Flysurfer SOUL2 Review

[@robinmordasiewicz]

wow, seeing all these legends in the videos is so fun

[@stuartrutherford9583]

So, I bought a 10m SOUL v1 like 4 weeks ago here in Australia...and then this popped up!.. Glad the new one doesn't blow it out of the water... Loving the V1 so much. My first foil kite after LEI's. Thanks for all the great content, much appreciated. You and Adventure Logs have nice videos for people looking at getting into Flysurfer products. A real help.

[@juanjobattista872]

Sabes, me gusta más la gráfica de la versión 1, Hoy me ha llegado un Soul 18 usado, y estoy muy contento. Saludos desde Argentina.

[@davidgundrum6839]

Definitely a solid kite backed up by years of design iteration. I added a 12-metre version to my quiver recently and is a great kite for snow-kiting in lower/marginal winds!

[@claudiobertadeazevedo4669]

The smile on my face when I SOLD my Flysurfer could illuminate the whole block

[@mikemiller774]

Watched this one again. 6-9 knots on a 10m2 without feeling under powered - that is really good result!

[@simonburch8762]

Just had my second foil session on 10m Soul 2, watched so many of your videos on foil kite. Going to take a lot of getting used to but it has an amazing low end.

[@johnravensbergen3324]

I bought a soul1 - 15m2 in big part due to your review. I love this kite, great in light winds on my twin tip and great in the snow. And yes I would try the new one when I get the chance. Thanks for the review.

[@raphmermontagne]

Great balanced review, appreciate the honesty of the review, not pretending that everything is perfect 10x better than the previous version. Flysurfer didn't communicate clearly of the added benefits versus the v1 on their product page. Did you do a mixer test? It makes such a difference that I think it's worth it even if the kite is new.

[@OurKiteLife]

We did this morning, adjusted a bit, but honestly biggest factor is wind quality

[@aleshaborisovich]

What do you mean mixer test? If the kite is new, why to do it? I guess all 4 knots on lines should be at the same level.

[@Tel--wg8te]

Nice to see your review of the new Soul. The only question: why must I watch that much of irrelevant ads to see the ad of what I'm interested in?!🤣🤣🤣 Could you ask Flysurfer to pay you more, so that viewers can concentrate on targeted information? Thanks anyway, it was interesting!

[@lorenzofornari]

I Just bought a 12m Soul 2 for snowkiting, can't wait to use it soon in the Alps. I think FS should develop a 5 line safety on the Soul as well as the Peak (like Ozone does on the Hyperlink). It should be perfect then

[@georgeskassir6117]

Thanks for the great review. Most likely I will buy the 10m Soul2 once I sell one of my 2 kites in the 9m sizes. I got the chance in the past to ride the Soul1 in 10m and did like it very much. It looks that this version is an upgrade of already a great kite.

[@OurKiteLife]

10m is our favorite size and in our view performs slightly better than original. However the biggest thing is the fabric, even without durability benefit, the old white fabric would get dirty/discolored very fast, especially on sandy launches.

[@cefirmeza]

Thanks for the early review. Would be nice to try one here in Brazil as the old 6m is my mostly used kite for foiling at all wind conditions.

[@OurKiteLife]

Hope you can get your hands on one and let us know what you think! 😀

[@raphmermontagne]

The range you use that 6m is impressive!

[@TylerKaraszewski]

I think it looks nice. Doesn't seem like a huge enough change to be worth getting rid of a Soul 1 for. I honestly didn't expect huge changes, I'm not sure how much better they could have made it and still had it be a Soul.

[@aleshaborisovich]

Looking forward to see a new design of Flysurfer Soul 3, 15m! I have Soul 2, 10m and I like the way it flies and design. But i didn't like the long dark stripe or line along the Soul2 15m outside the kite. It splits the kite in 2 halfs. Not only i didn't like it. That's the reason I didn't buy it.

[@aleshaborisovich]

In my opinion from all Flysurfer kites the lotus is the most beautiful kite! The colors are perfect! The bending line design is unbeatable till now! Who was a designer? Is that person still working for Flysurfer company?

[@OurKiteLife]

I believe it was Monika, and yes she is still at Flysurfer - www.iksurfmag.com/articles/issue85/insight-the-flysurfer-girls/

[@jefflucas_life]

0:19 I love the size!

