So it's been a while since I owned or flew a PL twin skin but I have been thinking about coming back to them now that my pump ups are gone. I had a full quiver of Phantoms that I loved on the land but couldn't get a consistent water relaunch from them and after a really bad experience in the middle of the lake by myself they got sold. I moved to the Bularoos for the ease of water relaunch and self rescue but missed some of the nature of my PL's.

Now that the newer kites are out I find myself wondering which one would be better for me, the Synergy or the Charger? I ride mostly buggy and snow but like to hit the water a few times a season when the conditions are good. I don't go huge and spend most of my time just cruising around and goofing off.

So what are the attributes of each? Can I get away with a 2 kite quiver?

weight ? phantom II is on deck as well.

SYN has strong auto zenith, charger is more nimble.

both are by far quicker turning than PHANTOM. for a heavier guy 15M/19M on either.

charger has less bar pressure than syn. 15 syn and 19ch would be decent... and prolly like the big charger better, quick and powerful.

ch15 was quite versatile for me land/ water up to about 30mph

2nd the Charger 15 versatility.

Charger turns quicker than the Synergy and accelerates like a freakin' rocket in the other direction :o very fast, aggressive kite! Synergy is more laid back.
I think the Charger jumps better too... but I'm no arc expert.

I am from a different camp.

If there is anyway to " try before you buy " you may want to ? I find the 2 kites very different.

I turned away from arcs early , with my Guerillas. The Synergy is a huge step up from there. Faster turning and more range / depower. The Charger is amped up that much more.

I find that the Chargers won't forgive me of mistakes. They react very quick and turn very fast hunting for zenith aggresively at times ! I did my 1st kite loop very much by accident on my 15 recently.

My Synergy on the other hand is " softer " . It doesn't beat me up if I make a mistake. It finds the edge and zenith without spanking me along the way. Even running hot through the window usually just means a loooong slide downwind. It is like I make a move and the Syn gives me this little " you have made a dangerous move , go forward , go back moment. I often use this to back off. The Charger waists no time giving you the whip.

For those who want high performance the Charger is the clear answer. For me , the Synergy serves up the airtime / float for jumping at a novice level. The speed to ride with the fast folks on Blades , Boards and Buggies ! All this with a feeling of safety I just don't have under my Charger .

It almost sounds like you are out for a similar experience to me ? If so, the Charger my have more performance than you really need ?

If I had it to do again I would not have traded my 19m Charger for a 15. The extra turn speed makes the 19m an amazing kite ! Some are finding it almost a 1 kite quiver.

Good info guys. So how is the water re-launch compared to the Phantoms (I know the Phannys where some of the most difficult in this area)? Also If I go 15 and 10 will this give me a broad enough range for land and snow with the Synergy?

The 15 syn and the 12 for that matter would usually relaunch themselves if you did happen to get them wet. Other than that, a tug on the center pops it right back up. I've never botched a water relaunch with the 15 synergy I had.

The kite I need most to fit in with my 15m Syn is my 10.8 Reactor II . It gets WAaaay more use than my 10m Syn . I am small and not pushing extremes yet I feel safe with the 15m Synergy into the 20's with gusts into the high 20's. Mid 20's with smooth wind. Ripsession is smaller than I am and rides it at 30.

If you have sub 10mph winds THAT will be the gap you want to fill? My 15m wants 10mph to before it serves up anything enjoyable for a ride. It will fly in less.

Synergy has a huge wind range! Especially if you're fat. But don't forget, Carl says his 19m Charger is his go-to kite...

Water relaunch is easy.

The 19m Charger is really a sweetheart in the Charger line up. There's a ton of overlap between the 15m and 19m Ch's.

The 15m is the best all rounder IMO but if you dress out at 200lbs or so the 19m is a great option. I don't like to trim so I ride the 15m mostly but there's no reason why I couldn't just as easliy ride the 19m and just trim it as needed. The only time I get sketched on the 19m is if I have to fully trim it and the wind is gusty enough to over power me with the 19m fully trimmed.

I've only had a few days like that.

The 19m is like a turbo boosted 15m. Turn rate is pretty close if you muscle it, lift is better an so is the glide and she has the extra raw power when you want or need it. To me it's like the difference of a V6 engine and a V8. I may not need the V8 power but it's nice to have when you want it. :bouncy:

Hey Bob, how's the 12 syn on the Playa in the buggy?

I have only had that for a month or so and since the Phantom IIs are imminent, I've decided to sell the 12 as brand new instead of diminishing its value by flying it on the lakebed. I really could've used the 10 yesterday but its boxed up to ship and spoken for so don't want to fly it. Yesterday was really gusty with double speed gusts. An arc would've tamed things down. Looking forward to the Phantom IIs.

I don't think Bob tried the 12 on the playa. I tried a 15 in a buggy but it tended to want to go to zenith more than the Phantom. Phantom pretty much stays where you put it. I can see why land boarders and surfers may like the Synergy more because it likes to go to zenith rather than be parked and go in a straight line.