Here is a review we received from a customer that purchased the 2010 7m EH Ovando.

“Sorry for the length of this one. Just wanted to tell the story of my new kite.

Here is my history. Kiting since 2001, purchase all my own gear, and my main focus these days is strapless wave riding but I still like big air when the wind is up. The current kites I own are 08 9M Waroo, 08 13M Waroo, 09 7.5M Kahoona, 08 5.5M Generator, 7M Ovando.

I have never owned an EH kite and only saw one once in person before buying the Ovando. After seeing the videos on the EH website and talking with Mike at All Out Kiteboarding (He was really pumped up about this kite) I decided to give the 7M Ovando a try. I like riding the smallest kite possible so this looked like a kite I would really like. I planned on using the Ovando in flat water to replace the 9M Waroo when our winds are offshore on the ocean side.

Summer for me is all about side shore wind and surfboards. For most of the year our winds are offshore so we are stuck in the bays.

Enough about me. The kite is well built like most these days. LE fabric feels very heavy duty. The valves are really soft and seal perfect every time. I’m not a fan of one pump so I’m happy this kite doesn’t have it. I’m not thrilled with the bridle lines. It has standard kite line that is sleeved only on the ends. It might cut down on drag put I would prefer it to be fully sleeved to add a little more durability. Maybe not a real issue but time will tell.

One thing that strikes me is how this kite hovers when you pick it up by the LE. It kind of just floats there unlike my other kites. Interesting.

Now for the flying. I have not flown the kite back to back with the 9M Waroo but my gut tells me the low end is very similar. I think the Ovando will get you upwind in the same amount of wind but the Waroo might jump a little earlier. You can really work the Ovando to get upwind where the Waroo is more of a park and ride.

I’m 165lbs (75 kg) and the 7M Ovando is getting me upwind on my 6’2” surfboard as long as there are whitecaps (I am light and fairly efficient). I normally only ride the 9M Waroo if there are white caps so the lowend must be pretty similar. Turning is much faster. The Ovando turns like a very good 7M. The nice thing about this kite is that the power is very smooth and it seems to hold the power throughout the turn regardless of where the kite is. The power is not spiky and it doesn’t generate too much pull when it swings overhead. Although I didn’t buy the kite for waves it turns out to be a really good wave kite for the chasing the kite down the line style. It does fly forward in the window so it has to be one step ahead of you in waves but it is quick enough to put the kite anywhere you need it.

The bar pressure is light enough to ride all day but the feedback is very solid. Really dialed in. In comparison the Waroo feedback is a bit soft and loose.

I have dropped it twice. The first time was during a failed off the lip when I got munched. The kite landed LE down, popped onto its wingtip by itself, and I relaunched it before the next wave. The second time there were no whitecaps and the wind was so light I could not get it on a wingtip. Most LEI’s probably would have been done but I reverse launched the Ovando very easily. Great feature!

Overall it is a super fun kite and has me stoked on kiting once again. It is honestly the only kite I want to use these days and it is the only kite I have used since I got it. We are having an off summer and I can’t remember the last time the wind was above 20 mph so I have no clue how the kite jumps on a twin tip but for surf it is a really fun kite. Call me a pimp if you want but I’m really stoked on this kite right now.

-Tom”

Special thanks to Tom for allowing us to post his review.

Choosing Kiteboarding Gear can be a tricky thing if you’ve never done it before or if no one has ever told you what to be looking for. There are a few things you should think about before your first/next kite gear purchase. Considering thinks like ability level, riding style, riding conditions, wind conditions, and body weight/size can be very beneficial when selecting your kiteboarding gear.

Ability level should certainly be considered first since there are certain kites designed for different levels of riding. For instance in our line of kites that we carry, we offer the EH Beast which is better for a beginner and the EH Rippehr that we only recommend for advanced riders who feel very comfortable on the water already. However there are kites that are simple enough for beginners to use but at the same time may have a characteristic that an advanced rider is looking for in a kite.

Riding style is something you should also be thinking about. Are you on the water to relax and free ride or on it to take out some built up aggression on a wave face? There all all types of riding stlyes and that is why there are different kite designs to choose from. Someone who is looking for big boosts with great hang time will probably choose a different kite than someone looking to attack the waves with a surfboard. The EH EZE and the EH Rippehr are both great kites for intermediate/advanced but offer different benefits for different riding styles. For example, the EZE may be better for a rider looking for long, “floaty” airs where as the Rippehr may be better for a rider looking for an aggressive, fast kite with huge airs.

Riding Conditions should also be considered when selecting gear. Are you riding in choppy water, flat water, waves or a mixture of all these conditions? This may affect your decision about board type or board size. If your constantly riding in choppy water than you don’t want to go too small when selecting your kiteboard size. If your in constant flat water everyday than give me your location so I can come ride! You can’t really make a wrong choice in the type of board that you select. You’ll probably base your decision on your riding ability or style. If you ride at a location where you are dealing with all of these conditions than I would suggest you look for a board that has a “hard” edge, slightly larger fins, a wider nose and tail and a small amount of rocker. From my personal experience of riding in all of these conditions I found that the EH boards perform extremely well in all of these conditions. I’ve had other boards in the past that only ride well in one condition which can get annoying when you have to bring several boards to the beach every time you kite.

Wind conditions are another thing to be aware of when trying to find the gear that works for you. Do you have light winds, strong winds, steady winds or gusty winds? If you get a lot of light winds you’ll want to look for a slightly larger kite or one that is specifically designed for light wind riding. For stronger, heavier winds it would be better to look for a kite that has a “higher aspect ratio”. This means that the width of the kite between the leading edge and the trailing edge of the kite is considerably less than a kite with a “low aspect ratio.” Higher aspect kites can handle strong gusts better than a kite with a “fat” canopy can.  It is good to know that some kites fly differently in certain types of winds.  Some people may like certain characteristics that others may not so don’t think that just because the wind is strong that you have to ride a high aspect kite. Some people may like riding a lower aspect kite but you won’t know unless you are an experience rider.  

There is always something to think about before you find the gear that is right for you. Make sure you consider some of the things that I’ve discussed before purchasing gear if you want to spend more time on the water and less time on the beach.  If you have any questions you can contact us and we’d be happy to help you out!