Because of this Our Kite Life vlog I purchased several FS Soul kites 2 years ago. Starting with the 12 Soul, then a 10, and finally an 8. Sold all at a financial loss. Here's what I strongly believe.... Foil kite handling properties are best for kiters who live in regions with more steady consistent winds. Places with ocean breezes, places out in the wide open planes states. For us who live in Gorge, or Puget Sound (Washington) where most of our wind is frontal or mountain gradient winds, the gust-lull conditions make foil kites impractical. We see nearly zero foil kites in Hood River
For those kiters who count on being able to use their LEI kites to keep them afloat when they're many kilometers from shore and something bad has happened, it's important to remember that foils won't keep you afloat like an LEI will. Wearing enough personal floatation to keep your head above water is extremely helpful when you're struggling to relaunch your kite in light winds and especially when you need to fold your kite in the water and swim back to shore with it. For those of us living in warm climates where its common to kite wearing only a bathing suit and harness, it's easy to forget how important personal floatation is when trouble occurs.
Got a 15m Flysurfer Soul myself for low wind rides and really like it, such a great complement to my LEI quiver, so it can be enjoyable to ride both LEI and Foil kites. The Soul avoids having too many kitemares when moving to Foil, a really good kite indeed
Another thing to note about second hand foil kites is to check blown cells. Also make sure you dry them properly if they get wet, lay them out and put a cold hair dryer in one end and let the air flow through. If the internals remain wet in storage it can speed up their deterioration. Gunnar bianisch has a good video about bridle stretch too.
I think these are all good tips for people starting on foil kites, and I agree the Soul is a great first foil kite. With experience, you might happily break basically every rule in the list, but it’s good to have the basics down first. For instance, I will fly a 13m Sonic on a hydrofoil, with a non-standard bar (with 12m lines) all the time. It’s a very “racy” setup and goes against much of the advice here. One tip I have: when comparing kite sizes to inflatables, must foils are effectively bigger at the same area. Assume a 10m foil kite will have power more like a 12m inflatable. This is because of the flatter profile of these kites with more are exposed directly to the wind. Also, do your first sessions at “easy” launches with easy self-rescues. Big beaches with side offshore wind that you can easily walk back up are perfect. Basically the same places that are ideal for learning to kite in the first place. When your first water relaunch goes awry, it’s nice to not be heading towards a rocky jetty or commercial harbor, but an easy egress point.
Went for 11m Ozone Chrono v2, came with 24m lines, changed them for 14m lines. The shorter lines make the kite turn way faster for foiling. Could point even higher upwind on the shorter lines
Great video as always! One thing I might add is to Point #1, "Understand your riding style." If you intend to do a lot of snowkiting/riding in the mountains a really powerful boosting kite might not be the best option - even if it's stable. For example, I ride the Little Cloud Pelican a lot (a closed cell/variable inlet kite); it has a more muted pop and isn't going to jump as high the Soul, but this also makes it feel more comfortable and less overwhelming in gustier mountain conditions.
Thank you for all those tips ! Unfortunately I could not find any fs soul to test where I am so I chose an ozone 12m chrono with is high aspect freeride foil kite. Easier to begin that I expected. One tip: I started with a small bar for Eleveight with 5m line extension. If the bar is too small to loop the kite, go grab directly the steering lines... 😅😅😅 but that’s not a pro tip 😆🤙🤙
I really like the picture of the foil kite in the trees or the good bunch of knots with the lines😜 A good tip when you start with foil kite, don’t end the session with a new trick you don’t master...unless you may end with a long natakite 😜
I have 3 Souls, 6, 9 and 12m, and have been looking for a 4m foil kite. I ended up getting a Kitech FRS 4m, and at the same time a 15m UL FRS from Kitech as well. The 4m is a pure jewel in 18 knots and above. And I have not used my 12m Soul since I got the 15m Kitech: the 15m has a larger wind range, stays aloft till 3 1/2 knots, will get me underway on a Moses 679 foil wing around 4.5 - 5 knots (I weigh 67 kg dry), and its upper end (~ 12 knots for me on a foil) overlaps with the lower end of my Soul 9m. Overall the 15m FRS has faster reactions than the 12m Soul for the same line length, it easily relaunches after 1 to 2' in the water in 5 knots wind, and has less of a tendency to flip-in the lower wing tip when hard down-looping in a jibe. And workmanship so far is flawless. Good buy.
Are you talking about aluula? it’s only used for front tube and struts. The canopy of the sail is same as usual. It makes no sense to compare a specific Foilkite to a brand with aluula. The shape / usecase of a kite is more important than its weight. You wouldn’t compare a soul with a 5 strut big air kite just because it’s lighter due to use of aluula. Be more specific!
We have limited experience with sand as our spots are grassy, but when we go to the Caribbean the sand hasn’t damaged our kites - just made them dirty. But we are only there for a week or two at a time.
