At air, we understand wind addictions. Like you, we're passionate about kiteboarding every chance we get. That’s why our gear research is purely about discovering what will give us more great sessions.
Over the years, we’ve tried a lot of gear. These trials have given us many epic sessions where we discovered great things. They’ve also provided us with more kitemares than we’d like to admit. And, with each good or bad moment, we’ve tried to distill what exactly made us stoked…or downright frustrated.
Our experience teaches us that kiteboarding gear can be rated on very specific variables. Evaluating these critical traits (32 for kites & 19 for boards) directly leads us to choosing what we personally ride…and recommend in the shop.
Here’s how we get the 
Using an index scoring system evaluating how weak or strong a trait is, everyday riders are asked to stress test gear and then rate each trait. Individual trait scores are calculated based on which weighted key factor group they fall into (see sidebar to left).
For example, the trait “craftsmanship” falls into the safety category. Since we feel safety traits are 3 times more important than comfort traits, the craftsmanship score is multiplied by three.
We take all rider results, line up scores for each trait and throw out the highest and lowest scores. Individual trait scores are then averaged across all test participants. This way, we have a solid average test score for each trait, which has compensated for anomalies
To get a gear’s raw score, we take the average of all traits across every key factor. Then, we break it down to a simple 5 point scale.
To top it off, we add a value bonus! This little equation takes the gear cost and and calculates a bonus. Basically, the less expensive the kite, the bigger the bonus!
We then add the value bonus to the 5-point number and wah-lah! We have the air score. Here's what you can expect:
5 Stars, air's top rating, indicates gear ranking very high in all four key factors. While an item or two may need minor attention, overall, you'll be stoked to ride this gear right out of the box and your skill level will likely increase.
A 4 star rating means the gear scores at least moderately high on all key factors. There may be a few individual traits with moderate scores and/or an item needing some minor design attention. However, you'll be on the water without needing to tune a thing.
3 stars mean one or more key factors is scoring only moderately. The gear is good, but not quite great. Likely you'll find limiations in riding styles and wind ranges. The gear is safe, but may take more effort to use.
2 stars indicate the gear is scoring low on at least one key factor. The gear must be tuned out of the box before using and is very limiting in riding. Quality, comfort and convenience are usually sacrificed for price.
1 star means gear is scoring low on two or more traits. Simply, the gear should be recalled and re-designed due to significant flaws.
Almost perfect
While we’ve spent more time stopping our heads from spinning in the complexity of developing this system, we’re quite proud of it. However, we understand it’s not perfect. For example, every rider has their own opinion as to what makes gear great. Many are strongly biased on brand loyalty. We strive to use only non-sponsored kiters in our testing (with an educated objective mindset). That’s why we throw out the highest and lowest scores.
There’s always skepticism, but we’ve honestly done our best to include every possible thing into one of the listed traits. However, a kite or board may have something unique which falls outside of this system. That’s why we’re always on the lookout for new trends and are open to evolving the air scoring method. Should you have any ideas, give us a shout!
we developed this
gear rating method because:
1-We've yet to see an objective system
rating kiteboarding equipment. For years, kite gear has always been rated by rider opinions, and sponsred gear guides.
Typcically, strongly biased, both tend to overlook key issues. We wanted a numbers based system which consiers every critical variable... and compares apples to apples when evaluating kiteboarding gear.
2- We only sell what we ride,not vice versa. In order to know which gear is great, we review everything we can.
Key Factors
safety
>>> factor weight = 4
Dangerous gear is simply unacceptable. Safety looks at how easy it is to use the safety systems and how well they actually work in worst case scenarios. It also considers how durable gear is, how fast parts wear out, and what options you have in tuning the kite for varying conditions. We feel rider safety is critical and directly affects the following three factors. We consider this category the most important factor and give it the strongest weight.
performance
>>> factor weight = 3
From speed to smoothness to upwind ability, performance measures gear design and if it does what we want it to when we want it to. Performance is key to having a great session, and directly relates to the factors below give a 3 to category weight.
riding style
>>> factor weight = 2
Riding style measures how well gear performs among different conditions and rider types. We feel gear having broader uses has a greater advantage and receives a factor weight of 2.
comfort & convenience
>>> factor weight = 1
Good gear works well. But, great gear is also comfortable, easy to use, and comes with nice perks. Comfort & Convenience measures just how easy gear is to use. It also considers overall value and manufacturer customer service. While this category is key in making good gear great, we feel it is least important in determining overall session satisfaction. So, we give traits in this factor a weight of 1.
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