GIN Spirit Kite Review - How does it compare to the SOUL?

Let's take a look at the Spirit - GIN's all-around free ride foil kite made for adventure. In this video we cover the technical details of the kite as well as give it to our friends to compare back-to-back with the Flysurfer SOUL. How does it compare? Watch the video to find out!
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[@williamhenault2761]

Amazing job on the editing with footage accumulated over a year, different seasons, and different locations!

[@OurKiteLife]

Thanks! We’ve had the kite since last fall. Not easy to film in winter, but had good opportunity this spring in Hatteras :)

[@kujira99jp]

Good honest reviews, most of the reviewer's comments sound spot on. I have recently started using a Spirit 8m and 6m to replace my aging Peter Lynn kites and I'm very happy so far. I find them powerful for the size but they do need a bit of flying finesse to get the best out of them - overly easy to stall in the turn. Relaunchability is great even after the kite has been in the water for quite some time, the material seems pretty water repellent. Love the fast inflation and overall stability once in the air, the only thing on my wishlist is a bit more depower. Find myself getting pulled off the edge quite easily compared to my 'softer' PLs.

[@OurKiteLife]

Thanks for the added insights on the kite :) good to know that it doesn’t take on water quickly, that was something we didn’t cover in the review. Cheers!

[@dougdemonde]

Thanks for putting the GIN Spirit on my radar of foil kites :-). I really liked hearing the different views and comparison with the Soul. I actually flew my first foil kite session (Ozone Hyperlink v3 11m) yesterday on the Atlantic (Praia do Areal Sul, Portugal) in 1-2 m waves in 11-12 knots wind - and it was incredible even if slightly underpowered. My 17m LEI Ozone Zephyr would have lost line tension and stalled (love my Zephyr too but not for waves). My point is that your video is more than relevant now that I have caught the foil kite bug :-)! I have to try the GIN, Soul and Sonic too!

[@OurKiteLife]

Foil kites really shine in light wind! Hope you can try some different models soon and let us know what you think :)

[@davidflusin5705]

I'd love to see a test/review of the Gin Marabou2 12m in ultra light wind.

[@ChuckTatham]

Nice job guys! Really captured diverse input....and didn't show my crashes 🙂

[@OurKiteLife]

Thanks Chuck! :)

[@gBayCanada]

Another great Vlog and review. 👍👍

[@OurKiteLife]

Thanks Mike! 😊

[@sanderwentink]

Excellent footage!

[@OurKiteLife]

Thanks :)

[@villemache]

Hello, Frederic from Dubai. I am in Toronto today only and beleive I have seen the spot where you make all those fantastic videos. Next time will make sure I stay one more day to meet you. Pity flying back today cause those days windy. That's it, just wanted to say hi. Enjoy this weekend ride.

[@OurKiteLife]

Hey Frederic, hope you have a great weekend too! Cheers :)

[@collider4378]

My first foil kites were a couple GIN Eskimos (snow and land board), I loved them, GIN makes really high quality gear. Like Ozone, they have their roots in paraglider design and it shows. I think they dropped the ball a few years ago when they had no North American dealers (there are a couple I know of now, at least for the snow kites). I agree with some of the other comments - I choose FS over GIN because of all the details. I would have loved to see a water drop test (how long does it take to deflate, how long before it drowns). Great video as always!

[@OurKiteLife]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed the video! A water drop test would've been a good addition. Fortunately none of our testers put the kite in the water for long enough to find out :)

[@jyk4]

Great video, thank you! :) Gin should be half the price of soul, because resale value of these smaller brands is nothing compared to ozone and flysurfer

[@coloradokitesports6671]

They may be a smaller company at the moment, but Gin is in the same league as Flysurfer and Ozone. All three companies come from competitive paraglider roots, with a heavy investment in performance. They all have Olympic-certified race kites, and the Gin/Flymaax Boom has podium finishes in most world-series races. They are an up-and-coming star, for sure.

[@dafunkyy]

Good points, after one year riding the Gin Spirit 12, I could find it very stable and solid, also more playfull than the Soul. Only cons is the relaunch after 30min swim: water evacs are smaller than the Soul’s so it’s harder to relaunch

[@kitesurfer4736]

I would also love to see a Kitech FRS test, great kite, and (at least in Europe) a cheaper option vs Flysurfer / Ozone etc.

[@user-py1hc4lz1q]

Nice review indeed. got the Sonic 3 in 9,11,13m and the Spirit 15m and must say that the Gin has a enormous high end. Sonic has an amazing hangtime and lowend but it can turn into a monster quickly. Tips folding seems a trademark for the Sonics 😄. dont get me wrong! Love the Sonics above all kites. The Gin comes very close. No wingtip folding or backstalling like a FS sometimes whilest low wind riding. I dont mind the colourscheme for what is top or bottom,just pay attention. Bridles tangled shouldnt be an issue because previous Flysurfers didnt have coloured bridles also. just take youre time. Great kite,super stable,amazing highend,more user friendly. IMO Regards, M.

[@janprochazka4583]

Nice video , thx for it.. Put in test else for next time KITECH FRS 12m2 Ultalight - it is very nice kite too.