Well I am using the Soul 10m, in a sandy beach. After u drop ur kite in water, it wont be easy to remove all sand of it. Sand dosnt damage, beacuse it goes from the drainage out
Flying sonic3 for 3 years in Brasil on sandy beaches with all sizes of grains, from dust to pebbles. No damage at about +300h on my sonic3, i drop the kite on very rare occasions, if so I fly it until it’s dry again, washing off the salt with freshwater and dry it up. Kite is not sticky to sand when rinsed with fresh water. Even when rolling up at the beach, very little sand will get on the kite as long Wind stays below 20kts 😉
One very important thing is to know the exact term like inflate valve, A/B/C/Z-level, h-strap, v-profile, LE/TE, Mixer. This is the base for learning, because you need to have a standard to talk about
Great video (as always)! Keep them coming! I have a question, Im using a f-one bandit 12m and a best ts 17m at the moment. But I want to sell them and buy a soul. First, which size?! 10 or 12? We dont have the best winds, quite gusty. Im 90kg and have a TT 138. I might buy a foilboard later. Feels like I will miss a few days kiting choosing the 10m(?) Those 10-12knots days. Or will it be enough? The version 2 soul, is it even worth it? I saw your other video about the soul 2. Seems like it isn't worth it. I would love some input.✌️ Cheers!
no need for the original bar - in fact other bars work just as good or even better. BUT: make sure that it fits and you know what you do! e.g. single front line safety, low V, all lines same length, ...
That's the thing, we find a lot of people don't actually know what to do, and that's why we recommend original bar! If you you know what you're doing then for sure
1. Avoid setup in areas with lot of twigs. 2. 8m, 12m, 21m overlaps as a quiver, just. Have done it for years. If I did it again, I’d go for an 18m instead the 21m and get that extra knot to two lower in light winds with a lightwind board, unless I was heavy. 3. When you crash on the water, always STOP and THINK. There is no rush usually, and a well thought out pull on one or two lines will get you going again in no time. If it got twisted, try flagging out to one line. 4. The bridle lines will contract over time on older kites. You can try to stretch them back out a bit if you are having tuning issues a mixer test won’t fix. 5. They are expensive, but last longer, IMHO. 6. They are not an ideal choice for turbulent, inland conditions. If you ride somewhere swirly and wind shadowed, maybe think twice. They do handle gusts well though due to large depower. 7. They are super easy to self-launch. You trade that for more difficulty self-landing, depending upon location. Even water launches are easy. When asked, I say “When they are at their best, there is nothing better. But when they are at their worst, there is nothing worse!”. No regrets, having owned 5.
These are excellent tips, thanks for sharing! #3 is so true - it can be all too easy to panic but if you stop and think you can usually figure out the next best step :)
Hey man. Can you elaborate on #4? How do you know which lines to stretch back out? My 11m sonic3 kite flies horrible after doing long mixer test. About to sell it even though it's in brand new condition canopy wise.
@@movieman12341 do them all one at a time. When you lean on them, yo I will find some obviously stretch out a touch before becoming springy. You will get a feel for it. I tie off from bar end and use a screwdriver through the eye loops as a handle on the kite side, stretching one at a time. Good luck. It has helped me for sure.
@@KiterSuperfly Thanks for reply! So, it sounds like you stretch the A,B,C, and Z line? Are you pulling close to the screwdriver right where the A,B,C, Z line split? Also, do you ever do long mixer test? I did that test and it still flies awful. Curious if you do the stretching before or after long mixer test. Thanks!
@@movieman12341 Tie off the 4 ABCZ lines just after the mixer one row at a time, where the lines start to split apart into all the bridles. Use a hook or something. Then, using a screwdriver through the eye loops at the kite as a convenient handle, stretch each bridle out, going through each row. You will feel some stretch out before they stop and get springy. They were all pre-stretched from the factory but can shrink a bit over time. That has helped me if one isn't flying well.
There are many advantages to a foil kite. They offer better low wind performance- which is especially advantageous if you live in a low wind area as we did. Size for size, a foil kite offers more power than an LEI, as well as better hang time on jumps. Other advantages are not having to pump, smaller pack down size too. Some riders prefer how they fly. Of course, there are pros and cons to foil kites (as there are with LEIs), so really comes down to personal preference :)
Please for the love of god, make a video on how to properly step by step untangle a foil kite. This is the most absolute frustrating part of foilkites and scares away so many people. I beg you lmao, I was busy 3 hours last evening untangling it, and I am dreading my next sesh in scare of tangling again.
@@OurKiteLife It happened again today...i timed it this time. 1 hour and 28 minutes untangling, i really pray to god you guys make a video about this with tips and tricks on how to best/efficiently untangle them and how to get them through loops
@@Ryy22 Hi Ry. What I noticed from my experience, it usually happening when you detach your bridles from the bar and leave it untied together while one of the kite tips are flapping in the wind. I happened to me once and I spent about 2 hours trying to untangle it without any success. I ended up marking all the connection points for all the bridles (at the points where it connected to the kite's canopy), detaching it (very easy. it just like a small pigtails with loops at the bridles), untangling it and putting it back. The whole thing took me about 40 minutes. Much faster than trying to untangle it attached to kite. After this time I either keep bar connected to the kite or tying all the bridle ends right after detaching bar lines. Never ever had a problem with tangled lines after that. Hope this helps.
