Big Air Kite Review 12 - Harlem Thrive & Lead Bar

[@rubensbrazilianbrothers]

Another exceptional review! It’s quite a treat to have someone who has tried most if not all of the best kites in the market right now and is able to eloquently describe their differences and similarities!! I can totally see how the reviews are getting better with time as you have more references and can easily adapt to new kites. Thank you for all your work, I am sure these take a long time to make.

[@jasonofmontreal]

Thanks mate, they are quite a lot of work, but the hardest part is finding the wind sometimes 😉

[@AlkisSpiliopoulos]

nice one m8. looking forward to the PACE review now :P

[@jasonofmontreal]

@@AlkisSpiliopoulos pray for us to get more wind and I’ll get back to it 😂

[@Alexomator]

Great review as always! It's funny you've mentioned doubles with a 6 at the end. I was out on my 8m Thrive 2 days ago and after looping once at roughly 10m high I was thinking: mhm ... another one maybe? 😂

[@jasonofmontreal]

I'd wager even a moderate rider could double an 8m if they went for a very high angled with a good high jump and fine line tension... but high risk if that second one gets any slack ;)

[@Alexomator]

@@jasonofmontreal Absolute true. If the lines slack, the rider slams. ;)

[@collegepros]

Another amazing review! I won’t buy another tube kite until I see one of your reviews. I have 2 light wind Aluula OR Flites that are the best light wind kites I’ve ever owned. Once you go Aluula, it’s hard to go back to Dacron. They’re just too expensive. We need it produced in economies of scale to lower the price. I’m looking forward to seeing your review of the new d-lab Rebel. It looks like they finally figured out the stitching issue. And 10psi! I’m sure the next version of the d-lab EVO will be impressive! I was impressed with your review of the Slingshot Code NXT, and would consider that for purchase as well. I look forward to your year end review! I’m not sure if you reviewed the new North ‘25 Orbits yet. Cheers!

[@jasonofmontreal]

Thanks for the feedback. I've unfortunately only had 2 proper 9m wind days in all of sept... so I have some kites waiting to be reviewed... the full '25 Orbit range are some of them

[@andrzej351]

Hi. What exactly are your OR Flite kites? Best regards.

[@collegepros]

@@andrzej351 Ocean Rodeo Aluula Flite kite. The Flite was the name of their light wind specific kite line. Ocean Rodeo invented Aluula. Then they made a whole new company called Aluula Composites, which ironically, owns Ocean Rodeo. Aluula Composites became a large public company with bigger aspirations than making kites, so Ocean Rodeo, which was around for over 20 years, is no longer in business, sadly. Probably more info than you wanted.

[@olegta4581]

Don't expect a good next-generation d-lab EVO! The designer has left the company! On the podcast, he said that they would no longer have his design!

[@jasonofmontreal]

@@olegta4581 yes, he’s doing his own manufacturing and design now with his company brainchild (link in description)

[@jenokuper]

Thanks for this review Jason, great as usual! I was on the fence which of my evo dlabs 9 or 10 i would change to the thrive for easier and quicker loop variation progression. Sounds like 10m thrive it is. While keeping the 9m dlab for better boosting and agressive loops for the stuff i am already comfortable with in higher winds. Cheers 🤙

[@jasonofmontreal]

@@jenokuper no worries…

[@PlanB_Hodl]

Looks like that the 1000 bucks more on allula is not worth it 👌🏻. Order placed. Great review

[@jasonofmontreal]

@@PlanB_Hodl haha, worth is relative I guess

[@dajobra]

I run in to the Harlem guy's this morning and the Thrive looks awesome on the beach, great gift to yourself

[@jasonofmontreal]

@@dajobra they are very easy, and pretty cool to spot out on the water

[@southernskip]

There's that soothing voice the missus loves!! Great review with some very interesting tech. When Pace PRO?

[@jasonofmontreal]

Good question!

