kitelab
Grommet 
Member #: 1662 Posts 6
Registered: 7-1-2006 Member Is Offline Mood:
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 posted on 8-1-2006 at 00:17 |
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Review - Sonic 14m
As you can see this is not a short story, instead a comprehensive review and product guide...something that manufacturers should do as
standard - especially with a new style of kite. When I received this kite I was one of the first, other than the 'testers', to fly it
and was a bit shocked that the user guide was only one big picture with labels and where to connect lines! So off I went on holiday to
the middle of know-where within days of receiving it....
I recently got back from 4 weeks of kitesurfing in South Africa using only the 14m Sonic (baggage allowance!). Firstly I am 100kg with
a litewave 135 x 41. I have flown/owned Cabrinha, Slingshot, Naish, PL and RRD. Last year was my first year of kitesurfing and when I
hit SA I had never been in big waves or really strong winds (that’s UK for u). I used it in all sorts of conditions including
extremely rough seas, waves with winds gusting a 10knot change in speed! The report for the one day was 40 gusting 60kmh!
I took the 14m Sonic out of the bag for the first time in 30+ knots...yes I know...crazy, but the beach was massive and totally clear
plus I had someone with me (my mom, shame!!). I spent more time in the air than water - nothing learnt there other than that when you
really do start getting dragged down the beach...don’t stress just let go of the bar. When you let go the bar, the kite does not
just crash instantly to the ground, it will rise then arc round and drop down at the edge of the window and then sits upright in the
launch position on land or water at the edge of the window (no real power during this and there is plenty of time to get back to the
bar if you not using the stopper).
In light winds:
I could get going in light winds of 9/10knots (if no waves to negotiate), however by 12 knots I start heading upwind and doing jumps.
You will find like any kite that turning is a lot slower but still faster than C kites of same size. The best is to power in, then turn
and release power, don’t hold the power as it may want to stall, this kite loves to be given the reigns and will move very fast
if given a bit of slack.
In stronger winds:
When it is powered the kite turns very fast, cruises upwind and becomes a real pleasure...I love riding this kite powered because it
has the turning speed of a kite alot smaller but still give you all that power of a 18+ C kite (if you want it)...which means A+ for
jumping! Don’t be surprised if you end up very far down wind cause of the hang time. I could do a 4m high jump without having
built up any real speed. Put some speed and a pop or connect with a wave and the lift and hang is incredible...if its jumping you want
then you definitely can’t go wrong. I'm not into all those other tricks/moves yet so I can't help you there.
Depower:
I would be out on the water all day (1000-1700hrs) and my arms, neck and shoulders were hardly stiff – that’s how light the
bar pressure was! Yes the rest of my body was very worked over though! SA is extremely gusty and the kite handled well. When you feel a
big gust hit, just sheet out the bar and the kite takes it in. Nothing I’ve tried can be compared to the sense of ease and
control that this kite offers and I cannot imagine a kite that is easier to learn with.
Stopper for bar:
Works fine but I only ever used it in lighter winds, in stronger winds I wanted all the range in power/depower. For learners first
comes to this kite I would say rather don’t use it to start with - for safety mostly - so when you fall badly just let go and the
kite depowers totally instead of dragging you about.
Line set-up and clam/power adjuster just above the chicken loop:
I found that the 'as comes' settings are fine; I actually later adjusted it for more bar pressure. In light winds start with about 15cm
of spare end at the Clam and as the wind rises just pull more spare end through until comfortable. In light winds this can be done
while kite is stationary with one hand otherwise if too strong, position the kite above your head, let go bar (the kite sits above you
for a while), pull centre line with one and adjust with other hand then grab up for bar. Otherwise just drop kite on beach at window
edge and adjust with both hands.
LE/strut pressure:
I found that pumping just under 6 PSI worked fine, no need for more.
Build quality:
I had a seam come loose on the LE on my 3rd day, which was a quick stitch job. According to GK and the distributor, this was the only
reported fault of that nature so I think it was a once-off. The ‘donkey di**’ popped out one time – so I lengthened
it by 1.5cm. Other than that I am happy with the build quality...I had some big waves wash over it and it was still fine.
Water-relauch:
If kite happens to come down down-wind of you (rarely happens), pull on an outside line and it drifts to edges window...from there it
is simple. I also managed reverse launches with kite down-wind and the LE down or up.
Self-launch:
I find that the 'weighing down wing tips' method doesn’t work well with bows as you need tons of sand and a relatively low
pressure LE! So what I do is set up as normal then walk to the edge of window and pull the kite round so it catches wind and launch
from there....just ensure no people downwind of you.
