CORE Kiteboarding Nexus 4 8m 2024
Reviews / Kites
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At A Glance
The Nexus 4 from CORE Kiteboarding is a three-strut, all-round kite aimed at the rider looking for a do-it-all kite with a penchant for wave riding. It has some new materials and features in the construction, and this new fourth-generation promises to be even better. The Nexus 4 uses what CORE has dubbed Future-C shape technology. The kite is designed for huge jumps, fast kite loops, and excellent drifting in the waves.
It's a three-strut design with a thinner and lighter frame than last year. This improves the kite's speed through the air and helps it turn faster.
The profile is flat and open, and the kite has a swept-back leading edge and wide tips. The wing tips are where most of the changes are for the new kite; they have been made bigger to improve the turning speed and response in the waves and during kite loops. The struts are fairly thin, and the canopy is made from CoreTex 2 material, which is lighter, stiffer and more durable than other materials used today. The leading edge features ExoTex 2 material, exclusive to CORE and lighter and stiffer than traditional Dacron.
The bridle system is short and uses pulleys to offer excellent depower and a direct feel through the bar. We flew the kite on the new Sensor 3Pro bar, one of our favourite bars. It's neat, tidy, and impeccably designed.
Sizes: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13.5m
In The Air
The Nexus 4 is an easy kite to fly, and right from the first launch, you’ll notice how stable it is in the air. The canopy is very solid, and there is no flutter, even in the strongest winds. The bar pressure is relatively light, and the kite is very responsive to small inputs from the bar. A light touch is all that is needed to get the kite to react.
Once you’ve got a few miles under your belt with the Nexus 4, you’ll quickly start to notice how fast and dynamic it is. The kite can fly through the window and generate a lot of power when you send it back across the window. The jumps on the Nexus 4 are excellent, and the kite has an impressive vertical take-off speed. You feel a good solid pull as you send it; in the air, the kite is easy to control, and the hangtime is good, but this is a different kite to the XR Pro, for instance, that will float you in the air for what feels like an eternity. The Nexus 4 has more of an up-and-down feel to the jump, but it's one hell of an up!
Kiteloops are great fun, and the kite is very reactive, allowing you to control the speed and power of the loop with ease. The top-end wind range is impressive, and the kite is very stable in the gusts too. We rode the kite in various conditions in South Africa and found it performed really well in the gusty, strong winds we had there.
The Nexus 4 is aimed at the all-round rider and certainly delivers in that department, but it is also a great wave kite. The drift is excellent, and keeping the Nexus 4 flying forward in the window as you ride down the line is easy. The responsive nature of the kite also lends itself well to wave riding, allowing you to turn the kite quickly as you navigate down the line. Core has Section 4 for dedicated wave heads, but don't let that put you off the Nexus 4 if you are a pure wave rider; it's an incredible wave kite that offers you versatility as a rider.
Relaunch is very good, and the kite is quite forgiving; it will suit a wide range of riders, from intermediate to expert, and a confident beginner could utilise it too. If you want to ride waves, this is a fantastic kite, but it is also incredible for freeriding and big air, and you'll have a blast on a foil, too. It's a true do-it-all- machine from Core that you will want to check out if you are in the market for a versatile three-strut weapon.
Overall
The Nexus 4 from CORE Kiteboarding is a well-built, well-designed kite that delivers excellent performance across various disciplines. It’s fast, powerful and dynamic, sure to make you smile when you fly it. Suitable for all levels, from beginners to experts, the Nexus 4 is a great all-rounder we can thoroughly recommend.
Videos
This review was in Issue 105 of IKSURFMAG.
For more information visit CORE 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!
