Tech Focus - ION Quicklock Hook

The release of the new Quicklock Hook from ION marks an exciting step forward in harness hook technology. Find out more about what the Quicklock Hook is and how it works in this Tech Focus!

As one of the biggest accessory brands in the kitesurfing industry, Ion has brought a lot of innovative products to the table over the past several years. The latest product that hit the market is the Quicklock Hook. When we first saw the Quiclock Hook in action, we had to do a double-take. It was definitely a 'blink and you'll miss it' moment! Can you give us the low down on this exciting new product?

At ION, we always strive to bring innovation to the market that makes our sport more enjoyable and possibly even safer. With the Quicklock Hook, we managed to do so by developing a hook which minimizes the risk of the kite being unhooked and released by accident, offering a great benefit to a lot of kiters out there. Our research has shown that the majority of kiters do not unhook their kite on a regular basis for freestyle tricks. With this in mind, a system where the loop is completely secured by a closed system makes a lot of sense. The Quicklock Hook makes the chicken finger obsolete and offers a quick single-handed hook in of the loop without fiddling with the quick release.

While some harness brands have chosen to focus on complete, ready-to-ride harnesses, others have chosen to go modular, with the consumer purchasing each piece separately - harness, spreader bar, and hook. What is Ion's approach? How does the modular system help the customer?

There has been a bit of a trend on the market to offer harnesses and spreader bars separately. At ION, we decided to go into the 2021 season with our own in-between strategy. We want the customer to receive their harness ready-to-ride, complete with a spreader bar, but still have the option to modify the spreader bar towards a specific need. That is why we offer several different hook options which are interchangeable on the fly with our modular hook system. We believe that similar to different chicken loop options, the customer should be able to decide which hook fits best for their preference and style of riding, without having to worry about which size of spreader bar they need to get.

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What was the inspiration for this product? What problem were you trying to solve with the design?

Kiting has really come a long way in terms of safety over the past years, but there are still a lot of accidents happening, especially with beginner kiters being overwhelmed by all the different things one has to look out for. Even advanced kiters experience the chicken loop being released by accident which can result in nasty situations on and off the water. Another topic we came across while looking into those accidents was the incompatibility of some hook and chicken loop combinations of different brands which can favour accidental releases. We found the need to dive deeper into the whole topic and eventually saw a chance to develop something intuitive and safe from our side of the spectrum without the need for changing the whole chicken loop concept.

Is this designed specifically for beginner riders? How does it improve the experience for riders just beginning their kiting journey?

The Quicklock Hook has a lot of benefits for beginner kiters by reducing the risk of false handling or accidental releases. Hooking in the loop with one hand in a single motion without having to worry about the chicken finger is a concept which works great and brings benefits to every level of riding. We get great feedback from people telling us how easy the handling of the hook is and how carefree their sessions have been. We really believe everybody can benefit from the advantages this hook offers and should consider giving it a try.

What other riders should consider swapping to the Quicklock Hook? It looks like it's not necessarily freestyle friendly, but how would this work for riders focused on big air or wave?

We see more and more big air kiters using the Quicklock Hook since a lot of them don’t have the need to unhook on a regular basis. They like the additional safety it offers and also the secure feeling during those big air jumps and landings because there is no chance of the hook slipping out by accident. Even for wave, it is an interesting concept, as the short hook provides a very close and therefore more direct connection to the kite. The hook also offers an option to lock it in an “opened” state where you can unhook or easily swap kites on the beach which we found extremely useful during testing.

Is the Quicklock Hook compatible with all of the harnesses and spreader bars in the Ion Range?

The Quicklock Hook is backwards compatible with all of our injection moulded spreader bars, starting from the C-Bar 1.0 which launched in 2018. Additionally, every one of our 2021 harness models is equipped with a compatible spreader bar.