If the Ovando look like a little fighter jet in the air, it also feels like one. It´s got very urgent handling and it really darts in the sky!
Bar and set up:
The unique shape of the Ovando is obvious when you lay it out. It has a fairly straight trailing edge but swept back wingtips and the leading edge meets to a point in the middle. It does look more like a delta wing aircraft rather than a Delta kite and there is no other kite like it on the market. The build and finish will be familiar to EH riders: strong, unsleeved leading edge bridle, industrial strength, wear patches on the main tube, and an overall air of ruggedness rather than luxuriant finish. The bar is compact in the hands and has a rotating chicken loop which accommodates on of the front lines a total kill system. The other leashing option is to clip the leash to the chicken loop and the front line for suicide safety that still keeps you connected to the kite if you pull the pin. No one pump, no frills, just a kite, bar and lines.
The Ovando on the water:
If the Ovando looks like a little fighter jet in the sky, it also feels like one. It has very urgent handling and it darts around the sky and there is a very direct connection between the bar and kite: you pull or push and the kite turns. There is a nice tension to the bar, and the steering is light, urging you to throw the kite around. When you do, it picks up speed quickly and gets you trucking along superfast in no time. The Ovando has real throw around potential for shredding up and down waves, and the direct urgency makes jumping and transitions fast and exciting. Unhooked it´s a punchy little thing with a snappy kite loop on it; the canopy rockets back overhead so you get back under it early. Now the compromises: First up, relaunching is better achieved by reversing the kite; we found the Ovando didn’t just slide off to the edge like many new kites do. Secondly, on occasion we found the kite wasn’t super forgiving to the rider penduluming under the kite and there is the risk of the odd front stall.
Concluding the Ovando:
However, riders with good kite skills are unlikely to suffer the nose stall at all and this really is a kite that feels so much fun to keep throwing around. It´s an exciting kite to fly, feels very unique and unlike any other kite we´ve tested but it´s a very easy kite to get into and figure out. OK, so it’s not the smoothest flying canopy we´ve flown, and the chicken loop is still fairly agricultural looking bit of kit, but this isn’t a kite you´d put in a school or the hands on an unskilled beginner requiring a forgiving, slow mover and EH don’t promise anything that the Ovando can’t deliver. Where the Ovando wins is that not only is it huge fun when you´re throwing tricks with it, but just linking tricks up and riding from one move to the next is entertaining thanks to the super charged go cart handling. If your biggest fear in kiting is getting bored, this electric little kite could be the answer!
