The Envy is a three-strut one-pump kite with a bridle that features one pulley per side. The rear section of the bridle can be adjusted to change the turning speed of the kite.

The 2011 GK Trix looks very similar to last year’s model. This is a five-strut one-pump kite with a unique and very adjustable bridle.

The Gambler features a very wide outline, double to single concave bottom with molded channels, and a single bump swallow tail. For a wide 5’10”, it’s a lightweight board.

Overall, the Fuse looks very similar to the North Rebel with the addition of a bridle. This is a five-strut one-pump kite with a unique floating center strut.

Epic has not disclosed the actual size of the Infinity, so we were curious to see just how large it is. When compared to other large kites, our best guess puts the size at around 15m.

The Nemesis HP is back in Best’s kite line after a year-long hiatus and it shares the same unique Best-exclusive Cuben Fiber leading edge with the previous Nemesis. About half of the leading edge is made of the strong material and the leading edge of the Nemesis is very skinny compared to other kites.

The Turbine is Slingshot’s new light wind specific kite and it looks very similar to Slingshot’s popular Rally. The Turbine features Splitstrut, which means that the ribs are built into the canopy as opposed to being attached to the underside of it.

The first thing we noticed about the 2011 Ion is its heavy duty construction. Every possible area of the kite seems to be beefed up to take abuse and even the fabric that makes up the kite feels more sturdy than normal.

The Vision is a brand new kite from RRD and we were able to get our hands on the first Visions to land in North America at the 2011 La Ventana Classic. According to RRD, the Vision is supposed to fill the gap between the RRD Obsession (freestyle) and the Religion (waves).

We continue to be impressed with the attention to detail on products from Wainman HI. Boards come with all hardware, a board bag, and even a screwdriver to put everything together.

Our first impression when unrolling the Spitfire is that this kite is built to take a beating. It’s a five-strut one pump kite with a compact bridle. Both the front and rear bridles use one pulley per side, but Caution uses a unique molded block with no moving parts.

The F-One Bandit, the original Delta kite, is now in its fourth generation and it has undergone a major redesign for 2011. It is now a three-strut one pump kite with square wingtips.

For 2011, the largest change to the Slingshot RPM is the addition of Spitstrut, which means that the struts are now integrated into the canopy as opposed to being attached to the bottom of it.

The Evo is a five-strut one pump kite that shows North’s usual attention to details. This is a bridled four-line kite (it can also be flown as a five-line) with a very compact and simple bridle.

Once up and riding, the F-One Trax is a fast board that feels light and responsive underfoot. As you edge harder, the Trax feels like it locks in and never gave us any signs that the edge was about to slip or chatter.