[@Neverwaker]

Thanks 4 another great kite review - love that soothing voice and relaxed soundtrack. The drone footage is also phenomenal - great job of sharing those beautiful spots u r privileged 2 ride 👍🏼

[@tizzleberg]

The best reviews out there! If i remember correctly in the earlier videos you used to say which kite you would choose in which size 8,9,10, ... if money wasnt an issue. That would be really interesting to hear now with all the kites you have ridden since. :)

[@jasonofmontreal]

@@tizzleberg I’ll definitely do that again in end of year wrap up, I did mention in the end of the video I’m still happy with my dlab quiver after a year, but part of that is also because money is a factor and their resale value is very poor where I live

[@FLIPADO34]

As progressive rider in looping the thrive 9m gave me confidence to loop it blindly in light wind - it catches you all the times even in 3/4m and facilitate the trust building getting higher. Very nice feed back!

[@jasonofmontreal]

Nice to hear, glad it's helping you progress with confidence!

[@KristianKlaveness]

Great review 🤙 looking forward to the Core review 😊

[@ImpossibleOne]

Great review mate. As a heavy guy a low end chat or a score at the end would be great to see I need all the power out of each m2. Love the videos and keenly waiting the up coming reviews. Hope you get the wind down there you’ve been after !

[@jasonofmontreal]

Unfortunately It’s very hard to score low end as it’s even more guess work than power and I’m not usually riding these kites in lighter conditions given I’m reviewing 9’s… usually the boosting score will give you the best indication of overall power I’d say

[@ImpossibleOne]

@@jasonofmontreal yeah I did not think of using that as a measure. Thanks again for all the reviews. Always looking forward to what is coming next.

[@jasonofmontreal]

@@ImpossibleOne it’s not always the case, some kites tend come alive in over 35, bit don’t have great low end… but light 3 strut combined with boosting power is usually a good indication

[@pawel-goscicki]

Really wondering what you would say about the Dice SLS :D

[@jasonofmontreal]

Unfortunately, I've never even seen one actually. We don’t have any Duotone shops where I live so you don’t see too many of them around

[@pawel-goscicki]

@@jasonofmontreal it has become less and less popular these days. Still a great kite, imo.

[@jasonofmontreal]

@@pawel-goscicki I used to own a 10/12 in 2018… the 10 was one of the first kites I learnt to loop on

[@ride_the_wind]

I noticed that you're also sometimes riding the Atmos instead of the Atmos Pro, do you like it? Cohan was also riding it in the Cold Hawaii comp :)

[@jasonofmontreal]

@@ride_the_wind that’s not an atmos, that’s my 145 trace (light wind board)

[@olegta4581]

Great review!!! You need to consider opening a store! since you don't have most of the brand dealers!!!

[@jasonofmontreal]

@@olegta4581 I think if it became a job I might not enjoy it as much 😂

[@LukaPlest]

Good review but i think u are in a wrong on the end when u talk about 40 50 knots and 9m kite..i know u can handle it but simply 9m cant work properly in that much wind.. alula kites can hold its shape longer but still if u doing review in 40+ knots then u could take 7 or 8m kites and saving instabilitiy of the kite..i belive u know this but u didnt mention..but yeah its a 3 strut kite without alula..i expect it wont be that stiff Ps: im riding duotone not harlem:D

[@jasonofmontreal]

@@LukaPlest I’m not sure quite what you mean, I did say that aluula kites held their shape better?

[@fer9-g3e]

Thanks for the review. The big question is... How does it sound? Many people describe it as a helicopter sound.

[@jasonofmontreal]

@@fer9-g3e I didn’t really notice to be honest, perhaps you can’t tell when you’re riding 🤷

[@jaimesmole1514]

Nice review man, you have to review the eleveigth XS PRO, we want to know the improvements of eleveigth on that new aluula kite

[@jasonofmontreal]

@@jaimesmole1514 it’s one I’d like to get to at some point, there’s a great shop down in Wellington who have offered to lend me a demo when I have the time, and wind

[@kimsrensen6884]

Awesome review as always, Jason💪😃🏄‍♂️ You fly the 2024 rebel sls in the video. Is it very different to the 2023 rebel sls you reviewed some time back?