[@leecarroll9372]

The 10m will be a nice fit in between my Soul 8m (v1) and my Soul 12m (v1), thanks for the review!

[@OurKiteLife]

Glad you found it helpful! 🙂

[@juanpasala]

Don’t, they will overlap, had 8-10-12-15, ended selling the 8 and 12 as 10-15 cover 95% of cases

[@nicolasboudet9302]

I agree with you on the color of the 10m which is great , but the Orange color of the 15m looks quite « German style »😜

[@CarstenElevatePro]

Flysurfer ist a German company...

[@nicolasboudet9302]

@@CarstenElevatePro Tastes and Colors...😉

[@amo-cafe4788]

sempre velejei num nurth rebell 12m ainda nao tive a oportunidade de velejar num foil desses mas quando tiver oportunidade com certeza irei testar pois na minha cidade ainda nao vi nenhum flysurfer valeu

[@kobak]

would be happy to see a soul 3 comparision.

[@OurKiteLife]

It’s coming :)

[@KL-ju2co]

Great video. Everyone has a different take on it. After trying the 10m v2 myself, I Didn’t like the bar pressure on the kite. I’d typically only use the 10m for a medium-light wind foiling conditions. I felt that the amount of bar pressure required to be applied at the kite was too much & also, as per video - collapsing tips are sketchy in gusty conditions. Thanks for the insightful review

[@OurKiteLife]

Thanks for your honest feedback! 😊

[@Morrreee]

Great video!! 👌👌 Now to the question?! Should I go for 10 or 12. It will be my only kite. Im 90kg, and using 138 TT. Will later buy a foilboard. And maybe one more soul. What to do? Cheers

[@jean-sebastienlantz9164]

Thank's for your great review. I have personal BIG questions The context: I am 115 kg, 53 years old, more than 20 years kite experience as Sunday rider, no tallent but, full of grace and happy on my board. My souls 1 (8-12-21) are three years old and its time for changes (my local dealer called me yesterday for a Soul 2 special deal). I have a full range of Rebel and XR6 for twin tip. I have just ordered a Core foil and will begin this new sport very soon. My BIG questions are: - What is the benefit of a Soul and all the mess with the lines compare to new inflatable foil kites (like the Core XLite) for riders like me ? - What would be the best quiver ? probably the 21 is not appropriate anymore because when the wind is light I will use the foil. What should be the largest size for foil ? what is the kite size equivalence - twin tip vs foil ? Should I buy a 15m like you in the video ? The perfect quiver should be 15-10-8 ? - Sometimes, I also use my Soul for snow kite. It seems like inflatable foil kite are not that appropriate for snow kite. Do you confirm? - Do you have experience playing with the PMA on the Soul. Same with the mixer. Apparently we can adapt and personalise the kite making intrados and extrados more or less curvy and the kite lighter in the bar and more agile. It looks like a complex science. I have changed the PMA last week. It was a disaster! Tips sheets in and the kite went plain window three or four times ... It would be interesting to produce a video on tuning the PMA and mixer by explaining clearly the benefits and the things dangerous to do. FS video do not exist on this topic, they just present the boring standard mixer tuning. But, What if I make this or that ? I look forward to your precious answers to make my kiter destiny fantastic. Many thanks and love from Aix-en-Provence

[@OurKiteLife]

Foil kites have much better light wind performance compared to LEI's, you are also heavier so you need all the power you can get, especially in lighter winds. We rode rebels from 2007 to 2017 before switching to speed 5. Largest foil kite you need if you foilboard is probably 15m. We have a local rider 230 pounds, he sold his soul 21 as he foils now, but he kept 15m. Best quiver, 6, 8, 10, 12, 15 if you can afford, otherwise 8, 12, 15 or if you are on a budget 10-15. LEI's are appropriate for snowkiting, but pumping and setting them up in -20 C can be not very enjoyable. PMAs, a friend has a 9m, and it is less stable compared to 10m, so he adjusted PMAs and it shrank the canopy, I would personally stay away from it. He fixed the issue by lowering B and C by 1cm for more stability. But that came at a cost of less performance. Again stay away from PMAs, most people should not bother playing with them including us. Again, about PMAs, most people don't know how to do a long mixer test properly, as they simply dont pull the lines with enough strength. Video on PMA's, not sure it is necessary. Maybe if Armin visits us, we would ask him to walk us through, otherwise we don't feel qualified. Cheers

[@jean-sebastienlantz9164]

Thank you so much for your fast answers. I really appreciate your advices and I will definitely follow them. Thank you also for your PMA's experience review and I share your advice to stay away from any changes. As said, my personal experience was also bad. I hope we will have the chance to meet in the south of France with your team.

