F-One Bandit 4 IV 2011 Review

4 Generations in and the F-One Bandit has seen some mighty changes, Year on year F-One pull something special out of the bag and this year it is no different. I always liked low end and relaunch capabilities the Bandits but had issues with the early models with stability and some strange in flight behaviours. Last year was the first year that caught my eye with the Bandit 3 range, The kite was nice and very popular but I felt it lacked a certain something to suit my riding style. This year…Its supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. Ladies and gentlemen - The F-One Bandit IV

Kite: The kite has had quite an overhaul this year and comes across as a completely new kite. The canopy is higher aspect than previous years and the tips are much squarer than before which is meant to help with stability and also a more direct turning experience. Another big difference is that the Bandit 4 is now a 3 strut kite. Many brands have gone down this route in the last year or two and it definitely seems to keep weight down, increasing low end performance. I don’t want to go to much into the technical aspects of the kites – that’s generally the jargon that the manufacturers, Instead I want to give my personal opinion on the feel of the kite.

Lets begin with the more vein aspects of a new kite… Looks. The Bandit has always looked a smart kite and this year is no different. Simple yet stylish graphics with massive attention to detail and branding all over the kite, right down to the pulleys. As usual there is a ton of colour ways to choose from. Nice to have the option but a nightmare for retailers to try and have all the options at anyone time so finding the kite you want could be tricky. Our demo model is the White/Khaki graphic which I think is stunning in the sky both in blue sky’s and more overcast conditions.

From the first launch at the side of the window it is instantly apparent of the massive amount of depower this kite offers, launching can be done on the spot with no downward travel as you slowly park the kite above your head. Because the kite has so much depower within the throw of the bar I think some people could mistake this for a non direct kite or say it does not feel overly smooth. For anyone used to flying depower kites you already understand you use the lower/mid range of the bar the vast majority of the time and do not fire the bar in and out as far as it can go constantly. Doing this will result in a very un-smooth and powered jerky movement as you  completely kill all the power and then whack it back onto full. I have noticed some people doing this whilst at different riding spots. What it does show however is the huge stability that this kite can offer, as you fly it about in ways you shouldn’t it just shrugs it off and does its job.

Through the air the kite is extremely fast, yet super controlled. It is fast in both turning speed and the speed in which it travels across the window. The turns seem to be capable of holding more power than the Bandit 3 which will be great for kiteloops and accelerating out of waves – I think this is also a benefit to the new squarer tips on the kite.

Relaunching the the Bandit has always been easy, probably the biggest achievement to the Delta shape of kite. Nose dive it anywhere in the window and it relaunches extremely quickly and with minimal effort.

Jumping with the kite is effortless, it naturally wants to go airborne and requires very little effort, just be sure to keep the bar in when redirecting so you don’t kill all the power at the last second. For a 9m I was also really impressed with the amount of float to work with, nice for spins and grabs. I can’t wait to have a decent water session on this kite. For extra hang time try chucking in some downloops just before you land, its plenty fast enough and imagine this is still possible in the bigger sizes easily! As well as downlooping, kitelooping is awesome fun on this kite, it whips around super fast and gives a good amount of whip downwind and retains a good amount of power in the turn.

Bar: Sadly the new 2011 airlite bar was not available when I had the kite out so I flew the new kite on the Bandit 3 bar. From what I can see however the airlite bar looks gorgeous and has some great changes to the chickenloop. I will add to this section as soon as I get a chance to put on onto demo.

Overall: What a kite. Extremely versatile, massive depower, super smooth, great construction, beautiful graphics and colour ways. It really is a kite for all occasions and for beginners and pros alike.