Self-land:
In light winds it is possible to let go the bar, when the kite drops at edge, grab one of centre lines which drops it onto its LE. Have
not worked out how in strong winds. I just dropped it behind a sand dune (not something you get in UK) or kept kiting until the wife
came to pick me up!
Wind range 14m:
Me 100kg: 10-30knots
Avge Joe 75kg: 8-25knots (my estimate)
To say that my skills have improved is an understatement! I'm trying to think of negatives...I can be very critical...but other than
that small seam coming loose and not being able to comfortably self-land in strong winds, there is nothing. I could give them a few
tips for the next one, but that’s it. Overall i thought it was a fantastic kite and comes highly recommended.
I have tried to cover most FAQ and I hope that both current and future users get some benefit from all this typing!! Any more questions
please ask.
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leonardo
A Force-of-Nature *** 
Member #: 634 Posts 613
Registered: 8-4-2004 Member Is Offline Mood: Chillin' ya bloodclot mahn
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| posted on 8-1-2006 at 12:12 |
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Hey Kitelab,
Good review, where in SA were u riding? Cause i'm in Cape Town riding at Big Bay everyday and the 11m sonic was styling! Was riding it
easily in 11knts to 25knts on a 120x38cm cape dr board. Have no idea how u ride your 14m in 30knts, cause i can barely hold my 11 in
30knts!!! 
U must be a big 100kg DUDE!!!
Once again, cool review and maybe c ya on the beach
LEN10 LOOPING..
www.sskiteboarding.com
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kitelab
Grommet
Member #: 1662 Posts 6
Registered: 7-1-2006 Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 8-1-2006 at 12:51 |
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I started my hols in PE where i was struggling a bit with the high winds...as i just got the kite plus i had no experience in waves
etc. Here i felt over-powered in 25Knots, but that was just down to experience. Then went to our holiday place near Fish River and
Port Alfred (Mgwalana in Eastern Cape) where the learning curve was real steep. The wind would start at 10knots at about 10am and blow
me off the beach at 1630 just about every day for a week at one stage...great!!
At 30knots I felt better on water than on land...i was giving loads of edge and flying up-wind so much that i actually had to walk down
wind to avoid rocky areas (first time for me)!! Had good time.
Anyway...i'm depressed being back in Europe...if you still there...have a good one for me! i'm off to kenya soon with work for a bit
but hope to fit a week in down at the coast.
Enjoy
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shem
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| posted on 8-1-2006 at 14:09 |
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Ive been using the 14 sonic and it really is a beast!! deffo prefer the 11 as a all rounder. But if you want a kite that performs and
jumps huge in light wind, its defo the kite to have. Im just gaging for my shipment of 8 meter sonics to get here next week, I think
its gonna be the star size of the range!! Bring um on!!
Kite & SUP wales
Caravan decking wales
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carlessd
A Force-of-Nature * 
Member #: 928 Posts 224
Registered: 22-8-2004 Member Is Offline Mood: new toys
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| posted on 9-1-2006 at 08:04 |
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14mtr in 30knotts. i was out on the 11 in 20 to 28 knots the other weekend, how did ya hold on dude,lol. nice one
what a kite though. i gotta say it again what a kite, its made a huge difference to my riding, he leo wait till ya see me on the water
dude i'm rockin now,lol. just gotta learn ta jump an do some tech stuff
dont you eat of a bitter fruit!!
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steveo
Pro 
aka Whooooosh!
Member #: 164 Posts 116
Registered: 9-3-2003 Member Is Offline Mood: Living Life on The EDGE!
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| posted on 11-1-2006 at 12:17 |
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Awesome kite, my sailing has come on so much since i purchased the 11m sonic, and the hangtime, what can i say, so much float, lot's of
time to try board grap's and will try some board off's very soon. And has given me a lot more confidence to try new thing, knowing,
that when you let go of the bar you have 100% depower.
And the wind range is just awesome too, and had no elbow pains thanks to the light bar pressure. Has replaced my 9m boxer, 12m V4 and
mid wind range of my 16m Aero 2. Which i've not used since oct last year
Can't wait to try it with a surfboard, and will be purchasing the 8m when funds permit.
Happy sonicing!!
www.kitesurfwales.co.uk
www.airjam.co.uk
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Flyer51
Member
Member #: 1711 Posts 4
Registered: 28-1-2006 Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 29-1-2006 at 03:26 |
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Hi kitelab,
Liked your review on the 14 so much, I managed to organise a 14 Sonic for a test run this weekend. I am based in Warner Beach, 35 kms
south of Durban, South Africa. My weight is 90kgs.
