Latest News, Blog & Videos
Mystic Block Vest vs. Majestic
Hey guys, welcome back. This is Jake with MACkite. Today's At a Glance video is going to be some vest fitment. So when you're buying an impact flotation vest, every manufacturer varies slightly and they tend to fit pretty tightly, so I'm going to go through and show you how some different vests fit on me.
We're going to start with the Mystic Block vest. This is a very basic vest but also super functional. Just to overview real quickly, a reason you'd go with some of these vests is threefol
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31st Jul 2021
Cabrinha Ace Hybrid Review
What's going on guys? I'm Rygo.
Hey guys, and I'm Lucas.
And today we're going to do another interview, kind of bro-down video about something from your quiver, the Cabrinha Ace.
The new Ace, yeah. First off, man, we've got to talk about the graphics- did you see that board?
The graphics- I did, actually, yeah.
That board is insane; I'm super stoked on it. Patrick, our graphic designer, crushed it. It's a super good-looking board and it's kind of the first one you see and you want to gr
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6th Jul 2021
Cabrinha Quickloop vs Modular Control Bar System
Hey everyone, I'm Evan Netsch. We're here in Hatteras, North Carolina. I want to give you a quick run-through on the two Cabrinha loop options that we offer.
We have our traditional Quick Loop and we have the newer modular and both of these, I think, have their specific purposes for yourself as a rider depending on your riding style and your preferences.
So real quick, let's just get into the breakdown of the differences between these two and and who might enjoy different aspects
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28th Jun 2021
North Pulse Review
It's been a few months since I filmed this review and my take has not changed all that much. I admit the North Pulse has grown on me quite a bit more. I had the chance to get a few more freestyle and wave sessions in on this kite. I don't know if I will do another review on the Pulse as, sadly, any kite associated with freestyle takes a back seat to beginner-oriented kites. Much of this comes down to other beginners advising new riders on forums and in Facebook groups. Granted, not everyone
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28th Jun 2021
Cabrinha Xcaliber - Wood Vs Carbon kiteboards
An interview with Evan on his choice boards!
The Cabrinha Xcaliber, one's carbon, one's wood. Depending on the day, depending on what I'm doing, I'd use either one of these as my go-to boards from Cabrinha.
What are the major differences when you go for a wood board or a carbon board, and why might you choose one?
The main difference is the wood board's going to be a little bit of a smoother ride. It's going to be a little bit flexier, cut through chop a little bit better,
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28th Jun 2021
No strut & single strut kites vs surf kite
After filming this video, I realized how biased I was towards surf kites. I want to put it out there that I do have a 10m Airush Ultra I use specifically for foiling & I love it. I have wave kites for waves and so on. I'm a believer in using the right tool for the job. That said, many videos I make are from the perspective of working on a budget and trying to decide on kites. Not everyone can have more than there standard quiver and its important to think about what you want from your gea
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21st Jun 2021
Ride Engine Carbon Elite Reivew
The Ride Engine Carbon Elite is the stiffest most supportive harness I'm aware of beyond the Hadlow ion harness. I meant to do a review on this when the lineup first dropped but time got the best of me on that one. Six months later, I had the chance to swap out my Ride Engine Saber harness for the Carbon Elite, these are the differences I noticed.
Why I love the Carbon Elite
The Carbon Elite has the same plush padding that drew me to Ride Engine in the first place. The backplate
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16th Jun 2021
Slingshot Crisis Review
The slingshot Crisis is a mid-range / entry level twintip kiteboard from Slingshot. In my experience, the board rides similarly to other boards in this category: it has a medium flex, mild rocker and takes the middle of the road in every aspect. It's aimed at new kiteboarders, but has some performance that experienced riders would appreciate.
The board has a wood core and lacks upgrade features like channels or carbon stringers. It doesn't have as much pop as, say, a freestyle kiteboard
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7th Jun 2021
Is the Cabrinha Switchblade a Big Air Kite?
The Cabrinha Switchblade has been around longer than most have been kiteboarding.
It went though a good deal of research and design up until about 2016. Built by legendary designer Pat Goodman, it's still one of the best kites out there, in my opinion.
The past 5 years have seen a huge change in the market. Riders demand lighter, faster kites aimed at big air. The thing is, for some, the
Switchblade is still an amazing choice. It's not the fastest kite—it's not the lightest kite. It is
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7th Jun 2021
Eleveight OS Review
The Eleveight OS is another one-strut option designed for foil enthusiasts and light wind waveriders. The simple design is fast and, like all one-strut kites, it's extremely lightweight. The swept wing tips are designed to relaunch in light wind as well. This is a bit of a must for light wind hydrofoilers pushing threshold winds to the limit. My least favorite aspect of foiling, personally, is swimming back.
On the Hydrofoil
The OS is drifty, fast and powerful. The range is quite good fo
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24th May 2021
Slingshot Formula V1 Review
The
Formula V1 kiteboard is an exciting addition to Slingshot's lineup. Their kiteboards have long been known to be heavy duty and provide a distinct damp feel on the water. The Formula couldn't be further from the rest of their kiteboards: extremely light and snappy with a race car like feel. The Formula V1 is a completely different animal.
A Kiteboard with Speed and Snap
The Formula V1 kiteboard is so snappy and poppy you just want to jump as soon as it hits the water. I hate making
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24th May 2021
Slingshot Asylum Review
The Slingshot Asylum is the board I was using when I first started progressing in kiteboarding. If you watch older reviews, you know I used to rave on Slingshot kiteboards. In recent years I've branched out and covered many other brands, but I always seem to come back to Slingshot. They have been making kiteboards and wakeboards for over 20 years! Needless to say, they know how to build them properly.
The Asylum is a freestyle board in the range, but that shouldn't scare big air riders or
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24th May 2021
Cabrinha One Strut Review
The Contra One Strut is a new kite for 2021. I find it funny that Cabrinha chose the name Contra as this kite feels quite different from the original 3-strut light wind specific Contra kite. The Contra One Strut feels and performs like most one strut kites with the typical Cabrinha bar feel. It's fast, pivotal, and simple.
The one area where I found the Contra One Strut stands out is its stability and high wind performance. I had heard the kite was actually fun and performance-minded in s
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21st May 2021
North Fix Boots Review
The North Fix boots are kite specific and a good option for kiteboarder looking to add some power to their riding, They have a clean simple look that can be seen throughout the entire North Kiteboarding lineup. I had the chance to demo a pair for most of the winter and I was able to log loads of sessions in with these on the kite and in the cable park. Here are my thoughts.
Flex
The Flexibility on these are perfect for kite. The are stiff and supportive on the ankle with a
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29th Apr 2021
Cabrinha Moto Vs. Duotone Evo | Do You Prefer Agility or Power?
One of the most common requests I get is to compare the Cabrinha Moto vs. the Duotone Evo. I was always hesitant to do this comparison because, while there are overlapping elements, these kites are aimed at different disciplines and different kitesurfers.
Like the Evo, the Moto is Cabrinha's all-around, 3-strut freeride kite. Where it differs is that it was designed for the waves and hydrofoiling. This means the Moto is going to have some wave characteristics. For example, the Moto ha
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27th Apr 2021