Hey im about to buy my first foilkite but i have no plan about softkites always used tube kites... But i dont know any website or book etc where i can read about the basics of a softkites like the bridle system etc so if you know a good guide please let me know... I can't find good videos on TH-cam neither
Loving your videos. As someone new to the sport I’m binging your content as they’re visually great and packed with excellent info. As a 175 lbs guy with aspirations to snow kite and kitesurf, would a Soul be able to do double duty? If so, do you recommend a size for someone who is interested in free riding Lake Ontario and Simcoe? Keep up the great work!
I am new to kitesurfing, looking to purchase a Soul either 10 m or 12 m. I am 175 lbs, just use for free ride, what size would you recommend what about the line, should I upgrade it or keep the original that comes with the kite? Thank you.
If you’re looking for free ride we would recommend the 12m. If you will be using it for twintip and foiling then go with the 10. As for the lines, keep the original lines that came with the kite. If there’s more wind high up at your kite spot then use line extensions. Otherwise the regular line length is fine.
Soul is technically the Speed6. They are very similar, but the biggest difference is the handling. The Soul has more bar pressure and feels more like an LEI. The Speed5 has more of a true foil kite feel.
Great video, thank you very much :) If you can advise, I am going to buy my first kite, mostly for land and snow, I love skiing, I am woman 70kg, in heart of europe (slovakia) , is better soul 12 or soul 10m ? Thank you very much for any advice, you have the best videos :)
I was into kites including powerkites before kite boarding so I am a bit familiar with foil kites on handels lol never had a true depowerabel foil. When I got into kite boarding I had a slingshot rev and turbo inflatables loved them! kites. How ever it has been years! Out of the sport. I want to get back at it but I'm nearly a bum with little money will I kill myself if I get a Pansh? Foil.?
There’s a group of kiters who swear by Pansh - the kites are affordable and with some adjustments they apparently fly very good. May be worth looking into.
Love my Soul 8m and 12m, two totally different kites in terms of performance, but don't really feel the need to get one in between. With that being said, I'm looking at a Sonic for high speed snow kiting, what size do you recommend?
@@OurKiteLife Really? it just seems like the overlap is too great between all three, at least for land/snow kiting. That being said, I do have an LEI in between for the water
Hey friends! I am a big fan of your videos and can’t thank you enough for all the tips and insights. I have a question. I am an 87kg rider and looking to buy a fly surfer soul to let me ride days that my LEI kite (10 and 13 f-one) won’t let me. I live in a region with low wind. What size would you recommend? Thinking about both Twin Tip and in the future a foil board. Hesitating between 12 and 15m. Thanks !!
Thanks, glad to hear you enjoy our videos! We’d recommend you go with the 15m Soul. A 15m Soul and twin tip will be great for low wind. It will also be a good kite to use when learning to foil. While the 12 is a great kite too, the 15 will round out your quiver nicely. Hope that helps, cheers!
Hi guys, I was re-watching your videos lately and noticed some inconsistency in maintenance schedule of the Flysurfer Soul kites. In this video you are talking that yellow lines should be changed every 100hrs (same as my 2020 FS Soul manual which also mention that pulleys have to be changed every 250hrs) but in video "Make your old kite fly like new" guy from FS saying that yellow lines have to be changed every 200-300hrs and pulleys every 400hrs. So why is such inconsistency? Did they purposely lowered lines/pulleys quality since 2019? Reason I'm asking is my short yellow lines just failed (one after 130hrs and another one after 140hrs).
It’s interesting, I thought recommending 100h for pulley lines and 250h for pulleys on sonic3. Having +300h on my sonic3 still first set of lines and pulleys. But pulleys look worn out, break lines shrinked by 2inch, kite is still performing good.
@@abacaxifamily Well, I wouldn't risk it. Those lines don't show much wear and tear before breaking. I was checking it constantly but got it broken while riding three times in two different kites (one line on Soul 15m after 130hrs, next one on the same kite after 140hrs and one on Soul 10m after 190hrs). After that I'm just changing it (and pulleys) every 100hrs. Also looks like pulleys are made by Ronsan company so you can purchase it for cheap (like 5$ each) at the local sailing store. I mostly switched to hydrofoiling now and therefore switched to the inflatables. Using only 15m Soul rarely, when wind is super light. So not a problem for me anymore.
@@crocodile172 you are right, I’ll service it when I’m back from Brasil. It needs to be trimmed too. Hope it will still last for next 60 days (50hrs) 😉
I'm looking for a tip for foil kite wing tips. I have the Slingshot Phantom 1.1 (Elf Kite design) in both 11m and 15m. The 11m has velcros to close the wingtip slots while the 15m does not. I think that the 15m could gain perhaps 1 or 2 knots in the low end if the wingtips were shut by velcros. It seems to have a hard time inflating when the wind is very light. So should I add stick-on velcro closures on my 15m? Do other large foil kites have non-velcro openings at the wing tips?
you can probably try to see if it makes a difference, from our experience kites that no longer stay inflated have degraded fabric, aka not airtight anymore
@@OurKiteLife no my kites are brand new and like I said, the 15m has a hard time inflating when the wind is 6 knots and below. I'm guessing blocking the tips with velcros I might be able to ride it below 6 knots. I'm wondering if the openings without velcros is on purpose though. Like you said in a previous video, Elf kites seem to have quality issues though, so this might be one.
