Cabrinha Switchblade Design Works: First Impressions

The Brazilian Brothers are back in Brazil for the 2026 windy season, and it's officially on. With sand blasting and epic conditions, they're ready to bring you a season of kiteboarding content, including kite reviews, first impressions, and product tests. They're taking things to the next level this year, starting with a very special first impressions video of the brand-new Cabrinha Switchblade Design Works and the Cabrinha Unify Control System.

The New Cabrinha Switchblade Design Works

The Switchblade from Cabrinha is a standout, historic kite — arguably the most sold kite of all time. Cabrinha has now taken a huge leap forward by introducing Aluula material into the Switchblade. You can see the new Y-pattern in the design. The brothers headed out in Prea with the wind cranking at 25-plus knots, which provided the perfect conditions to test the 9-meter version of this new kite.

Design Insights from Pat Goodman

To get the inside scoop on the technical features, Cabrinha designer Pat Goodman shared some insights into the Design Works version. This is a new, higher-performance version of the Switchblade that uses the advantages of Aluula materials in both the leading edge and the struts. It features a slightly higher aspect ratio. The idea was to create a high-performance version of the Switchblade so customers can migrate to this kite and feel like they're at the next level. According to Pat, anyone who's ever been a Switchblade customer is going to hop on this thing and be happy about it.

On-Water Performance and Jumping

Once on the water, the performance was immediate. In 30 knots of wind, the 9-meter is a monster in terms of jumping. It's easy to get massive height and, more importantly, easy to come down softly. During a 45-minute session, the brothers didn't crash a single jump. The kite is intuitive with heliloops, providing a reliable and predictable feel even in strong conditions.

Looping and Ease of Use

In terms of looping, the 9-meter is a blast. It's easy to loop without a massive yank, and it recovers quickly to give you a nice second lift. What impressed the brothers most was that, despite being a high-performance Aluula kite, it maintains the ease of use that the Switchblade is known for. Anyone should be able to hop on this kite, boost huge jumps, and land easily.

Bar Pressure and Final Thoughts

The one potential downside noted was the bar pressure. It's a moderate bar pressure, right in line with what traditional Switchblade riders expect and love. If you're coming from a kite with very light bar pressure, though, you might find this feels a bit heavier. It isn't as heavy as a Core XR, but it definitely sits in that moderate range. That pressure didn't stop the brothers from looping it and having fun, but a slightly lighter feel might have been preferred by some.

The Brazilian Brothers were also joined on the beach by Kauan Grubert, the international team rider for Cabrinha and a Brazilian prodigy. While he hadn't tested the kite yet at the time of filming, they plan to feature him in an upcoming video to show what the kite is capable of in strong Brazilian conditions. Overall, the brothers are stoked on this kite and definitely want the 9-meter in their quiver.

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