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The WOW is a kite close to the Liquid Force team’s heart. Most of the guys who work for the brand as well as a lot of the team riders spend a lot of time in the surf, so you know that it is a kite they really want to get spot on.
For 2018 the WOW V3 has been given a pretty serious revisit and the design crew have been working closely with team riders like Luke McGillewie to refine the kite further. In terms of construction, the WOW V3 is built with triple-ripstop Challenge cloth for durability, and also for maximum strength if the worst happens and your kite rides the wave in rather than you. Then there are the super-skinny Synergy struts, unique max flow inflation system (which with their 3L pump inflates the kite in about 15 strokes!) and there is a reworked bridle. Liquid Force recommend pumping the WOW V3 up hard and you really can – the LE and the struts are slim so you can get the kite rock hard.
In the air and the WOW V3 immediately has a very ‘light’ feel. The kite sits at the zenith while you get your leash on and shows no signs of twitchiness and this feeling continues when you get on the water. For us the low end was quite surprising, it doesn’t look like a grunty kite, but it has a nice sheet-and-go power delivery and – when tested alongside some other 8m kites – delivered more power across the board. It is quite an active kite to fly and you find yourself tweaking the power quite a lot but we really were astounded by how smooth the WOW V3 is – it really does glide through the air and feels like the friendliest companion you could ever want on the water! When it comes to the waves, for onshore conditions the turning is nicely pivotal and you can move it around quickly, then if you sheet the bar all the way out then the power shuts off completely. The WOW V3 is never going to pull you off an edge. Ever. For cross-shore conditions the lightweight frame and smooth handling pay real dividends and the WOW V3 will glide down the line with you until the sun goes down.
In a sentence: The WOW V3 is a super-lightweight surf riding machine – it is one of the smoothest kites we have ever flown and it’s hard not to come off the water with a smile on your face.