You are almost perfect !. The only thing left for you to get perfection is.....ME !!!!!! :) :) :) ;). Impecable production !. Love you ( both ) :( Bye !. Love. Pablo.
Hi! I am on my way of buying a foil kite and I have a question that you might be able to answer. So now I am using my 13m fone breeze (large one strut LEI kite) for foiling in low wind days ( about 7-8 knots). I am looking at fone halo 10m to be my first foil kite. But I can't decide is the 10m the right size for me. I am 85kg and I will be foiling. So do you think that I will be able to foil ( 1500cm2 front wing) with the 10m low aspect foil kite at 7knt of wind? Fone halo is similar to flysurfer soul I think. Your videos are awesome and very informative, and fun to watch ^^. Thank you!
Thanks! So it’s hard for us to be certain given we haven’t tried the Halo. You have a large wing so it’s possible to use a 10m foil kite in ultralight conditions. Can’t guarantee going in 7 knots but we have a friend about your size who kites in under ten knots with the 10 soul and Moses 633 (1250 cm). Hope that helps!
Hi, I'm using the Flysurfer Speed 5 in 18m. Do you recommend to change to Flysurfer Soul 18m? Kitelevel advanced, Freeride Twintip with 70kg. Greetings from Germany
Thanks for the great video! I just bought an infinity 4.0 for my old speed 3 DLX 21m and upgrade the old 2.0 I had. I called FS in Germany and they said it was compatible. Would you have any concerns or tips around the new bar? I had 6m line extensions before, how can I determine if I should use 17/20/23 or 26m for TT or foiling? Thanks again
Infinity 4 is a great bar - minus the safety line which wraps around the front line if you do too many backrolls/loops one way more than the other. Solution, make sure to loop the kite both ways equally. We use 26m lines for everything as we find there's way more wind upstairs, and the benefits of longer lines outweigh the disadvantages.
@@OurKiteLife thanks I will put the longest lines. I noticed you moved onto the new force bar. Is that a lot better? Is the eyelet plastic or stainless steel?
It’s a love-hate relationship with the Force bar 😄 the reason we love it is because the safety line doesn’t wrap around the power line as it does with the Infinity bar... the negative aspects are that the floaters are too stiff which can be annoying when setting up lines, and the black stopper ball also gets in the way
I heard it’s not recommended to use foil kites in the ocean when there are waves. Is this true? Is a foil kite more likely to get damaged if it gets hit by a wave compared to a lei?
We know Ozone puts this disclaimer on some but not all of its foil kites. Flysurfer doesn't as far as we know. What will happen to foil kite vs LEI in waves? Could see both potentially getting damaged.
can't really tell you for sure as we have never tried chrono ultralight. We did have experience with Silver Arrows from flysurfer. They were lighter than souls, but not very durable
Because of this Our Kite Life vlog I purchased several FS Soul kites 2 years ago. Starting with the 12 Soul, then a 10, and finally an 8. Sold all at a financial loss. Here's what I strongly believe.... Foil kite handling properties are best for kiters who live in regions with more steady consistent winds. Places with ocean breezes, places out in the wide open planes states. For us who live in Gorge, or Puget Sound (Washington) where most of our wind is frontal or mountain gradient winds, the gust-lull conditions make foil kites impractical. We see nearly zero foil kites in Hood River
For those kiters who count on being able to use their LEI kites to keep them afloat when they're many kilometers from shore and something bad has happened, it's important to remember that foils won't keep you afloat like an LEI will. Wearing enough personal floatation to keep your head above water is extremely helpful when you're struggling to relaunch your kite in light winds and especially when you need to fold your kite in the water and swim back to shore with it. For those of us living in warm climates where its common to kite wearing only a bathing suit and harness, it's easy to forget how important personal floatation is when trouble occurs.
Great point Mike!
Got a 15m Flysurfer Soul myself for low wind rides and really like it, such a great complement to my LEI quiver, so it can be enjoyable to ride both LEI and Foil kites. The Soul avoids having too many kitemares when moving to Foil, a really good kite indeed
Another thing to note about second hand foil kites is to check blown cells. Also make sure you dry them properly if they get wet, lay them out and put a cold hair dryer in one end and let the air flow through. If the internals remain wet in storage it can speed up their deterioration.
Gunnar bianisch has a good video about bridle stretch too.
I think these are all good tips for people starting on foil kites, and I agree the Soul is a great first foil kite. With experience, you might happily break basically every rule in the list, but it’s good to have the basics down first. For instance, I will fly a 13m Sonic on a hydrofoil, with a non-standard bar (with 12m lines) all the time. It’s a very “racy” setup and goes against much of the advice here.
