Blade Kiteboarding Prime 9m 2010
Reviews / Kites
24,111
At A Glance
The Prime is a freestyle c-shaped kite from Blade with a small bridle on the leading edge to give it extra support. The kite is very well made, something that was present in last years model and it is good to see this year things have only improved! There is plenty of padding on the leading edge and also a generous amount of Kevlar at high wear points on the kite. The kite is still very light though; the majority of the canopy is constructed using Teijin rip stop rather than Dacron as we see on some kites. Dacron is more hard wearing but it does add weight to the kite, which can affect its performance. The stitching is very solid and the leading edge has a stress seam all the way along it to prevent blow out on those hard powered crashes.
The Bar
We were impressed with the quality of the bar last year, and once again Blade have come up with a clean functional design that drew a few comments on the beach. The grip is 3D moulded and very comfy to hold on to, there are O’Shit handles for added safety and a stopper ball should you wish to use it. The trim strap is made up of a pull-pull webbing affair, which is situated above the bar. The chicken loop is very impressive too, an update to last years Swivel Dome, the release can me made very easily and the set up uses both plastic and rope to ensure maximum durability. The entire system swivels as well so you can untwist your lines if you only like spinning one way with your back rolls!
In the Air
Last year we flew the 7m version of this kite, and found it to be a little powerhouse! Things are more refined for 2010 though and the low down grunt has been transformed into something that develops its power from the speed of its flight rather than by sitting back in the window. The turning is as good as ever, being essentially a C shaped kite it is very direct and responsive to input from the bar. Small movements will have it flying around the window at your command and the bar pressure won’t pull your arms off. In your hands the set up feels very natural and it certainly compliments your riding style as opposed to making things hard. Jumping is very impressive; the speed and agility of the kite allowing you to really send it back though the window for some impressive height. This year the kite flies much further forward in the window and this allows the Prime to cream upwind with ease. This is great for the new school rider pulling big kite loops. The pull through the loop is very smooth and predictable too, there are no nasty surprises when you come in to land. It isn’t as stable as the Trigger, and it needs an experienced pair of hands to get the most out of it. But it is a great kite and certainly one to consider if you like riding freestyle and are looking for performance.
For
High performance freestyle machine, great for kiteloops and flies upwind. Well built with a very good bar set up.
Against
The kite really excels at new school tricks and behaves very well, but it isn’t for beginners and if you like freeriding and waves the Trigger may well suit you better…
Overall
We were impressed last year with the Blade kites, and we have been again, the bar is really well set up and the kite feels great in the air. Performance is impressive and upwind is a breeze.
This review was in Issue 18 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!
