kites and owned quite a few in the middle sizes. I think they're awesome at what they do. Plus they are very durable kites. But since a lot of mud is going towards Epic because of a Cab riders video (or do I have this wrong? ) it would seem fair to show the video of the cab on the same day. Much the same result at best, I would expect. It is a fact that the Infinity will lift off the ground in the 3kt range. Get out your gauges do it yourself. It's been done. It's been video'd it's been posted. It will be done again (not by me unless it's for a bet!_ otherwise I've got better things to do) It's boring to do. It's a fact.

The infinity will go in small waves with no or favourable currents in 6-8kts. In downwind flowing currents it has taken 8+ kts solid to get it going. It is not the fastest LW kite around but it goes upwind better than most. I have had swap sessions with the core 17m xr2 and it is slower to turn but definitely goes upwind better. Even the core owner said this. I preferred the infinities feel but I would like it to turn a little more faster like the core and I think it could be made to have a touch lighter bar pressure (like if it was a giant 11m!! nudge wink). but maybe there is scientific trade off there that is set in stone for now? The thing I do know is that a lot of big kites will get you out there at 6-8 but it's up to you to figure which one you like the most. For me the Epic is just that.

Thanks for reading all this - I hope it helps you with any decisions you have to get a demo or not. I would definitely say try them out. The Epic crew are great and easy to communicate with and will always stay in touch with you about anything you would like to know. A lot of companies let you fall off the radar so it's refreshing to feel like you are making a contribution to the brand you ride.
Adios