One tip I have: when comparing kite sizes to inflatables, must foils are effectively bigger at the same area. Assume a 10m foil kite will have power more like a 12m inflatable. This is because of the flatter profile of these kites with more are exposed directly to the wind.
Also, do your first sessions at “easy” launches with easy self-rescues. Big beaches with side offshore wind that you can easily walk back up are perfect. Basically the same places that are ideal for learning to kite in the first place. When your first water relaunch goes awry, it’s nice to not be heading towards a rocky jetty or commercial harbor, but an easy egress point.
These are great tips, thanks for sharing!
Assume you meant side onshore?
@@davemac1975 yes, sorry.
Went for 11m Ozone Chrono v2, came with 24m lines, changed them for 14m lines. The shorter lines make the kite turn way faster for foiling. Could point even higher upwind on the shorter lines
Great video as always! One thing I might add is to Point #1, "Understand your riding style." If you intend to do a lot of snowkiting/riding in the mountains a really powerful boosting kite might not be the best option - even if it's stable. For example, I ride the Little Cloud Pelican a lot (a closed cell/variable inlet kite); it has a more muted pop and isn't going to jump as high the Soul, but this also makes it feel more comfortable and less overwhelming in gustier mountain conditions.
Thanks for always posting quality videos for our viewing pleasure.
Thank you for all those tips !
Unfortunately I could not find any fs soul to test where I am so I chose an ozone 12m chrono with is high aspect freeride foil kite.
Easier to begin that I expected.
One tip: I started with a small bar for Eleveight with 5m line extension. If the bar is too small to loop the kite, go grab directly the steering lines... 😅😅😅 but that’s not a pro tip 😆🤙🤙
You just answered all my questions I had about the Soul 2. Thanks so much for your help.
Badaboombadabam! Top shelf advise delivered smart and fast. Thank you 🙏 Keep up the excellent work.
I really like the picture of the foil kite in the trees or the good bunch of knots with the lines😜
A good tip when you start with foil kite, don’t end the session with a new trick you don’t master...unless you may end with a long natakite 😜
Haha good tip! 😄
you could also use a juice dlab 13 or 15 m or a code cero from north or something similar with way less stress..
I have 3 Souls, 6, 9 and 12m, and have been looking for a 4m foil kite. I ended up getting a Kitech FRS 4m, and at the same time a 15m UL FRS from Kitech as well. The 4m is a pure jewel in 18 knots and above. And I have not used my 12m Soul since I got the 15m Kitech: the 15m has a larger wind range, stays aloft till 3 1/2 knots, will get me underway on a Moses 679 foil wing around 4.5 - 5 knots (I weigh 67 kg dry), and its upper end (~ 12 knots for me on a foil) overlaps with the lower end of my Soul 9m. Overall the 15m FRS has faster reactions than the 12m Soul for the same line length, it easily relaunches after 1 to 2' in the water in 5 knots wind, and has less of a tendency to flip-in the lower wing tip when hard down-looping in a jibe. And workmanship so far is flawless. Good buy.
Good to know, thanks for sharing!
With the mew materials for lei kite canopies I would love to see you compare them to the Soul. Ie Duotone and ocean rodeo models
We would love to as well but it’s not always easy to get our hands on demo kites. If we can we will definitely make a video!
Are you talking about aluula? it’s only used for front tube and struts. The canopy of the sail is same as usual.
It makes no sense to compare a specific Foilkite to a brand with aluula. The shape / usecase of a kite is more important than its weight. You wouldn’t compare a soul with a 5 strut big air kite just because it’s lighter due to use of aluula. Be more specific!
Hi, useful tipps. I would add : if u have a launch / land zone with sand, than it would not be easy to remove sand from the foil kite.
Does sand damage a foil kite?
We have limited experience with sand as our spots are grassy, but when we go to the Caribbean the sand hasn’t damaged our kites - just made them dirty. But we are only there for a week or two at a time.
Well I am using the Soul 10m, in a sandy beach. After u drop ur kite in water, it wont be easy to remove all sand of it. Sand dosnt damage, beacuse it goes from the drainage out
Flying sonic3 for 3 years in Brasil on sandy beaches with all sizes of grains, from dust to pebbles. No damage at about +300h on my sonic3, i drop the kite on very rare occasions, if so I fly it until it’s dry again, washing off the salt with freshwater and dry it up. Kite is not sticky to sand when rinsed with fresh water.
Even when rolling up at the beach, very little sand will get on the kite as long Wind stays below 20kts 😉
One very important thing is to know the exact term like inflate valve, A/B/C/Z-level, h-strap, v-profile, LE/TE, Mixer. This is the base for learning, because you need to have a standard to talk about
Great point!
Great video (as always)! Keep them coming!
I have a question,
Im using a f-one bandit 12m and a best ts 17m at the moment. But I want to sell them and buy a soul. First, which size?! 10 or 12? We dont have the best winds, quite gusty. Im 90kg and have a TT 138.
