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 Post subject: 9m Atom First Impression
PostPosted: Tue Sep 26, 2006 6:51 pm 
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Joined: Sat Oct 29, 2005 6:07 pm
Posts: 1229
Location: St. Augustine / Cape Cod
My 9m Atom arrived in the mail today and I was lukcy enough to have an opportunity to fly it within a couple hours, second time that has happened to me with a new kite!

First of all, I weigh about 160 and was riding a Litewave Stealth 130. By looking at the wind graph below you can tell it was quite gusty. I was torn between having an awesome session on my 12m Ion or flying the 9m Atom to test the low end. I chose the Atom and it didn't let me down. I rode from 2:45 - 5:45pm.

Right off I felt comfortable on this kite. I was flying it on my Ion bar and it felt just like a smaller version of my 12m, exactly what I wanted, nothing really different about it at all. I have been flying a 9m Caution Answer as my small kite, which has amazing lift, but is not very stable and is almost too fast for my own good. The kite is great for going big but it's just too twitchy to try anything technical.

There were some pretty good gusts where I was fully powered on the Atom and felt right at home. Other times the lulls would last up to a minute (weird wind) and I would be swinging it, but never did I have any problem staying upwind. Other riders I was with were flying a 13m Fuel, 11m Instinct and a 12m TD. I think I can safely say the low end for me on the 9m Atom is somewhere in the high teens without using a light wind board. I was able to throw some long floaty jumps at times. The Atom has great hang time just like the Ion.

Overall I couldn't be happier. The box for the kite says the color is "Petrol" but it has no red like the Petrol they advertise. That's ok, I really like this one. There was no one around to take pics so I took matters into my own hands. I will write more when I get it out in some stronger winds.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Sep 26, 2006 6:52 pm 
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Joined: Sat Oct 29, 2005 6:07 pm
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Location: St. Augustine / Cape Cod
more...


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Sep 26, 2006 6:52 pm 
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Joined: Sat Oct 29, 2005 6:07 pm
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Location: St. Augustine / Cape Cod
The fifth line attachment point is identical to the pump leash attachment but on the front of the kite.


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 Post subject: atom review
PostPosted: Wed Sep 27, 2006 3:54 pm 
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Joined: Wed Jun 29, 2005 6:32 pm
Posts: 310
Location: Ocean Extreme Sports
Thanks for the quick review! I haven't flown the 9, but the 12 is a really nice flying kite. I'd love to fly them powered up and see how them compare to the rest of the new flat kites. Let us know when you get a chance to test out the high end and see how that puppy bites!


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri Sep 29, 2006 7:03 pm 
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Joined: Sat Oct 29, 2005 6:07 pm
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Location: St. Augustine / Cape Cod
Got out in the some better wind today from 3:30 - 6:00. You can see why it ended at 6 by looking at the graph.
This meter is kind of wacky but you can get an idea. The gusts were definitely more than 31mph offshore.
I didn't have the Atom fully depowered and felt fine. The conditions were less than ideal, in fact it really couldn't have been any choppier. It was like being in a washing machine, a windy one.
The 9m Atom is awesome, still haven't found the top end.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sat Sep 30, 2006 9:16 am 
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Joined: Thu Sep 29, 2005 4:24 pm
Posts: 1061
Location: St. Pete, FL
Sweet! How does it handle high wind's gusts and did you boost some SUPER airs? I saw from above posts you felt good on the kite in gusty winds with some low lulls, how about in the higher gusts? Thanks Brian.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sat Sep 30, 2006 11:33 am 
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Joined: Sat Oct 29, 2005 6:07 pm
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Location: St. Augustine / Cape Cod
I thought the kite was predictable and not bad during gusts. Not perfect but what kite is in those conditions? It doesn't jump as high as the Answer but it holds you up there longer.


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