We received a quiver of (almost) finished FOne Bandit Dos so that magazines can test them in time for fall issues. They were coming straight from the Madagascar photo shoot F-One did recently (video and awesome pictures to come soon...).
Anyway, we were really stoked to quickly test the 10m against the 08 11 Bandit. The Bandit Dos, as expected, is built on the huge success of the Bandit and its Delta C Shape design.
Ok, so here are the first impressions in no particular order. Not really a full review since we didn't have a lot of time to try it in lot of different conditions but this is a good start.
- Lower bar pressure, that is obvious
- C Shape is a bit more pronounced and the kite turns faster, with less energy needed to engage the kite
- More of a direct feel, due probably in part to the 22m lines instead of 24m for the 08. All in all, unhooked riders will surely appreciate
- Shorter depower rope, meaning accessing the depower strap is no longer an issue for short handed riders
- Same power and speed ability as the 08, meaning you will probably look into downgrading (again) by one size compared to 08 model, which is crazy since we did the exact same thing last year between the Bandit and the Tribal... And this is only the 10m. Everybody around us that day were on a 12m, including a new Crossbow IDS 12m, which by the way
- One more bridle attached each around the intermediate strut to keep the profile steady in really igh wind conditions (did not test that... we were more in the low end that day)
- Same flying ability as the 08 and really fast and solid in the air, but with a lighter feel
- Connection Struts/LE is bullet proof with two webbings plus one perpendicular. See some pics about this.
- Connection safety/5th bungee line with the front lines has been reengineered for the better
- Lines system setup is as easier as last year with 5th line attachment below the bar and connected to the front lines via a bungee line not really long. And by the way, it seems like the new IDS Cabrinha is pretty much the same now, connecting their 5th line on the front lines.
- A lot more sizes, especially in very small (4.5 and 5.5) and very big (14 and 16).
- Auto relaunch still there...
What else, well, the Graphics are as nice as ever. Availability will be sometimes in September. Stay tuned as to when you will be able to do some demos, probably when these are coming back to us in the second half of August.
Cheers for now
http://bayareakitesurf.com/news/img/09/banditdos/crissy/