Slingshot RPM Vs the Rally - Versus Ep 04 - MACkiteboarding.com

This week we’re talking about Slingshot kiteboarding. Because you know… You don’t know shot! Well, if you’re watching this or you’ve ever gone wakeboarding you probably do but what you might not know is what kite in the lineup is right for you. We’re going to compare two of our more popular kites. The Slingshot RPM Vs The Slingshot rally. Now, both of the kites fall into the user friendly all around category but they are significantly different kites. In fact, most brands have a whole range of kites used to cover a variety of riding styles. What we've found is that the RPM has carved out it's own place on this line. And is frankly, one of the most versatile easy to use high performances kites around. So how does the Rally stack up against the Rpm. Well, I probably made it sound like the RPM is the end all be all and while it’s a sick kite. That's not not necessarily the case. As always with the Versus videos, it comes down to personal preference, what you’re looking to do with your kite and what benefits attract you most about each kite. Let’s talk about the Rally for a minute here. So the Rally is like I said, more user friendly. It’s going to ride up wind a little easier, the jumps are going to be loftier and feel more floaty. It’s also going to be a little less responsive than the RPM. That’s a good thing or a bad thing depending on what you like. I actually like my kite to be less responsive so I don’t have to worry about it as much when learning something new. And this certainly applies to beginners. Having a little delay is actually really beneficial leaving some room for error. Now, Back to the RPM again this kite shines. Not only is it high performance but you’ve likely seen it in a kite school near you. We usually have a couple up at our lesson center. Why? Because it’s a great user friendly kite! However, as always there are trade offs. The RPM will jump just as well as the Rally but it does take a little timing on the the rider. The jumps are a little more aggressive and less lofty. It’s important to remember that this is more of a personal preference. Riders who like a more direct feel love explosive kites. Riders who love big hooked in tricks usually like a floatier kite. Something else to consider about these kites is taking them to the waves. The Rally is known for being a great contender in this regard and is marketed as having great surf crossover potential. I really can’t argue with that either. Some of my co workers like Lucas here actually prefer the rally paired with a surfboard. So Rally really does have you covered across the whole spectrum. What about the Rpm? Let me lead in. I try to keep these videos open ended and as objective as possible. But in the case here I’m going to throw in some personal bias. The Rpm has been my go to wave kite for 6 years now. Namely because I actually own one and I have easy access to it but also because it’s very fast reactive and fun kite to use in the surf. Between these two if waves are on your radar slingshot rates the Rally as being a little better in the waves but we would say opt for the rally if you like being powered in the waves and opt for the RPM if you want to use more wave power and work your kite a little. So to sum up. They both fall into the user friendly category but it really comes down to this. If you want to feel powered, have more upwind ability, lofty jumps go for the Rally. If you want performance, a kite that still easy to jump and ride upwind but also shines for that really advanced rider go for the RPM. After writing this I realized just how special the RPM is there really is no other kite quite like it. In recent years I’ve had a lot of fun riding kites like the FX and the Dice but I just might have to start putting in more sessions on the RPM again there is just something special about it. Thanks for watching guys. As always this is an open forum so please leave comments. Let’s get this conversation going so people researching these kites can hear your thoughts as well. If you found this video helpful be sure to give it a thumbs up and subscribe. Until next time, this has been Rygo at MACkite and I’ll see you next Wednesday.