Vanaf 2020 is er naast de "gewone" Bandit ook een S versie speciaal voor het golfrijden. The Kitemag heeft hem getest:
The 2019 Bandit was a product range divided by discipline, with the smaller sizes (up to 9m) being very wave-oriented, and then the ten meter plus aimed at freestyle and freeride. This year F-ONE have separated these smaller sized wave kites from the 2020 Bandit, and given them their own designation as Bandit S (for surf edition). What this has enabled F-ONE to do from a design perspective, is to go all out for a wave-specific kite with no compromises, and they’ve done an excellent job. Raphaël Salles openly admits there’s no set budget on the R&D process and this is very evident in the new kite’s performance.
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In the air the kite feels similarly snappy in the turn, light on the bar and well-trimmed with regards to its bar geometry. The wind range on the Bandit S has been heavily extended, and when clawing in depower on the cleat, the bar pressure and overall handling of the kite remain very uniform and consistent, and even when at maximum depower there’s zero flutter. You can feel this element of the Bandit S has been perfected in gusty European conditions in Montpellier. Without doubt, a design focus has targeted low end as well, with the perky handling allowing you to work the kite efficiently using the smallest sail possible. From a strapless freestyle perspective, the load and pop is simple to initiate, and following that the power dump is immediate and smooth. As ever, with a well put together wave kite, hydrofoil use is an obvious crossover, and the Bandit S fulfils all the requirements, with the breeze picking up the slack in the larger sizes. The Bandit S allows you be very opportunistic with your wave riding, and put in a turn or maneuver – which you might think twice about on a more park-and-ride-style wave kite – with extreme confidence.
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Check de link voor de hele review!