Naish Pivot S27

The Naish Pivot has been a staple in the kiting community for many years now and has developed an enviable reputation for its versatility and impressive performance. It has won the Red Bull King of the Air competition twice and has been on the podium of the Big Air Kite League, making it one of the best known Big Air kites on the market. This kite is designed to excel in all disciplines, emphasizing its Big Air performance. We tested a 10m on a twintip and surfboard.

After inflating the kite, one of the standout features of the S27 Pivot is its durable construction. Naish has always been known for its high-quality materials and attention to detail, and this latest model is no exception. The Pivot is built to last, with a solid canopy made from Quad-Tex (4×4) ripstop, the strongest canopy on the market. The struts are provided with a sturdy bumper on both sides to increase the lifespan, ensuring that the kite can withstand even the toughest beatings. Naish’s attention to detail and high-quality materials mean that this kite will last you for seasons to come.

The S27 Pivot also features new power-lock bridles with eight attachment points, two more than the previous model. This improves stability, especially in stronger winds, and gives the kite a solid feeling closer to a five-strut Big Air kite. More attachment points help bridles to distribute the load more evenly across the canopy, which helps to prevent deformation and improves the kite’s performance in more extreme conditions. Despite that change, the new Pivot still keeps its tuning options depending on riding style, both at wingtips and bridles connection.

In the air, the Pivot straight away felt very stable and predictable. While testing, we always knew where the kite was, whether we were throwing it across the wind window catching waves, or keeping it steady during some Big Air maneuvers. Another key feature we really noticed of the new model is how forgiving it is. This kite is designed to be easy to ride, even for beginners. The improved kite stability made gusty conditions much more tolerable. Its great depower range was also beneficial when the wind got too much on a surfboard. Let’s get back to stability because this was one of the much-improved factors in the S27 model. While riding the kite on a twintip, whether unhooking or just boosting, the kite was very stable in the air, holding its structure no matter what the wind tried to do with it. Forgiving and predictable, the S27 Pivot gave us a feeling that it is great for progression in every discipline. Whether you’re a beginner looking to learn the basics of kiting or an experienced rider looking to push your limits, this kite has something to offer.

For Big Air, the new model generated some serious lift and let us float in the air for a long stretch of time for a three-strut kite. Again worth mentioning was that it felt very stable during every jump, which places it close to a standard five-strut Big Air kite with its jumping performance. We had some super fun freeride sessions trying all sorts of lower-height loops; everything has stayed the same, and looping on the Pivot is still easy and very predictable.

In summary, this latest model is a performance machine that will take your riding to the next level. Its durability, stability, forgiving and predictable performance, and ability to progress in every discipline make it the ultimate kite for riders who want to push their limits, but still want a kite that feels friendly to fly.