I have been one of the lucky ones to get a 10m Pulse Proto to play with.
14 Days in Barbados with the new Pulse. Great!!!
I also took a 7m and 10m Speed but I can say straight away that the Speeds stayed in their bags apart from a couple of times.
The conditions where between 12-28knots crosshore winds with waves ranging from 1-2.5m on the faces.
In 14 days I was out every day. Top score!!!
I have used the Speeds for most of the 2005 season and really, really like them. As the conditions where I sail are usually flat water there is no better kite for me.
Barbados is a different matter though. Having wave-riding conditions every day changes your perception of things and the Speeds, though still great had to give way to the Pulse.
One thing that impressed me with the Pulse was that it had fairly good bottom end. Not as much as a 10m Speed but enough to see me through days where people where out on 15-16m LEIs and 12m Crossbows.
The Pulses depower range was massive and the kite allowed me to stay out when other riders where happily shredding on 9m tubes.
This meant that the 7m Speed didn’t get out of its bag.
The good depowerability also gives the kite a great upwind performance as it flies very far forward in the wind window.
The other nice surprise was the Pulses jumping potential. OK, from flat water you will need to be a little more powered to get the same height and float as on the Speeds but the Pulse really impressed me, giving me up to 6.5sec. hangtime and decent height when lit. I would say that it will easily do for most.
Also unhooked the Pulse rode better than any previous Flysurfer. It had good pop and little backstall tendencies.
Turning Speed was similar to the Speeds but the turning radius was tighter thanks to the lower Aspect ratio.
The Bar feedback was also nicer and the bar pressure remained fairly constant no matter how much I depowered the kite. This is one thing that allowed me to ride the kite quite high up in its windrange. I could just pull in more on the depower-strap without the backlines going slack.
The chickenloop-rope is longer than on the Speeds but not too long. I had to go full stretch when sheeting out but I could have also pulled in more pre-depower on the trimmer and thus ride comfortable with slightly bent arms. The way it came, was perfect anyway.
The bar-pressure is perfect in my books.
This kite feels very similar to a bow kite but it hasn’t got the mega bar-pressure of a Crossbow and also gets away with less travel than the Novas, Sonics etc.
The whole kite just felt great.
Relaunching put a big smile on my face and disbelief in the eyes of fellow tubekiters. I would say that the kite never stayed down for more than 10 seconds. Sometimes it relaunched before I came up from beneath the waves.
This gave me buckets of confidence to go for it. Even when the kite got washed by a wave it took on zero water and came up in seconds. This is definitely the best relaunching kite ever made.
At the same time I saw one Crossbow Kiter a day having to swim back when the Crossbow inverted. This happened every day without failure. My Pulse never ever inverted or tangled!!!
Launching on the beach was a doddle. Sand on one wingtip, a bit of pre-inflation and of you go.
Thanks to its big de-powerability the launching is even safer now.
I used the Pulse with a handlepass to chickenloop leash set-up and never had any problems with this. The kite depowers so much that it hardly pulls you when you let go of the bar.
On the beach I sometimes hooked the leash onto the re-ride system on one of the steering lines. This was just in case something unforeseen would happen and I needed to kill the kites power totally. As it happened I never used it. The Pulses stability was so good that even when launching behind a hotel it stayed up when other kites dropped like flies.
So after having used the 10m Pulse almost every day for 2 weeks in perfect conditions I can really, really recommend it.
For beginners this will be the easiest to learn with kite on the market. The Pulses depower range, stability, bar-feedback and relaunchability will give any newbie lots and lots of confidence and will make learning to kitesurf very safe and easy.
For all of us who are passed the learning stage and are looking to add the Pulse to their quiver I would say the following.
The Pulse will not disappoint, no matter how good a rider you are. If the water is super flat and you like to go fast, big and floaty then the Speeds will remain the ticket but if you want to ride unhooked, try handlepasses, shred waves or ride in difficult conditions the Pulse is better.
It is super easy to fly and has great potential to really rip. I will definitely have a 10m and a 7m myself and hopefully get those aerial handlepasses cracked this year.
Foilzone review "kaito"
I'll try to keep my review simple, but it could be challenging since the Pulse just has so much going for it.
Kite: PULSE10m My weight: 68kgs.
In the air: (at launch)
Immediately after I launched the kite & she was airborne, I could feel the huuge amount of depower on the bar! I think Matt.Vogel hit the nail with his comment, "Its like having an accelerator pedal on your kite". Thats exactly it. Sheet in & in stead of stalling, you get POWER, sheet out, and instead of the kite jumping to the edge of the window, it looses alot of pull. All within the range of a 20 or so centimeters of bar travel. The power delivery between the line length is VERY fluid. Not on/off feeling, but really like a 'accelerator pedal'.
