Big Air Kite Review 15 - Rebel SLS & D/Lab VS Evo D/Lab (Part 1)

[@HiddevanderDussen]

Great video as always Jason! Especially like your kite comparisons. Also mixing kites and bars and hearing your thoughts is useful for others to see. I have been flying the Evo DLABs as well now for 1,5 years and even though I gave them the ‘gold’ treatment my 9m leading edge started ‘cracking’ for lack of a better word. Duotone refused warranty claims so really disappointed with that personally. Lovely kites, really lovely, but I guess most suited for endorsed riders that don’t need to worry about durability of their gear.

[@jasonofmontreal]

That's a big frustration for most of the people I know who've gotten them, or most other aluula kits sadly... the material does seem to split over time so it's not very likely there will be a resale option for them

[@AlkisSpiliopoulos]

You are such a tease :P (part 2) waiting...

[@jasonofmontreal]

I'll put it out at some point ;)

[@tabadiiiiii]

I bought a evo d/lab 9m in May this year. Since then I had to replace the bladder as most people do, needed to repair a strut and now i have three holes in the trailing edge and the fabric feels like there is more to come... I love the kite's performance but the quality is a no go for me. I use other brands as well and don't have any of these problems. It's a pity that none of the other brands can match the performance so far after two years...

[@jasonofmontreal]

@@tabadiiiiii the double edged sword of the Evo’s unfortunately

[@RSlinibi]

I was riding the rebel sls 2022 9m and now bought the rebel sls 24 8/10m the 10m feels way slower in the loops then the 9. maybe it’s because the size but I also have read that they replaced the old bladder with a 200g heavier one because the 22/23 models always had tiny holes around the valve. But overall love them. Thank you for your great videos

[@jasonofmontreal]

That's really interesting, would be an good test back to back with same size, same day

[@TheSmallsAbroad]

Great reviews, love to see un-biased reviews, 99.9% of the stuff on youtube is biased. How are you filming this, gopro with mouth mount?

[@jasonofmontreal]

@TheSmallsAbroad yup, GoPro with orange floaty that I bite into

[@thebreak247]

Calculating $/use just like Ferrari owners, love it haha

[@jasonofmontreal]

@@thebreak247 gotta keep it real… 😂

[@thebreak247]

@@jasonofmontreal Apparently they perform and have maintenance like a Ferrari too.

[@jasonofmontreal]

@@thebreak247 problem with a Ferrari, is it’s hard to drive your Toyota afterwards 😉

[@belledetector]

@@jasonofmontreal Keep counting the hours and do an update when you sell the kites. If you recoup say 35-40 pct. of the initial cost of the kites, you might be closer to 10$/hr. In a previous comment I suggested you made scoreboard for the kites tested. I still believe it would make a lot of sense, given your independent and thorough reviews. Great work 🤙

[@jasonofmontreal]

@ our market is very small here, I have had to sell numerous kites for 20-25% the original purchase price… and they were dakron kites in good condition 😂

[@theyreTheirDefect]

love your videos man!

[@jasonofmontreal]

thanks!

[@jeffg.1471]

Great content!

[@jasonofmontreal]

@@jeffg.1471 cheers

[@NickAgidbashyan]

Awesome review again. Have you tried the Navigator Pro in the high v setting with your evo’s or rebel? I’m also not a fan of the Duotone bar.

[@jasonofmontreal]

@@NickAgidbashyan I have but the v splitter causes wear on the lines, I mention it in my nav pro bar review

[@NickAgidbashyan]

that makes sense so your favourite high v is the Harlem?

[@jasonofmontreal]

@@NickAgidbashyan I actually prefer to ride with the trust bar if it’s got linesmith lines… just I can’t get replacement parts for them here in nz so I switched to Harlem bar, which I also really like

[@New_Generation_KiteContent]

cool video man

[@jasonofmontreal]

thanks

[@Ole1993]

Hey, are you still riding the 139 Jaime or did you going for the 136 now?

[@jasonofmontreal]

@@Ole1993 I’m on the same 139, but mainly for this review, or if the winds light. For big air I still prefer my atmos

[@betbangan]

Im repearing small holes frequently on my Rebel Sls 2022. Really annoying! Hope Duotone has stronger bladders on newer models

[@jasonofmontreal]

@@betbangan gutted!

