TKB REVIEW: 2017 F-ONE BREEZE, THE PERFECT MATCH FOR FREERIDE FOILBOARDING
The Breeze doesn’t have huge amounts of low-end grunt, rather it’s medium pulling power and middle of the road steering pair with impressive amounts of depower on the high end which makes it a great option for riders in the beginner to intermediate stages of progression and those focusing on freeride foilboarding.
F-One Says:
The Breeze is a single strut kite and the aspect ratio is reduced to make the kite more stable and limit both acceleration and speed. Its profile is completely new as it needs to deliver both power and control. The wingtips are wide which helps with maneuverability, transitions and allows for backward relaunch. We have optimized the reinforcement patches to save as much weight as possible and facilitate light wind re-launch. The bridle is new as well with 4 fixing points and 3 pulleys per side. The Breeze offers an impressive feeling of control and feels very progressive leading to more confidence when riding. We have chosen the bar pressure to be more firm which lets you take support from it and achieve better balance. Re-launch is made super easy thanks to its light weight and backward re-launch ability, to get out of sometimes tricky situations in light winds.
Our Testers Say:
“Great stability and an excellent kite in light wind,” // Rob Shea.
“In terms of stability this kite is smooth like butter.” // Max Mackendrick.
“The colorful, one strut Breeze is fast turning for its size and very stable in the sky.” // Marko Bartscherer.
TKB Says:
The Breeze comes with a narrow diameter 9mm inflation and 11m dump valve but is relatively quick to pump up because of its single strut design. The Breeze features a single setting front bridle and three settings on the wingtip for turning speed and bar pressure. It targets the entry level rider and foilboarders with a mellower more user-friendly version of the Bandit that offers a lighter canopy for staying overhead in lighter winds and tuned down performance. Because the Breeze was developed with foilboarding in mind, it sits a little deeper in the window and while it’s turning dynamics feel quite direct it doesn’t have the same active flying characteristics as the Bandit. Testers found the Breeze to be one of the most stable kites in the test with solid praise for its turning response, easy relaunch and ability to stay in the sky in the lightest winds. Some testers commented on the canopy flutter during depower, but relative to the other single strut canopies on the market, the Breeze was par for the course. The Breeze doesn’t have huge amounts of low-end grunt, rather it’s medium pulling power and middle of the road steering pair with impressive amounts of depower on the high end which makes it a great option for riders in the beginner to intermediate stages of progression and those focusing on freeride foilboarding.
The Breeze comes with the Monolith control bar which is a fixed length bar (45 and 52cm) that is machined out of a single piece of aluminum block. It has a plastic coated sheeting/throw line, no sliding stopper, double center-line depower, high-V, and above bar depower Clam cleat without an attachment option to keep the depower control toggle from tangling. The safety system utilizes a push away quick release with a quick release travel guard, but no hand swivel. The center and outside lines all have looped pigtails and the length of sheeting/throw is not adjustable. This year, F-One took away the centerline tuning above the depower cleat and changed bar colors from red/blue to red/yellow. The padded floats attach to the hard bar ends with the and the outside leader lines can allow riders to adjust the length of the outside lines for stretch or tuning. Testers praised the rubber grip with slight texture of the Monolith along with its overall simplicity and functional features.
