DUOTONE Dice 9m 2020
Reviews / Kites
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At A Glance
The Duotone Dice has been around for what seems like an eternity, the ground breaking kite of old has evolved into the finely tuned weapon it is now. Billed as a freestyle and wave machine, it's the choice of riders like Tom Court, who's as happy in the park as he is in the waves and can still throw down a decent handle pass or two when his knees are working!
For 2020 attention was paid to the top end of the kite, and it's the choice of Lasse Walker when he is riding at the King Of The Air. In short, it's arguably one of the most versatile kites in the Duotone line up, so if your riding is never defined by one category, then this is the kite for you.
A three-strut design with a 4-line flying set up it's a familiar combination that works really well. If you still prefer a 5th line bar set up, then that can be used too. The pulley has been removed from the bridle for this year to enhance the turning characteristics, and there is a new trailing edge design to reduce the flutter and any canopy wear too.
Build quality is of an incredibly high standard, Trinity Tex features for the canopy, and Teijin Dacron is used throughout the frame of the kite for durability.
Sizes: 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13m
On The Water
We've been huge fans of this kite for many years; it's just so versatile and feels so connected to you as a rider. This year the turning speed has been increased, and this makes it even more dynamic to fly. The wave riding characteristics are further enhanced by this, especially in onshore conditions where you want a kite that you can really crank through the turns.
Kite loops are as wild as you want them to be, you can control the speed of the loop with the settings on the wingtips, but also with the bar input too. Really engage it, and a more pivotal loop will ease you into this discipline, or slow the loop down a little and get a fully respectful KOTA experience if you have the skills.
Hangtime is really impressive, and the pull off the water is relatively aggressive, there is plenty of float when you are up there. It's important to note that it doesn't glide in the same way as perhaps a Rebel, but the take-off is explosive, and the vertical acceleration will leave the contents of your stomach behind if you aren't careful or had a bit too much to drink the night before.
Upwind the kite is very impressive, it flies off the front lines really well, and one of our testers would spend hours just cruising up the coastline to his heart's content on his twin tip. The relaunch is also very good, just pull on the rear line, and the Dice will pop back up off the water with ease.
Ideally suited to a vast range of kiters, no matter your style and your ability there is something here for you. With so many riders pushing towards big air these days this kite definitely offers something for them. Whatever your skill level, from intermediate to expert and even for a confident beginner with good kite control, there is something here for you.
Bar feedback is excellent, it doesn't feel disconnected at all whether if you are flying horizontally through a loop or boosting off a big wave. It's an exceedingly fun kite to fly, whatever the conditions.
Overall
Engaging, dynamic and fun would be three words to sum up the Dice. Depending on your skills, it has performance on tap ready to be unleashed. It can be tame in the hands of the less experienced, or it can be as wild as a semi-final as the sunsets in Cape Town at the King Of The Air. Happy cranking turns on waves, cruising around and boosting airs, and pulling kite loops big enough to make your hair fall off. Versatility is in the very DNA of the Dice, and if that's what you want, then take one for a spin and be impressed!
Videos
This review was in Issue 80 of IKSURFMAG.
For more information visit DUOTONERelated
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!