[@jasonofmontreal]

I rode them a year apart so it’s very hard to say… the 24 felt heavier on the bar and slower to be honest… but it’s probably the opposite because I was comparing the 2023 to my old orbits and xr7… vs now I’m riding only newer, faster stuff. Hopefully I’ll be comparing the new rebels soon

[@markus_pu]

Oh, thanks, I’ve been waiting for this. For the price, it seems to be a good alternative to the Aluula kites.

[@jasonofmontreal]

They're fun kites

[@gnorweb7339]

Really useful review, it is excellent that you can reference the other kites so clearly for comparison and put them all into a spectrum or context. The footage was also mesmerising, incredible kiting, compliments to the drone pilot also.

[@jasonofmontreal]

@@gnorweb7339 thanks mate

[@nelsonaubry-wurfer1280]

Thanks Jason, great review ! The lightness of the kite is interesting, but I find the lack of reinforcements on the trailing edge quite concerning, I guess time will tell how well they hold up.

[@jasonofmontreal]

I do get asked often about durability... but unfortunately I don't get to hang onto most of the gear very long so it's super hard to say...

[@belledetector]

Hi Jason, great review. I have watched quite a few of your reviews, and find them very good. I am missing one thing though. I think you should throw some graphics over the video with stats, particularly when you do comparative analysis, alternatively in a closeout comment. This was missed in your board comparison video and your 2 part big air kite review, where it became a bit difficult to find the red thread. Those two videos, also imo belonged together in one video (even if that would make it a long one. An idea could be to make a scoring matrix, and update it at the end of the video, with the latest reviewed kite... What do you think?

[@jasonofmontreal]

Great suggestions, thanks. Because the first video I did was just for fun, I came up with the basic scoring system I still use, and each season I sort of look at it like you can take a point or a half point off the last years... so basically all the scores need a refreshing at some point... but... I am not exactly so good with video editing and graphics as you can see already, and these videos take me a really long time already given it's a hobby I don't get paid for, which is why I haven't done anything to update the system... I was planning to update the ratings somehow, and do a year end summary with my end of year video if I can find the time, so hopefully something better coming soon!

[@manolander231]

Hey Jason what kite has the most jank of the north orbit ultra and Harlem thrive?

[@jasonofmontreal]

@@manolander231 ultra

[@viktorshvets9914]

What do you mean by 4m at least for a safe kite loop? I looped my 2021 orbit 10m on 1-2 meters and it caught me

[@jasonofmontreal]

@@viktorshvets9914 I mean the recommended minimum safe height for a powered kiteloop

[@paolo404]

offtopic question, what kind of watch do you use? thanks!

[@jasonofmontreal]

@@paolo404 Apple Watch 7 or 9

[@issambres]

Thanks for this great review! My concern for Harlem kites is that we dont haver that much feedback on durability… I will wait to see what the 2 years kite look like 😅. I am also very interested with you Core Pace review since I have it since June (8m size) alongside my Dlabs (9&12). I hope you can compare it also in 12m size since I am considering replacing my 12 Dlab with the Core Pace IF the Pace has the same power and low end capacity…

[@jasonofmontreal]

I only have access to a 9m Pace that I can borrow from a local rider I'm afraid... from what I could tell, it doesn't have the same low end or power as the dlab... but faster loops... but I need a lot more time on it to do a proper review.

[@issambres]

@@jasonofmontreal that is my feeling as well… that is also why I will keep my 9dlab that I intended to sell 😂. That is a shame since i feel build quality of Core is superior…

[@jasonofmontreal]

@@issambres they do seem to be very durable

[@dajobra]

@@issambres I agree, core quality is real.

[@issambres]

@@dajobra I remain cautious about their aluula kites since eldest is my XR Pro which is 1 year old only. What failed on my Dlabs was stitching on the 9 ( but very little and easy to repair ) and bladders were replaced on both kites by thicker ones as i understood …

[@kitespotameland6319]

Thanks! ❤ please compare the thrive with the pace pro

[@jasonofmontreal]

@@kitespotameland6319 when we get some wind it’s one of the next few coming ip

[@Baptiste_L]

Great review (as usual). Harlem in his video for the Thrive saya that this kite is for everyone, from the complete beginner, intermediate rider to the Pro rider. Do you agree with this statement? Do you think a school could use the Thrive to teach kiting ? Is it suitable for the average rider (freeride, jump and simple tricks, NO loop) ?

