Blade Kiteboarding Trigger 10m 2010
Reviews / Kites
24,111
At a Glance
With a pretty good year in 2009, Blade are able to hold their heads up high knowing that they are on a similar level with the larger kite brands producing quality hard wearing kites. In 2010 this doesn’t change. The Trigger has come through with a real feeling for quality and the kite as a whole has been made to take a beating, if it hasn’t got a tough bumper pad or a piece of Kevlar on it, it would have been reinforced with double stitching. Blade have now split the bridle attachment points getting rid of the pulleys between them, which seems to be the general trend now with performance freeride kites. The Kite has a nice simple one pump system with a clever clip holder to keep every thing tucked out the way of any bridles or loose lines if you end up in the washing machine of any waves.
The Bar
The Trigger flies on the same bar as we saw in last issues Blade prime test. The bar is a clean functional design that drew a few positive comments on the beach. The grip is 3D moulded and extremely comfy to hold. There are O’Shit handles for added safety and a stopper ball should you wish to use them. The trim strap is made up of a pull-pull webbing affair, which is situated above the bar, whilst the chicken loop is very impressive too, an update to last years swivel and ropes to ensure maximum durability. The entire system also swivels so you are able to untwist your lines if you choose to spin one way with your rotations.
In the Air
In the sky, the Trigger has quite a high aspect shape and with the new bridal lay out you will have yourself believing you are in for an aggressive ride. However, the kite is like a pussycat compared to its high-end performance Prime in the Blades range. I would describe the bar pressure as moderate and not to heavy, similarly there is a sense of connection in the middle, which enables you to throw the kite around when you really want to give it some, giving you time to not have to concentrate when trying something new.
When you do amp things up and give the bar some real heavy handed input, you can get this machine to kiteloop really well, even sending the Trigger out in front of you without the consequences you receive from the Prime. With help from the kites AR (aspect ratio), the kite surges forwards searching for any extra board speed you might want to carry.
Unhooking disables you a little from being able to throw the kite around as well as you can when hooked in, it’s performance has enough grunt for the majority of riders, but as you would expect from a high aspect design, it lacks that real low down power, that said the top end is fantastic!
The Trigger works well in some swell and is responsive enough to ride waves of all sizes.
For
The trigger is great for getting stuck in, with plenty of performance for most to try everything you dare to but with out the sting you get from a dedicated Freestyle kite.
Against
Think of the Blade as a freeride kite with some real performance, but if you want dedicated freestyle look to the Prime.
Overall
A well built strong kite, perfect all rounder, allows you to try new things enabling you to feel like you can take your kiting to the next level without being punished for any mistakes.
This review was in Issue 19 of IKSURFMAG.
For more information visit Blade KiteboardingRelated
By Rou Chater
Rou has been kiting since the sports inception and has been working as an editor and tester for magazines since 2004. He started IKSURFMAG with his brother in 2006 and has tested hundreds of different kites and travelled all over the world to kitesurf. He's a walking encyclopedia of all things kite and is just as passionate about the sport today as he was when he first started!