[@benmaz]

Another great video 👍

[@OurKiteLife]

Thank you :)

[@adventure-logs]

Gotta be nice to be able to get the kite early. Some of us have to wait for release to get ahold of one ;-)

[@OurKiteLife]

Can’t complain! We’re looking forward to your review :) P.S. Great TRIP splitboard review!!

[@leifchristiangiven]

Although these kites perform well in light wind, this is the same kite, slightly different material. No big serious changes which is a shame from such a big company like Flysurfer. These kites are basically disposable and in much need of stronger more durable bridals, stitching and canopy. It's not a race kite so doesn't need ultralight material, the kites will work just fine in 5knots with a heavier canopy. After using these kites over the past two seasons, we have had many unhappy customers because of durability issues, and kites that don't last more than 3 months. I really hope to see this brand bring something other than a disposable kite.

[@OurKiteLife]

Kites that don't last more than three months ? Interesting comment, can you elaborate on that please. We have probably 20 to 30 souls on the beach with more than half being three years old, and still perform well as long as the mixer was adjusted. The biggest issue is discoloration of white canopy.

[@leifchristiangiven]

@@OurKiteLife You guys launch from a grassy launch on a freshwater lake. That is not a good test for durability. I wish all my kites could see that kind of treatment, so of course no surprise there. As well as where the kites are designed and tested in Germany, on lake with pristine grassy clean launches. In reality your three summer seasons are more like one season at best in a normal windy sandy place. The fact of the matter is the majority of people use these kites on beaches with salt and grainy sand that not only deteriorates the threads, canopy and bridals, the material becomes stretched and soft like tissue paper over a short period of time. Race bridals are also not needed on the kite. That is why the mixer is required. Other companies use higher strength bridals thus not seeing as much shrinking or stretching. The pulleys are one of the few things that work and don't jam. Although pulley lines will wear out this is in line with most other foils. Another issue is the micro pig tails on the canopy that connect each bridal to the kite have melted ends and leaves a sharp end on some, that can cause a abrasion or rip in the kite on just a wingtip fold. These little pigtails are not all identical and are not needed. I am able to test all year round on beaches and not only did I go through many kites and have a brand new one split in half in the air, but a few of my students have also had many issues I will not list everything due to reasons are too long. These kites are the farthest from being durable not only for foil kites, but in the market in general. It is just long due for a more elaborate update. Many other brands are using much higher end material and higher cell count that improves performance and launchability. This video is clearly bias and did not elaborate enough on the cons of this kite, as well as a valid comparison to the rest of the market.

[@OurKiteLife]

@Leif Given valid point about sand and salt water, we definitely spoil our kites from where we launch. Thanks for providing you input Leif, and we are looking forward to testing this kite further with regards to its durability and comparing it to other foil kites on the market.

[@terrancearyan141]

i know it is kind of off topic but do anyone know of a good place to watch new tv shows online ?

[@kylokingsley1299]

@Terrance Aryan meh I watch on flixportal. just google for it :P -kylo

[@mattia_SailAndKite]

Nice video! Thanks for sharing this. What size would you recommend for an 80kg rider in 10-15 knots range, twintip? How does it compare to LEI in sizes 15-17?

[@OurKiteLife]

We’d recommend a 15m. The Soul will provide more power than an LEI of the same size. Generally a 15m foil would be comparable to the power of a 17-18m LEI.

