Bought new from KHK in early 2013 and it’s been super reliable.

Only problem I’ve had with it was the very first time I used it, at my lesson with Yuichi Murakami. He watched me set up the safety for it, we had the lesson, and then we finished with me throwing the primary safety and self-rescuing. However, the dodgy Cabrinha IDS safety released the secondary safety as well and the kite went tumbling free downwind. Fortunately, another kiter caught it.

Bought new from KHK in early 2013 and it’s been super reliable.

Only problem I’ve had with it was the very first time I used it, at my lesson with Yuichi Murakami. He watched me set up the safety for it, we had the lesson, and then we finished with me throwing the primary safety and self-rescuing. However, the dodgy Cabrinha IDS safety released the secondary safety as well and the kite went tumbling free downwind. Fortunately, another kiter caught it.

Bought new from KHK in early 2013 and it’s been super reliable.

Only problem I’ve had with it was the very first time I used it, at my lesson with Yuichi Murakami. He watched me set up the safety for it, we had the lesson, and then we finished with me throwing the primary safety and self-rescuing. However, the dodgy Cabrinha IDS safety released the secondary safety as well and the kite went tumbling free downwind. Fortunately, another kiter caught it.

It was a rental from KHK but held up admirably over the years. Just had to get a valve replaced in 2020. It went out in a blaze of glory on 9/28/2023 when I crashed it so hard that the inflate valve cap blew clean off the kite and off the pigtail into Pamlico sound. I haven’t evaluated the rest of the kite, but I think after its many years of service, it will be retired with honor and made into sandbags.

Opened up this kite on my 40th birthday, a big wind day, 30 mph or more. Scary, but I survived.

I was the last in from the water and the Kitecation people had a cake and sang happy birthday to me. Happy memory.

I got this RS to replace the 9m Switchblade. I test-drove a new Switchblade back-to-back with this RS and the RS was lighter, more agile, and more fun to fly. I hope it can help me get into more agile twintip riding.

I got the 2023 “plus” model of the RS 12m because KHK didn’t have any 2022s or standard models. It was a bit of a splurge, but I hope to use this kite for a long time. Based on its first flight, it provides smooth power and performs well in lighter wind than I would expect a 12 to perform in.

This kite changed how I feel about kiteboarding kites. It provides smooth power in loops and stays in the air in light wind. I also love how it drifts downwind so I can have a lot of freedom to go upwind and downwind on the hydrofoil.

Got this kite in the fall of 2022 anticipating hydrofoiling in moderate wind. It’s small enough to throw around the sky and make it take me where I want to go, and that’s a lot of fun compared to how careful and methodical I have to be with the big kites.