The NEO 1 has problems , with the De-Power (is not right) and safety yellow ball i prefer dont say anything.....because is almost imposible to used . Beside this like take a lot time to inflate if the wind is not more that 10MPH (Maybe is a normal thing)

The good things in my personal opinion i like the neo for light wind performance (Never collpase in the air because is inflated) easy to Re-launch after is inflated with rock solid stability and moderate price, this is the NEO1

Always something with HQ , i like the High quality of the kite material of their kites and i am a fan but a lot things about the rest of the kite make me think.... that they make the kites in a rush , like the whole thing with the bar and de-power with the NEO 2009 cheap materials (Red-Hat-Safety ball , Bar) look messy and not working ok

The direct competition of the NEO2 is flysurfer maybe the Pulse2 , could somebody coment the diferent between , the NEO2 and Flysurfer pulse2 ? because i would like to buy the new NEO2 and dont be punished again
Is HQ follow the Flysurfer desing ? with the whole thing of the 5line and water foils ?

I saw that the hq fixed all these problems in the new neo2 and looks very very good , but why should we trust in the neo2 again ?

Please coment the Diferent betweenHQ NEO2 AND FLYSURFER PULSE2 , de-powers - time to inflated -Re-launch , stability water and landkiteboarding performance

Sorry for the bad English , European living in USA
:D

I've never tried the HQ Neo but the safety system on flysurfer's is much more superior. The HQ Neo has a backstall safety system from what I reckon, so it doesn't completely kill the power, putting you in dangerous situations if the wind suddenly picks up. The Flysurfer 5th line safety on the other hand completely flags the kite.

The Neo 2 is supposed to have has a fifth line safety that works just like the Flysurfer one.

No one has the Neo 2 yet. They are just coming out of customs and should ship this week.

From my experience, Version "2" of all of their products are a huge improvement over version 1's.

I loved my Neo 11m and miss it already. My only beefs....
Safety release will stall the kite but not adequately flag the kite in high winds. (add a leash)
"Leashless Safety" is complete BS. You will become unhooked. Again, add a leash.
Eye-bolt in the cam-cleat loses its nut. needs Locktite Red
Elastic bar line loops do not work properly to secure wound lines on bar. (file notches on ends of bar)

No problems with de-power for me. I drive a buggy and enjoyed a wide wind range of 6-19 mph. Maybe on water it is more of an issue?

i noticed you know very good the kite because i have this problem too! and first time that i hear about this

Elastic bar line loops do not work properly to secure wound lines on bar. (file notches on ends of bar)

Any more input now that these kites are fully out and flown by a lot of guys?

frathouse likes his. It drops all power when you go to the safety and fills up nicely for launch.

I am am completely new to kiting (so take it for what it is worth) and have had my Neo 2 8m for a little less than two weeks. I got it for a trip to Colorado and took a lesson up at lizard head pass. The guy I took lesson with had some ozones so I flew his kites the first day (why crash your own while you're learning, right?). I was able to get out two more times while I was there and flew the neo both times. I know the kite is not reccommended for beginners but I thought it did great. this could be because I trained with a HQ hydra (the trainer kite equivelent of the neo) back in Phoenix for a month before using the neo in Colorado. It would take a little longer to inflate than the open cell (depended on the wind conditions but I would say a couple of minutes of up and down before it really took off) but I thought it was much easier to relaunch. I never had the "stop the kite, unhook and sort out the strings" like happened several times with the open cell on my first day. I can't compare it to any of the other brands safety systems as I have never used them and wasn't able to get a real feel for the ozone on the first day. What I can say is I am jonesing pretty bad to get back out and fly it again. I'll probably try to find someplace in flagstaff to fly it this weekend as they are getting dumped on right now. I'll write more after I get more experience

Starting with the Hydra and then getting a lesson was great way to go. Sounds like you are progressing nicely. Good luck, have fun and fly safe.

Have had a Neo 11 and 6m for a year and really like them. Yes had to remove the safety ball and see they have fixed this with the new ones.

Exciting kite to fly compared to my trusty Access. Used the 11m in the water ok.

I would buy again - especially with the improvements in the new model.

One think I learned about the Neo 2 is that the weight and drag of the 5th line will take 2 mph off the low end. I could launch and buggy with the 11 m Neo 1 in 6-8 mph (with some finesse), but the Neo 2 clearly needs a smidge more, like 8-10.
Not complaining, since the benefits of the 5th line are worth it, but it leaves the Phantom 18 as to low wind de-power champ.

The Neo 2 definitely inflates faster with the larger inlets, even though there are 2 less of them.