At A Glance
The Furia from Takoon is their top end kite aimed at the high performance kite surfing market who are looking for a kite that will excel at both freestyle and waveriding.
It boasts some impressive features including their one pump system and a super simple bridle. In our opinion it is good to see bridles getting less complicated, it allows for easier set up and there is less to get twisted if you do ever have a nasty crash and get the bridle messed up.
The kite is very lightweight, almost a standard for Takoon, with just five struts. There is reinforcement in all the right places though and the build quality is excellent. The kite also can be set up in either a 4 or 5 line set up, so it gives the rider a little more choice as to how they want the kite to feel and ride.
The Furia also comes with loads of trim options so you can set it up to fly how you want it. We flew the kite in both 4 line and 5 line mode and it really does feel quite different so it is worth playing around with the settings till you get it set up to suit your riding style. The bar is really high quality, and is also very light, easily one of the lightest bars out there which is worth a mention if you do lots of travelling. It is a full carbon affair, so even though it is light it is also strong.
In the Air
4 Lines: In the standard 4 line set up the Furia feels every bit the high performance hybrid kite. Just small input into the bar results in positive movement at the kite end and in no time you will have the Furia flying about with great speed through the wind window. All this speed and pace also add up to one thing, hangtime. The kite is really quick so when you are powered up you can really rake it back to get some impressive boost off the water.
The depower in 4 line mode is also excellent, just small movements with the bar will have the kite spilling power whenever you need it to. The speed at which the kite turns lends itself really well to waveriding, allowing you to really crank in some tight turns on the board and know the kite will respond when you want it to. The Furia also handles gusty conditions very well, on one of the days we tested the kite it was bordering on ridiculous and the kite was quite at home.
5 Lines: Once switched to 5 lines the kite feels very different, instantly you will notice it is much more direct and the bar feels totally connected with the kite, there is no lag when you turn the bar and the steering is even faster. The bottom end is also improved but at a slight cost to the overall top end depower. It was a tough call but in the end we decided we preferred the Furia on 5 lines, which is rare for us as we love the simplicity that 4 lines offers when setting up, especially with such a simple bridle set up.
Pros
Super fast through the air with awesome jumping and waveriding capabilities, simple bridle and set up on 4 lines.
Cons
Not for the feint hearted, but also small things like the one-way inflate valve being too stiff making it very hard to pump up. You can easily pump the kite up using the deflate valve though. Also for a top end performance kite the safety loop on the chicken loop seems a little extreme. But just small grumbles really nothing substantial.
Overall
An excellent high performance kite from Takoon, the ability to set it up on 4 or 5 lines will appeal to many and add versatility to the kite. If you like freestyle or waves then the Furia will excite you!
For more info visit www.S2AS.com or www.takoon.com
