Duotone Evo D/LAB vs. Harlem Thrive

The Brazilian Brothers love big air kites, but they also know that they're not all created equal. They'll all boost you high enough to pull some impressive moves or just enjoy the view from up there, but each kite has its own personality. In their Versus series, the Brothers break down the differences between two kites to help you find the perfect match.

Up this time are the 2026 Duotone Evo D/LAB and the Harlem Thrive, and testing day brought 25-30 knot winds, perfect for a big air session. The 2023 Evo, like the Harlem Thrive, was designed by Ralf Groesel. The 2026 Evo D/LAB is an update of that design, so it'll be particularly interesting to see how it compares to the Thrive.

What Other Gear Did They Use with the Evo D/LAB and Thrive?

To complement the kites, the brothers chose the Harlem Lead bar on 22m lines and Duotone Jaime SLS 136 twintip board. If you're setting up in nuking wind, you can pile some sand on your lines near your kite to stop them from blowing around, then walk your lines straight downwind. To get light bar pressure and faster pivots, the Brothers used the soft setting on the kites' line connection points.

How Does the Harlem Thrive Perform for Big Air?

The 8m Harlem Thrive is an incredibly fast, reactive, and direct kite, the fastest that the Brothers have tried so far. However, this also means that it's not a very forgiving kite. Rubens was able to get some good height on his jumps, but only when his timing was perfect. It was not easy to find the sweet spot.

You can come down softly on the Thrive if you can pull some good Heliloops. The speed of the kite sets it among the best in looping. It's great for Megaloops.

How Does the Duotone Evo D/LAB Perform for Big Air?

Believe it or not, Rubens found the 8m Evo D/LAB to be a bit underpowered in 25-30 knot winds. The top end was improved for this year, but at the cost of some low end capability. Still, it had a much larger sweet spot than the zippy Thrive, so he was able to jump higher, especially when he caught a gust. It had excellent hangtime as well.

The Evo doesn't loop as fast as the Thrive, but it was still fast enough to get around and catch Rubens every time. He felt completely confident and wasn't afraid of going for loops. That said, he did have to time the Heliloops more carefully.

How Do the Evo D/LAB and Thrive Compare?

Jumping Ability

Both kites jumped very well, but it was easier to get consistently high jumps on the Evo D/LAB thanks to its larger sweet spot. It also had better hangtime.

Looping Ability

Although the Evo had solid looping performance, it's no surprise that the Thrive outperformed it due to how fast and reactive it is.

Ease of Use

Both kites are high-performance big air machines and require a pilot who knows what they're doing. The Thrive's speed makes takeoff a bit tricky, but that also lets you catch yourself on the descent a bit more easily. The Evo makes it easier to get up, but the Heliloops to get back down can be tricky.

Wind Range

While the Evo felt a bit underpowered, the Thrive was happy and behaved well in the 25-30 knot winds. Both kites had nice, light bar pressure and great depower. Once you sheet out the bar, you're dumping almost all the power, which is important in the high wind conditions that big air riders need.

Which Kite Is Right for Me?

If you want unbeatable looping ability, the Harlem Thrive is your kite. It's faster and more reactive than any kite the Brothers have tried at this point. If you want consistently high airs and long hangtime, then you might be happier with the Duotone Evo D/LAB, as long as you pump up a big enough kite for the conditions. Both are excellent big air kites for experienced pilots and will give back what you put in.

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