Been thinking about getting my first de power. Was thinking about the NEO 2or 3 because of the water relaunch capabilities. If I fly on water it would only be every once and a while. However, I have not seen very much posted on these kites. So maybe I should stick with the montana or apex. Any thoughts on the NEO 2 or 3.

u2u sent

I have flown an 11m Neo 2 and I really liked it. Great power, easy to inflate, very stable, good safety system. If you think you might want to try water and don't want to buy another kite for that I recommend the Neo.

I would suggest the Matrix if you want to take it out on the water. I found the Neo2 way to punchy in gust but the Matrix made out quite a bit better.

I've heard that the NEO is a little more beginner(as in depower beginner) friendly as the Matrix is a little more higher performance. Any thoughts?

I have only flown the Neo's not the matrix. Maybe flyjump will chime in.

The Matrixx is faster and provides more lift, pop and hangtime than the NEO. The NEO III is very stable, can be effectively flown unhooked and provides 'grunt' power.

I havn't had a chance to fly the neo's yet, but I love the matrixx. It's better in gusty conditions than the montana (obviously because of the close cell kite). It has a good low end which is really nice. If you are worried about relaunch then I don't think you have to worry. Now I havn't had this kite out on the water, but I've never had a problem with this kite relaunching. No bow ties or bridle tangles. Even when you pull the safety you don't have to worry about a tangled mess when you reset your safety.

Those of you who like smooth transitions this kite is perfect. Ride to the end of your field, send the kite and up you go, give it a good smooth redirect and you'll float down and the kite provides good float even when it starts to move much lower in the window. That way when you touch down you have automatic power to be moving. No stalled kite on transitions with this one.

Stetson is right about these depower kites, they inflate very quickly and easily. Safety system is quicky, easy, and reliable to operate/ reingage. The bridle system is also very simple especially compared to flysurfer. The montana 7 is even more simplified.

When I was in Thailand this summer the matrixx delievered in the low winds. The best wind I had there was only 11mph and it was easy to throw 6 or 7 foot jumps. What most suprises me is how fast these big foils turn. the 15 matrixx and 14 montana are incredibly fast and nimble for their size. Those of you who have used old foils from more than 2 years ago know how slow they take to turn.

If you are going to be flying in winds that are 19 gusting to 30mph then I would suggest checking out an arc. Can't really beat them in the gusties.

Hope this helps! Anything else I missed or should comment on?

Thanks you covered it all.