Kite: Duotone Dice 2020
Size: 10 square meters
Test conditions: various days with light winds (from 14 to about 18 knots) during our kite trip in Tarifa plus some days of strong wind (20 - 25 knots)
The Dice is the kite born in 2014 as a link between the Vegas and the Neo, between Freestyle Wakestyle and Waveriding. Designed on the basis of a C-Kite and combined with a very light three-strut profile, designed to be responsive and direct.
We used the Dice with both Trust Bar and Click Bar , both with 24-meter lines (bar tests will be published in a dedicated post).
The Dice 2020 has as usual 3 Strut and a more open C profile. The main differences from the past years concern the materials and some finishes (lighter fabric), the removal of the pulleys from the bridles (exactly this year the Dice is No Pulley) and some adjustments in order to increase the wing lift.
The Dice has the adjustment on the Pigtails: Soft - Medium - Hard (we tried both the Soft and Medium settings).
"Airport Valve II" inflation valve that connects directly to the Duotone pump tube and can also be used to deflate the kite.
On the bar the Dice transmits a rather light but precise and not insensitive pressure . A little lighter than the Rebel and similar to the Neo.
The first feeling you get when you raise your kite is confidence . At any time you know where the kite is . The perception of power is soft . By moving the kite you can feel the power that is released but not explosively, otherwise it gives you a neutral feeling.
The stability in the air is remarkable, even with very light wind, at the limit of its wind range.
The response to the commands is quite direct and fast, although not as much as that of the Neo.
In pace the Dice goes well with a rather active run . It's not the kind of kite that "put in position and don't move it anymore".
The Dice is distinguished by a rather wide curvature radius, perfect for lovers of megaloops combined with a salton.
The wind range is excellent , especially at the top. Even with very strong winds the Dice remains super handy.
Even the windward hit us positively, proving to be superior to our expectations.
Less well the gusts that are rather enough, as well as the wind holes.
In terms of jumps , the Dice turned out to be very explosive especially in the first part of the jump.
Once in flight the Dice is easy to control and always predictable. The Dice has a little less lift than the Rebel, to get equally soft landings you need to actively control the kite and the feeling is a little less like a "parachute".
In any case, if aggressively inverted the thrust at the top is comparable to that of the Rebel and therefore very impressive.
Kiteloop and downloop are his forte: they are not too aggressive but give a nice boost.
Pop is also remarkable. Being unhooked it remains very soft and not too aggressive.
In wave the Dice is a little less fast and responsive than the Neo, especially when it comes to fast reversals, however it remains a manageable kite, even considering that a 10 is not a small size. Floatation in the air is good, although not exceptional when completely depowered.
In any case the good ability to foil combined with a soft and controllable power management make it very comfortable even strapless.
We tried the Dice both with twin tip boards and with the directional board, but with the twin tip convinced us more . With the Surfino we lacked a little reaction speed from the wing, especially when we wanted to be a little more radical.
In conclusion, the Dice turned out to be a versatile and permissive kite , easy to drive and with an immediate feeling for most riders, including beginners. Appreciated above all in freestyle where he convinced both big air lovers and those who do a bit of freestyle to drop even for his ability to forgive mistakes. Recommended for both beginners and intermediates and experts looking for a kite to progress safely and try some new maneuver.
TESTER
Besides us at Tabularasateam.it, they tried sailing with their impressions: Luca @ Sapotour and the kiters who participated in the September 2019 kitetrip in Tarifa
Here are some testers' opinions:
"Sail everything to do that forgives mistakes. You always know exactly where it is. It allows you to recover a downloop if you weren't perfect right from the start and don't shoot too hard in kiteloops. I would also recommend it to a beginner but it's not a sail boring, in fact it's a lot of fun. " Grana
"Beautiful sail, I always knew where it was. Easy in the jumps. It allows you to shoot kiteloop with 25 knots safely. I have the Evo but I think my next sail will be the Dice" Paolo
"In my opinion a really good all-rounder. Nice lift, nice power management. I found it a bit slow in changing direction, but still it satisfied me. Coming from an Evo I found the Dice a little faster . " Denis
Thanks to Duotone @soulridershop for availability and collaboration
Pubblicato il 01 ottobre 2019 | Blog > Reviews: KITESURF