Hi,

I'm looking at getting a 2013 7m Ozone Edge, but it would come without a bar. I'd like to know how I could figure out which bars would or wouldn't work with the kite.

I've been able to figure out that the normal bar it comes with is a four-line bar, but I'm not sure what else is important. Is the rest mostly a matter of preference or are there other things that are important to watch out for?

safety system (1 line 0r 2 line flag out, front or rear if 1 line)
line length (all equal or different lengths )
throw length (length of the depower rope)

How can I figure that out for a kite? It doesn't seem to be listed in the manual as far as I can see. Do I just have contact Ozone or hope a review mentions it?

Ozone uses a very basic bar system so there are plenty of compatible bars to choose from. The contact control water bar or whatever it's named has 4 equally long lines with a low "V". The safety releases to a single front line (with a stopper ball on it). You can probably find the bar length for the 7m in a manual (not too critical) and I could measure the depower throw of my 2014 bar (again, not too critical, just make sure you have enough throw and use the adjuster sensibly since it may have more throw than the one on the Ozone bar :D)

Size wise - 45-50cm bar would fit. 45cm would fit small kite better but 50cm would be more universal so you can use it for larger kites as well.
You'd need a 4 line bar (without fifth line)
Normally you'd ride a freeride 7m on shorter-normal lines 20-23m but for added taste of race kite (here the Edge) you might want to choose longer lines (25-30m), or extensions as an alternative - it would help low end (turning your 7m virtually into 9m) and especially for riding a foilboard.

Above the bar depower is rather better than under the bar but it's not a deal breaker.
You might need to use different pigtails on the lines to match the kite connection points.

Slingshot or Liquid Force or Best 45-50cm bars would work just fine for it your Edge and they cost $150-$250 for a new one on sale.

Let me know if you have more questions

side by side on original equipment is the way i do alot. static layout bar All the way in and trim ALL the way out. thats the general descriptive point of view for EQUAL line length. and in general short bars are the least useful.

the elements carl mentioned are the fundamentals for jumping kites and bars with an array of creative minor adjustments. for example ..

depower lines can be adjusted
leaders can be shortened or lengthened
pigtails added front or rear.
the bar is a limiting factor and whether or not you have the trim element you want

usually a good source for data is the pdf. manuals for the specific kites like depower throw length, etc.. alot of the time its trail and error and general tuning. depower foil kites are the most sensitive i have found esp. with bar length.

understanding the how the equipment works, and what represent ideal flight characteristics are really where the application can be brought together...without that you are just hooking them up and tolerating poor/or so so performance.
scope of knowledge and understanding allows almost ANY combo to work you just need to know WHAT you are working toward.