Best HellFish Review


The Best HellFish is Best Kiteboarding's new flagship kite. Best Kiteboarding claims that the HellFish dramatically improves upon currently available kite designs in all aspects because of Best's exclusive use of Cuben Fiber.

Cuben Fiber is a cloth that has recently been used in sailing. It is a very light material that is made up of a combination of different Fibers. The exact combination of Fibers is not known.

The result is a very light, strong and waterproof cloth that has a shiny, wrinkly texture.

Cuben Fiber is not the only thing that makes the HellFish unique. All the struts and the Leading Edge on the kite are extremely thin. This reduces drag, and combined with the lightweight of Cuben Fiber, this leads to a very light kite.

The kite does feel notably lighter than the average 13, although I can't confirm if it is 70% lighter, as claimed by Best Kiteboarding.

I managed to test the HellFish 13 alongside a Yarga 13 at a lagoon. I was given a 45cm bar with the HellFish instead of the usual 55cm bar. The local kiteboarding shop said a 55cm bar would be too big.

On the water the kite flies with relatively light bar pressure, and it is really quick in the turns. I would say that you can compare the turning speed of the kite on a 45cm bar to that of a typical 9 or 10 square meter kite. A 55cm bar, the standard size bar for a 12 or a 13, would have turned the kite even quicker.

Kite loops was really fun and effortless on this kite. The HellFish flies similar to a Best Nemesis, but it turns a lot quicker and feels lighter on the bar. Lift and overall performance was good.

During the late afternoon the wind dropped and I was able to test the low end abilities. It felt like the HellFish had slightly less power on the low end than the 13 Yarga. Certain reports indicate that the HellFish kite has a huge low end advantage - I do not agree with this. The fast turning speed gave it a definite advantage over the Yarga even though The 13 Yarga is not a slow kite by 2005 standards. Switching between the two really showed how much quicker the HellFish was than the Yarga. Turning speed aside, you'll still struggle to stay upwind on both kites if the wind is light.

I managed to drop the kite on a few occasions - and on one occasion the kite pretzeled. (The leading edge folded in half while in the launch position)
Best Kiteboarding assured me that the pretzel problems has been sorted out in the production versions of the HellFish.

The kite also dropped out of the sky a few times in light wind by overflying me.

All this aside, I welcome the innovation and progress in kite design. I really liked the kite - the only thing I didn't like was the kite pretzeling. The HellFish is a well behaved kite. Its biggest assets are fast turning and Lift.

It must be noted that I was flying a prototype HellFish and not a production kite.

The HellFish can be flown on a 4 line or 5 line configuration. 

What I liked about the kite :

Fast, quick, tight turning.
Lighter bar pressure.
Reduced weight.
Good Lift.

What I didn't like about the kite :

The kite folded on one occasion. (Prototype only problem)
Pricey when compared to the rest of the Best kites.
Not sure if Silver will be a hit with everyone.
Had some stability problems in lighter wind.

Conclusion :

The HellFish is a definite improvement over current kite design in terms of kite turning speed. The reduced drag and weight clearly contributes towards this.

If you like doing kiteloops and jumping this kite will make both effortless.  Up until this stage not a lot has been done to improve kite turning speed. A big kite that turns fast is a good thing, and this 13 turns like a 9 or a 10 on a small bar.

I am concerned about the ability of the thin leading edge to hold up in surf. The kite managed to fold back and twist into itself in light wind and on flat water - things can only get worse if you put waves into the equasion.

Although the low end pull of the kite does not feel any different to that of most other kites, the turning speed of the kite will give you a edge.

All in all I was well impressed with the kite. Credit must be given to Best Kiteboarding for taking kite turning speed to the next level.

Credits : Thanks to Windsports in Cape Town and Best Kiteboarding for providing the demo kite

Article Comments: (Add Comments)

Hi, would be nice and helpful if you could tell us the following desirable details:
1-Skill level (also what style, wake, free style, flat water or waves)?
2-Weight of rider?
3-What kind of board with size was used for testing?
4-Wind speed earlier of test and later on when dropped?
Thanks, DrLightWind

DrLightWind

DRLightWind,

I weigh 70 kg
Style = wave riding / kite loops, old school and getting into unhooked.
Board size = 128 Mutant
Wind Speed = 17 knots peak, 7 - 10 knots when wind dropped

Carlo

Best did not inovate,... they just hype this up.
First it was the invention of the year, now its called a prototype... wat is it??
I see them all the time on the water, this kite does NOT
jump any higher
make you go any faster
or fly better up wind

The thin LE
makes it fold when you load it, it does NOT fly without the 5th line, and the seaming is poor bu any standards

my 2 cents

Florida Kiter

I just got my 13m Hellfish prototype here in NZ as I sell Best.
(FYI: I also Peterlynn Naish etc.) Lucky for me they sent me a kite.
But i am brutal on kit that doesn't stand up to a test so their brave sending it to me.

But on close inspection and after riding it I think Best have made a great kite and this prototype shows a great new design direction.
My kite flies great. I have ridden it in surf and flat water. In some pretty ugly conditions too.
My 13m on a 45cm bar really does turn fast, it is so responsive.
So if you love riding 10m kites in the surf you will love the 13m.
Given how it feels I think the 17m will be fantastic. Should make it feel like a 12m. And i know most riders favorite is their 12 due to the responsive nature of the size. getting that feeling on a 17m would be mint.
A 13m Fuel i rode in the same conditions just felt heavy and a bit slugish.
I like the Fuel so this was a surprise.

I also got hammered in a +30knot squall with my 13m up.
The kite behaved so well and held shape throughout.
Eventually i had to bail the kite and in the end i couldn't even hold the 5th line leash anymore it was so windy.

In the few good conditions ive had this week, the jumps are something else too eh! Nice one Best.

Good on ya ikiteboarding.com for doing a review.
Hope you get better conditions and do a real test on a production one.

Lee


Heads up, there have been reports of production kites blowing seams after one month. Complaints posted on the Hellfish forum being are being deleted by Best. A friend of mine cancelled his order and was refused a refund. He was told he could only have store credit!

There is a rumor going around that best was told by the Cuben Fiber manufacturer to glue the seams, and Best did not because it made manufacturing too expensive. Buyer beware.

Beware