Reedin Supermodel kite test with Kevin Langeree and Damien Girardin

18.02.2020

Reedin Supermodel 2020 review

I (Tom) was given the opportunity to be one of the very first to test the new Reedin Supermodel 2020. Together with Damien and Kevin we set off and our first stop was Kitebeach, Cape Town.

Reedin Supermodel 8m

The spot with side shore wind between 25 and 30 knots and waves up to two meters, which made it perfect to try the Reedin Supermodel 8m with a twintip. The moment I launch the kite, I immediately notice that it feels very relaxed. The kite feels light and has an average bar pressure. The first board I try is Kevin's pro model twin tip in the size 133x41, (this will also be available in a 136). I put on the board and the pads feel super comfortable and have a very good grip. I think this is the best footpads I have ever tried so far and we are just on the way, what a great start! ;-)

I ride up to the first good kicker, send the kite to twelve o'clock and I jump around 15 meters high without any difficulty. The hangtime is good and what you expect from a three-strut bowkite. During the landing I start a downloop and land smooth with a nice speed to continue my way. The kite feels immediately familiar and you don't have to be a pro kiter to experience this same feeling. On the water you feel exactly where the kite is and with its average bar pressure and relatively light bar input it feels very smooth for a kite that you can use to boost. I just have my fingers on the bar without having to hold it tight to steer the kite. The kite feels very stable in the air, even sheeted out.

Already convinced? Pre-order the Super model here!

Reedin Supermodel Kite

Reedin Dream Bar

The bar is different from all other brands so far. The handlebar has a thinner diameter than average and therefore feels light. With less force you can hold the bar easier in your hand. Two depower lines, wrapped in plastic, run through the bar. The flagging line runs through one of the two, with the big advantage of that they all wear less quickly and you therefore have to replace them less often. You probably wonder why two tubings and not all in one like most other brands do? If you look at the bar you see that the two tubings both go through a separate center hole in the bar. The big advantage of this is that if you do a kiteloop or a backroll, for example, and all your lines are twisted, you only have to turn back the bar and both your steering lines and power lines automatically turn back. As a result, you never have to touch your swivel again to manually untwist your power lines. This is really a great feature if you perform a lot of rotations, kiteloops and / or downloops.

The bar comes in only one version, but can be adjusted so you can use it on all your Supermodels (5/6/7/8/9/10/11/12/14). Furthermore, the bar is equipped with a push away quick release with a click-in system, which makes it easy to open and close the chicken loop. Certainly relaxed if you are kiting with a sliderrope on your harness. This click-in system will probably be the standard for all A-brands within a few years. The bar has a standard line length of 22 meters, together with your leader lines and depower system, this gives a distance of 24 meters to your kite.

Boosting with the Reedin Supermodel

After a number of cool jumps I think I am going quite high, but of course I see Kevin going much higher than me. But hey, you would expact that from triple King of the Air and world champion! It gets a bit busier on the water and I have to turn around a couple of times for other kiters. The Supermodel feels direct and responds immediately to my steering input. This makes the kite nice and playful and also great for participating in long downwinders. The kite is stable in the wind window and easily runs high, so that I can certainly do two jumps every turn. After having sailed for an hour and a half and tried everything with the kite, it is time to go to the next spot.

Reedin technical specs

Kevin and Damien are of course very happy with the result of the kite's performance. I ask Damien how he develops this kite and whether he secretly had this design on the shelf for some time. But that is certainly not the case, Damien tells me. The development of our sport is so fast and a few years old design is already outdated and improved with the current knowledge and choice of materials.

If we take a closer look at the kite, we see that it uses the max-flow valve, which is also used in Liquid-Force kites. This is a large valve which ensures that you can quickly inflate and deflate your kite without any difficulty. The valve is also completely integrated in the Leading Edge and equipped with a neoprene protective cap so that it does not damage the fabric. The Supermodel is of course equipped with the one-pump system, the hoses and valves have a thick diameter so that the air can get in and out quickly.

Triple ripstop
The Reedin kite is made using triple ripstop manufactured by Teijin, which ensures an average stiffness and weight of the kite. The kite comes in one color, white with red and black accents and a black leading edge and struts.

Waveriding with the Reedin Supermodel

For the next session we drive to Derde Steen, Cape Town to rip some waves with the new Reedin Supermodel. The wind is still its 25 to 30 knots and I grab a 6 meter. We also have two types of Reedin surfboards, a noseless and a traditional shape that will be available later in the season and about which we will tell more about that time.

I have quite a bit of power in the kite and the waves are now 3 meters high. I ride a bit upwind and make some nice turns on some exciting high waves and with more than enough power in the kite I pull out again on time. The kite feels a bit powerful in the turns, which you would expect from a "one-for-all" kite. If you mainly kite in the waves with side and onshore conditions, that little bit of extra power in the kite is of course nice to ensure that you are on time at the wave and can escape quickly if necessary. Kevin also goes on the water with a 6m and shows me that you can ride really big waves with this and makes a couple of spectacular top and bottom turns on the waves.

Reedin Supermodel Lift

The wind is picking up and it is now blowing 35+ knots. I decide to switch to a twintip and am curious if I can fly with the 6m. I steer the kite up hard and immediately get a great lift. What strikes me is the relatively soft landing. You often go up quickly with your small kite and down even faster, but the Supermodel catches me well. I like the kite very much and we continue our session for an hour and a half.

Reedin Supermodel Kite

When I have rolled up the kite and bar, Kevin shows me the bag. You can unzip the bag completely so that you can also use it to stand up and take off your wetsuit without getting it covered in sand. There are straps on the side of the bag to attach your pump and you can attach a board to the front if necessary.

After a day of testing, I can conclude that the Supermodel is a very good all-round kite that is easy to use, immediately feels familiar, jumps mega high and if you like some power through the turns you can also ride good waves with it.

Kitemana Reedin pro shop

The first Reedin Supermodels are now on their way to our mega store in Noordwijk and we expect to have them available for sale very soon. You can pre-order the Reedin gear with us from Thursday 20 February. If you are already convinced of this kite and want to be the first on the water (or above the water) with the Supermodel, do not wait too long with pre-ordering with us because the first batch will not be huge and the first size series will be sold out fast! Would you like to test it first before you make the switch? That is also possible! You can pick up a 9m from us in Noordwijk to test. Please contact us so that we can reserve it for you on the day in question.

In addition to the Supermodel, two twin tips will be added this season, a Freestyle (Kevin's Pro Model) and a pure Freeride board. There will also be two more surfboards, a noseless and a traditional shape. We will of course keep you informed of the performance and availability of these boards! Would you like to read more about Reedin Kiteboarding? Then check out our brand page with all Reedin products here!