Hey guys, so for anyone curious I've had the chance get some time on the new HQ4 Empulse and thought I might share a couple insights. I've had a
couple really good days on the kite - one day was on the 7m in 15-30 kt winds in unstable mountain conditions, the other was a very light wind day
snowkiting on the 16m.
For those unfamiliar, the Empulse is a closed cell, adaptive valve kite similar to the Little Cloud Pelican or Ozone Hyperlink - where you can modify
the inlets sleeves and make it act more like an open cell when desired.
So here are some quick take-aways:
1. It is a fast turning kite that likes speed. I would say this is a defining attribute of the kite. The turn rate of the 16m is similar to the 15m
Matrixx but with more power and speed. The 7m is just plain fast - noticeably faster than the 8m Montana X - both in turn rate and overall speed.
2. It has smooth power, much like the Montana X, and depowers well - much like the Montana. The kite relates much more to the Montana X than the
Matrixx - being a bit faster but with a bit less pop and hangtime than the Montana.
3. Stability is Excellent. The 7m did really well in the shifty mountain conditions I was in. I also had a beginner (2nd day for him on both kites
and skis) out on a light wind day who preferred the 16m Empulse to the 14m Montana for ease of use in those situations beginners tend to get into:
getting the kite too slow at the edge of the wind window in very light conditions.
4. The 7m Empulse has less power than the 8m Montana. At first I wasn't sure what to expect since I heard that the 16m Empulse pulled like the old
18m Matrixx, and I wasn't sure if this attribute was going to carry into the smaller sizes. But at least for the 7m, the power is consistent with a
smaller sized kite.
For me personally, this is what I was looking for. Between the excellent stability, depower, quick turn and slightly less power than the 8m Montana,
I believe the 7m Empulse is going to become a replacement for my 5.5m Apex. So much so that I just recently sold off my Apex.
5. The adaptive valves work better than I had expected. Initially I was skeptical if the 4 small inlets on the 7m would evacuate air fast enough to
be of good use in the mountains. But I found after that one day in the mountains in pretty strong conditions that it deflated quite quickly and there
was no noticeable "pillow" effect like you typically get with a normal closed cell. It was good enough that I feel comfortable using it in the
mountains in the future - at least the 7m.
6. Inflation with the valves open is quite quick. It is essentially inflated by the time you fly the kite from launch position to zenith. I have
not tested inflation in the closed cell configuration.
7. The other defining attribute of the kite is its low lateral sidepull at higher speeds. This kind of dovetails into point #1 - that the kite just
likes to go fast. I found myself riding consistently faster all the time on this kite than on the Matrixx. At these higher speeds, before I would
have felt like I was getting pulled uncontrollably downwind; however on the Empulse I was able to keep a nice upwind tack with minimal edging. The
speed also would just like to keep building and building. You can tell the kite was made for foiling in this regard- but think this would also make
it a good buggy engine.
The minimimal sidepull coupled with good depower also made for noticeably faster mountain descents while snowkiting. You could just kind of park the
kite to the side and really crank up the speed when coming down without feeling like you were about to get lofted off the mountain - it made for some
of the most fun downhill skiing with a kite I've ever had (didn't hurt that the snow conditions were also some of the best I've had, ha). Lift is
definitely there when you want it though, its just not quite was lifty as the Montana.
So in summary, I think this kite is going to appeal to the person and who doesn't necessarily need or want the most explosive pop on the market, but
who wants a stable, nimble kite that will push their speed limits a bit without being overly complicated and unforgiving like the more race-oriented
kites.
It has a lot of good attributes that make it a worthy successor to the Matrixx III (for example I think the switch to fully sheathed bridle lines is a
good thing - they obviously didn't lose any speed as a result); I know for me personally the new found speed is intoxicating and has me looking
forward to getting more time on it.
Founder/Owner Colorado Kite Sports
Specializing in Gin, Little Cloud & HQ4 foils. http://coloradokitesports.com
Most used Kites: LC Pelican, Gin Marabou
Skis: Something w/ Marker Baron or Duke Bindings
Boards: Litewave Wing, Naish Jet 2000, OR Mako 140
I haven't found any other reviews on Empulse. Can you please comment whether there is anything to add to your initial review? I read your reviews on
Little Cloud Pelican 2 and would probably be even better kite for me but I could get an Empulse in steep discount.
Or, does anyone else have a comment on this kite, it would be helpful as I'm planning to buy one.
Yeah - so after spending some time on and off the Empulse - I think all my original comments still hold true. I'm not sure what you're plans are for
the kite, but I would still classify it as a high performance mountain kite. That also works well for foiling boarding.
In regards to the LC Pelican 2 - the Pelican does seem like a refinement of the Empulse, with all of its good attributes but with the lift gain turned
up a bit higher. The Pelican2 is going to be a little more efficient and powerful per size. One thing I also noticed on the Empulse was that there
seemed to be a little bit of a sweet spot for bar/trim position. It liked to run fast and was pretty efficient, but if you pulled the bar in too hard
you could actually feel your speed start to bleed off again - almost like you were choking the kite a bit. It was subtle, but it was there. As soon
as you let the bar out just a tich - it was off to the races again. The Pelican doesn't seem to have this tendency - you can keep pulling in and it
just seems to generate more lift and power.
I did have a buddy who felt the 7m Empulse was more stable than the 7m Pelican V1. He was using it in the Great lakes and had some issues with the
Pelican collapsing as he was trying to battle through large shoreline break in really windy conditions for some reason. I could never get the V1 or
the V2 to replicate what he was talking about, but he owns both the 7 and 10 Empulse and the 13 Pelican V2 and enjoys all 3 (he really likes the 10
Empulse for foiling).
Not sure if you saw my recent post on the Gin Spirit, but I compared that kite to the Pelican; and its kind of interesting to look at all 3 of those
kites together. If you were to look at a random description of these kites - they have seeming the same purpose: they are all good for foilboarding
on water, and are good on snow too - but they definitely different beasts. If you were to look at them on a sliding scale of comfort/ease-of-use and
Pop/Performance, the Empulse would be the easiest/most comfortable in gusty winds, then the Pelican, then the Spirit. If you more interested in Pop
and jumping ability, then the Spirit would be the clear winner, followed by the Pelican, then Empulse. So really - just a matter of what your local
conditions are like, and what you plan on using it for that will decide which might be the better kite.
If that makes any sense...
Founder/Owner Colorado Kite Sports
Specializing in Gin, Little Cloud & HQ4 foils. http://coloradokitesports.com
Most used Kites: LC Pelican, Gin Marabou
Skis: Something w/ Marker Baron or Duke Bindings
Boards: Litewave Wing, Naish Jet 2000, OR Mako 140
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