[@olivierkofler1550]

The spirit is clear sportier, more powerful and turns faster than the soul. I never had any issues with untangle lines ☺️

[@OurKiteLife]

Sounds like you're really happy with the kite, that's great! :)

[@wacotaqo]

Good vlog with lots of comparison points! I have a Gin Spirit 12 since 2021 and can relate to many of your riders comments. A very stable and smooth kite with power when needed and simple relaunch. Had a minor threading issue after 10-15 flights where a part of the canopy needed Re sewing but otherwise the quality is good enough for an amateur. Would have liked a bag like the soul is provided with. I also have an old flysurfer speed 4 lotus. Hard to compare but a very nice kite to fly although a bit more demanding. Still only use TT, not foils. Would you consider testing Gins Shaman single skin foil kite vs the flysurfer equivalent (peak?)? In Sweden have met a few kite surfers who kite with the peak with foils.

[@OurKiteLife]

Thanks for the suggestion of testing Shaman and Peak. We tried the Peak a couple years ago and liked it for foiling - but it would be great to try both back to back.

[@georgeskassir6117]

Thanks for this kite review. I love my Soul2 10m and my Sonic 15m and I dont think I will replace them Hahahahhaha

[@AlexOliveira777]

I always wanted to ride a foil kite, but here in Brazil this type of kite is much more expensive than an inflatable kite. That's a very nice video by the way

[@OurKiteLife]

Thank you!

[@aleshaborisovich]

Thanks for review! I liked on the video most of the time the way Gin Spirit flew. But ... color design is not good. It's difficult to understand where is a trailing edge and where is a leading edge. I prefer symmetrical design.

[@OurKiteLife]

Glad you liked it! Yeah, there were definitely mixed opinions in the group on the colour and shape - it's not for everyone I guess

[@noah.s-w]

Yeah this was a great insight that I never would have thought of!

[@erickjimenez9957]

Did you guys remove the pigtails for twin tip riding.

[@OurKiteLife]

No we didn’t - we actually added pigtails so it would work with the Flysurfer bar

[@abelzoltan1678]

Nice video ! You should try Kitech kites from Hungary.(made by Attila Károly) Also its very nice soft (foil) kite!

[@OurKiteLife]

Thanks for the recommendation :)

[@abelzoltan1678]

@@OurKiteLife if you want i can ask him about “demo” kite. (Also he is on Facebook as well) also Thanks for your videos so good! 😀

[@abelzoltan1678]

@@OurKiteLife kzbin.info/www/bejne/rGXCmJhjpLatj9U

[@filippodellavedova6899]

After Gin Spirit another interesting less known brand foil kite to review should be Kitech kites. They are very beginner friendly and have less bridles than Flysurfers.

[@OurKiteLife]

Thanks! We’ve heard good things about these kites :)

[@jaccofrijhoff6932]

How is the top speed compared to the soul??

[@derekandthechannel]

Spirit is faster than Soul but Soul is also very fast on a reach. World foil speed record (for a fixed location speed run) was set on a Spirit a couple of years ago in Europe. I have lined up Spirit with race kites downwind (which is how you hit top speed with this type of kite) and it was comparable to race kites for top speed

[@leifchristiangiven]

Good review. Flysurfer does make great kites, however, I have been doing alot of testing, and the GIN kites are superior in all aspects. There is no comparison in durability and performance. Whatever you choose to ride ditch the pump kite, and join the foil kiter familiy!

[@movieman12341]

@Leif Given Can you elaborate or your statement with specifics? From this review, it seemed to me that flysurfer is better kite overall. What makes gin superior in all aspects? (No back stall like other foil kites, no wing tip collapse, faster turning etc. ?)

[@leifchristiangiven]

@@movieman12341 All of the above. I highly recommend you do some testing hands on before making any conclusions from what you read online. Welcome to test any of the Gin products anytime.

[@movieman12341]

@@leifchristiangiven Thanks for reply! Well, I am for the market for a new 11 or 12m foil kite to replace my sonic3. How does the testing work? I'd love to demo an instinct hb 12m but don't live in any areas of US where there are gin demos. Is there a way to try the kite before buying?

[@lehula]

​@@movieman12341he works for a Gin dealer. He says that because he is biased.

[@s2oooo]

Have you seen pansh,s first proper kite yet 🙈

[@OurKiteLife]

Not yet - tell me more...

[@s2oooo]

@@OurKiteLife called the hawk it's been designed by a proper kite designer this time not some Chinese man 🤣. My channel has a couple of videos. It's fully adjustable and im really really impressed.

[@OurKiteLife]

Very interesting - I'll take a look at your videos. Is it still at a typical Pansh price point?

[@s2oooo]

@@OurKiteLife let's say I bought a 6/8/10 delivered £500 Only tried the 10 so far and without tuning it's good really good. Some people have already increased b/C mixer with great results 😁

[@s2oooo]

@@OurKiteLife also much better production it feels like a proper product.

[@Jochumvideos]

Funny lots of contradicting opinions ☺️

[@ArinGhend]

I keep seeing Gin pop up everywhere on my IG feed. After spending loads of time learning to untangle my soul efficiently I’d think it’s a nightmare if the bridles aren’t colour coded 😱 With this little price difference (at least in Europe) I can’t see many people picking the Spirit over the proven king of free ride that has seen so many quality of life improvements and nice to have features 🫤

[@OurKiteLife]

It’s definitely a nice kite but yes, those little details can make a big difference! I wouldn’t have thought that coloured bridles would matter until I was untangling all white bridles 😂

[@lucpoirier2883]

Dont Buy a Ozone R1🤣🤣🤣🤣🤟🤟🤟