I understand what bar pressure is. Thats not the point of this post.

Every kite company is trying to reduce bar pressure as much as possible. Why are they doing this? Isnt some bar pressure good so you can "feel" the kite and what it is doing?

I have been flying stunt kite for 6 years and I have always preferred kites that have atleast a little pull to those that have virtually none. I can fly a kite with some pull while blindfolded. I cant with one that has none.

All of this is just my opinion, and I may be wrong, but it just seems to me that some bar pressure is good, right?

Sure you want some bar pressure, feed back from the kite is good stuff, but too much can be really tiresome. On a long session of kiteboarding (5 hours+) you will wish for light pressure. Most kites of the option to increase/decrease pressure.

It is really just a matter of personal preferrence. Some people want heavy bar pressure so that they know where the kite is at all times. Having flown Flysurfers pretty exclusively for a number of years, I *KNOW* where my kite is at all times. Even with the insanely low bar pressure they have. You get used to it. Just takes some time to figure it all out.

If you want heavy bar pressure, make sure you get a kite that has that. Or look at the settings and see if you can modify it to have the kind of pressure you want. Another good reason to "try before you buy".

feedback from the bar is the balancing load from the back of the kites profile.

Most tube kite All have gone to heavy front line bias and light or absent feedback. a fly by wire so to speak. wait for the reaction rather than "feel" or "know" the kites location and load.

hooked in, the loaded kites power goes through the harness (kinda mask the load through the whole body) giving the light bar feel. UNHOOKED the load goes thru the shoulders and arms and is without a doubt right at the bar. unhooked riding with a depower kite literally changes the kite momentarily to a c -kite , and at this point in kiting, in general, makes the new rider go into depower units for safety and missteps a vital understanding of kite handling...hence the high injury rate with new young riders taught thru depower and progress to unhooked and get hurt...thats IMHO. the bar pressure is additive grip and strength enhancer at the right amount for good progression to unhooked other wise the kite will just get snatched out of your hands.

but thankfully most kites have alot of adjustments and you can find decent/tolerable bar load. or you just get use to the vague bar feel.

...and pros want a powered, "stupid" (kite won't do too much unhooked) kite for handle passes so they can throw the trick and the kite is flying where they left it. then catch it on the fall.

lotta 2 cents there! hope it helps

Amen brother. I can't stand that kite makers are focused on making the kites turn faster and faster with less and less bar pressure. I don't want it to feel like I'm flying with handles but I would like to always be able to feel where the kite is without looking. And while I don't want to fly a tank, I can't stand fast, zippy kites that redirect in a blink of an eye. I like to watch them turn, see and feel them build power and then pop... off you go. Whenever I see the marketing piece saying the kite now turns faster I'm always totally turned off.

What phree said +1 especially about choking the kite.

Good subject! I agree with the above said. I bugs me a little that bar pressure and quickness seem to be marketed in every ad a manufacturer puts out on a new kite. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but it just depends on what characteristics you want out of a kite at the time. I found heavier bar pressure extremely useful when first learning depower to give me good feedback. When I switched to Ozones it was like a night and day diff and took awhile to get used to such light pressure. I got used to it rather quickly and now prefer it for those long sessions or times when flying one handed. Frankly I didn't want a "fast" kite until I gained some experience and knew what I was doing. In the end I think it's all a matter of personal taste.

eh, a faster turning 12 is always a good thing in my books, to make it as much like a 10m would be great. I don't think kite companies (at least in the LEI) department, are striving for faster sub-8m kites though.

Got a 2006 Naish shockwave and on it's 2:1 bar settings, yikes...TIRING! That's popeye level of bar pressure. Glad things have toned down a bit. Have tested a 2011 cab switchblade on light settings and an 2011 RPM on med settings, and both were great. Plenty of feedback still for my liking.

Yes but ... then the 12 that turns like a 10 would need to be able to turn like an 8 to compete next year - where will it end?!?! :karate:

Dear Manufacturers - please start listing your kites' performance in numbers, like "degrees per second" or "Nm of bar pressure" and stop the endless marketing waffle!

amen to that brother

i think a little pressure is good, its acts like a shock absorber when your kitsurfing the choppy water......