[@davemac1975]

Thanks for another great video! I kite in Rhode Island, have always flown Duotone / North. Current quiver is Neo 7/9/12 for waves & foil, Rebel 9/12 & Juice 15 for free ride/ freestyle. Considering adding Souls but appreciate any input from you on these Q's: 1) Many of our launch/ landing spots are tight (obstacles, small beaches, sometimes beachgoers). Is launch / landing a huge pain in the a** for the soul in these conditions? What is best solo landing method as such- back stall, flag out, other? Frequntely there may not be other kiters to help land... 2) Do you feel Soul compares well or favorably to Rebel for free ride? Boosting looks great so I would think so. Saw you dark slide on this vid as well, are you happy with freestyle performance vs the Rebel? 3) I weigh 195 lbs (90 kg). Was leaning toward a soul 10 to start and if I like it then adding a 15 m. Good choice or would you advise different quiver? 4) I ride the click bar and love it. Was planning to keep using this bar with lines of 22-26 m (22m lines, and I have 2 sets of 2m extensions). Good set up, or do you really recommend the Flysurfer bars? If so why? Thanks for all the great videos I really love em, and appreciate your advice!

[@OurKiteLife]

1. Launching is pretty easy actually, especially solo. Landing, depending on wind speed, can be easy to tough. When there is a lot of beachgoers we usually lower the kite to the water and then flag it out. A bit of a hassle but better to be safe than sorry. 2. 10m Soul has more of a Rebel feel (LEI Feel) than a foil kite like the Sonic for instance. Boosting and float are better than Rebels, but a bit slower. Souls are great for freestyle, again just a bit slower on loops compared to LEI. 3. Soul 10 is great in over 18 knots, if you get plenty of wind then go for it. 15 is considerably slower, but with your weight you would probably need it. 4. If you have a bar that works, and is even line length, there's no reason it shouldn't work. Flysurfer bars have stopper balls now, so just double check that safety will work - that would be the only concern. The reason we recommend original FS bars is that locally a lot of people use different brands of bars which tend to be older and/or out of tune, and then they ask us why their kites are not flying well. People will buy a $2000 dollar kite and then use a ten year old bar and wonder why the kite isn't flying as well as it could.... :) Hope that helps! Let us know if you have any other questions!

[@MrSpanishPeanuts]

Couple quick questions if you can spare the time: (1) I have been looking for a kite that I can get good airs on the foil. For twin-tipping I have big air oriented tube kites and for hydrofoiling I have a 12m Airush Ultra (which imo leaves some to be desired on jumps). Been looking at both flysurfer soul and ozone hyperlink, but where I live there are no kite stores to go and try one. Would a 12m soul give a similar low end to a 12m one strut, or should I got smaller or bigger (bearing in mind I want to jump on it). I can generally foil on a 633 with that kite from 8 knots onwards and jump some above 12 knots. (2) Is there a good secondary market to buy flysurfer souls. What should one look and ask about when buying a used foil kite? Thanks for all the content!

[@OurKiteLife]

Thanks, glad you enjoy the channel! To answer your questions - we can’t compare to a one strut kite because we haven’t owned/used one. The 12m Soul has great low end performance especially for foiling. We wouldn’t recommend going bigger, but depending on your size you may want to consider the 10m as it has a huge wind range and good low end too. As for second hand, check out kite shop websites - for instance Silent Sports has a used section on their site. You can also check kite groups on Facebook, or look on Kijiji.

[@thedeni5314]

thanks for the video, always enlighting and helpful :) great job :) tell me please , whould you reccomend soul 10 or soul 12 for mostly snow and land and maybe later water? (70kg) thank you

[@OurKiteLife]

Thanks! As for 10 vs 12m Soul, how much wind do you typically get?

[@neuronflow]

thanks for the review but why did you cut the video when the kite was filling with air? it is actually an important characteristic for foils imho :)

[@OurKiteLife]

it would of been too long, we actually compressed it as much as we could

[@kiter7471]

Hello, great videos. I'll get the soul too. TT and Foil. I'm going to buy sizes 15, 10 and 6. Is the gap between 10 and 6 too big? Do you also need the 8? But it is probably more of a luxury solution.

[@OurKiteLife]

Thanks! A quiver of 6, 10 and 15 should be fine. 8 would be nice too but definitely not necessary.

[@kiter7471]

@@OurKiteLife Thx.

[@aleshaborisovich]

Hello! What do you think, which kite has a little bit better low end, Soul1 15m or Soul2 15m?