On the water: (12~14,15knts) Boards: CrazyFly 137x41, then the Flydoor 159.
W/the CF board I was either just holding ground, or loosing a bit. When I hopped on the FlyDoor, I didn't have to worry about planing, & could really focus on the performance of the kite. Immediately was truck'n upwind on the FD, 12~14knots, w/some gusts. When the gusts hit, I barely had to edge, just let the bar out 10cm's or so & the kite transfered gust-power, to upwind haul, without the normal lower kite/edging to make it happen. Let the bar out, thats it. (no spit in the face from the board too!)
The Pulse turns fast! With the previous FS's I've used, they sometimes didn't like to get thrown around the window, or the delay time in turning didn't allow it, But the PULSE is totally different. For jumps, it whips fast to zentih for so you get alot of veritcal lift, or POP!, its great! Redirecting the kite for landing is quick, so even if the timing is slightly off, you can still ride away w/o sinking.
On the water, the depower is just like its been mentioned by other riders. If you're on the board & let the bar out, you'll start to slow down, but the kite won't fall from the sky. It just stays where you left it. Edging the board w/with the bar out, you can stop in your tracks in a very short distance. (almost on the spot) This is GREAT for trying moves and taking spills since you don't get hauled downwind. (and the kite stays put)
Relaunch was just the same as all the other FS's. Grab an outside line, kite spins, back in the air. Or, like many have discovered, the kite just works itself out and launches for you.
Landing:
Kite had the FDS,or 5th line, already on it, so I just left it on.
When I landed, I just chucked the bar, and the kite folded in half & floated down onto the sand. Some people mentioned there was more pull than expected w/his FDS in more wind (15+knots), but I think once you get back to the bar & pull on one of the OS handles, the pull will be lessened since it just 'flags out' the kite. (anyone try this method yet?)
Overall I'm just sooo stoked with this kite! A few months back I was infected w/the 'bow-bug' and was on the verge of getting one, but I'm VERY glad I waited till this past weekend for the Pulse! I think it delivers all the great performance that the Bow's provided to the LEI-world, w/the familiarity & conveinience of foils!
Kaito
Foilzone Review "Ferran"
Hello everybody,
I've tested my new pulse 10 this weekend...this is my report.
my weight: 70 kg
my board: 146 cm
my level: intermediate
WAC: standard, in the middle
my car: white
18-25 knots, a bit gusty
i full shortened strap
I launched the kite on my self and at the side of the window, ok, but the kite lasted a few seconds in being filled with air, air entries did not unfold correctly.
When the kite was at zenith I felt the great depower of this kite because there was no significant pull, I could walk perfectly against the wind.
Once on the water, i spent some minutes in testing the bar and depower features, that's incredible, when you let go the bar you feel a great depower, and it gave me a lot of confiance and safety. When you pull the bar, then you feel all the power.
Turning speed is really fast, much more than my Speed 13, and it's similar to the speed of a LEI. I think it will be very good for surfing waves.
Stabilty of this kite is amazing. When the kite caught gusties, sometimes folded or collapsed a bit, but 0.5 seconds later herself takes the shape and you are riding again with no problems.
Jumping with pulse is very easy due to her great turning speed and depower, just take her to 11 0'clock, cross the board and pull the bar...and fly!! I'm not very good on jumping, by the moment, and it means that when i'm flying on the air i pass the kite and this overflies me...no problem, Pulse stills on the air and doesn't collapse.
Landing the kite is where I found the problem of this kite. Landing with assistance is not a problem, if the assistant knows how to land and catch a foil. But I had problems when landing on the 5th line: kite turns on herself with the consequence of tangled lines and no possibilty of relaunching. I landed the kite too using the two handles PSS in the center of the window, but it's very difficult to find the exact point until you have to pull for landing the kite on a soft and safe way.
Packaging the kite in big winds is a bit difficult.
I have to say that this is a fantastic kite, i felt very safe with her (in consequence I had no stress) and i loved her depower, stability and turning speed.
I have not tested the top range yet, but i think i could sail with more of 25 knots, perhaps using an smaller board.
By the moment i have parked my speed 13...i will use speed on those bright sunny days, plain sea, no waves and 12-14 kts constant wind. I think these are the best conditions for having fun with the Speed...this is only my opinion, obviously.
Salut!
Ferran
