2025 Duotone Evo D/Lab LTD Blue Aluula | Turbocharged or Too Much?

If you subscribe to our newsletter or follow our YouTube channel or blog, then you know that there's been a bit of hype about Duotone's new blue Aluula (which we've taken the liberty of dubbing "Bluula") Evo D/LAB kite. Dustin and Jake both finally got a chance to get a session on it to get a sense of how it flies and who it's for.

What Is the "Bluula" Evo D/LAB?

The blue Aluula isn't just a new color; it's actually a limited run of the latest version of the Aluula material called D/TX. You can pump it up to 10 PSI, and the leading edge is narrower and stiffer for reduced drag, which translates into a faster kite. It's got a new 6-point bridle system for a precise feel.

Because this run is so limited, it's only being released in the U.S. in sizes 8, 9, and 10m, and when they're gone, they're gone. However, it's the same design as the upcoming 2026 Evo D/LAB which will be released with gold Aluula, so this is really a sort of early preview of next year's model.

What Did Dustin Think About the Evo D/LAB?

Dustin took the 10m on a 30-mile downwinder in 25-30 knots. Right away he found he could boost huge on it, and the kite was very fast. However, it's not a park-and-ride kite and he had to be ready to react at all times. He felt like it was on full throttle the entire time.

Dustin also experienced a fair amount of stalling, which seemed strange on a premium kite. He reached out to Duotone and found that you need to trim the kite, and that should eliminate that issue. But he loved the big boost and just how fast the kite was.

How Was Jake's Session on the Evo D/LAB?

When Dustin arrived at the end of his downwinder, Jake was already out with the Reedin HyperModel 12m and was riding fully depowered on it. He took over the 10m Evo D/LAB from Dustin and found that it didn't have quite as much power as he'd anticipated it would, so it seems to have lost a bit on the low end.

However, it's supposed to have more top end, which is in line with its performance-oriented design. There's always some give-and-take, and turning the performance up to 11 is going to cost something somewhere. This kite trades some of the accessibility of other Evo models for maximized performance.

Jake also encountered the stalling that Dustin mentioned. As long as it had good apparent wind, it performed very well, though. Next time, he'll try trimming it in a bit to see if he can get it tuned to the conditions and get the full performance out of the kite.

Like Dustin, Jake found the Evo D/LAB to be boosty and reactive. It did a great job pivoting and he was able to move it around very precisely in the waves. But as Dustin mentioned, you need to stay active while flying this kite, otherwise you can stall and lose speed.

Duotone claims this kite can do double loops, and that may very well be true with how fast and reactive it is. That's a bit outside Jake's style of riding so he wasn't able to test that, but he didn't doubt it was possible.

Who Is the Evo D/LAB For?

Honestly, this kite isn't for everyone. If you like a park-and-ride experience where you can ride the low end and you liked the overall versatility of the original Evo D/LAB, then the Evo SLS is going to provide that feel for you now.

This year's Evo D/LAB feels dramatically different, and with Sky Solbach having taken over designing the kite from Ralf Groesel, that's no surprise. Sky is an absolute ripper, and he's infused some of that DNA into the 2025 Evo D/LAB. If you liked pushing the original Evo D/LAB to its performance limits, then this is going to be a welcome update for you.

The 2025 Evo D/LAB likes windy days, and you'll be able to jump and loop all you want on it. It's not a true successor to last year's Evo D/LAB, but rather an evolution of it for those who like to go full throttle and ride aggressively.

If you want to take your riding to the next level, the blue Aluula Evo D/LAB is that high performance kite to get you there, but be aware that it will take a lot of focus for you to get that performance out of it. It's a turbocharged kite that's fast, lofty, and pivoty if you have the skill level to take advantage of it.

Dustin and Jake are high intermediate level riders and felt more comfortable on the Evo SLS. That speaks to how different the Evo D/LAB is; it's not simply a lighter, stiffer version of the Evo SLS, but really a different kite altogether, with each serving a distinct type of rider.

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