Nobile Kiteboarding 555 12m 2008
Reviews / Kites
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At a Glance
Nobile are new this year into the kite market, but they have a very long history of expertise behind them. Mark Shinn is in charge of making sure all the product is up to scratch and you can trust him to come up with something a little special. Mark actually spent several years looking at all the other kites on the market deciding what worked well and what didn’t. He then gathered all the good features and put them into his range of kites. Coupling that with some top-level aeronautical engineering and you have an idea of where the brand is coming from. On the 555 you can certainly see lots of innovation, the fulcrum release for instance, but there are also a lot of other ideas we have seen before. But not all in the same place! The nuts and bolts of the kite are top notch, one pump, integrated struts, superb build quality and a very high overall finish make the worth a look at the very least. The 555 is aimed at the freeride market that would want the added depower of a hybrid style kite with a bridle. The bridle itself is fairly simple with a V connection between the front and the back lines, which uses a pulley to allow the kite to pivot, even more and give it an even bigger range.
In the Air
We had the 555 for a little while and tested in various conditions. This kite is quite small for a 12m, or other kites are quite large. It definitely needs to be powered up to get the most out of it. Lighter riders will love it as a light wind machine with a huge top end. But if you are a heavier guy who normally goes out in lighter winds definitely consider the 14m rather than the 12m. Once the wind is up and there is power in the kite it really comes alive. The power delivery is very smooth and even in gusty conditions the kite feels stable and well behaved. It doesn’t jump about the window as some kites do and is very poised. The bar pressure is just about right, it certainly isn’t heavy, but it isn’t so light on the bar that you don’t get feedback from the kite. In the turns the kite pulls with a constant pressure and doesn’t deliver any nasty surprises during kite loops. Wave riding with the 555 is really good fun as the kite turns so precisely and you get an instant response when you need it. When you are powered then the jumping can be insane with really good float in the air and the timings are very easy to master. The 555 is an easy kite to fly and is well suited to the rider looking for high performance that isn’t going to punish him when he makes a mistake. The top end of the kite is perhaps where it excels; the 12m can be comfortably flying when all around are on much smaller kites. The other interesting thing is that even fully depowered and at the top of its range it still steers in a very responsive manner. We also liked the stopper ball and the Fulcrum release, which is great for unhooking.
For
The 555 is easy to use, very smooth and has a huge top end. Jumping is excellent with the very direct and precise steering the kite is great in the waves.
Against
The bottom end is lacking for the heavier rider, consider going for a larger size if you aren’t a lightweight.
Overall
A very good all round freeride kite from Nobile, packed with features that we loved and put in a very good package with an excellent bar set up and great bag.
This review was in Issue 10 of IKSURFMAG.
For more information visit Nobile 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!