Late Friday afternoon the wind was blowing 9 knots gusting to 11, and sometimes peaking at 12. I put the kite up on the beach to get a
feel for it, and it seemed to have so much power I grabbed my board and thought "what the hell, lets try on the water" Much to my
amazement (and a few kiters on the beach) I had an amazing session, even pulling off a few jumps. The thing that made it such a good
session was that the water was so smooth and glassy. Pretty impressed with this kite, as even in that light a wind, one dive was enough
to get going really well, no diving up and down required. I thought "I have to have one of these!"
Saturday afternoon I tried going out in 25 to 30 knots, and once on the water the kite started to jellyfish badly, and then inverted
and crashed. Luckily I managed a relaunch as the surf was sizeable, but I am concerned that I might be doing something wrong. I pumped
up the leading edge to 6psi, maybe this is the problem. I read elsewhere that these kites need to be pumped to 10+ psi!!. Did you ever
experience any inversion problems, and if so, how did you overcome them. Another possible mistake I might have made is that I did not
connect the leash to the bottom of the chicken loop (where I had before) as I was a bit concerned about trying a 14 kite in such big
wind. This time I connected to the other connection point on the end of the right front line. My wife managed to get a few pics, and
you can see the leash is stretched really tight, which makes me think that in the lulls between gusts this might have been able to
contract slightly and cause some sort of bounce to be generated up to the leading edge. Maybe it's just unrealistic to expect to get
such a huge range from one kite, as previously I would have used my 8 kite in such a big wind?
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kitelab
Grommet
Member #: 1662 Posts 6
Registered: 7-1-2006 Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 29-1-2006 at 11:16 |
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Hi Flyer51
I think that the leash attachment point could have caused that problem, cause i never saw my kite even come close to reacting like that
in strong winds. I feel it would be alot safer to use the point provided as it would provide a better balance between the centre
lines. A psi of 6 should be fine, it was only with other bows with inversion problems that the 10 psi was recommended.
All i can say is give it a go again in strong winds with the leash attached to the chicken loop point. As long as you got someone with
you to land the kite there should be no probs.
Maybe best if you didnt go out past the 25knots until you confident with your new kite. Good luck
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Flyer51
Member
Member #: 1711 Posts 4
Registered: 28-1-2006 Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 29-1-2006 at 16:27 |
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Thanks for the feedback kitelab. I think you are correct, connect the leash where it's supposed to go, and build up slowly and see how
it goes. Tomorrow a good 15 knots is predicted, should be a lot of fun on the 14
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Flyer51
Member
Member #: 1711 Posts 4
Registered: 28-1-2006 Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 2-2-2006 at 18:12 |
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Love this kite so much (what a session today), I bought the 11 as well. So I should now be covered from about 9 knots all the way up to
30 knots, not bad for 2 kites!
Thanks again kitelab...
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Neil T
Member
Member #: 1721 Posts 1
Registered: 5-2-2006 Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 5-2-2006 at 09:52 |
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Hi Flyer 51,
I tried my 14 at langebaan with the leash attached to the attachment point on the front lines and found that the extra tension on the
front lines prevents it from re-launching at all. I definitely wouldn't recommend it. Anyone else have this problem?
Neil
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shem
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| posted on 5-2-2006 at 18:20 |
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Just got my 8 meter sonic, all I need now is 25 knots!!
Kite & SUP wales
Caravan decking wales
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leonardo
A Force-of-Nature ***
Member #: 634 Posts 613
Registered: 8-4-2004 Member Is Offline Mood: Chillin' ya bloodclot mahn
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| posted on 5-2-2006 at 19:52 |
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anything above 20knts will be killer on the 8m..
LEN10 LOOPING..
www.sskiteboarding.com
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chris
A Force-of-Nature ** 
Member #: 79 Posts 402
Registered: 28-11-2002 Member Is Offline Mood: i thought the winter/spring wa
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| posted on 6-2-2006 at 10:10 |
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picking my 8m up today. the weekend is starting to look quite good and i'm off next week!!!!!
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Flyer51
Member
Member #: 1711 Posts 4
Registered: 28-1-2006 Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 6-2-2006 at 14:46 |
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Hi Neil T
The more I think about it, the more I realise that was my problem. If you watch Mat Pendle in the leash video for these kites, he does
say that the front line attachment point if for landing your kite safely on the beach. It's amazing how little wind the 14 Sonic needs
to fly, this last weekend I was the last one on the water by a long shot as the wind died (well below 10 knots), and still flying along
with the odd floaty jump or two. Love it...
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