I might buy a foilboard later. Feels like I will miss a few days kiting choosing the 10m(?) Those 10-12knots days. Or will it be enough? The version 2 soul, is it even worth it? I saw your other video about the soul 2. Seems like it isn't worth it.
I would love some input.✌️ Cheers!
Great instructional video! 👍
no need for the original bar - in fact other bars work just as good or even better. BUT: make sure that it fits and you know what you do!
e.g. single front line safety, low V, all lines same length, ...
That's the thing, we find a lot of people don't actually know what to do, and that's why we recommend original bar! If you you know what you're doing then for sure
1. Avoid setup in areas with lot of twigs.
2. 8m, 12m, 21m overlaps as a quiver, just. Have done it for years. If I did it again, I’d go for an 18m instead the 21m and get that extra knot to two lower in light winds with a lightwind board, unless I was heavy.
3. When you crash on the water, always STOP and THINK. There is no rush usually, and a well thought out pull on one or two lines will get you going again in no time. If it got twisted, try flagging out to one line.
4. The bridle lines will contract over time on older kites. You can try to stretch them back out a bit if you are having tuning issues a mixer test won’t fix.
5. They are expensive, but last longer, IMHO.
6. They are not an ideal choice for turbulent, inland conditions. If you ride somewhere swirly and wind shadowed, maybe think twice. They do handle gusts well though due to large depower.
7. They are super easy to self-launch. You trade that for more difficulty self-landing, depending upon location. Even water launches are easy.
When asked, I say “When they are at their best, there is nothing better. But when they are at their worst, there is nothing worse!”. No regrets, having owned 5.
These are excellent tips, thanks for sharing! #3 is so true - it can be all too easy to panic but if you stop and think you can usually figure out the next best step :)
Hey man. Can you elaborate on #4? How do you know which lines to stretch back out? My 11m sonic3 kite flies horrible after doing long mixer test. About to sell it even though it's in brand new condition canopy wise.
@@movieman12341 do them all one at a time. When you lean on them, yo I will find some obviously stretch out a touch before becoming springy. You will get a feel for it. I tie off from bar end and use a screwdriver through the eye loops as a handle on the kite side, stretching one at a time. Good luck. It has helped me for sure.
@@KiterSuperfly Thanks for reply! So, it sounds like you stretch the A,B,C, and Z line? Are you pulling close to the screwdriver right where the A,B,C, Z line split? Also, do you ever do long mixer test? I did that test and it still flies awful. Curious if you do the stretching before or after long mixer test. Thanks!
@@movieman12341 Tie off the 4 ABCZ lines just after the mixer one row at a time, where the lines start to split apart into all the bridles. Use a hook or something. Then, using a screwdriver through the eye loops at the kite as a convenient handle, stretch each bridle out, going through each row. You will feel some stretch out before they stop and get springy. They were all pre-stretched from the factory but can shrink a bit over time. That has helped me if one isn't flying well.
What is the point of a foil kite as opposed to a normal kiteboarding kite?
There are many advantages to a foil kite. They offer better low wind performance- which is especially advantageous if you live in a low wind area as we did. Size for size, a foil kite offers more power than an LEI, as well as better hang time on jumps. Other advantages are not having to pump, smaller pack down size too. Some riders prefer how they fly. Of course, there are pros and cons to foil kites (as there are with LEIs), so really comes down to personal preference :)
@@OurKiteLife thanks very much for the info, I will consider one for sure
Please for the love of god, make a video on how to properly step by step untangle a foil kite. This is the most absolute frustrating part of foilkites and scares away so many people.
I beg you lmao, I was busy 3 hours last evening untangling it, and I am dreading my next sesh in scare of tangling again.
There’s also not a single video on TH-cam about this, neither could I find info on kite forums
Thanks for the suggestion - this is something we will cover in an upcoming video :)
@@OurKiteLife It happened again today...i timed it this time. 1 hour and 28 minutes untangling, i really pray to god you guys make a video about this with tips and tricks on how to best/efficiently untangle them and how to get them through loops
@@Ryy22 Hi Ry. What I noticed from my experience, it usually happening when you detach your bridles from the bar and leave it untied together while one of the kite tips are flapping in the wind. I happened to me once and I spent about 2 hours trying to untangle it without any success. I ended up marking all the connection points for all the bridles (at the points where it connected to the kite's canopy), detaching it (very easy. it just like a small pigtails with loops at the bridles), untangling it and putting it back. The whole thing took me about 40 minutes. Much faster than trying to untangle it attached to kite.
After this time I either keep bar connected to the kite or tying all the bridle ends right after detaching bar lines. Never ever had a problem with tangled lines after that.
Hope this helps.
Hey im about to buy my first foilkite but i have no plan about softkites always used tube kites... But i dont know any website or book etc where i can read about the basics of a softkites like the bridle system etc so if you know a good guide please let me know... I can't find good videos on TH-cam neither
Loving your videos. As someone new to the sport I’m binging your content as they’re visually great and packed with excellent info. As a 175 lbs guy with aspirations to snow kite and kitesurf, would a Soul be able to do double duty? If so, do you recommend a size for someone who is interested in free riding Lake Ontario and Simcoe? Keep up the great work!
