Source: thekiteboarder.com
March 5, 2019
F-One 2019 Breeze v2
Sizes Available: 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17m
Sizes Tested: 7, 9, 11m
F-One Says:
The BREEZE V2 is for anyone who wants a light weight set up that offers incredible handling with great low-end performance. Now with a range of sizes from 3m to 17m, it is the perfect kite for light wind freeriding, and foiling in any conditions. Thanks to its stability and light weight, the Breeze can show off interesting performances in light wind wave riding too. Our design and test team have worked tirelessly to bring significant improvements to the BREEZE V2. You’ll discover the new kite has a more stable canopy when depowered and the overall range of the kite has been widened.
Across the range of sizes, the handling has been finely tuned; the larger sizes are even more responsive, making them perfect for maneuvers. The smaller sizes are optimized to handle stronger winds with total speed control and great stability while foiling. In the air, the BREEZE V2 is so intuitive to fly you can forget about the kite and concentrate on the riding. This unique characteristic makes it perfect for beginners and advanced riders alike. The kite has also been designed to work with a low front V on the bar to untangle lines after those inevitable kite crashes. The BREEZE V2 is available right now; if you want a lightweight, one-strut kite that can put a smile on your face in 8knots, the decision is easy, let’s get breezy!
Visit for more info: www.f-one.world/product/breeze-v-2
Our Testers Say:
“Really light kite, great for light wind and foiling; had great power and was stable when the wind picked up. Medium bar pressure, good turning speed, and great hangtime in the light wind with nice manageable power for foiling.” // Kristin Vincenzo
“Kite and bar works well together for a really fun time. Great hangtime on jumps, with good turning, nice bar pressure, and good upwind. Even as a twin tip rider I really loved this kite — one of my favorites for stable, predictable and fun riding.” // Jeff Waldberg
“Good depower, excellent upwind, good power and wide range. Clam cleat close to the cockpit made power adjustments easy. Can be fluttery when depowered.” // David Kirkup
Tkb Says:
We’ve always thought of the Breeze as a light wind kite but this year we had the option to test this single strut freeride kite in its smaller sizes. The Breeze is F-One’s mono strut kite which generally serves as a great travel kite with its light weight and compact fold-up size as well a good representative of the latest movement towards minimizing airframe weight in search of more agile flying characteristics. The Breeze sports about the same aspect ratio canopy as the Bandit and integrates F-One’s high flow inflation valve that uses a proprietary pump hose attachment that comes with the kite and a push button spring-based valve that must be in the closed position before inflating. To release air you untwist a cover and depress a spring actuated button to release the air. The system works great for fast inflation—the only potential downside to the system is keeping the attachment on hand (Editor’s note: a little of duct tape on a standard valve can get you on the water in a bind). The Breeze features a single setting front bridle with two pulleys that adjust the angle of attack. This year the Breeze has its wingtip attachment point upgraded to the same load sharing V-bridle that is now found on the Bandit, which offers two adjustment positions by altering the geometry of the V. Overall the Breeze is a great option for those looking to pack light on travel trips, or those focused on foilboarding or casual freeride cruising. When you minimize Dacron and lower the airframe weight you tend to lose a bit of crispness in the kite performance, which becomes noticeable when ridden in loaded up situations (like aggressive twin tip riding), but when ridden in the low end, the kite’s lower weight delivers excellent drift, quick and agile flying with effortless rider input. The Breeze’s bar dynamics may not be as tight as the Bandit, but in exchange you get the real benefits: which is a nice agile tight pivot turn and really direct and responsive steering. Testers praised the Breeze for its solid range among the sizes and its good upwind ability. Testers found the bar pressure to be middle of the road and the bar feedback, particularly when over-sheeted, wasn’t as clear as the Bandit, so you have to be aware in underpowered conditions of the wing’s stall point. Testers gave the Breeze high marks for its low wind performance, sailing through holes in the wind and generating good power when needed. You can still boost big airs with the Breeze; although this isn’t the ideal use for this kite, this mono strut can still play ball with good lift. The canopy feedback into the bar isn’t quite as tight with this aggressive type of riding, but that’s the tradeoff for a travel kite. The Breeze really comes alive when foilboarding, where it has tons of depower, excellent drift, a steady amount of power when you need it and a fairly ‘sheet and go’ feel. In overpowered situations the Breeze felt fairly controlled during depowered angle of attacks, but there was some bar wash from the moving canopy. Like all single strut kites, the tradeoffs you make for lightweight performance have to be balanced by using these kites in the ideal type of riding and conditions it was designed for. When the Breeze is properly flown within its range it feels quick and nimble, highly responsive and user-friendly which puts it at the top of our list for stuffing in a backpack and heading off for our next travel adventure.
The Breeze came with the Linx control bar which had a significant redesign last year. The control bar is a dual adjustable length bar that comes in two sizes (38/45cm and 45/52cm) and features a new single center line safety depower that flags the kite on one line and an option to switch between low and high V (high V for the Bandit kite and low V for the Furtive/Breeze – note that you have to thread the entire length of one center line through a small piece of hardware mounted high up to switch modes). The center lines end in loops and the outside lines end in loops as well and the flying lines do not have any built-in extensions. The Linx features an above the bar cleat for adjusting power and a plastic-coated trim/throw line for durability. There is no sliding stopper and while you cannot adjust the length of the bar throw along the plastic, you can adjust the distance to the power tuning cleat. The quick release was also redesigned last year to feature a built-in swivel above the push release which also works as a travel guard. The release and reset process is a two-handed process. When you slide the release handle away from you it locks into position, to reset, you place the loop back into the gate, then raise the release handle with one hand and use the thumb of your other hand to push the locking gate down while letting go of the release handle to slide back into place. While it’s not automatic, with some practice it becomes intuitive, reliable, quick and easy. The below the bar stainless steel ball bearing swivel rotates easily and allows you to untwist your front lines after rotational tricks with no problems. The bar ends feature integrated floats with retractable bar bungees and the outside lines can be adjusted for stretch. The Linx comes with an additional float above the center lines; this is to maintain positive buoyancy if you become disconnected from your bar. With some effort you can pull out the bar end inserts from the bottom and adjust the outside line length between five knots as well as the bar width. Testers liked the new grip, noting that the diameter is on the small side with an asymmetrical ridge on top that makes for a smooth ergonomic grip with a printed rubbery feel. The grip is firm underneath and a bit more cushy on the top where your fingers wrap around the bar. Overall, the Linx gets excellent feedback for comfort, options and performance.
Visit for more info on the bar: www.f-one.world/product/linxbar/
