Ozone Reo V7

I've had my 9m for about a week, I used it twice on our local downwinders last Thursday 15/16-18 knots and Friday was 20-25 knots. I loaned the 9m to a couple of locals who are much better in waves than me on Sunday in a Southerly at our local S spot wind was 16/17 - 18/19knots. I weigh 75kg and my friends are bit bigger and weigh around 80-85kg's.
The first thing you notice when you take it out of the bag are new moulded EVA anti flutter battens sewn direct to the TE (lighter then previous models), new one pump clips and covers, new main valve cover, thinner bridles, only 2 setting for rear lines (old models had 3) and the continuous curve tech (CCT) built into the canopy. The LE dacron is different/lighter then previous model too.

Performance is notably smoother in flight, with a bit faster/shorter depower and I'm sure this has to do with the new CCT which makes the canopy/frame incredibly tight and reactive. There was consensus that the Reo V7 has better low end than the V6 by about 1M so the 9m felt like it had the grunt of a 10m V6. The range is wider too, I loaned my V6 9m to a friend on Fridays downwinder and he finished saying he was feeling quite overpowered, and I was powered but not feeling over, I had about half trim and he had nearly all pulled on, we both weigh the same and both riding similar surfboards.

Cannot wait to get my hands on the Ultra X Reo V7 which will be in stock by the end of this week.

This is a good year to upgrade.

Regards
Steve

Hi Marc

I rarely put sand on my kite when self launching unless its in the mid to high 20's? Maybe you're in WA and dealing with stronger winds/smaller kites?
I kite fairly regularly with 2 mates who have Neo 21/22 10m kites and I've put them side by side and the Neo is substantially bigger, its at least 1m bigger than a Reo V6 10m and thats the only reason its gruntier. This practice by some brands has fooled a lot of people, over a long time. Also a Neo SLS is still heavier than the same size Reo, but I reckon some of that weight difference is simply that the Neo SLS is physically bigger than the number on the side.
Can't wait to try the Ozone Ultra X Reo's, they are even lighter than the Neo.

Regards

Steve

Anyone know about the durability of the Ultra X vs standard build?
My only guess is comparing it to Duotones SLS.
Have been riding an Evo SLS and love its performance (and the durability is fantastic).. the SLS certainly makes it a crisper, more direct feel (over my previous standard Evo). But notice the struts starting to deform/twist over time. Also due to Duotones insistance on using that god aweful twist air adapter wont be buying any more duotones.
Have been impressed with a friends Reo v6s, 8m and 10m. We downwind together and his 10m Reo can easily keep up with the 10m Evo SLS in top and bottom end (and it turns a lot quicker).. and his 8m Reo totally eats my 8m Drifter.
The new Reo 7s sound great.
So a new quiver of Reos it is... but Ultra X or not?

The other day turned to crap and I was not able to test the Ultra X, but this week was good and I've now tested the Ultra x Reo 11m and 9m.
The first day last Tuesday the wind was about 16/19 knots and this was perfectly in the range for the 11M, good swell running from the southerly the days earlier. You definitely notice the lower weight from the moment you get the kite out of the bag. Once inflated there are many small changes that become obvious too, like the thin bridles (like the Ozone Edge), there are only 2 rear line attachments, the anti flutter battens are now moulded EVA and much lighter than the previous type, new moulded valve lock off clips with no neoprene covers, main valve cap too.
Once I launched it the canopy was noticeable smoother and tighter and the kite looked and felt light but solid in the air and was very reactive to steering inputs. Also very noticeable to me was how much better the canopy luffed when the bar was pushed out and I was excited to get this machine on the water.
Forward flight speed is fast and the kite generates a lot of power and quickly, turning onto my first wave the kite felt smaller than it was seems to turn like a 10 or 9m and definitely does not feel like a big kite. The drift is exceptional and the kite is lighter to steer too so one handed steering going downwind on my backhand it was much easier to keep the kite in the optimal position to link turns. I had a ball the whole downwinder and we milked it for 1hr 45 mins.
The following day we were joined by a mate with a 10M OR Roam. Wind was lighter and that was my mates biggest kite and he was confident he could go so I said I would test the bottom end of the 11m. There were 2 others on TT's with us and they were on 17 (Zephyr) and 19m (Edge V10) inflatables so thats how light the wind was. I'm sure it was no more than 15/16 and averaging a bit less than that, but I had plenty of wind to hold ground, my mate on the Roam was a bit under but still had a ton of fun, we were both on stapped Blacksheep surfboards, his was 28ltrs and mine was an evo style 24ltrs, he is 85kgs and I'm 75.
So the 11m Ultra X has plenty of bottom end and overall has an impressive wide wind range. I did not drop the kite so can comment on relaunch but its a mid aspect 3 strut Reo and they have always been easy and fast to relaunch.
The things I like the most are the smooth fast flight, tight turning, incredible drift and light one handed steering.

Day 3, I made a kite size error deliberately as I wanted to see what the top end of the 9m was like, the wind last Thursday up here was 22/23-27/28 and I was on a lower volume surfboard about 22ltrs. I was definitely not on the right size but it was still very good fun especially the second half of the run where the wind is more onshore. Waves were a mest mostly due to the strong NE short period wind swell mixed with the remnant S swell which was 14sec period and had some sets in the 3-4 foot range. I'm very keen to get this 9m out again in a bit less wind but still had a heap of fun. My other downwinderers were on 8m and that was the better size for the day.
Conclusion - The Reo V7 is still a Reo but this version is the biggest improvement in the history of the model.

Here's a review by Luke Atkinson which matches up with what I've found too. Still to get a good run on the 9m Ultra X due to the crazy strong and gusty winds we have had up here in Lennox and around the Northern Rivers NSW area lately. Love the 7m standard and I've had to ride it a couple more times in the last few days.

is it just me or do wave kite reviews on kites over 8m seem pretty pointless? I get people want bigger kites for the light wind days but I've yet to find a kite over 8m that didn't leave me wishing I'd brought a board with more volume and a smaller kite.
Still great to hear about the new materials and build techniques though.