[@nnickers3355]

2:00 fair play balls of steel looping onto 2” water. You’ve got some skills and confidence to back it up.

[@jasonofmontreal]

Cheers, repetition is the key to confidence building 🤘

[@robsonkite]

Which bar zise do you use, 50 cm or 45 cm ?

[@jasonofmontreal]

Which model? I always go for the medium size bars in each brand.

[@robsonkite]

North

[@jasonofmontreal]

@@robsonkite yeah, I always use the medium size with north

[@dero0019]

harlem peak review coming soonnnnn

[@jasonofmontreal]

@@dero0019 possibly

[@dero0019]

@@jasonofmontreal and on top of the peak another weapon will be coming

[@jasonofmontreal]

@@dero0019 there's more kites than wind these days :P

[@jackagrabio-w9p]

Hi jason, id like to ask you about kite spots in wellington area, which spots (safe) you recommend please? :) m a teacher and my wife is still beginner riding upwind, we just moved in wairarapa area,

[@jasonofmontreal]

The coastline North of Plimmerton offers a variety of lagoons that are the safest areas to kite, but wind direction and tides play a big factor. There is a facebook group for Wellington Kitesurfers of all levels you should look up to talk to some locals!

[@jackagrabio-w9p]

@jasonofmontreal this is awesome! Thank you!!🤙🤙🤙

[@jasonofmontreal]

@ cheers

[@belledetector]

Great review. I see you are using the Harlem bar more. Which is better in your opinion? Harlem Lead Bar or North Navigator Pro? (Btw I upgraded to the North Navigator Pro Bar on your recommendation and I´m very happy I did. It´s awesome).

[@jasonofmontreal]

They’re both great, but I also use them for low v (nav) and high v (lead) so hard to compare given different kites too

[@irokez85]

Hi I have seen that You are using Harlem Lead Bar for Evo/Dlab - how the kite handles with harlem bar vs original Duotone? Also did You changed anything in the harlem bar or evo/dlab pigtails for them to be compatible?

[@mikemiller774]

I'll chime in. Did ask a same question in another video. They are compatible. I think it should not be a surprise since kite designer for Thrive and Evo is the same one.

[@jasonofmontreal]

@@irokez85 I didn’t do anything and it rides well. There might be a fraction less direct feel as the trust bar, but I’m not sure if that’s the size of the bar, or the lines being different… but certainly not enough to dissuade me using it. I still have one of my two trust bars that I can use because it’s got a fresher centre insert in it

[@jasonofmontreal]

@@mikemiller774 exactly 👍

[@settwig]

Hello Jason, do you use 22 or 24m lines?

[@jasonofmontreal]

Mostly 22 on 9 and under, 24 on 10 and up

[@chrisduc1]

As recommended by duotone

[@jasonofmontreal]

@@chrisduc1 it’s also fun to mix it up

Rebel is the best forever.

[@jasonofmontreal]

They’re great fun

[@Malenyearthbusters]

❤

[@jasonofmontreal]

🎉

[@yademokitu]

Amazing video as usual- which one would you choose in size 12 between Evo dlab or rebel SLS 2025 ? Looking for hang time stability and good low wind performance. Admitting price is not to be taken into account. Thanks !!

[@jasonofmontreal]

Definitely the Evo dlab, much better in every aspect to the Rebel SLS in 12m, except perhaps durability over time. If you check out Part two where I cover the Rebel Dlab is discuss this a bit at the end.

[@yademokitu]

@ thank you so much !

[@jasonofmontreal]

@@yademokitu no worries

[@yademokitu]

In size 8, would you go rather Evo dlab or SLS to train on your first kite loops ? Or even rebel SLS / dlab ? In terms of smaller yank etc…

[@jasonofmontreal]

@@yademokitu I mention in part 2 which kites I'd likely get at this point... they do have similar yank, for performance and loops at my level now probably the evo... but getting into loops in 8m perhaps the rebel sls, itll be easier to jump with more consistently and still loops really well...

[@bjornh7625]

Do the 2024 EVO sls have the same bladder issues?

[@jasonofmontreal]

I don't think so