[@pavelgolin2421]

Visual comparison of the kites on 1:05 doesn't show any changes despite your opinion about "instead only brings a new kite to the market when it's been significantly improved" :+)) so what significance are we talking about there? :)

[@OurKiteLife]

The shape of kite didn’t change much, but the fabric, internal construction and bridle reinforcement were improved. The Soul is still the Soul in terms of flying characteristics, but is now more durable - which means that the kite will last longer. For the average kiter who has the occasional hard crash or meet and greet with a tree, this is important :)

[@yossiberger795]

I bought the Flysurfer Sol 2 18m kite yesterday, as an addition to my quiver, Eleveight Rs 9 + 12. I bought it without a bar, my question is whether the bar I have 58 cm of the Eleveight will fit the new Flysurfer?

[@OurKiteLife]

As long as the lines are all equal length it should work. That being said we would recommend a bar that’s 63cm - you may find the 58cm to be too small

[@mikerogers2319]

So, here’s a question for OKL… When is it time to retire your old Soul 1 and move to a new Sonic or Soul? My Soul has many repairs and the fabric is getting more porous…but it still rocks! I guess I should demo a new one… Thoughts?

[@OurKiteLife]

That’s really up to you. Sounds like your soul still has some life in it. Definitely doesn’t hurt to demo new kites if possible

[@MatDGVLL]

is the V4 coming any time soon ?? 👀

[@OurKiteLife]

SOUL3 just released. We’ll have a review video on it soon :)

[@ronkasper8721]

Would a 12m be better for 160 lb rider? It looks like the bar and lines are not included. Would a bar and lines from a LEI kite work? BTW totally amazing video work. Thanks. You got me hooked.

[@OurKiteLife]

12m would probably be better, we are ordering one too, bar from lei will work as long as it has even lines

[@ronkasper8721]

@@OurKiteLife Would be nice to watch you folks ride and get some launching and landing ideas. I scoped out your spot on the one wheel today, but did not find the big grassy area for set up. The wind forecast I got was wrong some how and there were no kiters today. Thanks for your help. If I can confirm my bars and lines will work, the 12 soul 2 looks like a plan. You have been very helpful. Take care...

[@OurKiteLife]

@@ronkasper8721 hey, we were at marie curtis park today and will be there tommorow again around 10 am

[@mikemiller774]

Perhaps this question was asked before, but can you remind us on why there are so many foil kites on a spot vs LEI?

[@OurKiteLife]

Toronto often gets light wind and foil kites perform great in light wind so that’s a big reason why they’re popular here :) Some riders like them for boosting and hang time. Also, when the wind dies here it’s usually pretty sudden - LEIs tend to just fall from the sky but with a foil you can usually get back to shore without swimming.

[@lukecreamer8426]

9:34 SOLD

[@johnparitosh]

Hey guys. I'm wondering, now that you had the SOUL2 for a while and have probably broke it in doing the required hours of flying, have you noticed any improvement in it's flight characteristics. I'm particularly interested if the wing tip folding and turning speed have improved.

[@OurKiteLife]

We received the kites already used and flew them over multiple sessions when filming the video. Since then there haven’t been any changes in flying characteristics. The determining factor for wing tip folding (which is very minor) is wind quality. For the most part we kite in very steady winds so it’s not an issue at all. Hope that helps!

[@johnparitosh]

@@OurKiteLife Thanks, yes that helps heaps. I really want the 10m. Love your channel, it's the reason I bought my Soul 12m

[@GestaltReality]

Do you normally fly all your foil kites with 26m lines?

[@OurKiteLife]

Usually as the winds that we get tend to dome, meaning there's more wind upstairs. 26m lines make a lot of difference. Also riders on LEIs at our spot use 32m lines.

[@TKM11370]

Sounds like the kites need a bit more bedding in. How many hours have the kites been flown in powered conditions?

[@OurKiteLife]

The kites had been flown before we got them, and we put over 20 hours on them in a span of about 7-10 sessions with multiple riders. It is true, generally speaking FS kites get more stable overtime as the lines shrink. Anyway, the biggest factor on folding tips was wind quality, which ranged from barely rideable to great. From our tests, Soul2 did better than certain LEIs in gusty conditions.