Thanks! And yes, a Soul is great for kiting on both water and snow. We recommend the 12m.
Another brand to consider is Kitech.
absolutely
I am new to kitesurfing, looking to purchase a Soul either 10 m or 12 m. I am 175 lbs, just use for free ride, what size would you recommend what about the line, should I upgrade it or keep the original that comes with the kite? Thank you.
If you’re looking for free ride we would recommend the 12m. If you will be using it for twintip and foiling then go with the 10. As for the lines, keep the original lines that came with the kite. If there’s more wind high up at your kite spot then use line extensions. Otherwise the regular line length is fine.
Great video, can you tell me more about the differences between the speed5 and the soul?
Soul is technically the Speed6. They are very similar, but the biggest difference is the handling. The Soul has more bar pressure and feels more like an LEI. The Speed5 has more of a true foil kite feel.
@@OurKiteLife thanks!! What about the lift and the speed of both kites?
Great video, thank you very much :) If you can advise, I am going to buy my first kite, mostly for land and snow, I love skiing, I am woman 70kg, in heart of europe (slovakia) , is better soul 12 or soul 10m ? Thank you very much for any advice, you have the best videos :)
I was into kites including powerkites before kite boarding so I am a bit familiar with foil kites on handels lol never had a true depowerabel foil. When I got into kite boarding I had a slingshot rev and turbo inflatables loved them! kites. How ever it has been years! Out of the sport. I want to get back at it but I'm nearly a bum with little money will I kill myself if I get a Pansh? Foil.?
There’s a group of kiters who swear by Pansh - the kites are affordable and with some adjustments they apparently fly very good. May be worth looking into.
Love my Soul 8m and 12m, two totally different kites in terms of performance, but don't really feel the need to get one in between. With that being said, I'm looking at a Sonic for high speed snow kiting, what size do you recommend?
11m Sonic but man you’re missing out, 10m is better than either 8 or 12
@@OurKiteLife Really? it just seems like the overlap is too great between all three, at least for land/snow kiting. That being said, I do have an LEI in between for the water
Hey friends! I am a big fan of your videos and can’t thank you enough for all the tips and insights.
I have a question. I am an 87kg rider and looking to buy a fly surfer soul to let me ride days that my LEI kite (10 and 13 f-one) won’t let me. I live in a region with low wind. What size would you recommend? Thinking about both Twin Tip and in the future a foil board. Hesitating between 12 and 15m. Thanks !!
Thanks, glad to hear you enjoy our videos! We’d recommend you go with the 15m Soul. A 15m Soul and twin tip will be great for low wind. It will also be a good kite to use when learning to foil. While the 12 is a great kite too, the 15 will round out your quiver nicely. Hope that helps, cheers!
@@OurKiteLife thanks so much, you’re great!
Hi, great videos! I was wondering how you liked the speed 5 in 15m? Is it an enjoyable kite to fly and ride? Thanks!
Loved it! It’s a great kite.
@@OurKiteLife thanks, good to know!
Hi guys, I was re-watching your videos lately and noticed some inconsistency in maintenance schedule of the Flysurfer Soul kites. In this video you are talking that yellow lines should be changed every 100hrs (same as my 2020 FS Soul manual which also mention that pulleys have to be changed every 250hrs) but in video "Make your old kite fly like new" guy from FS saying that yellow lines have to be changed every 200-300hrs and pulleys every 400hrs. So why is such inconsistency? Did they purposely lowered lines/pulleys quality since 2019?
Reason I'm asking is my short yellow lines just failed (one after 130hrs and another one after 140hrs).
That’s a great question - something we have to look into. We’ll get back to you on it!
It’s interesting, I thought recommending 100h for pulley lines and 250h for pulleys on sonic3. Having +300h on my sonic3 still first set of lines and pulleys. But pulleys look worn out, break lines shrinked by 2inch, kite is still performing good.
@@abacaxifamily Well, I wouldn't risk it. Those lines don't show much wear and tear before breaking. I was checking it constantly but got it broken while riding three times in two different kites (one line on Soul 15m after 130hrs, next one on the same kite after 140hrs and one on Soul 10m after 190hrs). After that I'm just changing it (and pulleys) every 100hrs. Also looks like pulleys are made by Ronsan company so you can purchase it for cheap (like 5$ each) at the local sailing store.
I mostly switched to hydrofoiling now and therefore switched to the inflatables. Using only 15m Soul rarely, when wind is super light. So not a problem for me anymore.
@@crocodile172 you are right, I’ll service it when I’m back from Brasil. It needs to be trimmed too. Hope it will still last for next 60 days (50hrs) 😉
I'm looking for a tip for foil kite wing tips. I have the Slingshot Phantom 1.1 (Elf Kite design) in both 11m and 15m. The 11m has velcros to close the wingtip slots while the 15m does not. I think that the 15m could gain perhaps 1 or 2 knots in the low end if the wingtips were shut by velcros. It seems to have a hard time inflating when the wind is very light. So should I add stick-on velcro closures on my 15m? Do other large foil kites have non-velcro openings at the wing tips?
you can probably try to see if it makes a difference, from our experience kites that no longer stay inflated have degraded fabric, aka not airtight anymore
@@OurKiteLife no my kites are brand new and like I said, the 15m has a hard time inflating when the wind is 6 knots and below. I'm guessing blocking the tips with velcros I might be able to ride it below 6 knots. I'm wondering if the openings without velcros is on purpose though. Like you said in a previous video, Elf kites seem to have quality issues though, so this might be one.