[@jasonofmontreal]

@@Baptiste_L I’m not really reviewing beginner kites so I don’t have much grounds for comparison. As I mentioned in the video, in larger sizes it’s easier to ride for most levels, but it is a very fast kite so in smaller sizes it’s might be challenging to get the hang of for beginners

[@Baptiste_L]

@jasonofmontreal thanks for your feedback. I'm really considering buying a quiver of Thrive but I have not your level and in size 8m and smaller, it might be too fast to enjoy simple freeriding. Keep going with your great job!!!!!

[@radium56]

Excellent work! Thanks!

[@jasonofmontreal]

@@radium56 no problem

[@tabadiiiiii]

Great review as always, thank you! Which is the most similar kite to the evo d/lab from the ones you have tested? I love the d/lab performance but the quality is a real issue in my view so i'm looking to switch.

[@jasonofmontreal]

@@tabadiiiiii nothing I’ve tried matches its overall performance but a lot of kites are easier to use. Although they are quite different and have less power, this kite, the vortex, or NXT get fairly close I’d say.

[@tabadiiiiii]

Thank you Jason! Much appreciated. 🙏

[@mathesotto2987]

would love to se a comparison to the pace pro

[@jasonofmontreal]

@@mathesotto2987 hopefully we get some decent wind soon so I can ride it a bit more

[@ozii560]

Amazing video! Another one! So is the thrive best start kite for looping ? 😎

[@jasonofmontreal]

@@ozii560 it’s up there as one of the best, buy can also depend a little on your current level, size, the conditions you have etc. as I said in the video, it might just be the best in size 10 and up at least

[@ozii560]

@@jasonofmontreal between ultra and thrive which one is friendlier?😅

[@jasonofmontreal]

@@ozii560 thrive

[@dajobra]

Hey Jason, Your edeting and writing skills progressed, nice work buddy! This Thrive seems to just zip up on auto-pilot after every loop. I guess the big thing is line tension after the first loop, the more you have left the easier the catch or second loop. Very interesting to see all the kites looping while you point out the differences, I can very much see what you mean. Looking forward to the pace and sensor4 pro review. I have the normal sensor4 and I really like it. One more thing, How about a new testing item, How does it fly with one hand on the bar?

[@jasonofmontreal]

Thanks for the suggestion, I will keep that in mind actually... I would have to say off top of my head... biggest factors with one handed riding are bar pressure (not so good with Core unfortunately), and responsiveness of kite in relation to bar pressure.

[@dajobra]

@@jasonofmontreal All the board off tricks are with one hand on the bar, so that makes it relevant I think

[@jasonofmontreal]

@@dajobra for sure

[@sanderpsychologie]

Nice again Jason!

[@jasonofmontreal]

@@sanderpsychologie thanks

[@matthewmoir8627]

love the reviews but are you from MTL?

[@jasonofmontreal]

@@matthewmoir8627 I was born there, I’m from New Zealand

[@matthewmoir8627]

@jasonofmontreal dude you sound canadian AF

[@jasonofmontreal]

@@matthewmoir8627 yeah I lived there until 1992

[@giorgio4660]

🎉

[@jasonofmontreal]

🍇

[@AdrianKerr]

Another great Video

[@jasonofmontreal]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@jasonofmontreal]

Cheers mate 🥂

[@THESHOOTINGIDIOTS]

I like your reviews of all kites but it makes me wonder about the. brain child kites. is it the the pro welding. or just the design of the kites. there is no comparison between them. welded vs stitching. . I mean Ralf is a great designer in an interview he once said that the welding. proces at duotone was already there. but. it had no benefits. over sticking (podcast with intriguing beings )

[@jasonofmontreal]

My guess is that it’s a combination of all of the above