[@Kitepops101]

Great video, as with all yours always left thinking what a great vibe at your local spot! Thoughts on 10 -15 as a two kite quiver? I foil, twin tip and surfboard so I think these would cover most wind speeds but open to suggestion (88kg) cheers!

[@OurKiteLife]

Thanks! With those boards we’re confident that you could have the 10 & 15 as a two kite quiver

[@gaetanomenzano2950]

For airstyle/oldschool (no kiteloop) now i Ve 15mt soul v1 , according to you , what Is the best second size? Soul 10 or 12 ? Im afraid that the 10 MT Is most Faster for airstyle/oldschool...what do you think about This ?

[@OurKiteLife]

I see your point, may we suggest Sonic 13? In our opinion its probably better size/kite than a soul for that kind of endavour

[@gaetanomenzano2950]

@@OurKiteLife i had It ..but i prefer soul its more user friendly (less hangtime ) but more Easy

[@gaetanomenzano2950]

I ve many question...now ive a soul V2 15mt i use it only on TT to do oldschool Jump i Weight 63 kg and i practice kite from 2010: -what Is the best size to side at my 15mt soul ..soul 12 or 10 ? - Do you be able to do kiteloop (not mega in Landing from a trick) Better with 10mt or 12mt ? - according to what Is best range of the 10 for a 63 kg ?

[@OurKiteLife]

We would recommend going with the 10 if you already have 15. The 10 will loop better. Wind range will depend on the quality of wind, size of board, etc.

[@dani_482]

15m! There are smaller free flying wings! That's crazy (don't listen to me, just getting into this world) Do you think a free flight miniwing could be used as a Kite such as a small 16m2 niviuk 2 (single skin)

[@feritall]

So, where can I order one? 😁

[@feritall]

I personally like the colour. It’s different.

[@OurKiteLife]

In Canada check out silentsports.com and in the US greenhatkiteboarding.com (check out the promo in the description box!) 😉

[@zyabvit]

Wow, at least one company thinks about durability. Not "thinner, lighter, faster" (twice the price)

[@OurKiteLife]

Yes - it’s nice to know they are built to last!

[@remibarbe]

This is an important point - especially for a kite that has a program: water, land and snow. 👍

[@LixisArgentina]

Great video!! thanks a lot. I am a kitefoiler willing to go out with 6 knowts, I weight 85 kg, would you recommend the 15 or the 13m? thanks

[@widmarkeloo6812]

It would be nice if you showed the landing cause it's not how high you jump it matters more if you land it every-time!!

[@OurKiteLife]

Most are landed it just takes too much to show it all which effects the rhythm of the video, thats why I just cut out landings. Usually I include bails if anything good.

[@krash2094]

Hello. I want to transition from LEI to Foil kites for better low wind performance. I currently use a 14m Ozone Alpha for my weight (75kg) and local wind-range of 7-15kts. Should I go for a soul 10,12 or 15 ? I like to foil 10 knots or less and TT 11+ knots.

[@krash2094]

P.S really appreciate your content and engagement in the comment section

[@OurKiteLife]

We would recommend the 10 or 12m. If you want to TT in 11 knots we would lean toward the 12.

[@krash2094]

@@OurKiteLife Thanks for the reply! I don't really experience high winds but just want to ask if the 12m can manage strong winds (15-25 knots)?

[@OurKiteLife]

Depends on your skill level but we have used the 12m in up to 25 knots on a twintip

[@GaetanoCrisci]

someone can compare with the Hyperlink V2?

[@OurKiteLife]

There's only one guy on the beach that has one, but he shows up maybe ones every year

[@ParaKiteGliding]

Nice but where's the Speed6, please be next. 🤞🏻

[@OurKiteLife]

The Soul is the evolution of the Speed... so this is technically Speed7 😁

[@bigboytonic5665]

@@OurKiteLife I think the Sonic 3 is more in line with the Speeds than the Souls

[@Tel--wg8te]

@@OurKiteLife in my eyes it's a crossbreed of Unity and Speed

[@quanvlog7167]

Hello i am RAM in vietnam

[@quanvlog7167]

Good.I created ít invietnam