Ozone Samurai 2m

I have now owned a 2m Ozone Samurai for 6 months and flown it through the worst of the winter weather so I feel I can offer some insight into the kite and it's various qualities.

Build Quality

In line with the usual comments about Ozone build quality and materials the kite has proven to be excellent. It's taken a real hammering from me and from friends using it to learn the basics and whilst it's been crashed on grass, sand and in the sea in high winds it's showing no sign of wear at all.

Setting Up

Kite is supplied with lines and handles (option of a bar) and is easy to set up particularly as lines handles and bridles are all numbered. Once initially set up if you keep the lines attached to the kite and handles it only ever takes a couple of twists to get everything ready to fly. This is helped by the strop on the handles which seems to restrict the handles from twisting round when packing and unpacking. This ease of use is really welcome when it's blowing like mad, you just hook the killers onto a stake, unwind the kite, release the (included) compression strap and the kite is ready to go.

Launching/Landing/Kitekillers

The kite launches well. It is happy to sit on the ground with the brakes applied and doesn't jump around even in the gustiest winds, probably due to it's size. It's happy to launch at a 45 degrees angle to the wind but is forgiving enough to launch directly into the wind in milder conditions.

Applying the brakes in flight brings the kite down straight and steady in any area of the wind window (which is more than can be said for the 4m Sami). Using the kite killers brings the kite down sweetly with no twists and turns in an emergency (and I have used this more than I would have expected this winter)

Flying Positives

The 2m Samurai is a very fast kite in flight and in light breezes rivals a Flexifoil Stacker for speed and agility. Whilst it's fun to fly static in low winds, when it really starts to blow the kite comes into it's own and starts to give the kind of pull that will allow you to land board ( and buggy I suppose) quite effectively.

In fact there is enough pull in 15mph winds to tack down wind with some speed on a land board. At 20mph plus in gusty inland winter conditions it starts to approach bigger kites in terms of land board traction across the wind window.

What I found happening was that the size of the kite allowed me to make use of a wider section of the wind window and be less conservative in terms of where I positioned the kite. Whereas with a bigger kite I might err on the side of caution in gusty conditions and limit the area of the window in which I flew, with the 2m Sami I could be a little more adventurous.

This didn't allow me to go as fast as a 4m Blade say, in the same conditions, but I was more relaxed and less likely to meet with an unexpected accident. As someone who is still learning their craft and can't afford an accident this was what allowed me to be out flying in the really nasty weather we have had.

Flying Negatives

In terms of land board speed in high wind/gusty conditions the differential between a 4m Blade or Samurai and the 2m kite is noticeable but not massive. Where you do notice the difference in size is boarding upwind. It may be a matter of skill/experience (I have a rather idiosyncratic and 'old man' style on the board) but I, and other flyers, have found it incredibly difficult to board upwind with a 2m. I have got back to my bag on a couple of occasions but having since flown my 4m Sami (and had much greater success with upwind boarding) I feel it is simply to big an ask of such a small kite to give pull so far over into the wind window.

(Having said that I do have a suspicion that the kites upwind performance wouldn't trouble a buggy rider so much as a boarder and would be interested to hear what people have to say about that.)

Another problem is the air speed of the kite in strong winds. You really need to fly the kite hard and fast to maintain good position and flyers that have had a go, coming from bigger kites, have been quite taken aback by the demands it makes in terms of work rate.

I personally have quite enjoyed that aspect but I can see that it may not be to every flyers tastes and it does have some disadvantages in terms of where your concentration is directed. It also makes flying it on a bar really difficult. My advice would be to save your money and stick to the handle version. You just have too much to do to fly it with a bar.

Summary

I love this kite. It flies beautifully and has been totally reliable and predictable in some horrible weather. I don't live by the sea and have limited time (as we all do) to go out flying and this winter it's seemed like the wind has never been anything other than dead clam or gale force gusty. This kite has allowed me to fly when I wouldn't have had the guts to launch my old 3.5m Pepper or new 4m Samurai and because of this I am a much better flyer and boarder than I was 6 months ago.

Now all I have to do is pluck up the courage to test the limits of my 4m without doing myself a mischief and wait for that perfect 18mph steady wind day that never seems to come!

By : monkeyherbet