This video mentions the missing velcros on the same kite: th-cam.com/video/4j1gLkac0ZA/w-d-xo.html
You are almost perfect !. The only thing left for you to get perfection is.....ME !!!!!! :) :) :) ;).
Impecable production !. Love you ( both ) :(
Bye !.
Love. Pablo.
Hi! I am on my way of buying a foil kite and I have a question that you might be able to answer.
So now I am using my 13m fone breeze (large one strut LEI kite) for foiling in low wind days ( about 7-8 knots). I am looking at fone halo 10m to be my first foil kite. But I can't decide is the 10m the right size for me. I am 85kg and I will be foiling. So do you think that I will be able to foil ( 1500cm2 front wing) with the 10m low aspect foil kite at 7knt of wind? Fone halo is similar to flysurfer soul I think.
Your videos are awesome and very informative, and fun to watch ^^.
Thank you!
Thanks! So it’s hard for us to be certain given we haven’t tried the Halo. You have a large wing so it’s possible to use a 10m foil kite in ultralight conditions. Can’t guarantee going in 7 knots but we have a friend about your size who kites in under ten knots with the 10 soul and Moses 633 (1250 cm). Hope that helps!
@@OurKiteLife Thank you! I asked my local dealer for prices for the FS Soul. And if the price difference is not that much I will get one soul 2 10m.
But the 10m soul is rated for 15-21 knots of wind. What am I missing?
Genial el vídeo👌👌
Laurie, the Flysurfer Soul is similar to Ozone Hyperlink? you ever tried the hyperlink?
We haven’t tried the Hyperlink. It looks like it might be similar but we can’t say without having tried it
Hi, I'm using the Flysurfer Speed 5 in 18m. Do you recommend to change to Flysurfer Soul 18m? Kitelevel advanced, Freeride Twintip with 70kg. Greetings from Germany
We recommend giving the 15m Soul a try. If we were given the choice between 15 and 18m Soul we would go with the 15 :) greetings from Canada
Thanks for the great video! I just bought an infinity 4.0 for my old speed 3 DLX 21m and upgrade the old 2.0 I had. I called FS in Germany and they said it was compatible. Would you have any concerns or tips around the new bar? I had 6m line extensions before, how can I determine if I should use 17/20/23 or 26m for TT or foiling? Thanks again
Infinity 4 is a great bar - minus the safety line which wraps around the front line if you do too many backrolls/loops one way more than the other. Solution, make sure to loop the kite both ways equally. We use 26m lines for everything as we find there's way more wind upstairs, and the benefits of longer lines outweigh the disadvantages.
@@OurKiteLife thanks I will put the longest lines. I noticed you moved onto the new force bar. Is that a lot better? Is the eyelet plastic or stainless steel?
It’s a love-hate relationship with the Force bar 😄 the reason we love it is because the safety line doesn’t wrap around the power line as it does with the Infinity bar... the negative aspects are that the floaters are too stiff which can be annoying when setting up lines, and the black stopper ball also gets in the way
I have another question, does height of a jump depend more on gear you are using or on your technik?
both, if its light wind you won't jump high on a 9m LEI but you will on a 15m foil kite. When the wind is strong enough, technik takes over
Hi! What is you think the right size of soul kite if im using it with a moses 590 wing? Im around 85kg and would like to foil on 7-10 knots. Thanks!
Hard for us to say, but we’d go with either a 12 or 15m Soul.
I heard it’s not recommended to use foil kites in the ocean when there are waves. Is this true? Is a foil kite more likely to get damaged if it gets hit by a wave compared to a lei?
We know Ozone puts this disclaimer on some but not all of its foil kites. Flysurfer doesn't as far as we know. What will happen to foil kite vs LEI in waves? Could see both potentially getting damaged.
How heavy are you for refrence?
What was the brand you said you can use when you're on a budget? Wasnt able to understand it
www.panshkite.com
@@OurKiteLife thank you
Wow this page is awesome for young broke people like me no i just have to figure out which of these brands are good😅
Anybody know about Slingshot Phantom? Super pricey, no instructions and no help from slingshot to get it tuned proper...
What was the budget brand, i dindt understand it.....
Pansh
In your opinion what is the best light wind kite, I think it is chrono ultralight.
can't really tell you for sure as we have never tried chrono ultralight. We did have experience with Silver Arrows from flysurfer. They were lighter than souls, but not very durable
Very nice video
Re untangle lines- try to do A first then Z and just shake them and most of the time they will untangle themselves
Thanks
...and another thing to know...you may live to regret it 😃